The Armour Archive

Ok, I have just finished covering a new pair of cleats for fighting and wanted to do a tutorial, so here goes. For this project I used bull hide that is probably about 4 oz. I have used deer skin and regular 3-4 oz veg tanned leather as well, but this supple bull hide worked very well.

First I get a rough pattern size to fit the shoe.





The front piece needs to cover the front of the shoe but needs to leave enough room to still be able to tie the shoe laces.



This picture shows how the bigger piece lines up on the back of the shoe.



The uneven upper end of the back piece is what will fold over the shoe.



As each shoe is different, I do not have a set pattern and cut back the excess leather as I fit it to the shoe.

Uric

Next using contact cement I attach the front leather cover.





I use a razor knife to cut the excess back.



Next I trim back the back piece.



This is probably the more tedious part as it is multiple tweaks to make sure it fits right, but you can see it taking shape. Next step is attaching the back piece with contact cement.

Uric

The next step is attaching the toggles. These are fake bone toggles from the Leather Factory.



In order to make sure the toggles are placed right I first cut the toggle slits on the leather tabs.



With the shoe on I figure where it will fit comfortably and use a Sharpie marker to mark my spot.



Then I attach the toggles with waxed linen thread. I have to drill a small hole through the toggle to attach them.



Uric

With the thicker leather the front of the shoe does not lay smooth so I put a few stitches in the front and back to take up the slack. Also on this pair I used heavy duty staples along the bottom to keep the leather attached.





The stitch in the back top takes it in so you have a better fit and it isn't loose & sloppy.



Where the back piece overlaps the front of the shoe I stitch it down so I am not just relying on the glue to hold it down.



Uric

So this is the general shape we are dealing with.



To touch it up I added a running stitch along the edges of waxed linen thread.





This is the 5th pair I have covered and am getting pretty comfortable with it. For your first attempt I would recommend using a heavy fabric to get a rough size of your pattern so you do not waste leather.

Comments & critique welcome.

Uric

To make a pattern for these...

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee11 ... loseup.jpg

I pulled a sock over the shoe and wrapped it in duct tape. Then I cut the duct tape into the pieces I needed.

It worked great!

And yet another project goes on the List.

What kind of cleats are those? And do you or anyone else have any recommendations for types of cleats. Soccer shoes would seem to have the best profile but tend to have such large cleats.

Piers Brent wrote:What kind of cleats are those? And do you or anyone else have any recommendations for types of cleats. Soccer shoes would seem to have the best profile but tend to have such large cleats.

I wear football cleats out on the tennis courts because they have a torsion plate. Keeps me from re-injuring my turf toe.

Football cleats have a reasonable profile and depending on which ones you buy the cleats aren't as large as soccer cleats.

Are the laces uneeded at this point? Or if they are, how do you change them out if they break?

Please use rounded, low (1/4") turf cleats. Had someone step on my foot at Pennsic one year with METAL cleats - punched right through the top of my boot.

We were on the SIDELINES.


.

Diglach mac Cein wrote:Are the laces uneeded at this point? Or if they are, how do you change them out if they break?

Please use rounded, low (1/4") turf cleats. Had someone step on my foot at Pennsic one year with METAL cleats - punched right through the top of my boot.

We were on the SIDELINES.
.

I still use the laces. I have access to the top 2-3 holes to tighten and tie them. My last set went over 2 years and the laces never broke. They would be difficult to change or you could just replace the top 3 holes.

Brent, these are soccer cleats. I had been fighting in the style with the bigger cleats but couldn't use them on hard surfaces. These have multiple small rubber cleats that also work well on solid ground. I got these at Academy Sports for about 35 dollars.

Uric

How well do the staples hold up?

Nicely done.

Good looking Cleat covers!
I've been doing cleat cover's for six or seven years now, and I've revised my patterns five times so far. Each revision has been made soley (No pun intended) to get closer and closer to a proper turnshoe appearance. Your pattern looks great for toggle shoes, especially the Jarvik style.

(I have a few specific foot problems that require the support and stability I can get from cleat soles, and I have to have custom orthotics for all my shoes or else it literally feels like I am walking with large marbles stuck into the arches of my feet... This is a pre-emptive answer to the inevitable 'why not just wear turn shoes? questions.)
Your tutorial is great, and has convinced me to get off of my butt and write one of my own.... Which I'll try to post later.

I did want to suggest to people thinking about trying to make there own cleats that they take a look at soccer cleats... I like the fact that the sole pattern is much closer to the shape of period shoes... However if you are looking for the greater ankle support you can get from football cleats, they may not work for you... just wanted to throw that out there.

Sorry if it seems like I derailed your thread to pimp my own stuff... I'm actually trying to give you props for your own work and for inspiring me to get on with mine...

Talun Mac Dubhagain

InsaneIrish wrote:How well do the staples hold up?

This is the first time I am using the staples. I taught Sir James the Holy my pattern and he used the staples to reinforce the glue. So it is a first for both of us.

I have stitched the bottoms before, but that is a pain, especially stitching the toe of the shoe.

Thanks Talun.

Uric

Piers Brent wrote:What kind of cleats are those? And do you or anyone else have any recommendations for types of cleats. Soccer shoes would seem to have the best profile but tend to have such large cleats.

I play softball in Tanel RPM Lites.
http://www.tanel360.com/

The cleat pattern on them at the ball of your foot is circular, which can reduce the strain on your ankle or knee when you twist on the ball of your foot. I've thought of covering a pair for fighting. The RPMs have a relatively low profile.

I don't like them for football (I play flag), as they don't have the ability to cut the way speed football cleats do, but in SCA combat you don't really run full speed, only to change directions at full speed, so the Tanels seem like a better choice.

A soccer cleat usually has the lowest profile, but I haven't played soccer since I was in High School, so I can't comment on how the cleat pattern would affect performance.

How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?

Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

I looked at vibram soles, but I cannot find cleat soles to save my life.

Carlisle

uwhguy wrote:How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?

Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

I looked at vibram soles, but I cannot find cleat soles to save my life.

Carlisle

I have...it was more trouble than it was worth IMHO.

Blackoak wrote:

Diglach mac Cein wrote:Are the laces uneeded at this point? Or if they are, how do you change them out if they break?
...

I still use the laces. I have access to the top 2-3 holes to tighten and tie them. My last set went over 2 years and the laces never broke. They would be difficult to change or you could just replace the top 3 holes.

uwhguy wrote:How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?
Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

Along the same lines with Uwhguy,
I must ask - why bother with the laces?
When I saw your tutorial, my first thought was that at least the top half of the shoe is completely irrelevant -- Why not cut it off altogether?

I haven't had any issues with heat retention. All I ever wear fighting are ankle socks, but I have had no issues really.

As far as why I don't cut the shoe, it is to keep the shoe support intact. I don't want the traction of cleats with a leather cover stapled/glued on. To me it would destroy the integrity of the shoes and defeat the purpose of wearing cleats.

Feel free to try cutting the shoe up and attaching the soles and see how it works. This tutorial was to inspire ideas and to expand on. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. This works for me.

Uric

This is a set I made with deck shoes as a base. I have another set with canvas high tops as a base. The high tops are what I fight in, they have been around for 2 years and I have yet to do any repairs. I glue the cover to the base of the soe with contact cement from leather factory.

Dang George, wonder why those shoes look familiar.

Blackoak, nice idea. Curious to see how long the staples last.

Diglach mac Cein wrote:
Please use rounded, low (1/4") turf cleats. Had someone step on my foot at Pennsic one year with METAL cleats - punched right through the top of my boot.


.

Will do. The pair I have has plastic soles and the cleats aren't especially big but I'll see if I can find some with a lower profile sole next time I get some.

Metal cleats just seem like idiocy.

Norman wrote:

Blackoak wrote:

Diglach mac Cein wrote:Are the laces uneeded at this point? Or if they are, how do you change them out if they break?
...

I still use the laces. I have access to the top 2-3 holes to tighten and tie them. My last set went over 2 years and the laces never broke. They would be difficult to change or you could just replace the top 3 holes.

uwhguy wrote:How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?
Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

Along the same lines with Uwhguy,
I must ask - why bother with the laces?
When I saw your tutorial, my first thought was that at least the top half of the shoe is completely irrelevant -- Why not cut it off altogether?

Do you mean cut off the top half of the turnshoe cover or of the cleated shoe?

The laces on cleats tighten them to the foot giving it stability which is what folks like Uric and I are after in wearing them. My pair even has a tightenable midfoot strap which is awesome for keeping ones foot from rotating in the shoe.

It was my foot rotating inside a shoe on Astroturf (which is the Devil) that caused my turf toe in the first place. Turf toe is horribly painful and debilitating and takes forever to heal.

audax wrote:

Norman wrote:

Blackoak wrote:

Diglach mac Cein wrote:Are the laces uneeded at this point? Or if they are, how do you change them out if they break?
...

I still use the laces. I have access to the top 2-3 holes to tighten and tie them. My last set went over 2 years and the laces never broke. They would be difficult to change or you could just replace the top 3 holes.

uwhguy wrote:How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?
Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

Along the same lines with Uwhguy,
I must ask - why bother with the laces?
When I saw your tutorial, my first thought was that at least the top half of the shoe is completely irrelevant -- Why not cut it off altogether?

Do you mean cut off the top half of the turnshoe cover or of the cleated shoe?

No I meant to cut off the top half of the internal sneaker

The laces on cleats tighten them to the foot giving it stability which is what folks like Uric and I are after in wearing them. My pair even has a tightenable midfoot strap which is awesome for keeping ones foot from rotating in the shoe.

Understood.
I had not thought of that concern. I saw a modern shoe as a way of getting the comfortable sole but had the concern about heat retention that Uwhguy first expressed on this thread (in "real life" I go for the open sandals first chance I get -- wearing essentialy two shoes one over the other seemed like it would be dreadful under most spring/summer event conditions)

These are really ingenious!

Everyone I point at this thread says the same thing: "Wow, that's a great idea, I have to try that!"

Thanks for sharing.

I made a pair many years ago out of a pair of nike cross trainers,
I glued it on and then used a tiny drill bit to drill hole along the sole
so the stitches were beneath the insole on the inside, then sewed it on
with a glovers needle or an upholstery needle, one of the medium sized curved ones, and needle nosed pliers.

It worked awesome, I used the shoes till the soles delaminated off them.

I will not lie though, stitching the toe was the debil.

Now I use a set of chivalry book shelf boots with vibram soles re sewn on to them for tourneys, and a pair on 10 foot rule shoes for practice.

Cal-

What is it with trying to hide modern shoes?

Just live the dream...

http://www.zazzle.com/chain_mail_shoes- ... 3975724073

Malachiuri wrote:What is it with trying to hide modern shoes?

Just live the dream...

http://www.zazzle.com/chain_mail_shoes- ... 3975724073

I must have a pair of those shoes...too bad they don't make them in a size 16...

Ulric,

How are the staples holding up?

With fighting pretty slow over the summer, I have only fought in them once. They held up well so far.

I do plan on eventually replacing some of the staples with actual stitching, but probably not until these start coming loose. Hopefully that will be a while.

Uric

Guy in my household just knocked out a pair of these on Thursday/Friday before we went to landgrab (had to come back home yesterday)...Not hard to do and makes the cleat look sooooooo much better...

uwhguy wrote:How do these work in regards to heat retention? They look to me like your feet would be an oven?

Has anyone experienced taking a pair of cleats, removing the soles, and adding them to a pair of turnshoes?

I looked at vibram soles, but I cannot find cleat soles to save my life.

Carlisle

I have. I took a pair of period shoes with a blown sole to the local cobbler (shoe repair store) and had them put a vibram boot sole on. Not cleets but good hiking tread. They work great and hold up well.

Greenshield.

This... this is fabulous.

Staples are holding up pretty well so far. Some were starting to ease themselves out and I tapped them in with a hammer last night.

Sooner or later I am going to take a small drill bit and lace the cover to the rubber sole for a more permanent hold. They are holding up well, but I have not gotten them wet yet.

Uric