Chapter I: Repairing Heels and Half-Soling

Soling and heeling are very necessary operations; for boots and shoes are amongst the necessaries of life, and soles and heels will wear out. A man who does his own repairs at once increases his income, or at least saves a continual outlay.

For the processes of heeling and soling, not many tools are needed to start with, and the leather can be bought in small quantities; and all the necessary grindery (such as rivets, brads, pegs, hemp, paste, etc.) can be bought, also in small quantities, and at a very low rate.

Suppose gentlemen’s boots want heeling and soling, the price at which they are done by low-priced repairers is 2s. 6d., and then the work is inferior and the leather nearly always foreign. Though there are some good tannages and parts in foreign stuff, yet low-priced repairers use only what are called first-cuts (the neck end of the butt), which is the lightest leather both in substance and weight, and consequently the cheapest. A pair of soles of this material costs 4d. or 5d., the top-pieces for the heel 1¹⁄₂d. or 2d.; so the leather does not cost more than 7d. at the most; and if such material does not last long in wear, it is not surprising. Besides, the soles are often put on badly and with long rivets, so that they cannot be got off again without pulling the boots all to pieces.

There is great importance in keeping heels level, for if they are allowed to wear down low, the evil that is caused is difficult to remedy; for this not only tends to throw the heel itself on one side, but also causes the sole to wear away much quicker, runs the stiffener down at G G (Fig. 1), and throws the boot or shoe out of position, generally beyond recovery.

Nearly everybody in walking wears down his boot heels at one particular spot. Usually the wear occurs most at A (Fig. 1), though with some it is at the back of the heel; while a few wear most on the inside. The repair of these defects is one of the best jobs that a novice at the craft can start upon, as the grafting in half-heeling only means butting the new piece of leather against the old, and there is no play or friction to cause them to come asunder. The leather in very cheap boots and shoes is not properly “worked”; this term meaning wetted, dried, hammered, etc.

This explains why a new pair of cheap boots worn in the wet are, when taken off the feet, lower on one side of the heel than on the other, although the leather is not actually worn away. It is because the unworked leather yields to the pressure caused by the weight of the body in walking, and this yielding is the first stage to ruin. To prevent this, always have a few extra nails put into new boots round the part where most wear occurs.

When the heel is worn down on one side only, it is not necessary to take the whole of the top-piece off, but only half of it, which can be replaced with any corner of hard sole leather that would be almost useless for any other purpose. To remove half of the top-piece, cut it across at B C, and should the lift be worn, saw or cut that through as well at D E; tack a piece of leather on to take the place of the worn piece of lift, putting the tacks in at F and F. Then trim it round, and put some odd corner of hard sole leather on in like manner, to take the place of the worn part of the top-piece. Trim this also, and nail it as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, four of the rivets put in at A, B, C, and D should be quite ³⁄₄ in. long, so as to hold the lift as well as the top-piece. One, two, three, or four rows of rivets may be put in near the edge, but they are not much use unless close together. Rivets should be put in as shown at E, F, G, and H. This done, file them up, and finish in the ordinary way. Do not neglect to keep the heel level. This is of special importance to those who mend their own boots.

Half-heeling, with plenty of nails close together, regularly done, will keep boot heels in proper order; but it is not everyone who can spare his boots or who can spare the time to do them properly in this way, and when this job is once started, the boots cannot be worn until they are finished. It is advisable never to wear a top-piece quite through, for the lift is then worn away; and, no matter how little this may be, it will need either replacing as described above, or repairing by means of a skived piece of leather put under.

Before letting new heels wear away, take a piece of paper with one straight line and lay this across the heel, from J to H (Fig. 2); hold it with two fingers of the left hand quite firm at F and G; then with the right hand smooth it down over the edge from J, passing A, B, C, and D on to I; this will leave a mark on the paper. Cut out to this mark, and it will give a good pattern of a half-heel piece, as Fig. 3, without the outside line A. To this cut another pattern out of stiff cardboard, as it will very often be wanted for use.

When leisure occurs cut sole leather to pieces of this pattern, leaving ¹⁄₄ in. on all round the curved side A (Fig. 3), to give room for nailing. Here it will be necessary to explain how to make an awl for this purpose, as, unlike all other awls, such awls cannot be bought ready for use, but it is a tool that saves much time and disappointment.

To make this tool, an ordinary handle is used for a peg-awl, A (Fig. 4); two pieces of sole leather are put on top, as B and C. To secure these, put one short stout screw in the centre, and then put a third piece on, as D, first cutting a hole in the centre, a little larger than the head of the screw, as A (Fig. 5), and then put about five rivets in, as B, C, D, E, and F. This is done because the awl, when finished, is very stumpy, and requires such hard blows to get it in that these would split the wood; but by means of the leather this is avoided, and the hole in the centre will admit of tightening the screw when necessary. The edge is trimmed up all round, and a carpenter’s large bradawl is put into the other end. This awl has a shoulder to it, therefore the heavy blows will not drive it into the handle. When the awl has been put into the handle, break it off to about an inch from the shoulder; then with a fine file, or on a grindstone, taper it to a long, flat, square point, as E (Fig. 4); it should be the shape of a French brad (Fig. 7), only about ¹⁄₄ in. longer, and, of course, smooth.

The piece of leather in Fig. 3 should be of good substance, and should be wet, but not soddened. On it mark a line round the curved line from B to C, ¹⁄₄ in. from the edge, and from these two points make two rows of holes with the awl just described, which should be dipped into a piece of soap each time before using. A hole can be missed in the second line of holes at each of the four places D, D, D, D, and a small round hole made instead, and four more also made at E, E, E, E; then let the leather get nearly dry before hammering it. This hammering will make the holes smaller and more irregular-looking than shown in Fig. 3; but this does no harm, for so long as the awl is held in the same position for each hole, the brads are sure to follow into their proper places.

It has been stated above that the awl should be of the same shape as a French brad, which is shown in Fig. 7; but there is another kind of brad of similar shape, only it is much shorter and a little stouter, as shown in Fig. 6. This is called a cut-bill, and it is this brad that must be used to put into the holes made in Fig. 3. Let the length of the brads be as nearly equal to the substance of the leather as possible; lay the leather upon a piece of wood, and knock the brads in the square holes one at a time. When they are all in, take the leather off the wood, and lay it on the lap-iron with the points of the brads upwards. These, if they are not too far through, can be clenched and made smooth by tapping with a hammer; but if they are through far before trying to clench them, they must be cut off with a pair of cutting tongs close to the leather.

This done, the half-heel is ready for use. Several may be prepared, and then all that is necessary to half-heel the boots is to cut the top-piece across, as shown, from J to H (Fig. 2), take away the worn part, and replace it with the new piece. Fig. 8 shows where it should be bradded, and also the places for eight ⁵⁄₈ in. rivets; these are all that is necessary to hold the piece on, and will allow it be taken off easily when another heel-piece is wanted.

It will be found that the small margin, A B (Fig. 8), after the brads have been put in, has become somewhat contracted. This is why the extra ¹⁄₄ in. of leather was left, for it would break if nailed close to the edge. Now you can trim up the edge of the piece to the edge of the heel, cutting close to the brads, on the line C to D, and finish in the ordinary way. The first time the boots are half-heeled, it will be necessary to put four rivets in the old leather at E, F, G, and H (Fig. 8), to keep it from ripping off.

Another good and easy way to half-heel boots is to get a pair of Snow’s patent leather-plugged half-tips (Fig. 9), price 1¹⁄₂d. Put one on the heel in its proper position, mark round the inside from A to B (Fig. 10), and cut away the part, C, that the tip is going to replace. Lay the tip on the lap-iron face down, and hollow it in the centre, that it may grip well at both ends, then dip it in water to soften the leather plugs, and put it on the heel. With a fine awl make a hole through the centre of each plug, and put a long rivet, which would be supplied with the tips, in each hole. Smooth it up with a file where rough, and you have a new lease of heel wear for 1¹⁄₂d., and a very little trouble. If it is found difficult to cut the curved line to fit the tip from A and B, cut the heel straight across, as in Fig. 2, from J to H, and after the tip is on cut a small piece, as D (Fig. 10), and nail it in with four rivets. To get D the proper shape, let it have one straight side, and press that against the old leather. Hammer the leather on the tip--this will make a mark underneath--cut through this line, and you have the shape required.

Perhaps it is well to mention here that for beginners heeling and underlaying--that is, placing pieces under the soles--is better work to start upon, as by such work the use of the tools will be gradually acquired, and sufficient skill obtained to warrant attempting the harder task of soling and heeling throughout.

Suppose, as is often the case, your boots want the heels set up on one side only, and a piece is wanted under the side of the soles, or a toe-piece is wanted. A job like this can be done with very few tools. But it is well always to buy a tool when you want it, and always to try and do the work as well as possible; for by taking pains with the work, you will soon be making progress. Boot repairing comes under every man’s notice, so he has some idea how it should look when finished.

In the case of a heel that has given way by parting from the shoe, the best way to repair it is to bore two holes from inside the shoe, each large enough to admit a joiner’s screw to pass though, as at A in Fig. 11, and then make two small holes into the heel at B, as a lead for the screws, which can be about ³⁄₄ in. or 1 in. long. From the inside screw the two well into the heel, as at C; then put the shoe on an iron foot, and drive in a long French nail from the top, just behind the screws, as at D, and the heel will be as solid as it was at first. Perhaps, by putting in another screw the nail may be dispensed with, and if so, so much the better, as then nothing of the repair can be seen from the outside.

A sharpening strop (Fig. 12) is indispensable to the shoemaker. It is generally a solid piece of square wood, about 16 in. long, shaped at one end to form the handle, A, about 4 in. long. A useful hollow one may be made in this way: Take four pieces of wood, ¹⁄₄ in. thick, 12 in. long, and about 1³⁄₄ in. wide: place them together, as shown at Fig. 13, and fix them with screws, illustrated at B, B, B, B. Then cut a square piece, as C, and fix it with two French nails at each side, as D D (Fig. 13). Then have a square piece of wood, the same substance, about 6 in. long, and shape it for the handle, as A (Fig. 12), leaving about 2 in. square to form a stopper for the square case, which will be found very handy to keep spare awls in and also broken awls, the use of which will be explained later on. It is also very convenient to keep a sharp knife in, for if left with other tools, this gets blunt, and when picking up another tool, you are apt to cut your hand if the knife is lying on the bench.

When the strop has been completed, as shown in Fig. 12, paste a piece of leather on one side, and on the other three sides paste emery-cloth, Nos. 1¹⁄₂, 1, and F F. For putting a fine edge to the knife use the F F, dip the blade of the knife in water, and finish on the leather side. In sharpening a knife, always hold the blade quite flat on the strop, or you will produce a round edge, which makes it hard to use.

Paste is very often wanted. A halfpennyworth can be bought at any grindery shop. But it so soon gets dry, and some of it is sure to be wasted. The better way is to make paste thus: put a table-spoonful of rye-flour into a jar, add a little _boiling_ water to it, and well stir; this is economical, and you can always have paste in a few minutes.

To sole and heel a pair of boots, procure a pair of soles of English tannage, costing from 9d., and top-pieces from 3d.; a halfpennyworth of iron rivets, at 3d. lb.: ¹⁄₂ in. is a very useful size; sand-paper, 1 sheet, size 1¹⁄₂, cost ¹⁄₂d.; and shoemakers’ ink, ¹⁄₂d. A better sole would not be got at many full-priced shops.

Most important and most needed tools are an iron foot (Fig. 17), a shoemaker’s hammer, knife (Fig. 82), nippers, glazing iron (Fig. 30), and rasp (Fig. 27). This list of tools does not include sufficient to turn out all kinds of work properly, but the number is cut down so that the first four or five repairing jobs, including tools, shall cost no more than if they had been done by an ordinary repairer.

Now we have leather and tools, we will start work. If you sit on an ordinary chair, it should be cut down to about 14 in.; or any seat that height will do. Your tools, for the present, can be put on the floor or on the box you keep them in; but a shoemaker’s bench is of course better.

The illustration Fig. 14 shows that it is not very hard to construct a shoemaker’s bench, though, if the one shown is too elaborate, the drawers can be dispensed with. Even a sugar-box will suffice, taking the lid off and laying it on its side, the open top being A, where one or even more drawers can be made to fit in. The lid will make the back, and the beads for the two sides and front marked B B B and B, which are about 1¹⁄₂ in. above the side of the box. Compartments can be made at C C to receive the grindery in use, one especially to fit the ink-bottle, that it may not get knocked over.

To tell a hand-sewn boot from one that is machine-sewn, first take the sock out, and if there are stitches all round inside, on the inner sole, the boots are machine-sewn. If the inner sole is smooth, they are either hand-sewn, standard-screw, or a combination. If they are standard-screw, the marks of a small round disc show on the inner sole. The screw wire is put in so that it seldom shows on the inside, but if the centre of this impression is scraped away, the brass screw wire will be brought to light and prove the make. A machine-sewn welt (the nearest approach to hand-sewn) will show a real and good stitch all round the outside. Machine-sewn boots or shoes are much heavier than hand-sewn. Another guide is the inside of the heel, for generally machine-sewn boots have heels that are put on by a heeling machine, in which you can see either the heads or clenched points on the inner sole of the seat. Or the heels are nailed on by hand, which can be told in the same way. For this reason machine-made boots often have a whole or half inner sole in them, but if this is taken out it can soon be replaced. Men who do hand-sewn work do not build theirs in this way, for if not sewn they are pegged.

Now to sole and heel a pair of riveted or machine-sewn boots, which require new soles to be riveted on. First dip into water the old soles and heels of the boots and hold them in for a few minutes; let them dry a little, so as to have them just mellow. The new leather must be put in water, and thoroughly wetted through; then taken out, and allowed to get nearly dry, but not by the fire, if this can be helped. Rasp off all rough flaky stuff from the flesh side. Place the lap-iron--which is simply a laundress’s iron with the handle off--on your thighs, just above the knees, put the leather on it, grain side down, and, commencing from the centre, hammer it well, evenly and gently. This makes the leather more dense and more resistive to wear, and also more impervious to dampness. While the leather dries, take off the old top-pieces that are worn, and if the lifts are worn, cut or saw them through the centre, and take away the portion that is worn, as _a_ (Fig. 15). This can then be replaced by a piece of new leather, which need not be of the best quality. There are other ways of building up heels, which will be explained as we make progress.

This operation of taking off the old soles requires some care. If the boots are wetted, they are far less likely to fall to pieces and otherwise give trouble than if they are worked upon in a dry state. When taking off the sole, a last can be put in the boot, to make a solid foundation to work on; the old sole can be prised off with a blunt chisel when it is wet, commencing at the toe or the thinnest part; this will enable you to catch hold of it with nippers. By means of these pull off the sole with the nippers in one hand, and at the same time hold down with the other the under leather (often termed welt, or runner). Should the under part still have a tendency to give way from the uppers, knock back the sole, so that it leaves the rivets sticking out; with the pincers or nippers pull out the rivets, and repeat the processes till the sole is got off without disturbing the boot. Before putting the new sole on, the under part can be nailed down with a few short rivets to make it solid. If in the making or previous repairing very long rivets have been used, taking off the sole will need great care to avoid causing the boot to fall to pieces. As your own repairer, never let your boots wear low, for here “a stitch in time saves nine”; and the cheaper the boots, the more applicable this adage.

For re-soling machine-sewn boots and shoes, follow the advice given in connection with hand-sewn work. The following is another system for sewn work:--When the lasts are in, and the boots wet, skive off the edge of the sole: not right through, or you may spoil the welt, but deep enough to cut through the stitches and cut their loops off. Then, as before, the toe can be raised or prised up from the welt, when taking off the sole is an easy matter.

If the under-sole should come away whilst taking off the outer one, the damage must be made good. This can be done in the following manner:--If you are repairing on an iron last or an iron-bottom last, hammer the middle or under-sole back into its place, first taking out all the old nails; then, supposing A A in Fig. 16 to show the line where the rivets which fix the new sole will pass through the middle sole, put through the line B B a few short rivets or long tingles, according to the substance of the bottom. The dots, B B, show where the tingle should be put. They should be only just long enough to clench on the bottom of the last.

When repairing on a wooden last, and this under-sole is being fixed, take the shoe off and slip it on the iron foot to clench the tingles, for they must be clenched before the new sole is put on. When putting the new sole on and knocking in the rivets, put extra long ones in, say an inch apart: just long enough to clench through the whole thickness of the new sole, middle sole, tops, inner sole, etc. The long rivets should be of brass, so that when the shoe is again re-soled these will draw out with the thin old sole, and not disturb the middle sole in so doing.

The cause of boots falling to pieces, as they sometimes do after a short period of wear, is frequently the want of a good solid inner sole. If not gone too far, and if when pulling the sole off the boots are not pulled to pieces, remedy this defect by putting a new half inner sole in the forepart, and then re-sole the boots on the iron foot. If they are past this, and the uppers are good enough, re-last the forepart on a pair of iron lasts or a pair of iron-plated ones.

To obtain the required lasts, the size of foot must be taken in inches. Draw the tape measure just a little tighter than you would like the boot, and then send off the order thus: 1 pr. gent’s (boot or shoe) lasts, joint 9 in., instep 9¹⁄₂ in., as the case may be. Iron-plated ones are the cheaper, as iron stem and stand, which cost 2s., are wanted with the iron lasts; but an iron-plated last, screwed to a bench, gives you the advantage of being able to stand at work. Figs. 17 and 18 show last and stand, which can be got at any leather warehouse.

Figs. 19 and 20 show a useful stand for repairing purposes which allows the foot to be fixed firmly in either of the two positions.

The old sole should be cut off at the waist to within about ³⁄₄ in. from where the new sole is to come. Mark off the exact length of the new sole, and then start to skive off from this mark, tapered to where the old sole was cut off. From the line scoop it out evenly with a knife, until about one-third of the way through (as A, in Fig. 21). Then lightly tap down the leather, right across where hollowed out; this should be done with the pene end of the hammer. This process hardens the leather to receive the pegs or rivets and, without weakening the old leather, gives an extra drop to receive the new sole. The new sole to be spliced to this part of the waist of the boot must be skived, but not very thin; and it is best to skive on the flesh side for light work, and on the grain side for heavy work. Slightly paste the groove in the old leather, and also the new sole, where it has been skived; this tends to make the graft sound and firm when finished. It is all important to properly work the leather before using--that is, by wetting, fleshing, drying, and hammering, as explained on p. 20.

In levelling up for re-soling, the proper way is to make the sole just a little rounded, putting in just enough filling to make this difference. The bottom of a boot, if too round, is sometimes uncomfortable, and wears away quickly, whilst one hollow in the centre is uncomfortable and unsolid. A last should be somewhat round at the bottom, so that it fits the bottom or sole of the foot. The sole of the boot will be made round enough by placing a layer of felt in the middle, to prevent creaking, and make it impervious to dampness as far as possible. This applies both to making and to repairing.

To fix on the new sole, place the boot or shoe on an iron foot. The sole should be put on with the skived end to overlap the groove about ¹⁄₈ in., as shown at A (Fig. 22). When riveted, it should be well into the groove, as shown at A (Fig. 23). If the graft is well done, the end of the new sole will project above the old leather. This part must be pared off neatly level with the waist, then pened with the hammer and rasped off. When all these processes are carried out, you will have a neat and a permanently solid seam, as shown at A (Fig. 24).

Before putting in the rivets, pare up the sole--not closely, but leaving a small margin all round. About ³⁄₈ in. from the edge, draw a line all round with a pair of compasses or with a pencil, which will answer the purpose, held between the thumb and finger, placing the second finger against the edge of the sole. Then with an awl prick on the line, all round the sole, small holes to receive the rivets, putting them closest where most wear comes; generally, this is at the toe and outside joint, where it is best to use iron rivets; elsewhere brass rivets should be used. Fig. 25 shows about the form in which the rivets should be put in.

Trim up the sole’s edge with the knife, being very careful not to cut the uppers; then damp the edge, and pene it all round with the hammer. This should be done with the shoe on the knees, the heel being towards you and the edge of the sole upwards, and pened by hammering, as shown in Fig. 26 at A B, commencing at A, and going right round the sole. This process is important, as it hardens the edge, tends to make it hollow, and prepares it to receive the next tool, which is the rasp (Fig. 27). The toe end of a shoe is illustrated on a larger scale at Fig. 28, which shows how the pening strokes should be laid to weld the new and old leather together, and keep the edge hollow, as at A (Fig. 28). Then let the whole boot dry, while you proceed with the other one.

When you repair your own boots, never let the heels wear more than just through the top-piece: then the heels keep in shape; but if you have to repair the lifts when putting the pieces on, let the nails be a little way from the edge, or when the top-piece is nailed on one set of nails will come in contact with those below, and produce unpleasant results. When building up the heel, ready for the top-piece, it is well to make that side where the most wear is a little higher, as it tends to make the wear more even. Tack the top-piece on the heel (Fig. 29), putting a nail at A and one at B, and round it up with the knife, leaving a little stuff on all round, more particularly at that part which is to receive the most nails, as shown by the dotted line. The rivets should then be put in, as shown at C C, but first mark round the heel and hole it, as was done for the sole, then pare and pene, as described above; the edges of the soles and heels should then be rasped, then buffed with a scraper or buffing-knife.

This tool, which is illustrated on p. 126, is similar to a cabinet-maker’s scraper, and it can be made of about 3 in. of old stay-busk. Such a tool can be bought, but it is seldom ready for use, so you might as well make one; and a piece of freshly-broken glass will suffice. Then sand-paper the edges with a piece of No. 1¹⁄₂ sand-paper. The faces of the sole and heel can be filed with the file side of the rasp, to make the heads of the rivets smooth and even with the leather; then buff off the grain of the leather with the scraper, and sand-paper the sole all over. This produces what is called a rough bottom, and all that is needed for own work. Rub a little paste on the edges with a piece of rag, and ink the edges and the waist, using shoemaker’s ink, American is best. This is allowed to get just dry, then the leather is rubbed over with the glazing-iron (Fig. 30). This iron must not be very hot; its proper heat is such that if it is put into water it should just cause a hiss. Properly, a forepart iron should be used for the soles, but the glazer will do for a makeshift. This ironing process gives a nice gloss, which is increased and made more permanent by being repeated, at the same time ironing on a thin coat of heel-ball, which can be rubbed off smooth with a piece of old cloth, and will leave a brilliant polish.

Always remember that any job in repairing can be finished much better if a last is inside the boot; and that pening, rasping, buffing, and all finishing, should be commenced from A for the soles (Fig. 26), and from B (Fig. 24) for the heels. In using the knife, the action is the reverse in both cases.

Gutta-percha makes by no means bad soles, and with it no great difficulty will be found in either patching or entirely re-soling boots. It is not recommended for use on neat light boots; but many an old pair of boots which are looked on as past wear can thus be made thoroughly useful for winter wear; for it must be remembered that gutta-percha is waterproof. It is also light in weight, and is warm to the feet. It is, however, chiefly on the grounds of economy and the ease with which it can be used that gutta-percha is to be recommended.

The gutta-percha necessary can be got at any india-rubber shop. It is sold in pieces about ¹⁄₄ in. thick, and only as much as may be wanted need be bought. The measurement roughly can easily be got. Some cement will also be required; that used for fastening the india-rubber tyres on cycles, etc., is excellent for the purpose. Cuttings of gutta-percha could be used instead, but would not be found so satisfactory, except perhaps to stick a patch on a worn piece of gutta-percha sole. In this case, though, a cement of any kind is hardly necessary, as the two surfaces on being made sticky by heat, will adhere without a medium.

The soles to be repaired must be thoroughly dry before commencing operations; for if they be in the slightest degree damp, the new soles, though they may adhere for a time, will certainly come off ere long. That any dirt or clay must be cleaned off, goes without saying. It may be advisable to tear off the bottom layer of leather, in which case a neater-looking job perhaps will result; or you may just take the boot as it is, and lay the gutta-percha on. In either case, the work is the same. It is well to heat the soles of the boots and put the cement on while they are warm. The cement may be melted either in a ladle and poured on, spreading it thinly, or be used like sealing-wax by melting it as required and rubbing it on the boot; or pieces may be put on the boot and melted, and spread with a piece of hot iron--the kitchen poker, an old knife, or anything of the kind will do very well. Perhaps this last method is the best, as the hot iron seems to work the cement well into the leather, which, by the way, may first be roughened with advantage by rasping; or even scoring and scratching with a knife will suffice.

When cement is used it should be evenly spread upon the leather, and while hot it is extremely tenacious. If it gets cold before the gutta-percha is ready to apply, it may be heated by the hot iron or over a gas or lamp flame, or at the fire. The great thing is to bring the gutta-percha and the boots in contact while the cement is quite hot. The gutta-percha also should be hot: on the side of adherence hot enough to be soft and sticky. This can easily be managed by holding it close to the fire for a short time just before putting it on the boot. The gutta-percha should then be firmly, but gently, pressed to the boot. It will be flexible enough to yield to pressure and follow the curve of the sole if it has been sufficiently warmed.

When the new sole is firm and hard--as it will soon become if the boot is put in a cool place--the edges may be trimmed off. This can be done with a knife, as the gutta-percha can be easily cut. The cuttings should be kept, as they come in useful for re-patching the sole as it becomes worn in places, so that there need be little, if any, waste. The final touches may be given by drawing a hot iron of any kind over the edges, so as to smooth them down.

The sole as now made will wear a considerable time, though not so long as leather, but the wear-resisting qualities of gutta-percha may be much increased by the use of boot protectors. These are small pieces of iron for fastening on to the sole in parts most susceptible to wear. They can easily be fixed. The caution that boots with gutta-percha soles should not be placed too near a fire may not be unnecessary, but beyond this, no special precaution is necessary any more than in the case of leather.

Briefly stated, the cost of the tools mentioned in this chapter is as follows:--An iron foot may be bought at 1¹⁄₂d. per lb., and a handle for 5d; or Snow’s Handy Last foot may be purchased for 2s. A shoemaker’s knife costs 2¹⁄₂d., a hammer 6d., nippers 5¹⁄₂d., glazing-iron 6d., and a forepart iron 8d. These may be obtained at any grindery shop.