Hi, cool video! Your sneakers look really good. Just a tip.. When using the rotary punch, use a thick piece of leather under the leather you're making the holes in. This way, the punch can go all the way through your leather without hitting the anvil. This will make sure you get your holes without having to twist and wiggle the thing around, and at the same time you'll prevent it from getting dull ;).
I got obsessed with quality shoes before trying leatherwork and now I have a deeper appreciation for cordswainers. The level of skill, planning and conceptual thinking the high level artisans operate at is incredible. On top of that they must make a profitable business.
Those look great! I used a faux ostrich print leather in purple and orange for mine and receive a lot of compliments on them. And they are surpisingly comfortable, by far my favourite shoes!
That was pretty cool. I'd want a slab of leather underneath the insert as an insole, and some kind of soft liner leather (especially around the ankles). However, in general, I like the concept.
Stumbled upon this video never in my life have I even had the thought of making my own shoe/sneaker. After seeing this video I 100% want to have a crack at a pair 🙏
Haven’t watched it yet, but I saved it to watch later but I just wanted to say that I can’t wait to sit down and enjoy it. You always bring good content to the table
When I was younger did not have much money were I was and a used to get shoes top and bottom from different brands and put them together for my own use they came out great all by hand and glue thank to that hard time and survived skills today here is this great country I rebuilt the interior on gator skin imitación vinyl my 84 diesel GMC suburban great work man
Thank you for your kind words :) I don't see this as shoemaking as you're not building a sole or insole, lasting the shoe, building a heel block etc... Shoe making is so much more complex than this. Anyway, I appreciate your comment!
Too bad I am only seeing narrow toe'd shoes kits and none with a natural foot shape. You know the kind, with a wide toe box....I would love to make my own shoes.
Hey James, do you know what the function of the stitches between the pieces near the lowest lace holes is? It looks like you left it out and I'm wondering about leaving it out too, but I'm worried you did something else clever to compensate!
i love the outcome of the shoe its so nice, i cant imagine that any one can make shoe that great, where do you get or did you download the shoe patern? i like to try it.
Nice work! I have a sneakerkit that's been sitting around for almost a year because I've been too nervous to start it. I like how yours turned out. One thing I don't understand is the stitch line that continues around the ankle opening of the leather. Isn't that just one layer of leather or did I miss something?
Hi James, Would it be possible to have your feedback on the following? I made almost the same sneakers as yours but in the lower version. Of course, they are not as beautiful as yours, but I'm happy with the result. My problem is the size. Usually I',m comfortable with a size 43 (EU) which I took. But the sneakers are really too small, even after trying to "extend" the leather a little bit. What is your experience with this? Could it be that it is caused by the thickness of the leather (I took the 2 mm from Raedermeckers as you)? What do you think? Thank you for your feedback. Alain.
Bravo !👏🏻 Etant donné ma non expérience dans le domaine du cuir, je ne suis pas sûr d'arriver à un tel résultat. J'attends de voir la patine du temps faire son effet... #patinaislife Anyway, those will not need to be cut in half by @roseanvil 😁
Hahah merci :D Ca fait une semaine que je les maltraite sur un chantier et pour le moment elles tiennent très bien le coup! Je les ai bien ciré et huilé avant en préparation mais j'ai hâte de voir le cuir prendre vie une fois rentré à la maison et après un brin de toilette et d'amour. Et pour Roseanvil, même si j'adore ses vidéos, pas moyen que je lui laisse mes godasses !!
Wow they look amazing! But how much did the cost? I looked up the leather f that was £300! I’m not sure how many you could get from that size leather but doesn’t look many, still hand made shoes wow.
True, the leather costs a fair bit but I only used a small portion. I estimate the total cost of the shoes at around 80 to 100$ in the end, not counting the time that went into making them. So if you have the leather and the time, it's a great project and knowing that I'm the one who made them makes them so much more special :)
Hey James, nice video, how solid are the soles, i'm guessing that that wuld be the weak point in the shoe as the rest you could remake, would you think about glueing the leather to the soles for added strength? hope you are well.
Hey Darrin! The soles are very comfy but they're definitely not as sturdy as the hard leather soles I'm used to - at best on par with most sneakers. I've actually gone ahead and added an thin outsole from Amazon to the bottom for a slightly harder grippy feel. I considered gluing the leather but that would make it really hard to sew (if not near impossible) even if I were able to line up all the holes perfectly during the glue-up process. I may try that for the next pair I make however! Thanks for your message, hope all is well for you also :)
Great! Is it really comfy when the interior leather is raw and not covered with some sort of fabric? Or do you prefer to only wear it withc socks ? BTW; how is the sizing? Does it fit as your usual foot number or should us order 1 size bigger or smaller etc?
Are you talking about "vegetable tanned" leather (referring to tanning animal skins using natural vegetable tannins) or vegan leather (referring to fake leather that does not include animal skin)?
