The Shoemaker
Tools of the Trade
Shoemakers make shoes out of leather. They start with a metal sole pattern or wooden shoe last and shape the leather around those to make the shoe.
Notice all the different pieces of leather that have to be cut out. Those pieces than are sewn together, piece by piece. This image shows a shoemaker putting the sole on a shoe.
Eventually a shoemaker would end up with shoes and boots like these.
Below are some of the many tools a shoemaker uses.
Lasting Pincers are a combination pliers and hammer. The pliers are used to pull and stretch the leather into place or to pull off an old sole (bottom of the shoe) in order to put on a new one. The hammer is used for hammering in the wooden pegs that attach the upper part of the shoe to the sole.
The Peg Break has 2 sides. One side is used to cut off any extra part of the wooden pegs sticking up into the shoe, while the other side is used to file this peg down smooth.
The Pricking Wheel is used to make nice even marks where the stitches should go. The shoemaker needs a very strong needle to push through the leather.
If the shoemaker had to work after it got dark, this Illuminating Globe would help focus and enhance the dim light from a candle.
*Experiment to try at home* Fill a glass with water. Turn the lights off and shine a flashlight through the glass. Compare this to the light of the flashlight alone.
This is METC’s Shoemaker exhibit. See how many shoemaking tools you can pick out!
