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| Since I started to make sandals around 1976 I have made well over
a thousand pairs. That may not sound like a lot, but let me assure
you that all the sandals made at The Sandalman are all made by hand
and most are hand sewn. No machines are used, other then the grinder
to smooth the sandals exterior edge. All slots punched are not done
with the use of an electric die clicker but rather done by hand. All
slots that are punched are done manually, all stitching is done by
hand with the assistance of a stitch awl with five cord nylon thread.
Bonding is done with a glue pot, not sprayed in a booth and all straps
are hand beveled to take the sharp edge of the leather. That is why
they take between 7 and 10 hours to create. |
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| All the tools that are used to create the final finished sandal.
A square, punch awl, channel cutter, stitch wheel, edge beveler,
scissors,exacto knife and pen. |
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| The pattern is then made and used to cut the material
out and slot placement is then determined based upon the clients
foot contours. |
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| My, how times have changed! Up until about 5 years ago, the only
way I got an order for sandals was when my customer walked through
my front door. Chose a strap style and then I would proceed to produce
a cardboard pattern for them while they waited patiently until I perfected
the pattern while showing them samples of leather. Today on the other
hand most of my sandal business comes from the Internet. So now I
must explain to the customer how to take the outline of there own
foot, and what they must do to prepare their foot outline for an arch
cushion support. |
The example shown is a sandal that I am making for the Broadway
play, AIDA.
Old world craft and technology have merged. In the Olde Toronto one
would be able choose between a number of sandal makers. Today, I remain
one of the only sandal makers around. . Imagine that in a city as
big as New York that they had to find me on the Internet so I could
make them a pair of old style hand crafted leather sandals.
It just amazes me!
Cory Bernatt
The Sandalman |
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| The leather is then cut to shape and prepared for the slot
cutting. |
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| All the slot are then drawn onto the leather and then a cutter
is used to punch out of the leather where the straps will be
secured. |
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| If arch cushions are being incorporated into the sandal then
they are applied at this point. The sandals is then bonded between
all the layers and arches are secured in between the multiple
layers. |
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| Once the sandal is assembled the edges must be sanded down
to remove excess material and then they are sewn together in
the case that they have arch cushions. |
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| The soles are then applied and they are reground to smooth
the edge and prepare for the edge enamel which is added to seal
the side of the sandal and helps prevent excessive water damage. |
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