Well another course is over and James and I are settling back into a routine of shoemaking, creative projects and enjoying
some rare summer sunshine! (Although not for long, as James is back out to Chicago and New York on our quarterly trunk show trips in a fortnight...followed by a well earned holiday in Maine)!
We get great feedback after the courses, which is really important
to make sure we keep improving and keep the course relevant. Our friend and fellow shoemaker in New
York, Jesse is also a great help, because she not only attended one of our courses
early on but has watched us in action in her studio every year. Even she says
we are improving our methods and approach!
But there is something of the course that we still find hard
to convey and that is just how physically exhausting it is! We use the word intensive to describe it, not just
because of the short time frame, but because it is physically intensive and you
are working most of the time, seated in a low chair with your knees at 90
degrees.
So here’s the boot camp guide to shoemaking to show the
tools and parts of the body used at each stage; and I’ve given each job a mark
of intensity with 1 being low intensity and 5 high intensity:
Sharpening your knife
– knife & strop working on a table - good hand eye co-ordination – engages hands,
biceps/ triceps, upper body and core. (2)
Skiving – knife,
glass board, strop working in your lap - good hand eye co-ordination, engages
hands, biceps/triceps, upper body and core. (3)
Preparing insole
– nippers, nail hammer, last, knife – engages hands, biceps/triceps, upper body
and core. (2)
Lasting – lasting
pliers, last/upper – engages hands, biceps/triceps, upper body, core, thigh and
butt muscles. (5+)
Making threads – threads,
leather, wax, tar, bristles - good hand eye co-ordination; engages upper body -
one of the few things that you can do standing up! (1)
Welting –
threads, awl, nippers - engages hands, biceps/triceps, upper body, core, thigh
and butt muscles. (5+)
Preparing soles –
knife, hammer - upper body, arms and hands – engages upper body and core. (2)
Stitching soles –
threads, awl - upper body, arms and hands – engages hands, biceps/triceps, upper
body and core, thigh and butt muscles. (2)
Building heels – hammer,
knife – good hand eye co-ordination; engages hands, biceps/triceps, upper body,
core, thigh and butt muscles. (4)
Finishing – rasp,
broken glass, sandpaper, paintbrush, irons - engages upper body and core (4)
for rasping, glassing (2) for painting and irons.
(I threw in a 1, but to be fair none of it is actually low
intensity because you are using muscles groups you never even knew existed!)
So there you have it…the equivalent of 10 days in the gym!
Thanks Deborah. This is very helpful. I'll have to get in shape before I take the course next May. I'm looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteYes you will. It's FULL ON. So get ready!
ReplyDeleteIts funny you mentioned this. I just realized yesterday that I got muscles in locations I didn't even now that there could be muscles. Since I started my apprenticeship as an orthopedic shoemaker in September last year I really grew strong. Im still 95 kg but it's feeling good, the belly is smaller and the shoulders wider. I'm still exhausted after an 8h day but I'm fitter than before.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should raise your course prices, since you offer two things at the same time: a full buddy workout and a shoemaking course.
Many greetings
Jonathan
Thanks for the comment Jonathan. It is absolutely true - shoemaking is very physical!
ReplyDeleteWhere are you doing your apprenticeship? Good luck with it anyway. Best, jimmyshoe