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Post by spence on Jun 7, 2019 12:55:36 GMT -7
I’ve worn shoes in my hunting and trekking a fair bit over the last 30 years, and have found them to answer my needs quite well. Mine are straight-last, made of cow hide with leather soles and heels, bought on commercial row at Friendship, I believe from Jas. Townsend. They have held up very well in spite of some rough treatment. I sometimes wear them with leggings, sometimes just with stockings, depending on the outing. Shoes in 18th century were made in two types, for buckles or to be tied with lace or thong. The Pennsylvania Gazette November 17, 1784 ...had on, when he went away, a blue coatee, linen trowsers, striped jacket, a black round hat , brown stockings, and neats leather shoes, with yellow metal buckles in them The Pennsylvania Gazette December 12, 1771 SIXTEEN DOLLARS Reward. RUN away,....black coat, red breeches, worsted stockings, old shoes, tied with strings; took with him a rifle gun, 2 feet 10 inches long in the barrel, brass mounted, had a silver thumb piece, very light and handy The Pennsylvania Gazette September 28, 1758 RUN away.... light grey Yarn Stockings, good Shoes, tied with Strings, though made for Buckles, Mine are made for buckles, which just involves a couple of straps across the instep with two holes for the buckles, which are a separate item. Joseph Doddridge described making home tanned leather for shoes and moccasins, and said, "The blacking for the leather was made of soot and hog's lard." I happened to have a large amount of soot collected from a maladjusted water heater, so I tried that. It makes a very nice solid black, flat not shiny, as you can see in the first picture. It also keeps the shoes in good condition, these are 29 years old and have never been treated with anything else. I had very little trouble breaking these shoes in, just wore them on a couple of overnight local outings and they were OK. They are big enough to wear two wool socks/stockings, and I stay warm in them in some fairly chilly weather. Spence
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shoes
Jun 7, 2019 13:37:53 GMT -7
Keith likes this
Post by straekat on Jun 7, 2019 13:37:53 GMT -7
I have a new pair of Fugawee straight last's I broke in recently. I'll post images and photos this weekend.
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These are the instructions I got with the shoes on how to install the buckles. I scanned them and saved the file as a pdf. There are youtube videos on how to install buckles. Some instructions suggest bending the prongs used to secure the buckle to the latchet that is on the bottom. I don't like doing that, because there is a risk of breaking one of the short prongs and possibly ruining the buckle. Instead of that. I used linen thread and used loops around the "inside" of the buckle, passing the stitches through the holes to keep them them in place when the shoes are taken off. That avoids bending and breaking the prongs.
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shoes
Jun 7, 2019 13:52:38 GMT -7
Keith likes this
Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 7, 2019 13:52:38 GMT -7
Recently I bought a pair from Crazy Crow and I wear a 11.5 to 12 depending on the boot/shoe. 12 is the largest size they carry and they feel a bit snug. I will have them stretched but I don't think that will afford them enough room to be worn with more then one sock so they will not be a winter shoe for me. They are American made but I doubt they are the same quality as the Townsends or Fugawee brands
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shoes
Jun 7, 2019 16:32:24 GMT -7
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Post by brokennock on Jun 7, 2019 16:32:24 GMT -7
Excellent information Spence. Thank you. So, one thing I learned, I think, correct me if I'm wrong. The buckle does not allow for adjustment of fit like it would on a belt. Correct? I had always assumed the reason for the buckle was for some adjustment. Maybe a laced shoe would be better for multi season use? What is better in wet conditions, the shoe or the moccasin? By wet I mean, out in the rain, maybe snow, but also conditions where one's are getting wet, submerged wet, regardless of footwear small creek or brook crossings, moving through flooded timber or marsh. I used to just barefoot it. Too much risk of broken glass and such on public land these days. I can tell you from personal experience, when you wade barefoot into some water and step on a broken off glass bottle bottom, it changes how you look at wading barefoot.
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Post by spence on Jun 7, 2019 16:44:35 GMT -7
They aren't adjustable like a belt, but you can punch extra holes in the strap to allow for more or fewer socks. Which is better when wet? Neither. It's always best to keep your feet dry. If you figure out how to manage that, let me know. If I know I'll likely be wading water I wear moccasins, to protect my shoes, not my feet. Spence
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Jun 7, 2019 16:48:00 GMT -7
I have some shoes, but only wear them for home events, such as our Winter Solstice Masquerade Party. Keith.
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Jun 7, 2019 18:17:24 GMT -7
Post by Black Hand on Jun 7, 2019 18:17:24 GMT -7
Excellent information Spence. Thank you. So, one thing I learned, I think, correct me if I'm wrong. The buckle does not allow for adjustment of fit like it would on a belt. Correct? I had always assumed the reason for the buckle was for some adjustment. Depends on the number of holes you have punched in the strap - it is as adjustable as one could want. I have 2 sets of holes about 1/2" apart that allow me to choose.
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Jun 8, 2019 4:59:20 GMT -7
Post by straekat on Jun 8, 2019 4:59:20 GMT -7
These are the Fugawee's I have. The leather is thinner compared to other makers. I wear a US size 11D. Fugawee's sizes on the straight lasts are supposed to be larger, and they shipped 11E's. They were very tight in the tarsal area and compressed the toes towards the center, even with thin socks. If you try to break them by wearing them around the house, it will take more than a few days, even with the thinness of the leather. One method popular in the military is to wet them, and wear them until dry. I've mentioned elsewhere, I have boot/shoe stretchers. These are not shoe trees, and are used by shoe repair shops to get the job done quickly. Using these with the wetting method can stretch shoes or boots a complete size larger....if they are new and the leather hasn't dried out. I wouldn't try going more than a half-size so no stitches are popped.
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Jun 8, 2019 5:17:25 GMT -7
Post by straekat on Jun 8, 2019 5:17:25 GMT -7
I mentioned sewing the buckles onto the lower latchet instead of being the prongs. This is what the shoes look like with the top latchet undone, and then the underside of the bottom latchet showing the threading securing it. I left my latchets long without cutting them short. The undermost one is placed over the top of the foot and inside the shoe along the side. I did this because leather will continue to stretch, and when wet it will shrink. Although I've worn them when out and about, for several days, these have stretched out and gone from being snug as modern street shoes are, they stretched out to having a loafer or deck shoe feel to them. The could easily be sucked off if I stepped into deep mud puddles, and are that happened quite a bit according to historical accounts. These are mass-produced in Mexico. They don't have the machine stitching visible along the edges of the latchets and elsewhere seen on competitor's shoes, and these are not lined. The thinness of the leather can be documented, and their "Ligonier" shoe is modeled on a shoe recovered during archaeological work at Fort Necessity. Shoe remains from the excavation has produced the largest number of shoes and shoe parts known from any other 18th century historic site in North America. They are currently being studied by a former Wiliamsburg shoe maker who is working his way through the entire leather collection at the Fort's Museum and intends to publish his results. He moved to Ligonier and has opened a shot there, making period shoes and other footwear. His work is good, but not inexpensive if someone wants an entirely handmade shoe. He uses standard lasts for his customers, not bespoke ones made for customers unless they want or need shoes made to fit particular problems on each foot.
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Jun 8, 2019 9:06:18 GMT -7
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Post by brokennock on Jun 8, 2019 9:06:18 GMT -7
Straekat, when the gentleman from Williamsburg publishes his work on the shoes from Legionere, how do folks find out and gain access to the work?
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Post by straekat on Jun 8, 2019 15:23:14 GMT -7
Straekat, when the gentleman from Williamsburg publishes his work on the shoes from Legionere, how do folks find out and gain access to the work? Nock, The fellow's name is Brett Walker and he can be reached by calling or even email to the Fort. I'm pretty certain Fort Ligonier's gift shop will have copies. I'll let the forum members know when it's out. He started working his way through the collection last fall, and there is quite a bit there. Many of the items are shoe parts, and he's treating all of it as a giant jigsaw puzzle after he was able find separated pieces that matched up.
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Jun 8, 2019 16:14:28 GMT -7
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Post by brokennock on Jun 8, 2019 16:14:28 GMT -7
Thank you.
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Jun 9, 2019 6:10:40 GMT -7
Post by Sicilianhunter on Jun 9, 2019 6:10:40 GMT -7
I greased them lightly and have worn them around the house but my main concern is the toe box is way too tight and punishes my big toes. I tried leaving shoe forms in them with a small roll of elk hide taped to the toe section of the form to no avail. I wore them around the house again and there was no changes. I took them to the shoe maker to be stretched but that will be more width than height to the toe box. For $8 is worth a try... What about hob nails and or heel caps? Go? NO go?
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