Bespoke footwear

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
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jacob
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Bespoke footwear

Post by jacob »

Anyone gone beyond ho-chi-minh sandals?

Bz5
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by Bz5 »

In terms of creating footwear?

One of the problems I have wanted to solve is breakage in body wear. A common motif in fiction is individuals who live or work in hostile places have excellent body gear.

At the makerspace I patronize there is a guy who makes gear. I am learning from him. I hope to be able to make my own shoes in a non-conventional manner.

There are things I have seen in footwear that I haven't seen all in one shoe. I'll give you more when I have data to give. This guy is good.

basuragomi
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by basuragomi »

I made a design for a "3d-printed" shoe. The gist of it:

- Segmented midsole, 3d printed plate with hinges around ball of feet. has hooks/loops on bottom to anchor outer sole, notches/pegholes on top to anchor insole, and holes + channel for welt around outside.
- Outer sole has cast continuous liner of silicone for waterproofing. Then silicone or composite segments cast to hook around loops. Can be removed and re-cast when worn down.
- Inner sole is gel cushion or silicone, cast-in-place so it anchors into midsole.
- Absorbent layer (felt?) to be wear surface for feet. Sewn to insole.
- Four-part upper: toebox, left and right side, heel. Toebox can made of thermoformed plastic or 3d printed for weird fun attachments
- Upper stitched to welt and rubber welt inserted for waterproofing.

I got some headway on the modelling - the midsole is key, everything else is basically cosmetic - but the manufacturing process as designed is finicky and it needs a lot of tooling, testing and mucking around with silicone. The main advantages (beyond bespoke fitting) are eternal repairability since silicone is strongly self-adhesive, and custom cushioning since so many grades of silicone hardness are available.

Stay tuned, this is shaping up to be more of a 2023 project.

J_
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by J_ »

I am on the brink to go over to bespoke footwear. The last years I have noticed pain in my left foot after long walks. I have bought bigger shoes, thinner socks, other brands. The reason I bought still wrong sized shoes is that when trying new shoes at the shop I thought yes! they are ok, only to find out after long walks the same pain occurred again.

I am experimenting with barefoot shoes. I have good shaped feet but at last I have noticed they have changed in size especially my fore-foot has broaden. I found (at first I could not believe it) out that with age your feet dò change and get wider and a little longer! As I discussed this with a friend of mine she said that after she had got twins she needed one size bigger shoes than before! It seems that pregnancy and getting older make the ligaments in your feet a bit less tight.

I have bought now town shoes Sioux K (extra broad) and a pair of Meindle Wide for easy terrain, and ordered Hanwag Straight Fit extra for my mountain walks.
If those three pair does not lead to painless walking I go for bespoke footwear.
I think keep walking is so good for me that it is worthy to invest in.

KRUMPn
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by KRUMPn »

I don't know what type of footwear you're looking for, or if you are talking about DIY or not, but I read Native American Moccasins: A Craft Manual a while back and it seemed promising. I haven't tried the leather craft involved though. It might be a good way to get basic footwear and the skills to create them without relying on a manufacturer.

KRUMPn
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by KRUMPn »

@Jacob I'm curious did you ever find a solution to this or make an attempt at learning the art of the cobbler?

jacob
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by jacob »

I have previously but only to the point of what has been suggested here. I want to see if it's possible to make soled footwear before I add another toolset to the collection.

Salathor
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by Salathor »

J_ wrote:
Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:36 am
I am on the brink to go over to bespoke footwear. The last years I have noticed pain in my left foot after long walks.
I have this sometimes. Have you ever measured to see if one foot is slightly larger than the other? This happens to me in shoes but never yet when I walk around in my Xero sandals (recommended by someone in another thread).

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GandK
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by GandK »

Salathor wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:55 am
I have this sometimes. Have you ever measured to see if one foot is slightly larger than the other? This happens to me in shoes but never yet when I walk around in my Xero sandals (recommended by someone in another thread).
I also wear Xeros now, to solve the sore feet thing. In fact, I took only one pair of shoes when I went to Greece for 3 months last fall: a pair of Xero's Colorados (their amphibious shoe). They were perfect. I'd absolutely do the same thing again. Literally the only downside of the Colorados is that on hot days I have to sprinkle some Gold Bond powder in the toe box so sweaty feet isn't a possibility.

J_
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by J_ »

Salathor wrote:
Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:55 am
I have this sometimes. Have you ever measured to see if one foot is slightly larger than the other? This happens to me in shoes but never yet when I walk around in my Xero sandals (recommended by someone in another thread).
Yes my my feet differ slightly: in length, in width, arch, and instep height. And yes, in sandals I have no problem.

But in rough terrain, and now in winter with lots of snow for months I (have to) use boots. I suppose that I have too long walked on too narrow shoes for years, and two of my left feet middle toes are a little bit damaged.

Has anyone read Katy Bowman's : Simple steps to foot pain relief?
(I am fan of one of her other book's : Move your dna)

And I am experimenting with broader shoes, and, coming spring, with barefoot shoes. Any one other suggestions?

AxelHeyst
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by AxelHeyst »

J_, I have a similar situation. Barefoot (naked or vibrams) helped a ton in warm weather. I plan on making winter mocs for the next time I'm in snow country, because I also have problems with stiff and or too narrow cold weather boots. Do a search for "lure of the North winter moccasins DIY kit" - there are templates you can download and it seems possible to assemble your own materials and tools required with the information provided there. I assume insulated mocs are the best solution for cold weather.

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jennypenny
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by jennypenny »

Since I inevitably tear through the tops of my running shoes, I've wondered if I could cut the top off when that happens, leaving a half inch or so, then sew a new top onto the tread. I haven't tried it yet because I'm not sure if my sewing machine can handle it. I'm going to try with an old pair of DD's espadrilles first. I hate throwing out old shoes with serviceable soles so this might be a good way to repurpose them.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by Western Red Cedar »

J_ wrote:
Tue Feb 15, 2022 2:34 pm
I suppose that I have too long walked on too narrow shoes for years, and two of my left feet middle toes are a little bit damaged.

Has anyone read Katy Bowman's : Simple steps to foot pain relief?
(I am fan of one of her other book's : Move your dna)

And I am experimenting with broader shoes, and, coming spring, with barefoot shoes. Any one other suggestions?
I am reading Bowman's Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief right now. I'm almost finished and plan to read her Whole Body Barefoot book next. She describes Simple Steps as an introductory book on foot health, and Whole Body Barefoot as more advanced - something that even podiatrists and physical therapists can learn from.

In terms of suggestions, I would focus on different foot strengthening exercises while you aren't wearing shoes. Trying to find shoes with zero heel and wide toe boxes will also benefit most people.

She breaks the shoe down to the toe box, the heel, the upper, and the sole. The construction of each can have different impacts on particular joints and muscles in the feet, but can also impact joints and muscles through the legs and into the lower back. It would probably be worth a bit of research on these features of the shoe for anyone who is building their own.

She also mentions a hybrid approach to bespoke footwear. Her husband uses a skill saw to take off the heels of his steel-toed work boots and his soccer cleats - which seems in spirit with ERE :D

sky
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by sky »

I tried to make booties out of fabric. The idea was to create an ultralight camp shoe which would protect me from ticks, mosquitoes and flies. I found it quite difficult to develop a pattern, the pattern needs to be exactly correct. I changed strategy after 3 attempts at making form-fitting booties out of sailcloth (which proved to be too slippery to walk in). I just made a loose tube out of nylon fabric, which was very helpful when sitting on the beach being swarmed with biting flies, but still I was relaxed and protected from bites. I think that making good quality shoes would be a difficult skill to learn but a very worthwhile skill. It would probably require making about 10 pair of unacceptable shoes before you are able to make good shoes. I am still learning what makes a good shoe. At the moment I wear boots during snow season and crocs or running shoes the rest of the time. I really like my clog style crocs and probably won't try to make a shoe to replace them.

basuragomi
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Re: Bespoke footwear

Post by basuragomi »

Very helpful book, covers foot anatomy, biomechanics, treatment of injuries, and shoe maintenance and construction with lots of diagrams and X-rays: The Soldier's Foot and the Military Shoe

Munson's requirements for a shoe:

a) A good military foot covering should be well joined, strong, substantial and solid, yet at the same time sufficiently flexible to permit of the natural functioning of the joints. It must be supple, so as to avoid the undue loss of necessary energy in overcoming resistance of the leather with each step likewise to reduce the liability to blister and other injury.
b) The shoe must be comfortable.
c) The shoe must be durable. ... The main wear of course falls on the soles.
d) The shoe should be as simple and neat as possible.
e) The foot covering should be as light in weight as is compatible with serviceability.
f) The shoe must be made in such a way that the soldier can easily put it on and take it off.
g) The material of which the shoe is made, and the special treatment of the former, must be such as will facilitate evaporation of moisture from within, yet not to a degree by which the absorption of moisture from without is unduly favored.
h) The material or leather of the shoe upper must not be hard; otherwise it will cause blisters, callouses and corns.
i) The cost of the military shoe is a consideration quite secondary to the one of efficiency.
j) ...a sufficient number of sizes as to length, and letters as to width, must be provided in order that the foot of every soldier may find a shoe of dimensions to properly cover it.
k) The shoe should be perfectly smooth in the interior, especially the insole, the part surrounding the heel and the uppers over the fore foot.
l) The heel should be broad, flat, long and solid. ...the outer half of the heel is heavily reinforced with iron nails. The heel must be low ... Finally, the plane of the lower face of the heel should correspond with that of the sole, so as to give the most secure bearing surface on standing.
m) The inside of the shoe over the heel should not be too wide.
n) The posterior wall of the shoe should be curved so as to embrace the natural curvature of the heel.
o) The shoe should not support the arch of the foot in the sense of lifting it up or buttressing it from below.
p) The sole should be sufficiently thick to prevent the foot from being injured by inequality in the ground.
q) The sole should be flat across, to furnish a level surface for the foot and a more secure hold upon the ground in steadying the body in standing and marching. ... It should have a slight upward curve at its forward end to prevent the toe catching in unevenly raised places on the walking surface, and to permit of accomplishing the heel-and-toe-walking of the marching step.
r) There must be plenty of room across the ball of the foot, so that there shall be no constriction of the weight bearing foot at that point.
s) The toe cap must be high, so as to avoid any hurtful pressure on the toes below. It must also rise abruptly from the front of the shoe, without forming an acute angle into which the front of the toes may be wedged in walking.
t) The material of the quarters must be pliable.
u) There should be no stiff or excessive leather, or rows of stitching, so located as to be immediately over any of the extensor tendons of the toes, which lie close to the surface over the instep. This particularly applies to the extensor tendon of the great toe.
v) The tongue should be as small as possible to prevent bunching and wrinkling under the laces, with injury to the instep.
w) The front of the quarters must be sufficiently cut away so that the rows of eyelets may be well separated in order to provide elasticity in the fitting of different heights of instep.
x) Eyelets, and not hooks, must be used for the laces.
y) The shoe must have such a shape that it will not contain any useless dead space, since these require extra material as a covering, which would cause unnecessary weight and encumbrance to the foot.
z) The shoe must also have such a shape as to permit of the great toe returning toward its proper alignment to the degree which the average age and ordinary foot deformity of the soldier class would warrant reasonable expectation.

Neat trick: pack wet leather shoes with dried oats to dry them overnight. The oats swell and prevent the leather deforming while drying out.

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