Where To Buy Shoe Lasts

Buy Shoe Lasts From Podohub

Here at Podohub, we seek to address all of the issues listed above. We produce our shoe lasts on demand in Canada with a high degree of customization. This is made possible by our highly automated proprietary shoe last design software, 3D printing process, and patent pending shoe last rail joint system. By producing in Canada, we are uniquely situated to supply North America and Europe, with reasonable shipping costs and time frames. We are familiar with sizing systems across these regions.

Heel Height Is Important

You must make shoes on a lasts with correct heel height. That means, that we can make few footwear designs on the same lasts but we can’t make different heel height shoes on the same lasts.Measure the height of your shoe last and make shoes accordingly. This is how we take measurments and create stacked heels for shoes.How To Make Heels and Heel Height Calculation

Giving Shoes Their Shape

Lasts are moulds that are modelled on the foot, and every shoe is constructed around these lasts.

Lasts are always made in pairs, one for the left foot and one for the right foot. This is, in fact, quite a recent development. Until the end of the 19th century, the manufacturing of shoes was based on a singular last to keep the costs low, which is why there was no difference between the left and right shoe. Shoes first had to be broken in to create a suitable fit which was an unsurprisingly painful process.

Nowadays, it goes without saying that a perfect fit is guaranteed with Sioux. The last is the key to achieving this. Each model has a different last, with the initial lasts being made of wood , and then later produced from plastic for batch production.

Womens size 4.5 and mens size 8 men are used when making prototypes and patterns.

Later in the series, each shoe size has its own last. Therefore there is an almost unmanageable amount of shoe lasts, we affectionately call this our lasts park. This last workshop is not merely a very high-cost part of the business the lasts and know-how that comes with them represent one of the most important intangible assets of a shoe manufacturer.

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Shoe Lasts For Sale By Style

All of our shoe lasts for sale are categorized by intended style of footwear. You can sort by intended style via the drop downs near the top of this page. For instance, if you sort by boot shoe lasts, you will see our shoe lasts with the highest ankle rise. Low-cut boot shoe lasts have somewhat less of a rise but still more than a standard shoe last. We also have shoe lasts for sale specifically designed for making sandals. They have wider heels and toe boxes to ensure the foot does not slip off the sandal, as well as grooves for thongs. And we have orthopedic shoe lasts for sale to deal with various foot conditions. More subtly, our remaining shoe lasts for sale are categorized as either dress, casual, or athletic.

We also categorize our shoe lasts for sale by toe style. Most often toe style is for what the name suggests, style. But shoe last toe style can also affect comfort. For instance, our banana toe style shoe lasts better accommodate feet with a large first toe. Our other toy styles include pointed, semi-pointed, round, semi-round, square, semi-square, and oblique.

Materials Shoemaking Lasts Are Made From

There are 3 materials shoe lass are made from

1. Wood3. Aluminium

Let’s begin from the last and least used material – AluminumIn general we use aluminum last in shoe making for shoe sole molding. This kind of lasts are placed in special ovens in high temperature.

Plastic lasts are the most used in making of shoes. Maybe this is not the best material for molding shoes and it is defiantly adds to our pollution problem, but it is used in shoes mass production and in bespoke shoemaking as well.

Wooden Shoe last

Last is the “foot copy” mold upon which a shoe is constructed. That is why shoe lasts that are made of wood is usually used in bespoke making of shoes.Shoemaker or a lasts maker takes the persons feet measurments and creates wooden lasts that are perfectly fits that person. Shoe last making is a craft on its on with a long history and in the traditional way of last making is to shape a last from a hard type of wood with a last makers knife.

Bespoke making of shoes could be and it is pretty expensive. Focus here is on making the perfect shoes for you and it always begins from bespoke wooden lasts.

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Challenges When You Buy Shoe Lasts From Mass Production Shoe Last Manufactures

There are numerous problems you might encounter when you buy shoe lasts from mass production manufactures:

Matching Components For Our Shoe Lasts For Sale

We are currently developing the ability to produce various components to match our individual shoe lasts for sale. Such components include high heels, wedges, platforms, insoles , and soles. Our goal is for you to be able to order everything you need such that you just assemble the parts we ship to produce high quality customized footwear.

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Custom Shoe Lasts For Sale

All of our shoe lasts for sale can be customized. Simply choose custom from the level of customization drop down on the product page. You are then provided fields to enter exact shoe last measurements. For a guide on how to determine custom shoe last measurements, please see our custom shoe lasts page. If you would rather buy shoe lasts by specifying foot measurements, consider our bespoke shoe lasts for sale.

Bespoke Shoe Lasts For Sale

All of our shoe lasts for sale can be ordered bespoke. After choosing bespoke from the level of customization drop down, youll see fields for inputting foot measurements. Youll also need to upload foot tracings or scans. Well take all of your inputs and generate bespoke shoe lasts for you. To learn more about this process, please see our bespoke shoe last page.

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Making Your Own Custom Shoe Lasts

a completed shoe last

this should give you a clear idea of what my shoe lasts look like upon completion. the mould for the foot is madewith alginate, and the lasts are made of an RTV silicone rubber with a shore hardness of 20A. this is a rubber-bandhardness

why make lasts when you can buy them ? first of all, used lasts are not custom-fit to your feet. second, lastsare manufactured in runs of varying quantity, meaning you would need to pay for an entire run to have them made new.multiply the run by the cost per pair … and you don’t need to be told each pair is expensive, do you ? maybe youwill be lucky enough to find a reasonably priced set online but if you want totry your hand at making your own shoes, this process can save you a lot of time and money as well as helping to geta good fit

making the mould box – outline of foot

using discarded scrap masonite i cut two pieces slightly larger than my footprint. tracing around my feet witha marker established an initial, minimal, perimeter for the inside dimensions of the box

making the mould box – preparing the box walls

the plywood and masonite lining were both given a coat of rubber cement, which was allowed to dry beforebeing pressed together. be aware that the rubber cement will initially let the two surfaces slide around a bit,so be sure to re-check the alignment at each step of assembly – you want tight corners to prevent the wateryalginate from escaping

making the mould box – assembly

completed mould box

test results

Anatomy Of A Footwear Last For Shoemaking

Making of shoes with specific footwear last can and will effect the process of shoe making. Shoe last has few important components and different types of opening and for specific types of shoes you must know with which shoe lasts is better to work with.

For example, you must have a steel plate on the bottom of our last when we are molding closed shoes. Meaning, with footwear models like Oxford shoes, flat ballet shoes, boots etc, we need to attach the bottom part of the upper to the insole with nails. By having steel plate on the bottom will prevent the nails going into the last, so we could take our shoes off the lasts. For types of shoes, like Sandal or sport shoes, you don’t need to have the steel plate as shoe upper and insoles are attached without nails.

Another example, most footwear lasts have different type of opening like lasts with hinge. We need this opening to easily remove shoes off the lasts. This is very important in types of shoes like, boots, High boots, Derby shoes, etc. If in previously mentioned footwear types the opening is not critical, it is in Moccasin shoes. Here we must use lasts with sliding hinge. To learn more about different shoes opening please check this super detailed articleDifferent types of last opening

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Pump Last With Open Toe

Yes, there is a special shoe last type made for this footwear type.

It has the same parameters as the pump last, except the toe part. In this type of pump last the toe allowance is smaller than in the original pump last. That means that pump last with open toe is shorter than regular pump last. Why? To not show too big allowance of the insole in open toe pumps.

So what is a correct shoe last for the Peep toe pumps?It is the peep toe pump shoe last.

Buy Shoe Lasts With Three Levels Of Customization

If you are looking to buy shoe lasts that are highly customized, we believe we are the only viable option, anywhere. We can supply standard sizes in a full range of widths, with options to add space for various insole thicknesses. And if thats not enough, you can also buy custom shoe lasts from us, where you tell us the exact measurements you want. Finally, you can buy bespoke shoe lasts from us, where you send us foot measurements and tracings and we do the rest.

When you buy shoe lasts from us, you can expect a highly personalized experience with great attention to detail. We can supply those looking to buy shoe lasts in large quantities, but really were most interested in working with small scale shoe makers looking for a highly customized service.

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Looking For Something A Little Different

If you cannot find a suitable model from our products page then we may be able to help. We have tried to offer the most commonly requested shapes/styles to start your studies. However, we have an extensive library of models and may well have a more suitable option for you. If you would like to contact us by email, sending through an image of the style you are looking to make then one of our Model Makers can look through the library and see if we have another option. If so then they will send images of the model and any additional details as required. Please be aware that we charge an additional £25 to cover the time taken to find and photograph models.

Before buying online, please ensure you read the following to correctly specify your lasts. Once special orders are made lasts cannot be returned unless faulty. Hopefully these commonly asked questions will enable you to determine what specification you require. Should you need any further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Do I need a different last for each size and style?

Yes, you will need a last for each style that you wish to make as each last is designed specifically to work with each shape and heel height. Any variation in shape, size, fitting and height will require a last.

Which is better wood or plastic?

Why do I need a hinge?

If a hinge is not required then we can supply solid lasts, i.e. for sandals. Please select this option on your order form.

What width will the last be made to?

Mens

There Is Also A Hybrid Last That Combine Construction Of Sandal Last And Boot Last

It was designed when open toe boots were in fashion. It was easier to construct this type of footwear, working with this type of last.

There are also few shoe lasts that I didnt mention here, just because I wanted to talk with you about most common shoe lasts types that you need in your work.

Now, in the comment below let me know what is a shoe last that you use in your work?

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What Is A Shoe Last

This is maybe the most important “tool” or a supplies for shoemaking you must have to make shoes.

Before we will check the different last types and why you need to have them to make variety of shoes, I want you to learn what is a shoe lasts, what it is made of and how we use it in making of shoes.

better to see once than hear a hundred times

I have created a short video for you, to quickly explain why shoe last is so important in shoe making process.

Here are the posts I mentioned in this video:

Shoe Last Types & What Is A Shoe Last

Shoe last is the form that shoemakers use in shoe molding and it is the anatomical “copy” of our feet.Shoe last comes in different forms, shapes and are made from different materials. It is used only in shoe making . This is the first “tool” that we are using in making of shoes and we will be using it through the entire process of shoemaking:

• We apply our footwear design on the shoe lasts
• We make our pattern with the shoe last
• We lasting shoes, uppers on the shoe last
• We make shoe sole and leather heels on the shoe last

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Extra Space In Shoe Lasts For Insole/orthotics

Insoles, orthotics, etc. are important for foot comfort. But sometimes they can be quite bulky. So the shoe and therefor the shoe last should be made correspondingly larger. This is almost never done. But we go to great lengths to ensure our shoe lasts can yield the most comfortable footwear. Simply choose the type of insert from the drop down. An extra is added for standard sizes, but is included for custom and bespoke shoe lasts.

Which Last You Should Buy If You Want To Make Shoes

If you have experience in shoemaking, or you are a shoemaker you probably know which lasts you need for the job. If you are just getting started and don’t know which shoe lass you should get to start making shoes, you should read this article Perfect Footwear Last To Learn ShoemakingThis is perfect and correct solution for beginners, as you would want to practice and have the chance to make more then just one footwear type. Do it right and buy footwear last that you can make variety of shoes with it.

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Sandal Lasts Vs Pump Lasts

Usually sandals have open construction: it is open in the toe, in the instep and heel part, and most of them have fastening in the ankle area.

Now, the pumps are constructed in the way where they sit tightly on your feet and without any fastening.

Understand now? That’s why sandal last and pump last have different construction:

Sandal lasts have dimension that is very close to the dimension of the feet on the other hand, the pump last much narrow than the real dimension of human feet.

1.Sandal lasts almost don’t have toe allowance

The pump last is always longer than your feet length and have toe allowance at least 8 mm.

You never will find sandals with pointed toe shape . The toe shape of sandal last is similar to the shape of feet toes and doesn’t have many variations. The toe shape of pump last has different variations .

2. The width of the insole in the toe are, joint line, instep and heel is wider than insole of pump last in the same places.

3. The instep of sandal last is bigger than instep of pump last at least on 8 mm.

4. Most of the sandal lasts don’t have steel plate and have mono-block construction

Pump lasts have steel plate and have removable cone or hinge link.

In this short example I wanted to demonstrate you why each shoe type, because of its construction, must have its own shoe last.

So what is a shoe last type you need to use to make sandals and what is a shoe last type you need to make pump shoes?