I made these sandals a few weeks ago and have since taken a trip to the mountains in them so I can attest to their sturdiness. I did a lot of research to make these because I couldn't find a single tutorial with all the information I needed, hopefully this tutorial answers every leather sandal- making question you can ponder. This is a lengthy but simple process, no leather working experience should be necessary.
Step 1: Materials
Materials I Used:
1. Leather - How much, what thickness, what color, and what kind is completely up to you, I will offer more guidance on leather choice later on.
2. Contact Cement - Every pro cobbler tutorial uses Barge contact cement, I used some Wilsonart 500 contact cement intended for use on laminate countertops because I had it lying around, as long as it is strong waterproof and dries flexible it should work.
3. Leather Awl - my leather Awl is very nice it has a spot for a spool and the bottom holds extra needles but any leather needle Awl will do.
4. Exacto Knife and Scissors
5. Hammer
6. Something to Cut on - A marble tile is ideal but a ceramic tile or a piece of wood will work too. Plastic mats are not ideal.
7. Masking Tape
8. Construction Paper
9. Gel Super Glue
10. Leather Cord/ Lacing - This will be for the ankle tie strap.
1. Leather - How much, what thickness, what color, and what kind is completely up to you, I will offer more guidance on leather choice later on.
2. Contact Cement - Every pro cobbler tutorial uses Barge contact cement, I used some Wilsonart 500 contact cement intended for use on laminate countertops because I had it lying around, as long as it is strong waterproof and dries flexible it should work.
3. Leather Awl - my leather Awl is very nice it has a spot for a spool and the bottom holds extra needles but any leather needle Awl will do.
4. Exacto Knife and Scissors
5. Hammer
6. Something to Cut on - A marble tile is ideal but a ceramic tile or a piece of wood will work too. Plastic mats are not ideal.
7. Masking Tape
8. Construction Paper
9. Gel Super Glue
10. Leather Cord/ Lacing - This will be for the ankle tie strap.
Step 2: Choosing Leather
To begin with I would highly suggest buying your leather from somewhere you can feel it. I don't know a lot about leather grades or types or tanning processes, and I buy all of my leather as scraps, so I didn't buy any leather for this project specifically.
I used two layers of cowhide and one layer of kangaroo leather, I do know that kangaroo leather is readily available in a wide variety of colors which is how I got the bright teal top sole. It is also not necessary to use three layers, a top and bottom sole are all that you need but I wanted to use the very thin kangaroo leather for my top sole and I did not want to feel the straps under my feet so I knew I would need a midsole.
For my straps I used a piece of cow leather that did not stretch when I tested it, this is the most important aspect of the strap leather.
My leathers approximate thicknesses are:
Teal top sole: 1mm
Mid-sole: 3mm
Bottom sole: 1cm
Straps: 3mm
This makes the distance between my foot and the ground around 14mm, if you want more than that you can either use more or thicker leather or glue a *cringe* rubber sole to the bottom of your shoe.
These are very durable at this thickness and even with them worn in I don't really feel rocks under my feet, but I also enjoy walking barefoot, so to each their own.
My final suggestion on choosing your leather is that if you source it from somewhere random like I have you should test it with water and sandpaper to see how it will wear/ if the dye will release.
I used two layers of cowhide and one layer of kangaroo leather, I do know that kangaroo leather is readily available in a wide variety of colors which is how I got the bright teal top sole. It is also not necessary to use three layers, a top and bottom sole are all that you need but I wanted to use the very thin kangaroo leather for my top sole and I did not want to feel the straps under my feet so I knew I would need a midsole.
For my straps I used a piece of cow leather that did not stretch when I tested it, this is the most important aspect of the strap leather.
My leathers approximate thicknesses are:
Teal top sole: 1mm
Mid-sole: 3mm
Bottom sole: 1cm
Straps: 3mm
This makes the distance between my foot and the ground around 14mm, if you want more than that you can either use more or thicker leather or glue a *cringe* rubber sole to the bottom of your shoe.
These are very durable at this thickness and even with them worn in I don't really feel rocks under my feet, but I also enjoy walking barefoot, so to each their own.
My final suggestion on choosing your leather is that if you source it from somewhere random like I have you should test it with water and sandpaper to see how it will wear/ if the dye will release.
Step 3: Patterning
This step is pretty self-explanatory, get out your construction paper and trace your foot, take that and make it shoe-shaped, and then make one that is it's mirror. After you have two soles, you will want to figure out your straps.
I cut a bunch of 1-inch strips of construction paper and fit the straps on my foot and then bent them where they went under, and masking taped them on until I had them all finished. after this I detached the straps again and set them aside so I could use the sole.
I cut a bunch of 1-inch strips of construction paper and fit the straps on my foot and then bent them where they went under, and masking taped them on until I had them all finished. after this I detached the straps again and set them aside so I could use the sole.
Step 4: Cut Out Your Soles and Straps
Lay out the patterns on the leather, mark it with a pen on the side you won't see, and cut them out. for thin leathers like my blue one you may need to tape it down to create tension in order to cut it out with a knife. I didn't take photos of cutting out the straps but I just used a ruler to keep the knife straight and used the patterns to measure.
Step 5: Contact Cement Take 1
1. ONLY USE CONTACT CEMENT IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA SUCH AS THE OUTDOORS
2. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR CONTACT CEMENT NOT ALL CONTACT CEMENT IS CREATED EQUAL
3. USE GLOVES
Now that I am done yelling at you, I set up my contact cement station at the door of a garage on a piece of old wood. I taped down my soles so they wouldn't move when I painted on the glue and I sanded them so they would adhere better. Make sure you get the glue all the way to the edges. Once it is on allow it to dry until it is sticky but does not pull away with your (gloved) finger. Stick them together making sure to line them up carefully because there is no going back, smooth them out, lay another piece of scrap wood or something flat on top, and something heavy like a paint can and allow them to dry for a while. This is not totally necessary, they can be worked with immediately but I wanted to be safe, and I had other things to do in the meantime.
2. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR CONTACT CEMENT NOT ALL CONTACT CEMENT IS CREATED EQUAL
3. USE GLOVES
Now that I am done yelling at you, I set up my contact cement station at the door of a garage on a piece of old wood. I taped down my soles so they wouldn't move when I painted on the glue and I sanded them so they would adhere better. Make sure you get the glue all the way to the edges. Once it is on allow it to dry until it is sticky but does not pull away with your (gloved) finger. Stick them together making sure to line them up carefully because there is no going back, smooth them out, lay another piece of scrap wood or something flat on top, and something heavy like a paint can and allow them to dry for a while. This is not totally necessary, they can be worked with immediately but I wanted to be safe, and I had other things to do in the meantime.
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