Handmade derby boots 3: Preparing insoles and welts

In which I slice and dice the veg tan leather that’ll go under the sole and around the outer edge of each boot.

The insoles

The insoles are not just the layer on which the foot will rest—they’re also the anchor that’ll hold the whole shoe together.

The first step is to block the insoles to the bottom of the last so that the leather begins to take on the curve of the sole. I cut some generously sized pieces of 3 mm veg tan leather, immersed them in water, let them dry until they were just a little bendy, scraped the skin side with a piece of glass (glassing removes the outermost surface to hopefully lessen squeaking as I walk), and nailed the pieces onto the last.

The veg tan leather is nailed skin side up to the insole. The nails around the edge help force the leather up against the “feather edge”, the bottom perimeter of the last.

Being able to find the feather edge is crucial, because the next step is to trim away the overhang. The result should be two pieces that curve along with the last’s sole and mirror the taper and flare of the feather edge.

A still life of my workshop table in my favourite state: mid-task, with tools scattered everywhere. This shot shows the blocked insoles trimmed to the feather edge of the last.

After trimming, I also bevelled the upper edge of the insole. Otherwise the harsh edge would be uncomfortable on my feet.

Now to create the structure that will allow the upper to be joined to the insole: the holdfast. The holdfast is formed by relief carving into the insole, defining a ridge that runs around the bottom of the foot.

I first marked the distance from the feather edge to where the outer edge of the holdfast should be. This distance is typically 5 mm, except it’s 10 mm at the crest of the inner waist (that is, the inside arch of the foot) and 7 mm at the outer waist, the toe, and the heel. Then I connected these points and used my dividers to mark a 6 mm strip around the whole insole.

The holdfast is 6 mm wide and encircles the entire foot. Some shoemakers anchor the heel in other ways, so this 360-degree holdfast is not ubiquitous. But I like my boots chunky, so this is what works for me!

Then, very carefully, I carved about 1.5 mm into the insole on either side of these lines. The channel around the inner line slopes downward downward from the centre of the insole, while around the outer line, I can just cut straight in from the outside edge.

For precision cutting like this, I find it useful to switch between a craft knife and a skiving knife. Having a strop on hand to keep the blades sharp is a must. Here the 1.5 mm deep holdfasts have been carved out of the 3 mm thick insole, and unlike my previous pair of boots, I didn’t cut through to the last at all! 🥳

I believe the professionals like Carreducker use leather that’s 6 mm thick for their insoles. The extra thickness would give a bit more leeway in carving the holdfasts, but in terms of sturdiness, even these relatively shallow holdfasts haven’t let me down.

Soon, once the boots are lasted, I will stitch through the holdfasts and the uppers (and the welts—see below!). To prepare for the stitching, I marked around the holdfast where the thread will pass through. The stitches should be spaced about 8 mm apart on the outside of the holdfast, so they’ll cluster more tightly inside the curves of the toe and heel.

Both inside and outside curves have been marked to define where, soon, stitching will anchor welts and outers through the holdfast.

Finally, I used my welting awl (slightly curved) to punch holes through the holdfast at every line I marked. This’ll make the stitching much easier later.

The welting awl punches the paths through the holdfast that the thread will follow.

All punched and ready for stitching!

(Shoe aficionados may have encountered the term “Goodyear welted”. Goodyear welting is related to hand welting, just the holdfast is made of canvas glued to the underside of the insole, not carved out of the insole itself.)

The welts

The final step to prepare is the welts, the leather strips that will encircle the feather edge of the boots and, later, provide the connection to the midsole.

I cut two strips from the 3 mm veg tan leather, each 1.2 mm wide and 70 cm long.

To craft the welts, I followed the steps laid out here and here.

I marked and opened lines on each side of the moistened leather about 5 mm from the edge. The stitching will lie within these lines on the flesh side of the welts.

On the skin side, a steep bevel is carved that will sit flush against the outer leather once the boot has been lasted.

And with that, the prep is done!

Next: to last.

The veg tan leather is nailed skin side up to the insole. The nails around the edge help force the leather up against the “feather edge”, the bottom perimeter of the last. A still life of my workshop table in my favourite state: mid-task, with tools scattered everywhere. This shot shows the blocked insoles trimmed to the feather edge of the last. The holdfast is 6 mm wide and encircles the entire foot. Some shoemakers anchor the heel in other ways, so this 360-degree holdfast is not ubiquitous. But I like my boots chunky, so this is what works for me! For precision cutting like this, I find it useful to switch between a craft knife and a skiving knife. Having a strop on hand to keep the blades sharp is a must. Here the 1.5 mm deep holdfasts have been carved out of the 3 mm thick insole, and unlike my previous pair of boots, I didn’t cut through to the last at all! 🥳 Both inside and outside curves have been marked to define where, soon, stitching will anchor welts and outers through the holdfast. The welting awl punches the paths through the holdfast that the thread will follow. All punched and ready for stitching! I marked and opened lines on each side of the moistened leather about 5 mm from the edge. The stitching will lie within these lines on the flesh side of the welts. On the skin side, a steep bevel is carved that will sit flush against the outer leather once the boot has been lasted.