Repairs to upper shoe.

[TheCustomer]

A few years back I took some shoes into a repair shop in the hope of getting a small whole fixed in the upper part of the shoe. It was where the foot bends in the crease part by the little toe. The man said, "nothing we can do with that mate, its split".

 

It was just a small hole 5mm long and not wide at all. is there anything which can be done in these situations that is effective like carefully stiching the hole from the inside, because the crease of the foot part might cover it up, for example? This is just a general discussion as I don't have the shoes anymore. I wonder what is really possible.

 

Thank you

Harry

[Guest boonhead]

hugh i would recommend putting a skived patch behind the 5mm hole but use a 6mm patch.then stitch along the original stitch lines if there is any there to stitch along,tap down the stitches with your hammer and bobs your uncle boonhea d

[TheCustomer]

Boonhead: ok so you would patch it rather than sew together. What does skived mean?

Also I am not Hugh, it's Harry. Who is hugh, someone else called me that. Do you mean the moderator chap?

Why would you think I am him. There must be some private joke going on before I arrived.

 

Harry.

[ironplanet uk900]

and bobs your uncle d

 

No I think Harry's his Uncle.

[x minit uk]

A skived patch is where the edges of the leather patch are thinned or tapered down so that there is no ridge where the patch joins the original upper etc.

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

I am Hugh..... not you but Hugh

I am not TheCustomer but the customer now i have retired, sorry to confuse things Harry

 

As for stitching the uppers, well.... the upper on your shoe would probably be quite substantial and if it has split through that thickness, some Cotton/Rayon/Nylon stitches wont stand much chance will they.

One way like has been mentioned is to glue a piece of leather with thinned edges (skived)underneath, some then stitch over the top where the split was but I prefer a special adheshive only (no not superglue). I do not like the look of splits in shoes that had been stitched over no matter how neat folk think it is, I would not wear them.

My method with adhesive and finishing makes the job almost invisible and longer lasting.

 

You could do a search for caring for your shoes about the use of shoe tres in great depth and you wont have the problem of them splitting again, its not just about putting shoe trees in though.

 

Stick with us Thecustomer and you will learn far more than going off the words of 1 repairer. We here never stop learning.

[kobblers]

some Cotton/Rayon/Nylon stitches wont stand much chance will they..

agreed

 

but I prefer a special adheshive only (no not superglue). I do not like the look of splits in shoes that had been stitched over no matter how neat folk think it is, I would not wear them.

My method with adhesive and finishing makes the job almost invisible and longer lasting.

 

would you share this method with us hugh please?

 

We here never stop learning.

 

 

rick.

[Auto Key Wizard]

I am Hugh..... not you but Hugh

I am not TheCustomer but the customer now i have retired, sorry to confuse things Harry

I'm totally confused....

Are you Hugh, Harry, or is Harry, Hugh, or is Harry, Harry & Hugh, Hugh,

Maybe Harry is staying with Hugh or Hugh with Harry.......

[Auto Key Wizard]

Also when Harry posts he's Anonymous,

& when Hugh posts he's Anonymous too.............

[Perplexus]

Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub. ... Pugh and Pugh are twins you must understand - not Hugh, Pugh!

 

Not relevant to the current discussion, but I couldn't resist!

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

All very good posts gents Very Hugh-Morous

 

ascap, I already have shared it with you in a number of previous posts.

The problem is you see, the articles get read then forgotten months down the line.

If you see a new mothod of doing things, try it out, then you amke your own mind up if that way suits you and even if it doesnt you will remember it and be able to use it when the need presents itself.

Cant do a tutorial as I dont have split shoes AND if posted as tutorial Joe Public will be doing his own and bypassing you. So what do you suggest?

[kobblers]

i suggest posting it in the trade section

 

i don't recollect this topic previously being mentioned so i doubt if i've seen your earlier postings as i'd definitely remember it.

 

rick.

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

It was about Adhesives and how to use them Rick, but it was long ago, so long in fact that I might have been in my Teens

[TheCustomer]

All very good posts gents Very Hugh-Morous

 

ascap, I already have shared it with you in a number of previous posts.

The problem is you see, the articles get read then forgotten months down the line.

If you see a new mothod of doing things, try it out, then you amke your own mind up if that way suits you and even if it doesnt you will remember it and be able to use it when the need presents itself.

Cant do a tutorial as I dont have split shoes AND if posted as tutorial Joe Public will be doing his own and bypassing you. So what do you suggest?

 

I doubt it very much. The amount of info I have seen on this site regarding sole and heel repairs plus the fact that you can get sole and heel repair kits in Woolworths; by the same logic would mean that cobblers would have been wiped out years ago. But it hasen't happened and Woolworths are going bankrupt as well. That tells you everything.

When the plumber extended may radiator I knew exactly how he did it. I knew exactly where to get all the materials he used which cost about £3. I also knew exactly how long he took to do the job, a focused 25 mins. I was still happy to pay him his call out fee plus 1 hour nimimum charge. Why: because I know if I attempted this one off 'simple' repair I know I would **** it up and also take another 3 hours to fix my mess, not to mention the time to source the materials, driving around etc.

Its very clear to anyone with half a brain that a good cobbler has nothing to fear because with any skill it would take years to develop considering the range of shoes you repair. The public dont have a chance, other than to super glue a butchered lump of leather to the inside of a shoe..... not quite the desired look on a quality pair of shoes, which are the only customers who are interested in paying for this type of repair I would guess?

 

Harry

[kobblers]

well put harry, methinks hugh is dodging my question about how to effect the method he mentioned

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

I doubt it very much.

(I DONT)

The amount of info I have seen on this site regarding sole and heel repairs plus the fact that you can get sole and heel repair kits in Woolworths; by the same logic would mean that cobblers would have been wiped out years ago. But it hasen't happened and Woolworths are going bankrupt as well. That tells you everything.(Oh no it doesn't)(there are some jobs that this method would make easy for customers to do their shoes and it already is happening)

When the plumber extended may radiator I knew exactly how he did it. I knew exactly where to get all the materials he used which cost about £3. I also knew exactly how long he took to do the job, a focused 25 mins. I was still happy to pay him his call out fee plus 1 hour nimimum charge. Why: because I know if I attempted this one off 'simple' repair I know I would **** it up and also take another 3 hours to fix my mess, not to mention the time to source the materials, driving around etc.

(May I gather that you are not very handy then, should have asked me to do it for you )

Its very clear to anyone with half a brain that a good cobbler has nothing to fear because with any skill it would take years to develop considering the range of shoes you repair. The public dont have a chance, other than to super glue a butchered lump of leather to the inside of a shoe.

But they would have if we told them how to Eh what?

.... not quite the desired look on a quality pair of shoes, which are the only customers who are interested in paying for this type of repair I would guess?

No wrong... the process covers all types of shoes, bags etc etc, from the cheapest of the nasties to the most expencive SW shoes (mended my grandsons tent that was suspended from a climbing frame... no stitches would take the weight od 2 kids jumping up & down in it)

Harry

[TheCustomer]

I doubt it very much.

(I DONT)

The amount of info I have seen on this site regarding sole and heel repairs plus the fact that you can get sole and heel repair kits in Woolworths; by the same logic would mean that cobblers would have been wiped out years ago. But it hasen't happened and Woolworths are going bankrupt as well. That tells you everything.(Oh no it doesn't)(there are some jobs that this method would make easy for customers to do their shoes and it already is happening)

 

When the plumber extended may radiator I knew exactly how he did it. I knew exactly where to get all the materials he used which cost about £3. I also knew exactly how long he took to do the job, a focused 25 mins. I was still happy to pay him his call out fee plus 1 hour nimimum charge. Why: because I know if I attempted this one off 'simple' repair I know I would **** it up and also take another 3 hours to fix my mess, not to mention the time to source the materials, driving around etc.

(May I gather that you are not very handy then, should have asked me to do it for you )

 

Its very clear to anyone with half a brain that a good cobbler has nothing to fear because with any skill it would take years to develop considering the range of shoes you repair. The public dont have a chance, other than to super glue a butchered lump of leather to the inside of a shoe.

But they would have if we told them how to Eh what?

 

.... not quite the desired look on a quality pair of shoes, which are the only customers who are interested in paying for this type of repair I would guess?

No wrong... the process covers all types of shoes, bags etc etc, from the cheapest of the nasties to the most expencive SW shoes (mended my grandsons tent that was suspended from a climbing frame... no stitches would take the weight od 2 kids jumping up & down in it)

Harry

 

1)

There are plenty of ways of doing things which fall into the "easy if you know how" category which very few of the general public take up because they are skills which have to be mastered. I am not a cobbler but I have mastered a number of skills in technological and financial areas as well as some with sport and I know what it is like to go through the mill.

 

You can give someone with a photographic memory a degree level book on Mathamatics and sure, they might be able to locate a topic, equation, page number and commentary in their head but they wont be able to understand and demonstrate the skill until they have actually worked through the equations themselves. Its a developed skill.

Sure I could learn to invisibly repair dents to my car. Pannel beating info is everywhere no secret mystery to that one.. Dan Brown would be unimpressed. But will I take the time to learn and perfect it? You tell me.

 

2)

 

(But they would have if we told them how to Eh what?)

No. companies spend 100's of millions telling people about DIY and whereas most people may attempt some element of it sometime in their life, most still get tradesmen in to do the jobs.

A far higher proportion of people mend their own garden walls with bricks than attempt fine leather repairs to upper shoes, despite the fact that 99% of people have feet but much fewer people have garden walls due to urban population living with no garden and in flats etc. Then take into account that hardly anyone of the people who have garden walls would actually lay bricks themselves. Why not you may ask, the info is everywhere. materials are cheap(ish), hmmm.

So the amount of amateurs attempting fine leather repairs in a population of 60 million must be very small - and out of those, how many do a good job?

Its a total guess but I would have to say it is probably less than a few hundred a year.

 

(May I gather that you are not very handy then, should have asked me to do it for you )

Yeah, generally you are right I am not. I am good in my area of skill and have spent a number of years at it.

Some people wont even attempt to wire a plug or even if they are able bodied they will not get on the roof and adjust their TV antenna whereas I can do these things.

That's the whole point why many won't attempt what appears as easy jobs, because in fact they are not.

 

I am sure your technique is great for shoe makers and cobblers but if your technique is so revolutionary and easy for the public to apply and maybe worthy of a patent then lets setup an online marketing campaign and make millions together. Because it would have to be damn easy to catch the publics imagination.

Dispite the cheesy late night Infomercials, I don't hear all the dads talking about this device down the pub: http://www.brickytool.com/offer.htm

And how many actual professional bricky's have bought one.. hmm

 

(No wrong... the process covers all types of shoes, bags etc etc)

I am sure it does, no dispute

 

---

Anyway I have said my bit and best I leave this one amongst ascap29 and all you other professional repairers as this is not my argument because, I am never going to attempt any such repair, I can use those extra hours making money and buy myself some new shoes. Harry.

[TheCustomer]

Oh sod it.. I thought I'd have a go anyway. This video is only my first attempt:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nfj2yjsMnvM

 

but I think I have cracked it in this one:

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pjg379TX0h4

 

Am I worthy to go in the tutorial page?

 

[ironplanet uk900]

Oh sod it.. I thought I'd have a go anyway. This video is only my first attempt:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nfj2yjsMnvM

 

but I think I have cracked it in this one:

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pjg379TX0h4

 

Am I worthy to go in the tutorial page?

 

 

 

That just proves your Hugh candoit, and no it won't make the tutorial pages, but it sure should be in the bin, and not endorsed on the pages of a professional shoe repair forum .

[ironplanet uk900]

 

I am sure your technique is great for shoe makers and cobblers but if your technique is so revolutionary and easy for the public to apply and maybe worthy of a patent then lets setup an online marketing campaign and make millions together. Because it would have to be damn easy to catch the publics imagination.

Dispite the cheesy late night Infomercials, I don't hear all the dads talking about this device down the pub: http://www.brickytool.com/offer.htm

And how many actual professional bricky's have bought one.. hmm

 

Harry.

 

 

---

Anyway I have said my bit and best I leave this one amongst ascap29 and all you other professional repairers as this is not my argument because, I am never going to attempt any such repair, I can use those extra hours making money and buy myself some new shoes. Harry.

 

Yeah, and I can use my trade skills to earn my money, and pay someone to build my wall, Thats what makes the world go round proffessor wise ass......................

 

 

what a load of Sh1te

[Auto Key Wizard]

It was about Adhesives and how to use them Rick, but it was long ago, so long in fact that I might have been in my Teens

Rick,

Hugh/Harry CanDoIt is on about the Stormsure product http://www.stormsure.com which is available from Birch

 

 

[kobblers]

cheers tel, we sell that too.

 

i'm gonna create a rip in a piece of leatherthis week and try and seal it, i'm interested to see how it will hold up to repeated flexing and whether it can be dyed over.

 

rick.

[elfman]

used to called freesole very good stuff tell onl 1 or 2 probs if you dont use the whole tube it tends to go off very quickly and if you get any on your hands or skin its very hard to wash off. but as hugh said it does the job very well indeed first used it in the early 90s not sure you can dye it but it does dry clear so what ever couler you put it on thats the couler it appears

[Auto Key Wizard]

Freesole®

 

http://www.mcnett.com/

 

[ironplanet uk900]

I've also seen some really bad jobs done with this bodge clog.

 

But in the right hands it has some very good uses.