I just want to thank Stephen publicly for the work that he did on these shoes that I sent him. He went above and beyond what I expected. I just received my shoes and they are truly amazing. They look 100 times better than what I sent. The soles are beautiful and I love my initials, what a great surprise. I highly recommend that anyone who needs any type of shoe repair, to please contact Stephen, his work is truly exceptional.
Your videos showed up in my Recommended list and damn it if I haven't fallen straight down this rabbit hole. Your work is fascinating and your videos are truly enjoyable! You are a true master craftsman. But anyway.... let's continue. :)
Not only do you show, in detail, how you restore shoe and leather products, you educate about these shoes/products so you can identify them if you find them. I would not known many of the makers of fine leather products if I had not seen them on your channel! By the way.....what glue do you use? The soles must stay on well. It takes a very good glue to keep them from falling off, after a while. Your methods may be what cobblers do, you seem to do the extra things that sets you apart from average cobblers. You give people a standard of quality to look for and expect, if you have your shoes restored from some other shop, other than you. Thanxz
Love the old machinery so glad somebody is putting these wonderful pieces of apparatus to good use . Very enjoyable to watch a fine conscientious worker ply his trade great video . An Englishman in France .
This was like a master class in cobblering. This was a fantastic video! I never thought I would be sharing a leather worker cobbler video this often. just great video. Now I know exactly what to look for in other cobblers and shoe repair. I expect a bit more for the cost. And the little tips and tricks I'm learning! I'm so hopeful to get to this level one day! My kid still says "Let's continue" while making shoes out of playdoh
I think this is your best video so far. I enjoyed the fact that you showed us a more in-depth look at the art of shoe repairing. You do amazing work. Thank you for sharing it with us. Regards Rowena U. K.
I've been watching your vids for a while now, but I'm finally ready to say that you are my new favorite youtuber. Every time I get a long Bedo video in my subscription feed, it's like Christmas morning. Thank you for the work you put into your craft!
My late father was a cobbler, watching these videos takes me back to being a wee child in his shop. The noise of the machinery and smells of the leather and glues. Thank you.
Small easy video tip: Do you have a hood on your lens? I think I'm seeing some contrast loss in some shots that would indicate light sources hitting the lens at an angle, and scattering inside...that takes away the definition of the dark tones. Easy, cheap fix if you don't have a lens hood...look on Amazon for generic hoods for your particular lens. If you are already using a hood, maybe the a tiny change in camera height and angle will get that stray light out of the lens. In this video, I see the examples of what I'm describing in the shots towards your work on the last, when you're adding the customer stencil initialing, etc. That loss of contrast in the upper right corner against your dark shirt or the buffer when you move...that is, I'm pretty sure, the result of light directly entering the lens. You can see in the last shot where you are showing the finished product at the counter that you have full contrast there...the light is not entering the lens directly, so you're not getting the flare and loss of contrast. Love the channel, and how it demystifies aspects of shoe construction and repair. Hopefully I could pay it forward a little with a photography suggestion. Best of luck.
Bruce Richardson that you for all your suggestions, I don’t even know what a hood lens is but I’ll look into it. Besides I’m just using my I phone to record not an actual camera 👍👍
The initials added just makes the job a “Top Shelf Job” They are not new but they look absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed watching every minute. This is so much better to watch then any show on tv. Sometime if a customer takes a picture of them on please post the picture. I can see why you do this job. I became disabled in 2011 and do miss working with my tools.
Saving this one for my evening viewing later! Now, I wonder which John Lobb this one is as there are two. if they are ready to wear then they are the ones owned by Hermes and fine shoes they are but if they are the ones still made by the original family then they are Bespoke and a whole other level of quality and cost! Did you know that one Francis Albert Sinatra’s favourite shoes are from the still family owned John Lobb. They still have his personal last. I remember once talking to someone who works there and the story is that Mr Sinatra had multiple pairs made of the same shoe so that he had a pair for each of his residences, I just thought that was so cool and so like The Chairman Of The Board!
What a wonderful shop with incredible works of art. You are a true master and capture the essence of shoe restoration. Looking to become a shoe cobbler within 2.5 years. Keep posting videos of your craft.
I really enjoy your videos. You really bring peoples items back to life. A question: when you due a handbag, is the dye likely to transfer onto your clothes? (Say, if I were wearing a pale skirt, and using a black redyed bag.) thanks.
I remember those French tips from way back when ;) They were all the rage in my native country, lol ;) And adding a personal touch to the shoes made for a happy customer yet again, I'm sure ;) I'm telling you, if I ever visit the States again, I must come and visit you and the gang ;) Awesome!
Great work! 👍🏻 BTW: I’m starting to seriously not like them ‘some people’, whoever they are - they do mediocre work and like to cut corners. Anyway, let’s continue.
John Lobb, English makers, they do pretty good work, 🤣🤣🤣🤣 He doesn't have a clue about shoe quality, John Lobb, along with Edward Green, George Cleverley, Church's, Gaziano & Girling (I remember seeing the video, he never heard of the brand, barely could say the name) make the best shoes in the world, but they do pretty good work. What to expect from someone who knows only Florsheim and Allan Edmonds, who are centuries behind European shoe craftsmanship.
I'm so glad I found this channel, old wold craftsmanship in a straight forward presentations. The losers out at the bars on a Friday night have no idea what they are missing
Just watched a video of John Lobb shoemaker and met the 5th generation Lobb! Wow ! Hey Steve, hope u are well and ur family is well. Love watching ur videos!
Whats wrong with me! Im addicted to watching you restore shoes Steve. I do plan on contacting you in the future for my few pairs but in the meantime do you have any merchandise (ie. t-shirts/mugs)? I work in Toronto and my coworkers definitely need their shoes repaired.
Amazing work as always. Your a true master of your craft. Would love it if you would do a video of your shop/store so we could see a little more behind the scene. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
You are you,but iT,s just off we are in the years off dad in his workshop.it let us see how muts the world off business is changed Omg.this is so Nice against the big shops .thx for sharing ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️
I am so glad you photo your work, I think you opened many eyes to your craft and much more appreciation for what you are able to accomplish. I think those loafer retail for aout $1500. Thank you.
Honestly, that is just wonderful. Thank you for deciding to start this channel in order to spread your wealth of knowledge and demonstrate your rare skill.
Dont let it bother you. Most vote down so youtube dont inundate them with every shoemaker video in the world as recommendations because they watched this one.
love your very detail work and the way you explain the process is great. you show all your work so there is no mistake of the time and quality that goes into a restoration.
I love watching your videos and learn a lot in the process that I never knew before. Very zen and inspiring to see such a great craftsman doing what he loves.
I always wondered why it costs so much for my Dad to have new soles put on. His shoes did look newer and they lasted a long time. Now I know how much work into them. thanks for showing this to all of us.
I was in D.C. about a month before I discovered your channel. I really wish I would have discovered you prior to my trip because we were in your neck of the woods one afternoon and I would have loved to stop by and see your shop. I am constantly amazed by your craftsmanship. Keep up the amazing videos Steve. Very much appreciated!
I am noticing a small chamfer on the inside corner of the heel on every men’s leather shoe that you repair, is that some kind of a signature or trade mark that you leave in every shoe or is there some kind of a purpose to it?
Steve,..thanks for a great vid..I have 2 queries..1.What mix for the rubbing alc and water spray to be most effective ?..and 2..Is your no. rating for the oak bark soles related to the depth?..do you use a one size blank or..is it specific to the shoe size?...thanks..I'm inspired!..rgds, Joe.
Joe Monaghan hey Joe Ok 50/50 water/rubbing alcohol The JR soles come pre cut and they are 10-11 thickness. If I need bigger then I cut from a big sheet of leather bend
Another amazing video. A question about the blind stitch: When you slice into the leather to create the flap for the hidden stitch, why would you not make that thicker? It feels like the wearer would wear through that thin slice quickly and expose the stitches. Thanks for all you do!
@@BedosLeatherworksLLC you're clearly the professional and master leathersmith. :) Thank you for the reply, I know you did it right and thanks for the explanation.
Hey Steve great video sir! you know just a suggestion what might help take out those wrinkles even further would be a good quality deer bone from John Lobb I got one for when I smooth out leather fittings on lasts or when making the shoes to really smooth out the toe box. It has like a oil inside the bone that helps it glide over the leather and also polishes it a little bit too. It might not be super necessary but might help. :) here's the link if you're interested: www.johnlobbltd.co.uk/product/deer-bone/
Excellent video, though maybe a little rushed towards the end. I’d like to have seen how you hold those tiny brass nails for the customer’s initials before hammering them in and how you buff down the reattached heels.
Hello BedoLeatherworks. I’m curious to know when after you get stitching the shoe and you cut away the thread from the shoe what happens to the loose end of the thread on the machine end when you do another shoe stitching? Does the loose end thread need to be put back into the machine somewhere or somehow?
Incredible workmanship. Again another video I watched start to finish. It’s like therapy watching this skill being executed so effortlessly!! I would be one happy customer with those JL’s I live in Northampton, England. Affectionately known as Shoe Town by us Northamptonians. You’re probably aware of Northampton’s boot and shoe provenance. This town was built on the boot and shoe industry. Something we’ve held here for centuries. We still have Dr Marten, Solovair, Loake, Churches, Barker, Trickers, Jeffery West, Crockett and Jones and Edward Green, Joseph Cheant factories here all within a 15 mile vicinity and of course, John Lobb. Anyone in town is welcome to visit any of the Shoe factories and have a walk round. The Shoe manufacturers here are so proud of their heritage. Also the factory closing shop outlets have great deals! The shoe museum in town houses some of the oldest shoes and boots in the world made here centuries and centuries ago. It’s a real treat to see. Anytime you ever come to England, be sure to pay a visit! Keep up with the amazing restoration work you do!!
When i was a kid my dad would have my shoes resoled. After a while the nails in the heel would poke up into my foot. The cobbler must have done something wrong.
Most people believe top of the range tools are a good investment. Which hand tools do you recommend buying ‘the best’ and which can be improvised cheaply, or using any on the market? Eg I notice you seem to use a regular Stanley knife for most cutting jobs, but I expect you are choosy about the blades you buy.
Interesting to see the guts of a Lobb shoe, dont seem too much different from any other reasonable quality shoe ? Maybe even the Rolex of footwear, the magic of a name :)
Fantastic work as always. Steve, I'm sure you'd agree that we are really enjoying the longer videos. I love the peace I get from watching these. Always such a treat. I'm almost disappointed I don't have any leather goods that need work to send you! Not yet anyway!
Thanks for the video Mr. Bedo. Put those shoes in a museum please. Btw, how do you feel about the current youth's appreciation for shoe/sneaker culture? I like watching sneaker restoration videos and it seems like More and more they're exploring really skillful techniques similar to those in your videos. Do you ever do sneaker repairs?
I am a new subscriber to you. This kind of thing fascinates me, although most of my footwear that require mending are the platform sole of gothic boots that are notorious for coming unstuck.
