Sources:

S = Siegel’s of California – www.siegelofca.com (order $75.00 worth of tools and/or leather, and get free shipping)

T = Tandy Leather – www.tandyleathercompany.com If possible, get a wholesale account

H = Hide and Leather House – www.hidehouse.com

GN = Garlin-Neuman

SR = Sharon Raymond, www.simpleshoemaking.com

W = Henry Westphal, (212)563-5990 -  this business sells Osborne Tools and is based in New York City

WL = Weaver Leather, www.leathersupply.com

Lasts: . I sell copies of my low-heeled (1/2”) , round-toed lasts in women’s whole sizes from 6-10 medium for $75.00/pair. My women's shoe patterns were made over these lasts.

To find other lasts, look on Ebay, www.shoedoo.com, www.walrusshoe.com, www.globalfootwearsolutions.com

Lasting tools: (S) or (W)

CS Osborne Lasting Pincers # 233 - $33.90

CS Osborne Shoemaker’s Pincers #93 - $26.00

CS Osborne Tack Hammer No. 236 – 30.40

Lasting stand: (SR) - $40.00 (made by a local welder)

Scissors:

CS Osborne EZ-cut Leather Shear (S) or (W) - $28.00

Or purchase (T) Craftool scissors if you have a wholesale account – 3050-00

CS Osborne Scratch Awls # 4 in sizes 1 (2 ½”) (W)

If you plan to stitch the upper to the topsole by hand:

Wing dividers – T

1/8" distance between prongs, three-prong thonging chisel, #493 – (W) available at Westphal, makes stitches ¼” apart. It's handy to also have #491, the one prong chisel, and #492, the two prong chisel

Stitching awl consisting of: CS Osborne Sewing Awl Haft –

You can get a “speedy stitcher from Tandy’s, but I prefer Osborne Sewing awl haft (S) (W) – TL-145 $9.70 with Osborne TL413N8 straight sewing awl needle, (S)

To insert needle, screw off the part that screws off, and pry the 4 prongs that hold the needle apart a bit so needle can be inserted deeper into the haft; then replace the part that screws off!

Another method for making stitching holes for sewing upper to soling (I don't recommend this method, but if you need a motorized way to make holes, this is it: Dremel tool with above speedy stitcher needle inserted instead of a drill bit. A Dremel drill press makes the task more manageable. Dremel tools are available at hardware stores, and the drill press at Amazon.com

Hand-sewing thread:

Sewing awl thread #1205 – (T) - $24.99/spool

Punches and maul:

I think the best rotary punch comes from (WL) – 656230 –  $21.35 (you have to order a minimum of $50.00 from Weaver – order a maul from them too – 652500 - $49.95 or a Novolene Chopping Block 65-2910, $19.25 – it’s the only board for placing under leather when punching holes that I recommend)

Supplies I keep on hand from Tandy Leather:

Glover’s needles – 1191-11 large, or 119113 small, $8.99/pack – sharp diamond-shaped tip makes these the best needles for stitching through thinner leather without needing to make holes first.

Harness needles – 1192-13 - $6.99 – use for butt-stitching leather using x and bar stitch, and stitching topline or any overlapping upper seams.

Tejas Braided Cord – 5060-00 - $12.99/spool – use for making shoe laces, burn ends w/ match

Fasteners:

Mini – Anvil to use as a base when pounding rivets together or pounding nails into soles on a last – 3101-00 - $9.99

Steel double-cap rivets – small – 1371 - $4.99/pack

Line 20 snaps – 1261 – various prices

Craftool Line 20 snap setters – 8057, 58 - $2.99

Buckles:

Sandal buckles – 1515 - $1.79 each

Industrial knife – 3595 - $29.99

Marble slab  - 32228 - $29.99 – use to skive on (or get a piece of safety glass from a junk yard)

Adhesives:

Titan DX from www.veneersupplies.com, 1 quart for $16.99. This is the non-toxic contact cement that I highly-recommend, for any temporary cementing; that is, the two pieces cemented together will need to be stitched together as well. It will not hold on a sole without it being stitched. To operate, I keep the adhesive in a jar, and brushes in a tall glass jar with water and maybe a little bit of liquid soap in it; the brushes need to be dried with a towel before use, but they will last quite a while when kept this way.

Barge All-Purpose cement – 2510-03 – Tandy Leather – use it for adhering outer soles if you don’t want to stitch them on.

There are all kinds of dies and leather finishes.  I am having success with the new Eco-Dies Tandy has developed. I don’t know much about different leather cleaners and conditioners, I use Lexol products and have been pleased with them.

Cushioning: I get the best, poron, from Pel Supply Company. I get 1/8” double-abraded blue sheets – ACPORS. I believe you need a wholesale number to order from them. I will sell poron to you if you can’t purchase it yourself.

Vibram Pyramid sheets or unit soles can be obtained from local shoe-repair supply sources, or from my website.

Natural rubber soling, available in 13 x 48” sheets – from rubber trees, biodegradable: available from Shreiner Company, PO Box 347, Killbuck, OH 44637, 1-800-7229915 – I use black or dark honey#3 (light honey is #5), 9 iron is 1/8” thick, 12 is 1/4” thick, and 15 iron is 3/8” thick. There is a minimum order of $75.00 of any one product

Stitching machines:

To stitch the uppers together using #69 thread, a variety of machines are available. I am using a Singer post machine and another post machine with a post and a roller foot. Look on the web, Ebay, or in the Big Book at Proleptic.com. Run a machine and price by me if you’d like.

To stitch the uppers to the soling, I use #207 thread, and that requires a heavy-duty machine. I have been pleased with my Cowboy Stitcher #CB-3500, imported  from China, cost around $2,000.00, available from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, 3631 Marine Road, Toledo, OH 43609, (866)372-7397, sewmun@aol.com

The Tippmann Boss can also stitch with #207 thread, (T). It is operated manually, which has obvious advantages and disadvantages.  I haven’t tested to see if it can be used to stitch through upper and any kind of rubber soling. It retails for about $1500.00.

Thread for stitching machines is available from Weaver Leather – www.leathersupply.com

Leather:

I get 4-5 ounce leather for uppers at either Siegel’s of CA (chink chap or Rough Rider), Hide House, or Garlin-Neumann. Garlin-Neumann has some great prices and will send you samples, which Siegel will not do.

Pigskin lining leather comes from Tandy. I keep the vegetable-tanned natural and black (99134) on hand. Garlin-Neumann also sells some pigskin lining.

For vegetable-tanned leather for soling, I use 8-10 ounce hides from Wickett and Craig, (800)826-6379