Disclaimer: This post contains an old attempt at shoemaking, during the beginning of my journey. I really didn’t know what I was doing at this time, and the post is left online for archive purposes only. Please do not “learn” anything from it, as the post is certainly riddled with mistakes. It’s just a documentation on some of my thoughts as a beginner in this venture. For a more updated view of my shoemaking, please see my latest posts instead.

This pair was finished just before christmas 2019, so I’m still a month behind in updating the blog… Björn is my second wholecut, made on Springline last nr. 977, in size UK 10 F.

This post is a display of the finished shoes – in the construction post, I describe how they were made.

Heel closeup:

Outsole seam fudging at the toe (9 spi).

Björn was finished on the evening of december 20ᵗʰ and polished in the morning of the 21ˢᵗ. The same morning, I took the shoes to an abandoned gravel pit for a photo shoot. Posing on a rock in the morning mist:

On the same rock the same morning, another angle makes the ideal photo light play differently. I think the leather looks absolutely beautiful, which is cool because it’s not expensive.

On another backdrop 10 minutes later, the color changes into a dark burgundy of sorts.

And finally, a glance at the JR outsoles with hidden stitching and slight fiddles. For my next pair, I’ll put more work into the outsole finishing.

Specs:

Construction: English welted
Uppers:  3-4 oz Italian dollar printed calf
Lining: 2 oz vegetable tanned crust baby calf
Insoles: 9-10 oz veg tanned calf side from Tärnsjö Garveri
Outsoles: J. Rendenbach 9 iron
Toe/heel stiffeners: 5 oz from Tärnsjö Garveri
Side stiffeners: 4 oz vegetable tanned crust calf side
Rand: 5-6 oz veg tan from Tärnsjö Garveri
Welt: natural welting leather from Leather & Grindery
Shank: Plastic, from Leather & Grindery
Heel lifts: 5 mm veg tan from Leather & Grindery
Top lifts: J. Rendenbach (1/4 Rubber)
Sockliner: 4 oz vegetable tanned crust calf side