Chapter IX: Making Riveted Boots and Shoes

When once the principles of lasting, explained in Chapter V., are understood, the process of making riveted boots and shoes is by no means a difficult one. It is a very ready way, and also a very cheap way, of making a good strong covering for the foot.

Riveted work will need a last made of iron, or one having an iron bottom, which may be made by putting an iron plate upon an ordinary wooden last. If making for your own feet only, the latter would be best. If making for customers, buy iron lasts, one at a time, till a set of sizes is obtained. If making for your own children, who naturally grow out of boots very quickly, it is well to use an ordinary wooden last. In this case be very careful not to use the rivets too long, and when off the last, clench the rivets on a small iron foot.

On p. 64 will be found all the information needed for buying the lasts and fitting them up to the measure of the foot. A thin sheet of iron, as Fig. 175, with three holes in it, at A, A, and A, can be made to cover the whole of the bottom. The sheet-iron should be blocked so as to fit the last’s bottom perfectly. It can be held on by six screws, as shown by the six B’s. This will allow the iron to be taken off when the last is wanted to make hand-sewn work on.

This sheet of iron would make the boots too large; but this is remedied by putting a pair of extra inner soles, the thickness of the sheet-iron. These soles, blocked and dried on the last, make a pair of riveted boots as smooth as hand-sewn inside.

The inner sole proper is tacked at A, A, A, Fig. 176, and rounded up to the last. It is skived down a little at the waist only, and then merely at the edge.