Oh brother shooman irgnore those doubtful words of minds not being open to be transcended into the BIG DADDY SHOO heaven. Let them rot away in their ignorance of your enlightment. Tell us about the BIG DADDY handgrades and why our paths should be filled with them instead of benchgrades. I need words explaining it all to me, about the BIG DADDY SHOO BRICKS. Pleeeeeeeeease shooman, become our big manishoooooooooooooo!!! We need your revelations of the BIG SHOOMEN to enlighten our mortal existence. I NEED TO KNOW!!!
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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They're marginally better quality than the standard range, so fear not gentle shoe wearer, C&J Benchgrade is good enough.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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You haven't been reading my posts, otherwise you would not ask these questions. These shoes have been taken apart, so l know the difference between single and double brick houses.
C&J benchgrade = single brick house
C&J handgrade = double brick house with more handwork and materials.
I don't just say these things because people tell me, l say these things because l know.
Great comment, l laughed. You certainly have a name like a BIG Daddy.Lobbster said:
O.k LObbster, l will tell you some BIG Daddy knowledge, but later on, o.k? I will only repeat it because l think you have potential.
And yes, Dropbear is still trying to climb the ladder, but he is on the bottom rung unable to elevate after all these years. He lacks the pedigree, so progression has been very difficult.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Actually, a team has been assembled to do this and are working on it as we speak. I am also assembling a team of professional film people to make a documentary.
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Nah, C&J benchgrade don't provide a proper shoe experience. For that bit extra you will get that higher end gyw shoe wearing experience. It is much more satisfying.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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Who does then?
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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C&J handgrade, G&G, Edward Green, some Church's, BIG Johnny Lobb, some Santoni etc. It is a higher end build for gyw, and it marks the entry way for the better shoes.
The typical midend build = C&J benchgrade, Carmina, AE, Alden, RM Williams, and most gyw. It lacks materials and handwork used to build a good solid shoe with solid support.
I wear a C&J benchgrade and it feels weak and flimsy in build (but still good and lasting, but not solid). Same goes with the rest of those types. When l wear the better ones it feels strong and solid with good support, and it makes you feel like a man. It's built right.
Then again: perhaps it is best to stick to Carmina and C&J benchgrade. Why? Many men on the internet don't appreciate the finer points in shoes; in fact, few do. Nothing wrong with that. Remember, few will ever become a BIG Daddy.
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Will you and Pimpernel Smith ever become a Big Daddy? Probably not...few make it to the top. Nothing to worry and cry about, it's just one of those things. The mindset of a BIG Daddy is very rare. You can't force yourself to be a BIG Daddy...you've either got it or you haven't.
Truth is lucky, he has the BIG Daddy genes. He knows what is what.
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Clearly, it would be called ShooChoob.
Oh brother shooman, your post count is strong, your content weak. How should that heal my ignorant soul? How should it fill the viod? All talk, little sense. Dare I say it? Are you a false prophet? Are you just another Aussie who sold his conscience to the Chinese and the glue? Are you just dropping names without knowledge? My lineage is weak but only because the prophets are weak. They feast on the shoe but do not know it by heart. The wear them without spiritual elightment, wandering on empty paths not leading to heaven but a maze made up of ignorance.
I'll rather be a SMALL SHOE DADDY walking is the steps of the creator than following the BIG SHOES DADDIES into the abyss.
I'll rather be a SMALL SHOE DADDY walking is the steps of the creator than following the BIG SHOES DADDIES into the abyss.
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I’m pretty content with my level of footwear comfort and the fact that I am not chasing after Big Daddies. Just saying’
I never thought I'd see the day that dropbear and I would be brothers in spirit. Both without the enlightment of the BIG DADDIES and both happy in their unfullfilled existence. Oh dare I say it: Ignorance is bliss my kindhearted brother! Not so much with the false prophet shooman who talketh the talk without walking the walk. Your Asian cowboy boots and my French norvegians aligned, bearing our finest leather jackets as our blessed armour we shall fight the unholy BIG DADDIES as brothers in arms! Shall we arise victorious we will bring shooman and the BIG DADDIES to justice for their crimes of pride and insulting all of shoomanity!
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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My content is there is you choose to look. The issue of single brick v's double brick houses numerous times here. Pictures have been posted demonstrating all these things.
I used to make more informative posts not found anywhere else on the internet, but no-one seems to read them or care so l don't bother to post much material anymore. FNB.com was full of these unique postings, and here had unique insights into things too. Now fnb.com has taken down, and a history of many great shoe icons of Australia has gone with it. FNB did a poor thing by taking down the forum, it had within it many hidden unique gems that none of the other forums had, and l think it was the best forum there ever was because it had a combination of the right posters during 2006 - 2009 who contributed the best to the forums.
The issue l find here is that there are no real shoomen having real shoe conversations here. Once l had a hunger to talk about shoos, but l have long since given up.
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built like a brick shithouse - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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A bloke pays $900 USD to have some cheap boots repaired because he loves them.
21:10 - 22:15 = the best part.
21:10 - 22:15 = the best part.
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Gemming failure on a pair of Trickers
View attachment 35919
Check this out, he recorks the sole without fixing the gemming failure. CAUGHT!
View attachment 35920
This bloke fixes a pair of R M Williams this time and he does the same thing as last time, he neglects to fix the gemming failure. R.M.Williams are well known for gemming failure.
I can't draw on this diagram and save it, but the gemming failure is there if you look.
and look, he is recorking the sole and the gemming failure is still not fixed. Proof! See the small bit of gemming that hasn't been corked yet, it is raised up.
Btw, the RM W uses a foam midsole here.
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Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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The Shooman said:
'
The issue l find here is that there are no real shoomen having real shoe conversations here. Once l had a hunger to talk about shoos, but l have long since given up.'
Shooey, old chap, on FNB you were for ever prattling on about gemming failure. I've been wearing benchmade GW (starting with Loakes at maybe the age of 13) and it's never happened. Mind you, I've immediately had a sole-guard fixed to every pair I've ever had. That might explain it.
'
The issue l find here is that there are no real shoomen having real shoe conversations here. Once l had a hunger to talk about shoos, but l have long since given up.'
Shooey, old chap, on FNB you were for ever prattling on about gemming failure. I've been wearing benchmade GW (starting with Loakes at maybe the age of 13) and it's never happened. Mind you, I've immediately had a sole-guard fixed to every pair I've ever had. That might explain it.
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Count yourself lucky that it has never happened because it is a common occurrence. AE also get gemming failure a lot according to Steve at Bedos. Numerous cobblers report gemming failure, and a factory in Melbourne also reported it regularly which explained why they chose to make fairstitch constructed shoes instead.
Sole guards can help, but water and salt can still get in shoes,especially on rainy days. When it rains heavy l never wear GYW, l will usually wear my best handmade shoes or sometimes a fairstitch constructed shoo. Bad weather calls for the best shoes to be worn because they are made to stand up to the conditions. It was like a lake last week so l pulled out one of my best pairs. After they dried they looked perfect again.
I am impressed you were wearing GYW at age 13.
fxh
OG Party Suit Wearer
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You are right about FNB. It had one of the best archive of pics around.
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A bloke pays $900 USD to have some cheap boots repaired because he loves them.
21:10 - 22:15 = the best part.
Though they got their start making logging boots in the PNW during the depression, Danner Boots are pretty legendary in military circles. The Go Devils was the pinnacle of jump boots post-war. They were the first to incorporate a goretex liner to their boots, along with thinsulate for cold weather boots.
Brass Tokyo and Brian the Bootmaker in LA are both doing some amazing work resoling and relasting basic Redwing and Chipppewa boots. Amazing before and after photos - but definitely not $900!
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Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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We could do with some shoe porn on here.
Get busy, Shooey!
Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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A discussion that turns into a row about gemming from a few years ago.This bloke fixes a pair of R M Williams this time and he does the same thing as last time, he neglects to fix the gemming failure. R.M.Williams are well known for gemming failure.
I can't draw on this diagram and save it, but the gemming failure is there if you look.
View attachment 36181
and look, he is recorking the sole and the gemming failure is still not fixed. Proof! See the small bit of gemming that hasn't been corked yet, it is raised up.
View attachment 36182
Btw, the RM W uses a foam midsole here.
Mythbuster - Gemming is Bad
The Shoe Snob blog is about seeing men wearing better shoes through education and sharing what is out there that deserves recognition.
www.theshoesnobblog.com
formby002
Identifies as a Barn Owl
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Shoosta know his Shoooz....
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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A discussion that turns into a row about gemming from a few years ago.
Mythbuster - Gemming is Bad
The Shoe Snob blog is about seeing men wearing better shoes through education and sharing what is out there that deserves recognition.
Shoesnob makes a good analysis of the economics of shoe construction, and without doubt English made shoes would be far more expensive if hand welted and out of reach of almost everyone, and a market would cease to exist. Gemming can last a long time on many shoes, none-the-less failure is common, however gemming can be stuck back when it starts to fail, evenstill there are a lot of drawbacks with gemming.
Drawbacks = obviously using glued on canvass and plastic instead of a carved out leather area.
Drawbacks = gyw requires using a less elegant last (higher) than one used with hand welting (lower and less bulky). Examples below:
Gyw = high edge last that is less elegant because it uses a raised feather filled in between with cork.
handwelted = low edge last that is very elegant and refined because it uses a hand carved feather that is low and usually filled with things like felt. No high front here, and very artistic.
and of course there isn't the stiff plastic feather and thick filling making restricting the shoes from molding properly to the feet. Along with this would be the machine stitched soles by their very nature further reducing the molding process.
shoesnob said:
That is not quite right. In the old days a number of shoes in Australia didn't use gemming, the insole was cut into and the upper attached. Reports were that shoes using gemming like RM Williams would have failure while many shoes using cut insole ribs never failed.
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Kingstonian
Well-Known Member
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I have not had gemming failure either. I used to put on Woolworths stick on soles on cheaper leather shoes but now you cannot buy them, so you have to get a cobbler to put Topy on.
I think the king of gemming discussions was the wizened old feller on Styleforum who used to make cowboy boots. He was always up for a good argument.
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I’m really enjoying following the rise of small Indonesian shoe makers like this one:
Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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What's the price of something like that?
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All these MTO Indo makers rely on Instagram and WhatsApp, so it’s hard to know exact prices without contacting them. My sense is that they are somewhere in the $200-$350 range for most custom builds.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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The rise of these unknown shoemakers is very interesting. Indonesia making shoes like that, wow.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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John Lobb London bespoke. Notice the less than stellar craftsmanship. Other vintage John Lobbs are much better, and John Lobb Paris bespokes are superb. Obviously some piece workers do better work than others. Very interesting to look at these types of things.
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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W I Shooguy is really trying hard to climb the ladder. Dunno if he has won tattslotto, but he seems to be spending thousands per week on shoes.
His aim is to buy shoos from the top 40 rtw makers and have three pairs of each, so 120 pairs of the best rtw. Seems to be buying them online without trying them on first.
Good luck to him, l just hope he can afford it.
www.youtube.com
His aim is to buy shoos from the top 40 rtw makers and have three pairs of each, so 120 pairs of the best rtw. Seems to be buying them online without trying them on first.
Good luck to him, l just hope he can afford it.
Wi Shoeguy
Just a shoe guy who wants to share what I’ve learned along my journey. September is cancer awareness month. Consider donating to LLS as we search to find a c...
www.youtube.com
Seems like a completely pointless exercise.W I Shooguy is really trying hard to climb the ladder. Dunno if he has won tattslotto, but he seems to be spending thousands per week on shoes.
His aim is to buy shoos from the top 40 rtw makers and have three pairs of each, so 120 pairs of the best rtw. Seems to be buying them online without trying them on first.
Good luck to him, l just hope he can afford it.
Wi Shoeguy
Just a shoe guy who wants to share what I’ve learned along my journey. September is cancer awareness month. Consider donating to LLS as we search to find a c...
Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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You have a good eye, Shooey. I'd have missed those flaws. I often buy seconds and the only time I punch myself for doing it is if they are poorly dyed. The build flaws don't worry me.
fxh
OG Party Suit Wearer
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Sammy you clearly are NOT a Big Daddy
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A few more Indo makers to watch:
Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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I know. I tried but the exam was too hard for me.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Those are some of the first things l look at.
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Another nice Indo boot:
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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W I Shoeguy goes in way above his head with Big Johnny Lobb and falls flat on his face. He proves he is far from being a BIG Daddy. He is a little daddy at most, and wayyy out of his depth. Sad, but many lads don't have the BIG Daddy genes like Truth etc.
Kingstonian
Well-Known Member
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Look on the bright side. He will save himself a lot of money buying cheaper brands.
I believe he should emphasise the ‘Wisconsin’ in Wisconsin Shoe Guy to differentiate from other Shoo Daddies.
Maybe wear a Green Bay Packers shirt, or better still one of those Cheesehead hats. Or even both.