Working Shoe for Young Exec - Part 3

[RayeAng]

Err where did the wood come from??? Is that something new? Can't be the shank right??

Changing the heel is a relatively simple process. The replacement heel blocks come ready made so it's just a matter of removing the worn heel block and adjusting for any uneveness before installing the new heel block and trimming it to size. Since you mentioned that you have eaten into the wooden portion of the heel, it's important to use a filling material to even the heel.

My heel replacements costs $20 per pair.

 

[wiz]

Always thought it is leather ...

Err where did the wood come from??? Is that something new? Can't be the shank right??

 

[thundermarch]

Posing a question to those familiar with Enzo Bonafe's construction and blake stitch construction:

On EB's website looking through their product details, there is mention of blake 2-a/b/c and 3-a construction. Would anyone know what is the difference between the numbers and alphabets?

Is there a need for the use of a welt in the blake stitch construction? And for EB's blake construction, which part of the process is done by hand. Would it be both hand lasted and hand stitched (is there such a thing as doing a blake stitch by hand or are all blake stitched shoes done using a machine)?

I am not sure, of what the numbers and letters denote exactly, but EB is capable of Blake Stitched, Blake Rapid, and Handwelted constructions.

I do know that Blake 2C refers to their "Japanese construction", which is handwelted at the forepart of the shoe (180 deg) and Blake Stitched at the waist. This construction was initially designed for the Japanese market to give the waist a slimmer profile.

In all Blake (Stitched, and Rapid) shoes, there is no need for a welt.

In Blake Rapid shoes, the insole is machine stitched to a midsole, which protrudes a distance from the uppers, and this midsole is in turn, machine stitched to the outsole. Because of the width of this midsole and the layer of outsole stitching, it gives the impression / appearance of a welt around the periphery of the shoe. But strictly speaking, this is not a welt.

In Blake stitched shoes, the insole is stitched directly to the outsole without an intermediary layer, and the outsole lies more or less flush against the uppers.

To further compound the confusion though, there exists certain makers that make essentially Blake Stitched shoes, but these shoes come with outsoles with a fake "welt" and even fake "outsole stitching" around the periphery of the visible outsole to give the external appearance of a welted / or Blake Rapid shoe. I don't think this is particularly commonplace though, so we can largely ignore it.

I'm fairly certain EB shoes are all hand lasted (I didn't see any lasting machine while visiting the factory). But, the lasting process can be regarded as more or less independent of the welting and bottoming process. Meaning the lasting can be done by hand but the welting by machine (like Joe Works), or the lasting by machine and the welting by hand. Typically though, handwelted shoes tend to also be hand lasted.

"Blake stitching" (directly stitching the insole to the outsole from the inside of the shoe) can be done by both machine and hand. Though it is, these days, almost always done with machine. Indeed, the hand stitching method for "Blake Stitching" pre-dates the actual machined process that does the work these days. EB's Blake processes are both machine made.

DW describes his technique for "hand stitched blake" in his posts here:

http://www.thehcc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6758&start=450

 

[thundermarch]

Always thought it is leather ...

You are correct.

 

[arcfire]

Picked up these babies from Seamless over the weekend!

804 last is pretty comfortable for me. No pain/aches after a whole day of wear. No break-in required.

 

[wiz]

Nice! is this black or grey? Good price ?

Picked up these babies from Seamless over the weekend!

804 last is pretty comfortable for me. No pain/aches after a whole day of wear. No break-in required.

 

[arcfire]

Nice! is this black or grey? Good price ?

Its actually a very dark shade of blue. It looks like a dark grey/blue mix to me. The name for the leather is vitello blue.

Price wise....normal retail price

But it's a whole-cut with nice details on it so I'm not complaining about the price. My wallet on the other hand has a different story... haha

 

[wiz]

Haha good choice it is a beauty. Money well spent

Its actually a very dark shade of blue. It looks like a dark grey/blue mix to me. The name for the leather is vitello blue.

Price wise....normal retail price

But it's a whole-cut with nice details on it so I'm not complaining about the price. My wallet on the other hand has a different story... haha

 

[evangel21]

Picked up these babies from Seamless over the weekend!

804 last is pretty comfortable for me. No pain/aches after a whole day of wear. No break-in required.

Lovely pair. I like this design a lot.

 

[zhane]

anyone want to try shoes from bexley.com?
buy 2 cheaper

 

[cokiee]

Picked up these babies from Seamless over the weekend!

804 last is pretty comfortable for me. No pain/aches after a whole day of wear. No break-in required.

very nice! surprised to hear that it's wholecut - the 'capped toe' is then purely aesthetic?

quick question please - noticed that your shine is horizontal rather than following the seams of the cap. Does the crease go across that?

 

[limyongseng]

Picked up these babies from Seamless over the weekend!

804 last is pretty comfortable for me. No pain/aches after a whole day of wear. No break-in required.

Nice. What size are you wearing?

 

[arcfire]

very nice! surprised to hear that it's wholecut - the 'capped toe' is then purely aesthetic?

quick question please - noticed that your shine is horizontal rather than following the seams of the cap. Does the crease go across that?

Yes, all the "seams" are purely aesthetic.

The cap toe is quite long so the creases will generally extend over the captoe area. Hence the shine cannot cover the entire captoe. Otherwise, the wax over that area will crack.

 

[arcfire]

Nice. What size are you wearing?

Thanks! I'm wearing a 6.5uk for 804 last.

 

[cokiee]

Yes, all the "seams" are purely aesthetic.

The cap toe is quite long so the creases will generally extend over the captoe area. Hence the shine cannot cover the entire captoe. Otherwise, the wax over that area will crack.

Thanks!

Sent from Xiaomi MI MAX using GAGT

 

[wiz]

Lazyman and his 2 buddies

 

[Erwinlow]

hi guys, what kind of polish/cream should I be using for my Loake?

May I check which range of Loake this is? The surface of the leather seems to suggest a corrected grain.

I might be wrong though.

Looks like it. Maybe just wax. Because cream cannot penetrate anyway.

If this is the Elland, it's corrected grain, so unfortunately cannot polish - it will also over time 'tear' at the folds, I've (unfortunately) come to learn.

Hey guys, thanks for the response! It's a fairly old pair, this model over here:

https://www.loake.co.uk/747.html

Will wax still be ideal?

 

[cokiee]

747 is a corrected grain.

Sent from Xiaomi MI MAX using GAGT

 

[All in a Day]

Hey guys, thanks for the response! It's a fairly old pair, this model over here:

https://www.loake.co.uk/747.html

Will wax still be ideal?

You can apply wax followed by brushing to cover up superficial scratches.. but I think the creases are more or less set-in and nothing much can be done, and will eventually evolve into cracking/peeling over time.

 

[freewilly5000]

Yeah - the creases are natural. Embrace them