Chapter VIII: Knifing-Up and Finishing

Now “all the stuff is on”; and the next process is knifing-up, which is the paring off of all surplus stuff that may be on the edge, waist, or heel, and the whole process that gives the finishing touches to the shape of the boot. It is by skilful knifing that the desired shape is got to the heels, as the concave shape seen in a very hollow or smart heel could not be got by rasping. The heel with all the stuff on is very rough round the edge, as at A (Fig. 135). Before taking this off, round up the top piece to the required shape, as explained on page 89, for the soles. The boot is now held very firmly on the right arm, holding the heel in the hand, but leaving the side B free to work upon. In the knifing-up commence from A, in Fig. 136, not touching the top piece nor the seat B. The position of the hand and knife are shown at C and D, and the action of paring is to drop the hand and raise the knife. The more hollow the heel is to be, the deeper is the knife dug in, the more the hand is dropped and the knife raised in the second half of the cut. This process is continued all round roughly, and then gone over a second and third time, each time taking off the bumps left between the former cuts. If necessary, the process must be repeated a fourth and fifth time, or until the bumps are so small that by passing the finger over the surface they can be scarcely felt. At this stage do not touch the seat, and so avoid cutting the upper; the top half of B is pared round very carefully by itself afterwards. To save an accident while doing this, it is advisable to put a piece of horn or bone at E, between the upper and seat, to prevent the knife from slipping into the upper.

Holding the shoe on top of the knees, with the edge up, as Fig. 137, the edge of the sole is now knifed-up with the knife in the right hand, the point only between the thumb and finger, as shown by B (Fig. 95, page 90), commencing at A (Fig. 137), and going round to the joint on the other side. Only little shavings are taken off, for the sole has been already shaped; all that now remains is to make the edge quite square.

To prepare for knifing-up the waist, the corners A and B (Fig. 138) must be well knocked down by means of a corner-beater or welt-beater, which is made by heating an old file, turning it back for about a third of the way, and while hot beating it up square, at A and B (Fig. 139), on the lap-iron, with a hammer. Another form for a corner-beater is shown at Fig. 140. When it is the shape required, heat it again, and put it into cold water, and when dry, brighten it a little with emery cloth and temper it by reheating till the brightened part turns blue.

The corners are knocked down by putting a corner-beater (Fig. 140), right into the corner of the heel and waist, at A or B, and hammering it well down until a decided corner is made to the heel. While this is being done, the boot is held in the position shown by Fig. 138, by the stirrup, firm upon the knees. Then hammer each side of the waist with the peen end of the waist or cramp hammer; this will knock the edge of the waist over, to cover the stitch, and also make it lie closer to the upper. This process will leave marks at C; but a second row of taps, made with the peen of the hammer held so that these lines shall cross the others, will make the edge more even, and also very firm at the side of the stitches. The waist can now be hammered along each side with the face of the hammer, and with the knife, held in the hand as shown in Fig. 136, nicely trim each side to make it round and even.

To peen the heel, hold the boot as Fig. 141, and hammer the heel all round at A, as shown by the short strokes. In this process, as in the knifing-up, there is no need to touch the seat or the top piece. This peening is continued till every part of the heel that was touched with the knife has been hammered, and then an extra touch up with the face of the hammer will make the heel ready to be rasped.

The Yankee heel-shave (Fig. 143), which costs 2s. in an iron frame, is used before and after the heel is peened, and will be found to save a lot of labour; the handle, A, is placed in the left hand, and B in the right; C is the blade, or cutting iron; D D are screws by which the cut of the iron is adjusted. The boot is held firmly between the knees, and the tool acts as a woodworker’s spoke-shave. Held in the fingers with the two thumbs pressed upon the heel, it will be found that a very even stroke can be made by opening and closing the hand.

The edge of the sole can now be peened; this wants to be done very carefully, as all the tools that follow depend upon this having been done in a proper way. The centre of the sole’s edge is made hollow, as shown at Fig. 144, therefore the peen of the hammer must not touch either the welt edge A or the sole edge B. The sole edge must be struck only on the centre, where the sole and welt meet at C and D. Here is shown how the edge should be hit, and this should be continued all round.

A shoemaker’s rasp used for smoothing has one side cut as a file; but the rasp side is now used, and this has one end flat, and the other round. For the edge of the sole use the round side, and use the flat for the heel, unless it has to be hollowed, then the round is used. In rasping with the flat part upon the heel, the boot is held, as in Fig. 142, upon the knees, and the fingers A are kept as a guard over the edge of the seat that this part may not be touched, while the rasp B is rubbed lengthways, in a direction from C to D; and while making each stroke, throw the rasp to the right, to give it a diagonal motion from A to E, and continue this all round, except on the seat and top-piece, until the heel is quite smooth. The fingers must be passed round to feel that it is even, and then the file side of the rasp can be used in a similar fashion.

The edge of the sole must then be rasped. The position of the rasp is shown at A in Fig. 145. The thumb of the right hand must lie along it, so that its tip is at A, the extreme end of the rasp. The hand is closed to hold it quite firm, and the tips of all the fingers, except the little one, will lie against the bottom of the sole at B, and so form a guard whilst rasping all round the sole. Held like this, the rasp is rubbed up and down, from C to D, for about three inches at a stroke, touching only the centre of the sole edge, and keeping clear of the welt edge E and the sole edge F, as the edge when finished should be hollow, as at G. The edge is filed or rasped in the centre only, because the join of the welt and sole at H is the only portion of it that is hard, as the edges E and F are only the grain side of the welt and of the sole. The edge can be filled finally in like manner with the smooth side of the rasp; it should be finished level, and with the hollow nice and even all round.

The sole-plane (Fig. 146), which costs 1s. 6d., is not in any way hard to use. It will be seen that A forms a rest and B a guard; under B is the knife C. In use, B is run on the edge in the same way that any other plane would be used, putting equal pressure on all round, or a little extra where most is needed off. This is an exceedingly good tool for a novice to use, as with it he cannot do much damage, whereas with the knife he can soon spoil a boot.

With a very fine file again go all over the surfaces that have been rasped, more particularly at the heel. The process is as described above, so nothing further need be said about it here, only that it requires to be done well.

The top of the top piece of the heel can be well filed with the file side of the rasp. The boot is held between the knees, in the position of Fig. 138, or reversed with the toe towards you; it must be held very firmly, with the stirrup over the waist, and the file also must be held very firmly. That part where the nails are driven will want most filing, as the nails make this part highest, if the heel is built solid; the heel should be smooth and straight, and the edges left quite square.

Previous to using the buffing-knife, which is described on this page, damp the edge of the sole, and lay the boot on its side to lie on your lap, with the sole towards you, and the toe towards the right. The buffing-knife D (Fig. 147) is held between the thumb and finger of the right hand, the other fingers, shown at A, are put on to the edge of the sole, the corner B being on the edge, while the finger C rests on the bottom of the sole. The top end of the buffing-knife should lean a little to the right. The buffing should be done, as much as possible, in the centre of the edge, so as to keep it hollow, as in rasping. This process will throw a burr over at E and F (Fig. 145).

To sharpen a shoemaker’s buffing-knife, run it through a piece of tallow, lay it flat on a board with the edge to be sharpened flush with the right-hand side edge of the board, and hold the knife on firmly by pressing all four fingers of the left hand upon it. With the stem of a sewing-awl, a stiletto, or a steel burnisher, rub the edge backwards and forwards. This will throw a burr over the edge. Turn the knife over, and repeat the process on the other side. Now hold the knife in the left hand, edge upwards, and letting the awl run on both the burrs at the same time, draw it from the centre to the corner; keep stroking the edge till it is flat. This will throw the burrs over the sides, and they will have a keen edge. Each time the buffing-knife is sharpened, it throws over a little more steel. Do not let other tools come in contact with it, as they may damage its edge.

For buffing the heel the buffing-knife is held in the same way, excepting that the three fingers A (Fig. 147) are closed up to the palm of the hand. The knuckles will act as a rest to the knife while it is scraping the edge of the heel. If desired, the process of buffing the heel may be deferred till after the seat is set.

Sand-papering is the next process, and a troublesome one it may prove if the sand-paper is not soft, even, and used in the proper place. To do the sand-papering of the sole, the boot can be held in the position of Fig. 137 for the last half, and in the reverse direction for the first half. A sheet of sand-paper costs a halfpenny, and folded uniformly it will make sixteen handy pieces. Double one of these rough side out, and hold it between the thumb and finger, as the buffing-knife in Fig. 145, except that the three fingers and the forefinger are closed in the palm of the hand, holding the paper between the thumb and the knuckle of the forefinger, and so far from the edge as to leave the paper under the thumb only. Supposing D to be the sand-paper, the folded edge should be at B, and being used upon the forepart, this edge must be nearest to the upper; but it must not touch it, nor must the hollowness in the edge be in the least interfered with.

To sand-paper the heels the boot is held as at Fig. 142. The fingers may rest on the upper in the position shown, so that it cannot get rubbed; one of the small pieces of sand-paper is then placed across the fingers of the right hand, one end is slipped between the first and second finger, and the other between the third and fourth. The tips of the two middle fingers then form a pad for the paper to rest on, while the first and little fingers hold it firm. It is then rubbed round the heel like the rasp was, again being careful of the two edges. A new piece of sand-paper, size 1¹⁄₂ in., should be used first, and an old piece used to finish with.

When the edge of the waist was peened as at C (Fig. 138), the process ought to have knocked the welt very close to the upper. With the boot in the position shown in Fig. 137, hold the knife upright, and, commencing at the heel, and coming down to where the sole begins to get thick (A), cut away the edge of this welt in the waist. It will be only a very narrow strip, and as it was skived very thin, it will not be hard to cut. You must not cut very near the stitches, and take care not to slit the upper. With the boot in the reverse position, the same process is done on the other side in the same way, only this is done so that the sole C (Fig. 138) shall itself form the edge of the waist, which will then be solid.

When this has been done, rub the bone round the waist, pene it down a little more, and repeat the action with the round head of the hammer, working all over until it is even and smooth. Then again trim the edge, keeping it a good shape, with the knife upright, so that on each margin the sole leather is of equal width from the upper. If it is then smooth, buff the waist all over, and afterwards sand-paper it.

Levelling the welt comes next, and this is best done with the welt-knife, though it can be accomplished with an ordinary knife, placing the first finger of the right hand so that the blade tip and the finger tip form a ~V~, and in this form the knife can be run round the welt without touching the upper. But if a welt-knife (Fig. 148) is used, the welt can be trimmed well and easily, as A forms the knife, and B the guard to protect the upper, and if this tool is sharp it can be used with perfect ease, to prepare for a double iron (Fig. 157), should this be desired.

Breasting the heels--by which is meant the trimming up of the front of the heels--adds much beauty to a boot, and is one of the many points that makes shoe-making an art. For gentlemen’s work, the breast is often cut straight across, as from A to B (Fig. 149), and for heavy work this is not objectionable; but for light work, or ladies’, the boot or shoe is not properly finished until the breasting is done. Previous to breasting, straighten the sides or corners of the heel, so that you may know where to commence each stroke and where to finish it; or the heel may be cut straight across, as from A to B (Fig. 149). Either way, the corners A and B must be straight from the seat to the top-piece.

To breast out the heel a good sharp, stiff, narrow knife will be needed. This knife must be put in at C, and one sweep along the line D will take a piece, as E, out of the top-piece. Next comes the top lift, and this is cut away in front similarly with one sweeping curve. This is easier, as the leather is not so hard, and the curvature of the top-piece serves as a guide to rest the blade of the knife against while it is cutting. This process is continued till all the lifts are cut away; but with the bottom lift F be very careful to cut only just through it, and to avoid scoring the waist of the sole. The two ends of the split-lift can be cut away by a light pressure of the knife.

To make up the seat after the seat has been nicely pared up, damp the leather and use the seat breaker, rubbing it evenly round the seat (Fig. 150) from A on the near corner to B on the far corner of the heel. The seat must be knifed-up very cleanly, as shown from A to C, all the stitches being entirely covered, and the extreme edge of the seat A C being close to the upper leather D. Following the breaker the seat-file can be passed round the edge of the seat from A to B, to make it quite level where trimmed up. Then give it another rub with sand-paper should it need it.

Slightly damp the edge of the seat again, and warm the seat-wheel (Fig. 151), but do not make it so hot that it would fizzle if put into water. Run the seat-wheel evenly round, so that it leaves at E (Fig. 150) one straight line of regular indentations.

A seat-wheel is shown in section at Fig. 151. By looking at this illustration, it will be seen that A is the guard, which runs between the upper and seat at D (Fig. 150), while B, the wheel, rotates and makes the marks at E, in Fig. 150.

Using waist-iron next, start at F (Fig. 150), and run it up and down, taking strokes of about 2 in., until B is reached; then finish the corner nicely, lightly press the iron down at A, and so finish the corner of the heel G, and by doing so finish the wheel marks E, so that none are to be seen at B; and the process must be repeated on the further side.

The leg of a common chair will make a very good handle for a waist-iron as shown at Fig. 152. The iron is placed in the handle at A, and the boot rests upon the knees, in the position shown in Fig. 147. It can be held by the left hand while the iron is held at B, with the right; the end, C, can be placed against the right shoulder to form a centre, with the handle as the radius; describe an arc from F to A upon the edge of the waist (Fig. 150). This gives the iron a sweeping curve, which is necessary to give a good result.

There are many kinds of waist-irons, as also of most other sorts of irons; but you need not be hampered with a quantity of tools, but may procure only those needed as you progress with the work. To make a square waist, an iron similar to a double iron is used; for other waists, irons are used according to the shape required. These irons can be made from the ends of old files; these can be driven into handles, like Fig. 152. Figs. 153 and 155 are two of the most useful; one is concave, and the other convex. Both must be convex from the front, as shown in Fig. 154, where A is the guard, and B the part of the iron which sets up the edge.

A double iron has two guards, marked A and B (Fig. 156), and A lies or runs on the welt, while B is on the top of the sole. So in ironing C will form a thin crease on the edge of the welt; and if the iron is held firm, D will keep the edge hollow. This iron must be run very evenly, and must commence on the side opposite to the joint F (Fig. 150); it is run round the toe, and finished at E, on the near side. If not broken off too suddenly this will give a nice finish to the waist-iron, that started at this point.

Fig. 159.

Forepart iron: Front and Side Views.]

In a forepart, iron shown at Figs. 158 and 159, the guard must be shaped as A, the crease as B, and the face as C; this is done with very fine kit files. The face and guard can be cut with a three-cornered file; the face must be dome-shaped, as shown in Figs. 158 and 159; the top of the guard must be parallel to and about a ¹⁄₄ in. above the face. A fine thin crease file will cut the crease B; this should be about ¹⁄₁₆ in. deep. A piece of soft sole leather oiled, and with some powdered emery on it, will soon put a smooth even face on the forepart iron.

If the stitches are to be pricked up or fudged, Fig. 157 is used in exactly the same way. It is slightly different in shape, for at A there is a little shoulder just above the crease, to give an even finish and sharp edge to the welt. This will remedy any irregularity made by the prick-stitch or fudge-wheel.

If a double iron is to be used, the edge of the work must be specially prepared. The way in which a boot is stitched to a certain extent governs the shape of the iron to be used. For blind welts, Fig. 149 will be suitable.

With regard to ironing, to get a good result in either sewn or stitched work, the forepart iron must be applied only on the sole side. The welt iron is to be used only on the welt side (from joint to joint), and it is often called a jigger-iron. The bevelled appearance is given to boot soles with this iron (or this may be done with the jigger side of a double iron).

A welt iron is used for the welt-side of the sole’s edge, and a forepart iron is used for the under-side only, and serves the purposes of both these tools. A double iron, shown at Fig. 157, is a welt and forepart iron combined; but it is much harder to learn to use.

These irons should be only just warm, and the leather must be slightly damped before the iron is used, so as to give the edge a nice, polished, dark-brown surface.

The whole edge of the heel H H (Fig. 150) can then be ironed in the same way, only this is done with the glazing or big iron (Fig. 30, p. 29). A good-shaped glazer has one end longer and thinner than the other; so that in ironing the waist it is easier to get in the breast of the heel at F (Fig. 149); and other parts of the work are facilitated as well. This iron can be applied in a direction from H to H, or E to I (Fig. 150); but it must make no indentation to rob the surface of its truth. The top-piece iron is the next iron to apply. It is similar to a fore-part iron, only the face is not quite so round. This iron is run round the top-piece, and throws a crease at I (Fig. 150). It gives a keen finish all round, and it may also be run up each side at G.

The fudge-wheel, as will be seen by A, at Fig. 161, makes the stitches, or what represents them, appear nice and regular, which adds beauty to a boot. The fudge is finished off with the shoulder of the double iron A (Fig. 157), when the edge is ironed; this shoulder will also finish off the prick-stitch when the stitch is pricked up.

Fig. 161 shows an improved fudge-wheel, the shape of which enables it to be used more freely than the one shown at Fig. 61. As the wheel is tapering, its prominent edge will run much closer under the upper at that particular part which is marked A.

A prick-stitch and how to make it is described on page 73, and on page 95 is shown, in Fig. 100, an enlarged section of stitching meant to be pricked up. The same is shown on a smaller scale at B (Fig. 162). Here the point of the prick-stitch (Fig. 79) must be pressed between every stitch, which makes a mark like the fudge, only that it throws up each separate stitch, and forms them into a row like little beads, instead of making a series of raised ridges from the edge of the sole to the upper, as the fudge would have done. Fig. 162 shows the position of the boot for pricking up the stitch, and this is commenced at C, while fudging would be started on the opposite side of the sole.

A blind welt will only want to be smoothed round with a dull knife and left plain, but not so wide, as at D. A welt that is half wide, three-quarter wide, or wide must be pricked up, or fudged, to look at all well.

Marking off the waist is done simply to show the extremity of the waist, and how far to black when it is a black waist. It can be done in various forms to suit the taste. Two--the curve and double twirl--are shown at G (Fig. 149). All irons used in finishing a pair of boots should be applied prior to the colour going on.

Putting the soles into colour is the next process, by which is meant putting the ink on. If they have been ironed, as just described, it is necessary to first rub on a little weak soda and warm water, or weak ammonia and water, the parts to be made black to make the ink take, or strike, as it is technically termed. The parts are then inked according to fancy--that is, the welt, edge, waist, heel, seat, etc. American ink is best diluted with an equal quantity of water. If the leather is not ironed while in the brown, the soda-water or ammonia-water will not be needed; but a little thin paste or gum is run over to make the edges smooth to receive the ink, and prevent it opening the pores of the leather. Either must be used very sparingly. When the boots have been got into colour, let them get only just dry, when they will be ready to iron. If American ink was used this will be when nearly the whole of the inked parts will have turned blue.

In all ironing, the boot or shoe must be held very firmly upon the knees, and the irons must be only slightly hot, or they will wrinkle the edge and spoil it; therefore the iron will want a continuation of heating all through the process. Take great care of all irons, for if they get damaged, it will be useless to expect them to work well and leave a keen edge behind them.

So that your irons will not get smoked and dirty your work, the proper way to heat them is either over a spirit-lamp or a specially prepared atmospheric gas-jet which burns only with a blue flame. If the irons have to be heated in a fire be very careful, or the handles may be burnt. Even though the irons are heated in this way, it is well to have an old piece of rag just to wipe them on each time before using.

Fig. 163 is a sixpenny spirit-lamp made for this purpose, A being a cap fitting the burner, to prevent evaporation of the spirit; B, a rim fitting on the lamp to support the stand, while the iron C is being heated.

Heating the irons will waste time unless while using the small irons the glazer is kept just warm enough to be used on the waist and the heel during the intervals while the small ones are getting hot.

The irons must be held very firmly in the right hand, and upright so that only the centre part touches the leather, otherwise the surface will be roughed through the edges of the irons dragging. They must press very hardly, but uniformly, all over the leather, or they will make hills and dales of what should be a plane. The way to use the irons, so that one will give a finishing stroke to the other, has been explained--this course must be adhered to both in the second and third ironing. These are a repetition of that explained as the first, only that the work is black instead of brown; all parts must be well ironed, so that there is not a patch of dull black left anywhere.

When a good gloss has been got on all parts, heat over your lamp one side of a hard heel-ball, and while this is in a semi-liquid state dab small portions of it all over the ironed portions, excepting just round the seat where the seat-wheel is set. Then, with the irons a degree cooler than before, repeat the two previous operations at the same time, ironing the heel-ball evenly all over. The irons must be warm enough to soften the heel-ball with a very little pressure, or indentations will be made in the leather, and the edges and surface spoiled.

In all ironing it is well to habitually use a certain method, so that you may have an instinctive conception of results, and save repeating an operation unnecessarily. Use glazing iron (Fig. 30, p. 29) first, then wheel (Fig. 151), so that the former shall not destroy the latter. Now using the waist-iron (Fig. 153), press it a little harder at the end of the waists and into the corner of the seats, and so give a decided finish to waist, and also press out any marks that the wheel may have made, thus giving the seat the appearance of having had each piece nicely finished at its corners.

Now use the prick-stitch (Fig. 79) if the stitches are to be pricked up; if fudged, use the fudge-wheel (Fig. 161); if blind welts, smooth down with a dull knife. Then setting the double iron (Figs. 157 and 160) round the edge will finish off either of these, and if neither started nor finished off too abruptly this will give a nice finish to the waist-iron also.

The heel-ball spread over all the blacked parts will want cleaning off with a cloth--a piece of old beaver or kersey is about the best for this purpose, though other kinds will do. This cloth is doubled, and then placed over your right thumb, the ends are brought round so that you can hold them firmly in the hand, and so make a smooth pad of cloth upon the thumb, as Fig. 164, and with this rub the parts where the heel-ball is, and continue gently rubbing till the whole of it is cleaned off, leaving a smooth, even, glossy surface. This process can then be repeated with an old piece of soft rag held in the same way.

The bottoms and top-pieces of stout work are sometimes made black, and if finished in this way they look very nice if done well. Other styles are also given here.

For black bottoms, waists, and top-pieces the entire bottom will have to be scraped with the buffing-knife, and sand-papered till it is very smooth. Then a little thin paste or gum should be rubbed over it carefully to make it smooth. When dry, it can be polished all over with a cold burnisher or a boxwood long-stick. Then ink it in the same way as for the other parts.

The waists may be treated similarly, except that it is better in this case to use a hot burnisher, of the shape shown in Fig. 165. This is also easier to use than the glazing iron for this purpose, as a handle in each hand and the boot between the knees give much more power over the tool. The waist is heel-balled and finished in the same way as the edges.

Buff bottoms and waists, which are easily dirtied and easily cleaned, are made as just described, but stopping short of inking, and instead a little powdered pumice-stone is rubbed on, first with the face of the sand-paper, and then with the back of it.

Damped-down bottoms do not get dirty so quickly, and give a nice clean-looking finish; the process is a repetition of the above, only instead of paste or pumice the bottom is smoothed with a pad of damp, clean, white flannel.

White bottoms are prepared in the same way as buff ones, only instead of using pumice a little pipe-clay is scraped on, and sand-papered in, and when even all over, it is damped down with a piece of clean white flannel. Another coat of pipe-clay is then scraped over, and dabbed in with a dry part of the flannel. This will dry with a clean, white, smooth surface, and then any surplus pipe-clay can be rubbed off with the dry flannel.

Fiddle waists for light work look as clean and nice as any, and this process can be extended all over the bottom. This kind of waist is generally used with a stripe-waist--that is, the parts A and B (Fig. 166), are made black. A light-coloured shoe is left brown, then the stripes can be made a little darker by the use of a warm iron. Fig. 167 shows a gent.’s boot, but a lady’s looks even better, because the stripes can be made a little wider at A and B, which makes the waist look narrower and much smarter.

These waists must be buffed and sand-papered in the usual way, and rubbed down with the back of the sand-paper to make them very smooth. A piece of clean white rag is drawn over the thumb of the right hand, as in Fig. 164, so that the rag is quite smooth on the cushion of the thumb. It can be held firmly with the forefinger, just under A. On this pad is put a little clean paste, and this is rubbed very lightly and very evenly all over the part to be fiddled. See that one place is not made damper than another, or the waist will look mottled when done. Instead of paste, this can also be done with a clear gum, or, better still, a gum-dragon; a pennyworth from the chemist’s, put into a small jar, and covered with water, will be ready for use in a few hours.

When the waist is dry, rub it all over with a bone or long-stick, holding the boot firmly between the knees, and one end of the bone in each hand. Keep rubbing till the whole waist is nicely polished, then change the rag shown in Fig. 164 for a piece of clean cloth, and upon this rub some white glazing-ball (which is white heel-ball), and rub this all over the parts that have been covered with gum or paste until a good even creamy polish is got by rubbing evenly and briskly.

To make the stripe waist, the knife must be held as a pen in the right hand, and the boot in the left, with the toe towards you, as in Fig. 166. The point of the knife is then put in at C, and drawn round the line B to D. The position of the boot is then reversed, and the other side treated in a like manner, to make the line A. The knife must go only just through the grain of the leather, say ¹⁄₃₂ of an inch. Though the knife is held as a pen, the handle should point over the left shoulder, so that the burr or thin edge of the cut-up grain shall form a barrier to prevent the ink flowing on to the fiddled part while the stripes are being inked.

When the bottoms are finished by this method, the top-pieces may also be finished in the same way, or they may be made black. Another good finish is to use a little ink and a few pieces of oxalic acid, and rub them all over with the end of a wine cork; this makes a bright red top-piece, the more ink used the darker it is, or a little water added makes it much lighter.

Spring waist, either pegged or sewn should be finished as follows:--After the ordinary ink is on and dried, a piece of damp rag is used to rub off all surplus ink or dross; with the same rag rub a little Indian ink on all over the waist. When dry, in a minute or so after, rub it over with a dry cloth, and this will leave a smooth dull surface. This is ironed or lined across with a crease iron or a dull knife. With the former two or three lines may be made at a time, but with the latter only one. As very few are used, the iron now is rather hard to obtain, the dull knife being as quick in the end. With this line the waist as shown in Fig. 167, commencing at the line A in the centre, and then making lines on either side until both ends are reached. When ironing up, give all the lines a finish by using the waist-iron up each side.

In marking off the length of the waist, as E (Fig. 166), the end of the line on either side is brought just over the commencement of the thick part of the edge and the end of the waist, as shown at A (Fig. 168.) The fudging or pricking-up of the stitch, should start at B, and the wheel top-piece iron (if used down the line C), and waist-iron should all finish at D. The line from E to F should have straight and even sweeps, the height of heel making a difference in these. These points help to make a boot look well.

The burnisher, or double-handled glazer (Fig. 165), is a handy tool, as much more pressure can be got upon it than on an ordinary iron, and being larger it holds the heat longer. The top at A can be used for the heels, top-piece, the bottom, and some part of the waist; the side at B is used only for the heels, and the part C rests upon the top-piece. For making black bottoms this tool is almost indispensable. It is possible to make one by heating and beating out the teeth of an old half-round file, and rubbing it down smooth in the centre, and then putting another handle on the point.

When drawing the last out of lace boots, cut the stay stitches, which hold the two facings together on the instep. If button boots, undo the buttons and cut the stays at the edge of the fly lining. The screw of the block must be taken out and the last hook (Fig. 169) put in the hole in the side of the block, and it can then be drawn out. The hook can then be put in a hole made for it just over the heel the last; the upper should be quite smooth, so that the last cannot catch it anywhere and tear the linings.

Your two feet must be put on the handle of the last hook, the boot should be held with the toe raised in the left hand, the heel of the boot can then be pulled off the last with the right hand. In doing this care must be taken not to break the waist, and it is sometimes necessary to pull the upper right back over the heel of the last, to save the waist from being bent. If the last is exceedingly hard to get out, it can be eased a little by gently tapping it on either side of the forepart, but take care not to bruise the upper.

There is sure to be some roughness on the insides. When the waist or seats are not pegged, this can be removed by rubbing a peg-rasp (Fig. 170) over the rough place. If the insides are very rough, or when the seats or waists have been pegged, they must be well scraped with a peg-knife (Fig. 171) until all the points are off. Any nails inside should be knocked down previous to this process, or they will spoil the peg-knife. After the pegs are cut off, rub the whole of the inner-sole down with the peg-rasp. These two tools are very handy, as a pair of boots that have been worn some time often become uneven inside, and application of the peg-knife and peg-rasp may save a lot of discomfort.

Gent’s boots or shoes will only want a seat-sock, as Fig. 172. For shoes lined with dry-dressed leather, a piece to match it can be used for a sock. If oil-dressed, or if boots, a piece of cream roan or a piece of any coloured morocco will do. They should be cut the shape of Fig. 172, a trifle larger than the inner-sole, which is shown by the dotted lines. Both boots and shoes for ladies are socked right through, and this makes such a great difference to the finish of them. It is best when the fitting of the inner-sole is finished to take it off the last, lay it on a sheet of paper and cut this exactly to the sole (Fig. 173), except at A and B where it should be a little large, particularly at B, the inside waist.

Paste the socks on the wrong side of the leather, and only to within an eighth of an inch of the edge, as when the sock is pressed in the boot the paste is sure to work out to the edge, and if too much paste is used it will ooze out beyond, and if it comes in contact with the linings it makes them very dirty. A thin stick about a foot and a half long, tapered at one end, is used to put in socks. In this stick put a stout needle, passing the eye up into the wood so that there is only about a quarter of an inch left out. After the sock is pasted, put this needle point, from the paste side, through the toe of the sock, lay it along the paste side, as shown by Fig. 174, fold the sock, letting the clean side be at the top, the stick underneath, and the two paste sides nearly touching each other. By this simple means the toe of the sock can be got right to the toe end of the boot, and the whole sock right in, without dirt or paste getting on the linings or top-bands. When the sock is up at the toe, press the boot on the top of the toe so as to hold the sock there while the point of the needle is drawn out, and when this is done, nicely lay the sock all over the inner-sole; see that it is in straight. Then put your hand in and smooth it down all over. If the leather for the socks is thick, it must be skived at the edge all round, but if not very thick, cut the socks face downwards, and hold the knife pretty fairly on the slant, letting the handle always incline towards the centre. When the sock is in there will not be a rough edge showing all round, as is the case sometimes.

To tap down the feather, take hold of the boot or shoe in the centre of the front or vamp with the left hand, and pinch it so that all the stuff is away from the sides, and while it is in this position, tap it down very lightly on either side with a smooth-headed hammer. This is to make the feather of the inner-sole even each side, and to lay it, with the upper, closer to the outer-sole, and so give it the appearance of having been worked closer than it really was.

Your boots or shoes are now ready to wear, with the exception of cleaning. A very thin coat of weak paste will save you a lot of trouble in cleaning calf. This should be put on while they are on the lasts, and while they are there the first coat of blacking will save a lot of trouble afterwards, as you can then well sleek them with a piece of smooth bone, to give them a smooth and even face. The foregoing instructions refer mainly to an ordinary pair of boots or shoes, a few incidental remarks and instructions as to spring waists, etc., being included.