My grandfather kept his family of six in a nice home plenty of food and a good education for the kids all being a “lowly” cobbler throughout the depression years…👏👏
@@kevinjackson4933 Yeah you can't live modestly with a family in a real home (not trailer or apartment) for any less than 30 dollars a hour. Even then forget about saving anything
I've been a cobbler almost seven years and I love this. You explained the backbone of shoe repair and it's great to see how older shoe repair is done, especially because it almost the exact same! Lovely leatherwork, accurate historical info, and rad tools!!
What was your training? or How do you go about training? I was just thinking about this the other day. A memory from my early childhood, there was a cobbler shop in my town that would re-sol my dad's boots.
@@patriotpioneer there used to be vocational schools that taught it! However these have slowly faded away and a lot of people either study as a hobby to do every so often or just find a cobbler to apprentice under like I did. Getting into basic shoe maintenance is rather simple if you have a hammer and some nails. Heck I've used a chair leg as a makeshift shoe anvil on multiple occasions to make quick repairs while on trips! But having the proper machines and tools makes all the difference between a repair job and a refurbish job, and the machines have gotten rather hard to find or repair inexpensively so finding good shops or teachers has gotten rough. However I've met some incredible sandal makers and repair hobbyists that do great work, and they learned everything online!
One does not simply throw something away in the Early Modern Period! Having seen people mudlark on the river Thames who in turn pull out 200 year old shoes that are riddled with repairs, this is accurate.
its a real shame that we live in such a throw away society. I had a nice pair of smart shoes that i used for special occasions, but they were old and falling apart. I couldnt find anywhere that would repair them... the only shop that did repairs said it would cheaper to buy new shoes
I love people who fix, repair and keep their shoes forever. Love my 1940’s alligator pumps. Nicole Rudolph makes ladies historical shoes on her channel.
My family ridicule me every time I take my “Jesus sandals” to the repair shop. I’ve had them for over 20 years and all they are is a two strap sandal ( toe ring and instep) all leather. I constantly tear the toe ring loose and I’ve had them resoled twice. I get more compliments on these than anything I’ve ever owned. They will likely out live me.
When stitching the sole to the welt, grooving the sole first, to put the stitches below the surface, would prevent them from wearing and parting again soon. The stitches would be protected until the sole wore down too, so you'd replace the sole before the stitches parted.
I am a Cobbler from New Zealand, been doing repairs for over thirty years.Training my son in the trade to keep the knowledge alive. Love your videos Thank you very much for this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
That's great to hear Andy, a good cobbler can often treble the life of a well made pair of shoes. I have a pair of shoes from Clarks, a respected mass manufacturer here in the UK. They are so comfortable and supportive I would hate to just toss them out when the sole is worn.... so 3 soles and heel replacements and a little restitching of the brogued trim and they are still going. THANK YOU to all the great cobblers out there.
Buggy horse farrier here. Your explanations alone truly exemplify the parallels between traditional cobblers and contemporary farriery! Great content as always!
The last cobbler in our city closed last year; so very sad. I would like more cobbler episodes, please! Can you repair places where leather has worn through or torn? When I was an antique dealer, I bought/sold several pairs of old shoes with leather uppers, and wooden soles with metal horseshoe-type cleats. They were never my size or I'd have worn them everywhere!
Shoes like that in the UK are called Lancashire clogs and are very different to Dutch clogs. They were still being made in a factory at Hebden Bridge up until relatively recently. I now think its only artisan makers sadly.
This was really interesting. How about an episode on cobblers and the military? Did the Continental and British armies have their own cobblers? Did they travel with the armies? What was their volume of work? Think that would be a challenging profession because of the number of repairs, hard life and battle wear.
I don't know about what was done during the time of the Revolution with either army, but during the Civil War Confederate general William Mahone, when he was recruiting his brigade, had the recruiters note the civilian occupations of the men. Guess what the cobblers wound up doing? Right! And as a result Mahone's Brigade rarely lacked for serviceable footwear!
REQUEST: Can you please show how metal objects such as a bucket or tin roof would be repaired? Love the videos! We watch them with our children. You guys are the best!
I'm REALLY loving these craft videos. I'm a historical sewist who also does leatherworking, so I'm always looking to expand my skills and... well dang, I have all the tools I need to do this kind of repair!
This is fascinating, shoe making and repair always seemed a bit magical to me, I'm not sure why, but its really lovely. I recently went to a cobbler to get some rubber soles for my leather highheel boots, they did a lovely job. I thought one would be hard to find, but it seems like there is at least one in many cities.
I am so very grateful you made this video so people can learn the difference between a Cordwainer and a Cobbler! So many people use the term Cobbler to mean shoe maker and they do not understand when I correct them! Thank-you!
I really find it fascinating how people solved everyday problems, many of which we still deal with today, some that we don’t have to give a second thought to, using the early technology and techniques of their day. Your videos are very informative, and interesting, as well as entertaining! Thank you!
I work at a work boot store. and we use a local shoe repair guy all the time. Its amazing how long you can make a well constructed boot last if you repair the right parts at the right time.
I didn't realise at first - this is filmed in the rarely-seen "living room" of the German Kitchen set, isn't it? It threw me at first - the walls being whitewashed in what I thought was the log cabin - until I remembered that was a thing.
What a great Chanel. It absolutely blows my mind how this Chanel doesn’t have 100 million subscribers, this is quality stuff, you guys should for sure be on tv! Keep up the great work!
Thank You Brandon, So interesting and well done I might add! I’m a craftsman much like yourself and my great great Grandfather was a shoemaker. I have some of his tools and his ledgers from the 1840s-1870s. A fine pair of boots was $5. Children’s shoes were from .95-$1.25. Often things were paid for with bushels of oats, firewood and leather. He took on an apprentice in the 1840s for $25 a year and 6 weeks off for harvest.Of course this included room and board as well. It was for 3 years and the agreement was written on a page in his ledger, signed and sealed. His shop was in Chestnut Level in southeastern Pa. The names of all his customers are written with each order, which makes it all the more interesting. I have repaired my own shoes (if possible) for years and the crafts you are doing as well. For years I restored period antique furniture and made furniture as well. I’ve always preferred antique tools, which often work better than new and feel better as well. I believe you can well appreciate using old and well made tools. Thank You again Brandon! I very much enjoy your work. If there may be any old tools you might be looking for feel free to email me. Living in Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania I run across many old tools. Many Blessings and Joy of Being and the Arts! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
I love it. I have an old pair of LL Bean duck shoes that I repaired with carpet thread and pop rivets a few years ago, and they’re still going strong. The tongues stick straight up and there are no laces, so I can easily slip them on and off. I hate throwing things away.
Love this. I'm an amateur leathersmith. My great grandfather was a cobbler when he and many of my bloodline were forced to the camps in Poland during Hitlers reign. He survived selection at Auschwitz-Berkinau, slave labor as a cobbler. He survived, he and others of my bloodline that survived, eventually immigrated to the US, Philly, PA. He eventually opened up a shoe repair shop in Kensington section of Philly. When I started leather work, my pops gave me his hammer he used. We have an old school cobbler in town, just used him for new boot stretching, got to talking about leather. I would not mind learning from him.
Brilliant effort for a first attempt, keep at it, it's fine work. When finishing around the edge, whether the sole or the heel when machines weren't available, cobblers used a tool called a spoke shave to trim the edge close and then blended in using a piece of broken glass as a scraper. These could then be polished using a stick called a rubbing down stick. Cherry wood was considered the best wood for this. The rubbing down stick was also used for pushing the sole down into the welt and for closing stitching channels. And for twatting me on the arse for getting things wrong. Shoes should always be repaired as a pair because they can be matched up. If the shoes end up different in height then the wearer will almost always start experiencing back pain. Also please don't cut towards your finger.
Great topic. I so miss the good shoe repair people. I have a walk problem and so, I had a great shop that worked on building up my sole and heel so I felt good after being on my feet. The gentleman (from Italy) that started the shop actually received an honorable doctorate from Yale from working with their doctors for people who needed help.
I thank you sir for sharing this history with us. You are blessed to be associated with the Townsends. Keep on learning and sharing history with us. We need it.
I really appreciate your craft. I've always liked leather craft, and now I'm Simi retired I want to learn as much as I can in the craft including shoe making or repair. Thank you so much and God bless 🙏
My grandfather arrived in America in 1900 from Poland. He was a cobbler and taught a few of his sons and a brother in law. It's an honorable profession albeit a poorer one in days past. (He eventually became a janitor) Thanks for this video!
I was unfamiliar with the term cordwainer before this video. Would love to know more about how the two trades became so separate. Awesome video, thanks!
Cordwainers, as mentioned were makers of shoes and did so for all classes. They have their own guild in London so were considered very resectable. Maybe wealthy clients often passed on their worn shoes the cobbler only dealt with the less affluent who couldn't afford to waste 'good' shoes...... who knows
I grew up right at the end of the time when there still were cobblers. I can remember seeing my grandfather talking about getting his boots repaired and taking them to a cobbler. These are skills that some should still learn with the cost and availability of things.
I remember when I was little watching my Dad repair our shoes and hand me down shoes for us. Sure wish I had saved all the Cobbler Tools we had back then. Thanks for sharing. Fred.
My grandfather was a shoe cobbler, as was my uncle. I worked the front counter for my uncle for a while, and it amazes me how some things stayed so similar through the ages!
Great video… as a kid one of the few movies my grandparents had at their house was a VHS of Timeless Tales: The Elves and the Shoemaker. Olivia Newton John introduced the stories oddly enough. I watched that probably a hundred times and it was very interesting to me as a kid to imagine my modern sneakers being sewn together. This video brought me back to that a bit and just had to say thanks for the great video and trip down memory lane!
My mother remembered her father replacing soles and heels on their shoes...and even making shoes for himself and my grandmother. Of course, he also had lots of horse tack to make and to repair.
I did not realize there was a profession called "cordwainer". I was always under the impression the cobbler always manufactured the shoes, as well as repaired them. I always learn something new watching The Townsends! Oh yeah, I have a cobbler near near me. I've used him on several occasions, usually to resole shoes. He recently resoled and reconditioned a pair of work boots for me, and did an excellent job!
I've loved seeing every one of your recent vids for the channel. You're making learning about such a wide variety of things that were a part of everyday life easier to learn about, in these little bite sized videos-- or maybe snack sized, bc there's enough information to actually satisfy my curiosity. Keep it up with shoe repair, or do another material vid like the horn vids-- whatever you do next, I'm sure I'll like it 👍
Just picked up a shoe anvil a couple weeks back, and this video gave me a great surface level look at shoemaking so i have a better idea of what to look into
Having worked as a cobbler for around 8 years. Not a bad repair, very functional. Some suggested grooving the sole prior to stitching and this can be done with the correct tool. However I’m sure not all cobblers had access to such tools and some heavy bees waxed thread holds up quite well. Oh and some refer to the cobblers anvil as a “last” I have two of them very handy.
I moved to Saltspring Island, BC, Canada in 1997 as a teenager, I later left as an adult, there was a shop called "The Village Cobbler". The owner sold shoes, repaired shoes, modified shoes, and even on occasion made shoes from scratch, having seen this video, I have learned that he was far more than a cobbler. My respect for him, which was already substantial, has grown after seeing that he was skilled at a multitude of trades. I visit a couple times a year, the cobbler has long since retired now.
Gosh I nearly missed this one! Fabulous video! Can’t wait to see the hide glue video. I’ve been wanting to know how they made that for ages now! I hope you continue exploring shoes, right up to making a pair from scratch. Maybe even tanning the leather yourself. That would be fascinating!
Excellent video Brandon, from its uses and designs and how to make them, shoes and boots are always fun and interesting to see, looking forward to more videos!
I'm using this as reference for a comic I'm writing so having the clear visuals plus narrative on what's happening as well as terminology was so incredibly helpful!!
Thank you Brandon! Thank you for a great video. I would love to see how women’s shoes were repaired and also how they might have worn differently. Thanks again.
There's still a handful of American Made leather boots across the US. Ever since I heard of Nick's Boots in Washington, I've wanted to take a drive there (just not eager to do it in the winter weather) to get my own pair . But I love watching Bedo's Leatherworks channel. He's a shoe cobbler in Virginia and learned from his immigrant father. He does incredible work repairing leather items and shoes. It's also crazy to see how old some of the sewing machines they use for stitching leather. Most of them are from the 50's or earlier.
When I was growing up in Queens Co., NYC, we had a cobbler in the main stretch of stores. I remember going into this narrow storefront and sitting in a small booth while the cobbler put a new heel on my shoe.
Bootblack (Leather care, repair, and restoration) here. I loved this video, thank you. I absolutely would love to see more on the topic of making and repairing, especially hard-wearing utems like footwear please. I would honored to help or consult with my mastery, if you would like.
A good cobbler is worth their weight in gold. I was very sad when my local cobbler closed his business 10 yrs ago, my new one isn't as good unfortunately. Great job on your first attempt!
Usually I'm a fan of these cooking videos, but this cobbler recipe is very tough to chew through.
just got to boil the soles longer
I prefer filet of sole
:D
*Chuckle!*
😂👏👏👏
My grandfather kept his family of six in a nice home plenty of food and a good education for the kids all being a “lowly” cobbler throughout the depression years…👏👏
That was back when money was sound, people were responsible with it, and things weren't so expensive.
@@kevinjackson4933 Yeah you can't live modestly with a family in a real home (not trailer or apartment) for any less than 30 dollars a hour.
Even then forget about saving anything
As did mine in Holland, MI The 5 kids even went to pvt school. And gpa and gma were able to retire and spend winters in a Florida trailer.
funny how people during the depression years had it easier. makes ya think
@@contraband1543 1000 for rent a month for a single room
I've been a cobbler almost seven years and I love this. You explained the backbone of shoe repair and it's great to see how older shoe repair is done, especially because it almost the exact same! Lovely leatherwork, accurate historical info, and rad tools!!
Doing God's work
'Tis an honorable profession!
What was your training? or How do you go about training? I was just thinking about this the other day. A memory from my early childhood, there was a cobbler shop in my town that would re-sol my dad's boots.
@@patriotpioneer there used to be vocational schools that taught it! However these have slowly faded away and a lot of people either study as a hobby to do every so often or just find a cobbler to apprentice under like I did. Getting into basic shoe maintenance is rather simple if you have a hammer and some nails. Heck I've used a chair leg as a makeshift shoe anvil on multiple occasions to make quick repairs while on trips! But having the proper machines and tools makes all the difference between a repair job and a refurbish job, and the machines have gotten rather hard to find or repair inexpensively so finding good shops or teachers has gotten rough. However I've met some incredible sandal makers and repair hobbyists that do great work, and they learned everything online!
@@MeredithLikely Thanks for the response. Now down the rabbit hole of videos i go ;-)
One does not simply throw something away in the Early Modern Period!
Having seen people mudlark on the river Thames who in turn pull out 200 year old shoes that are riddled with repairs, this is accurate.
its a real shame that we live in such a throw away society. I had a nice pair of smart shoes that i used for special occasions, but they were old and falling apart. I couldnt find anywhere that would repair them... the only shop that did repairs said it would cheaper to buy new shoes
Nicola White? 😁
I love people who fix, repair and keep their shoes forever. Love my 1940’s alligator pumps. Nicole Rudolph makes ladies historical shoes on her channel.
My family ridicule me every time I take my “Jesus sandals” to the repair shop. I’ve had them for over 20 years and all they are is a two strap sandal ( toe ring and instep) all leather. I constantly tear the toe ring loose and I’ve had them resoled twice. I get more compliments on these than anything I’ve ever owned. They will likely out live me.
@@PleaseNThankYou I love how "Jesus sandals" seems to be an expression used everywhere in west.
@@ReasonAboveEverything Well, I’m in Mississippi but I guess that’s west of some places. Only used to imply the humbleness of their structure.😊
Love Nicole Rudolph!!!
When stitching the sole to the welt, grooving the sole first, to put the stitches below the surface, would prevent them from wearing and parting again soon. The stitches would be protected until the sole wore down too, so you'd replace the sole before the stitches parted.
I have that groove in my boots ....
was going to say that myself.
I am a Cobbler from New Zealand, been doing repairs for over thirty years.Training my son in the trade to keep the knowledge alive. Love your videos Thank you very much for this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
That's great to hear Andy, a good cobbler can often treble the life of a well made pair of shoes. I have a pair of shoes from Clarks, a respected mass manufacturer here in the UK. They are so comfortable and supportive I would hate to just toss them out when the sole is worn.... so 3 soles and heel replacements and a little restitching of the brogued trim and they are still going.
THANK YOU to all the great cobblers out there.
Im convinced that Brandons is a time traveler. He’s awesome! Brandon, I love all your work!
I think you are right😉.
They all are. So many skills in such a small group of people.
Buggy horse farrier here. Your explanations alone truly exemplify the parallels between traditional cobblers and contemporary farriery! Great content as always!
@156op955 Truth! Passanger drone technicians may trace their roots to shoemakers in the future haha
The last cobbler in our city closed last year; so very sad. I would like more cobbler episodes, please! Can you repair places where leather has worn through or torn?
When I was an antique dealer, I bought/sold several pairs of old shoes with leather uppers, and wooden soles with metal horseshoe-type cleats. They were never my size or I'd have worn them everywhere!
Shoes like that in the UK are called Lancashire clogs and are very different to Dutch clogs. They were still being made in a factory at Hebden Bridge up until relatively recently. I now think its only artisan makers sadly.
This was really interesting. How about an episode on cobblers and the military? Did the Continental and British armies have their own cobblers? Did they travel with the armies? What was their volume of work? Think that would be a challenging profession because of the number of repairs, hard life and battle wear.
This is a great idea.
I don't know about what was done during the time of the Revolution with either army, but during the Civil War Confederate general William Mahone, when he was recruiting his brigade, had the recruiters note the civilian occupations of the men. Guess what the cobblers wound up doing?
Right! And as a result Mahone's Brigade rarely lacked for serviceable footwear!
I second this!
I third this ....great idea
Excellent question.... When I was serving in Okinawa, the humidity would rot away the stitching on our boots.
REQUEST: Can you please show how metal objects such as a bucket or tin roof would be repaired?
Love the videos! We watch them with our children. You guys are the best!
Really like this guy's teaching style and content. Keep them coming.
Thank you for mentioning the stitch.
This channel is the bomb. Each of the presenters could not be nicer and more thoroughly invested in the topic they explain.
I'm REALLY loving these craft videos. I'm a historical sewist who also does leatherworking, so I'm always looking to expand my skills and... well dang, I have all the tools I need to do this kind of repair!
This is fascinating, shoe making and repair always seemed a bit magical to me, I'm not sure why, but its really lovely. I recently went to a cobbler to get some rubber soles for my leather highheel boots, they did a lovely job. I thought one would be hard to find, but it seems like there is at least one in many cities.
I am so very grateful you made this video so people can learn the difference between a Cordwainer and a Cobbler! So many people use the term Cobbler to mean shoe maker and they do not understand when I correct them! Thank-you!
I could watch him repairing shoes forever. It’s so satisfying.
I'd love to see another shoe repair! It's fascinating to see how they did it.
lol, not his profession, but with 10 kids my grandfather repaired a Lot of shoes in the 20's. Thanks for the video!
That was fun I'd love to see more of hands on skills like this.
Very interesting episode. Brandon is a great teacher and an excellent craftsman. Let’s have more like this!
Thank you for this video. When I grow up all I've wanted to do was be a small dutch village cobbler (very specific I know)
I really find it fascinating how people solved everyday problems, many of which we still deal with today, some that we don’t have to give a second thought to, using the early technology and techniques of their day.
Your videos are very informative, and interesting, as well as entertaining! Thank you!
I work at a work boot store. and we use a local shoe repair guy all the time. Its amazing how long you can make a well constructed boot last if you repair the right parts at the right time.
I didn't realise at first - this is filmed in the rarely-seen "living room" of the German Kitchen set, isn't it? It threw me at first - the walls being whitewashed in what I thought was the log cabin - until I remembered that was a thing.
What a great Chanel. It absolutely blows my mind how this Chanel doesn’t have 100 million subscribers, this is quality stuff, you guys should for sure be on tv! Keep up the great work!
Fascinating! Would like for you to go into the cobblers anvil. I have a set that was my great grandfathers but never seen how it was used .
Thank You Brandon, So interesting and well done I might add! I’m a craftsman much like yourself and my great great Grandfather was a shoemaker. I have some of his tools and his ledgers from the 1840s-1870s. A fine pair of boots was $5. Children’s shoes were from .95-$1.25. Often things were paid for with bushels of oats, firewood and leather. He took on an apprentice in the 1840s for $25 a year and 6 weeks off for harvest.Of course this included room and board as well. It was for 3 years and the agreement was written on a page in his ledger, signed and sealed. His shop was in Chestnut Level in southeastern Pa. The names of all his customers are written with each order, which makes it all the more interesting. I have repaired my own shoes (if possible) for years and the crafts you are doing as well. For years I restored period antique furniture and made furniture as well. I’ve always preferred antique tools, which often work better than new and feel better as well. I believe you can well appreciate using old and well made tools. Thank You again Brandon! I very much enjoy your work. If there may be any old tools you might be looking for feel free to email me. Living in Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania I run across many old tools. Many Blessings and Joy of Being and the Arts! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
I love it. I have an old pair of LL Bean duck shoes that I repaired with carpet thread and pop rivets a few years ago, and they’re still going strong. The tongues stick straight up and there are no laces, so I can easily slip them on and off. I hate throwing things away.
these leather working videos are great, love seeing the details that go into the craft
Love this. I'm an amateur leathersmith.
My great grandfather was a cobbler when he and many of my bloodline were forced to the camps in Poland during Hitlers reign.
He survived selection at Auschwitz-Berkinau, slave labor as a cobbler.
He survived, he and others of my bloodline that survived, eventually immigrated to the US, Philly, PA. He eventually opened up a shoe repair shop in Kensington section of Philly.
When I started leather work, my pops gave me his hammer he used.
We have an old school cobbler in town, just used him for new boot stretching, got to talking about leather. I would not mind learning from him.
Brilliant effort for a first attempt, keep at it, it's fine work. When finishing around the edge, whether the sole or the heel when machines weren't available, cobblers used a tool called a spoke shave to trim the edge close and then blended in using a piece of broken glass as a scraper. These could then be polished using a stick called a rubbing down stick. Cherry wood was considered the best wood for this. The rubbing down stick was also used for pushing the sole down into the welt and for closing stitching channels. And for twatting me on the arse for getting things wrong.
Shoes should always be repaired as a pair because they can be matched up. If the shoes end up different in height then the wearer will almost always start experiencing back pain.
Also please don't cut towards your finger.
YAY!!! Brandon!!!!! Its a good day when this segment pops up. Your presentations and commentary are awesome! Thank you.
Great topic. I so miss the good shoe repair people. I have a walk problem and so, I had a great shop that worked on building up my sole and heel so I felt good after being on my feet. The gentleman (from Italy) that started the shop actually received an honorable doctorate from Yale from working with their doctors for people who needed help.
I thank you sir for sharing this history with us. You are blessed to be associated with the Townsends. Keep on learning and sharing history with us. We need it.
Of course we wanna see more. This was really interesting
my 17 year old son would LOVE to come apprentice under you!! He finds your work so inspiring!!
I really appreciate your craft. I've always liked leather craft, and now I'm Simi retired I want to learn as much as I can in the craft including shoe making or repair. Thank you so much and God bless 🙏
My grandfather arrived in America in 1900 from Poland. He was a cobbler and taught a few of his sons and a brother in law. It's an honorable profession albeit a poorer one in days past. (He eventually became a janitor)
Thanks for this video!
Wow, this was awesome! Mt great-great grandfather made all of the family's shoes, and fixed them as well. Now I have an idea of what he used to do.
I was unfamiliar with the term cordwainer before this video. Would love to know more about how the two trades became so separate. Awesome video, thanks!
Cordwainers, as mentioned were makers of shoes and did so for all classes. They have their own guild in London so were considered very resectable. Maybe wealthy clients often passed on their worn shoes the cobbler only dealt with the less affluent who couldn't afford to waste 'good' shoes...... who knows
My father was a 20th century cobbler. I enjoyed watching him do the things I saw my father do when I was a child.
Great video. I'm a genealogist so I'm naturally attracted to history. I love learning the mechanics of how real work was done by our ancestors.
I enjoyed watching this video. Very well done. This was the first repair work he'd done? That's talent.
I grew up right at the end of the time when there still were cobblers. I can remember seeing my grandfather talking about getting his boots repaired and taking them to a cobbler. These are skills that some should still learn with the cost and availability of things.
I remember when I was little watching my Dad repair our shoes and hand me down shoes for us. Sure wish I had saved all the Cobbler Tools we had back then. Thanks for sharing. Fred.
Really love these historical arts and crafts videos
I love how visible the repairs are.
My grandfather was a shoe cobbler, as was my uncle. I worked the front counter for my uncle for a while, and it amazes me how some things stayed so similar through the ages!
Great video… as a kid one of the few movies my grandparents had at their house was a VHS of Timeless Tales: The Elves and the Shoemaker. Olivia Newton John introduced the stories oddly enough. I watched that probably a hundred times and it was very interesting to me as a kid to imagine my modern sneakers being sewn together. This video brought me back to that a bit and just had to say thanks for the great video and trip down memory lane!
Id love seeing more shoe repair or shoe making too. Very educational. Thank you!
It is a pleasure to watch you work and even more to learn from you
Great work - love watching these repair videos, really humbling to think about what we could keep/repair and how much we needlessly throw away.
My mother remembered her father replacing soles and heels on their shoes...and even making shoes for himself and my grandmother. Of course, he also had lots of horse tack to make and to repair.
I love seeing things getting repaired! Great video!
I did not realize there was a profession called "cordwainer". I was always under the impression the cobbler always manufactured the shoes, as well as repaired them. I always learn something new watching The Townsends!
Oh yeah, I have a cobbler near near me. I've used him on several occasions, usually to resole shoes. He recently resoled and reconditioned a pair of work boots for me, and did an excellent job!
this was a great watch. Id definitely like to watch more from you about old time shoes, but also an episode about how other items were repaired.
I've loved seeing every one of your recent vids for the channel. You're making learning about such a wide variety of things that were a part of everyday life easier to learn about, in these little bite sized videos-- or maybe snack sized, bc there's enough information to actually satisfy my curiosity.
Keep it up with shoe repair, or do another material vid like the horn vids-- whatever you do next, I'm sure I'll like it 👍
Hi from Syracuse NY everyone thank you for sharing this video from history
Yes! Very much enjoy these types of informative demonstration videos!
Another fine video. Full of interesting information...as always!
Great job! The variety of skills and information you share is amazing. Thank you so much. I’m ridiculously happy to be the first view!
Good! Thanks! I want to see more.
Just picked up a shoe anvil a couple weeks back, and this video gave me a great surface level look at shoemaking so i have a better idea of what to look into
That was fascinating. Thank you for sharing. I’d love to see more
Great video. Yes please, more videos on this subject.
I would love to see you do more shoe repairs! I find your skills very interesting!
Having worked as a cobbler for around 8 years. Not a bad repair, very functional. Some suggested grooving the sole prior to stitching and this can be done with the correct tool. However I’m sure not all cobblers had access to such tools and some heavy bees waxed thread holds up quite well.
Oh and some refer to the cobblers anvil as a “last” I have two of them very handy.
I moved to Saltspring Island, BC, Canada in 1997 as a teenager, I later left as an adult, there was a shop called "The Village Cobbler". The owner sold shoes, repaired shoes, modified shoes, and even on occasion made shoes from scratch, having seen this video, I have learned that he was far more than a cobbler. My respect for him, which was already substantial, has grown after seeing that he was skilled at a multitude of trades. I visit a couple times a year, the cobbler has long since retired now.
There’s always something to learn from watching the Townsends channel!
A lost art 4 sure ! Thank you.
I recently took a shoe making course. So satisfying to make shoes!!!!!
Gosh I nearly missed this one! Fabulous video! Can’t wait to see the hide glue video. I’ve been wanting to know how they made that for ages now! I hope you continue exploring shoes, right up to making a pair from scratch. Maybe even tanning the leather yourself. That would be fascinating!
Excellent video Brandon, from its uses and designs and how to make them, shoes and boots are always fun and interesting to see, looking forward to more videos!
This video inspired me to actually get my boots re-soled...thank you!
Now days if your a cobbler, it’s like trendy job
Another gem of a video cheers 👍
Really loving these crafting videos !
Definitely interested in more shoe repair videos! My great great grandfather was a shoemaker :)
Yes i would love to see more shoe repairs! I would also really like to see how the shoes were actually made. Thank you 😌😌💗
This was fascinating. I would love it if you could do more along this line possibly even show the creation of a shoe.
Wow! That was really intesting! Thank you for showing this!
I'm using this as reference for a comic I'm writing so having the clear visuals plus narrative on what's happening as well as terminology was so incredibly helpful!!
Yes!! More cobbler work, please!!
Thank you Brandon! Thank you for a great video. I would love to see how women’s shoes were repaired and also how they might have worn differently. Thanks again.
I grew up in Rushville In. and my grandfather was a cobbler in the town until his death in the 70's
There's still a handful of American Made leather boots across the US. Ever since I heard of Nick's Boots in Washington, I've wanted to take a drive there (just not eager to do it in the winter weather) to get my own pair . But I love watching Bedo's Leatherworks channel. He's a shoe cobbler in Virginia and learned from his immigrant father. He does incredible work repairing leather items and shoes. It's also crazy to see how old some of the sewing machines they use for stitching leather. Most of them are from the 50's or earlier.
Neat. I saw one where they'd cut a channel in the sole. That way the thread wasn't directly getting chewed up by the ground.
Yes, more shoe repair videos. Great job
Very nice video very informative on showing how to do the repair very interesting video hope you do more
When I was growing up in Queens Co., NYC, we had a cobbler in the main stretch of stores. I remember going into this narrow storefront and sitting in a small booth while the cobbler put a new heel on my shoe.
Much respect for those professions that most folk pay no mind to.
Really like the cobbler bit a job that should truly come back
Absolutely loved this! You did a great job for your first time wow! Would love to see more! 👞👞👞
Yes, I'd like to see more shoe repair videos!
Bootblack (Leather care, repair, and restoration) here. I loved this video, thank you.
I absolutely would love to see more on the topic of making and repairing, especially hard-wearing utems like footwear please.
I would honored to help or consult with my mastery, if you would like.
I really dig these videos you make. I wouldn't mind seeing more and more leather working. Maybe even sadle making..that would be very interesting.
A good cobbler is worth their weight in gold. I was very sad when my local cobbler closed his business 10 yrs ago, my new one isn't as good unfortunately. Great job on your first attempt!
Thanks. I would like to see more cobbler content