I’ve had a short hiatus for a couple of weeks, which is why this post is so long overdue. The good news is that I’m now back in the saddle (oxford), ready to make some more shoes!
Without further ado (although I did post this about three months ago on my Instagram), here’s the official summary post on this pair. In the construction post, I describe in detail how the shoes were made.
For my first pair in exotic leather, I’ve opted for green shark uppers. This beautifully textured leather is pretty much how I imagine the leather of a dragon wing would look like. You know, the flexible hide that a dragon would have at its wings, in between the wing bones.
I kept the design simple to really display the awesome texture of the leather.
Sometimes I wonder if I put my shoes on a pedestal.
Close-up of the outsole seam.
A look at the natural finished J. Rendenbach veg tanned outsoles.
Some nice display of colour in my armchair.
Specs:
Uppers: Shark, from Italhide
Lining: 2 oz veg tanned baby calf
Insoles: J&FJ Baker buffed insole shoulder, 7-9 iron
Outsoles: J. Rendenbach
Toe/heel stiffeners: 5 oz from Tärnsjö Garveri
Welt: natural welting leather from Leather & Grindery
Shank: Plastic
Secret Cobbler 
Wow, those are some really good looking shoes. Your skill level of good craftsmanship is rising with every pair you make. Keep it up!
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I’m very glad to hear it, Curt – thank you very much! 😀
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Hi there – thank you for your great blog, you are inspiring me to start making my own shoes too, I hope to progress as well as you have. Can I ask which insole leather from J&FJ Baker you use – the link returns an error message now? Thanks, Marco
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Hello Marco, and thank you very much for the kind words!
Ah, I think Baker have updated their website. The insole leather I use from J&FJ Baker is called buffed insole shoulder, and I use the thickness 7-9 iron. (This is the thicker option, as they also offer 5-7 iron.) I go with the thicker option mainly because it offers better durability, as well as added confidence when working with it. The reason for getting the more slender option would be if you wanted a more slender profile on the shoe, ie for aesthetic reasons.
I wish you the best of luck getting started!
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