Cruz:

It's not BS -- it is simple pattern making.  One can move the medallion location forward/back, that is an aesthetic decision.  However, in terms of side-to-side location, the medallion is to be centered on the pattern, the center line of the pattern in turn being derived from the last.  The process of defining the center line of the last (from the center of the cone of the last to the center of the toe) is the FIRST step in patternmaking.  This center line is typically transferred onto the pattern with an erasable silver pen, and the medallion is centered (side-to-side) on this line. 

If one chooses to be pedantic, you are right, there is perhaps not always one EXACT location where the center of the toe needs to be defined (on the last), but I can tell you that it shouldn't vary more than say +/- 1/8 inch from side to side.  If it does, finished product will look 'off,' because the medallion will clearly be pointing at an angle.  Similarly, improper lasting can set the medallion askew, if the toe of the shoe is lasted in a place different from that for which the pattern was designed.  In point of fact, it is the angle of the medallion (where it is pointing/aligned), rather than its simple left/right location, that tends to make a shoe look off.  The eye can detect pretty subtle variations in the angle, because it is really just extending a straight line and comparing it to the toe of the shoe.  Moreover, most medallions have a single hole at their front and are designed as a mirror image/identical on the inside and outside, all of which makes this visual process easier.

If the front center of the medallion is not centered on the toe, plus the medallion is askew -- which will typically be the case when the medallion is not centered at the front --, it will be readily apparent to the eye, and is a flaw in the shoe. 

Now, whether any of this matters to any given person is another matter; you may prefer Olive Garden, and I may prefer Per Se. However, in either venue, a medium rare steak has a specific meaning, and a steak either is or is not correctly cooked.  Failure to recognize a mis-cooked steak and/or indifference to it doesn't change the fact that a steak is either cooked to the correct  extent or not.

I have books on patternmaking; I have made patterns.  I have closed uppers, and I have lasted shoes.  I have studied with a patternmaker who has more than 5 decades of experience, and a closer who has more than 30 years' experience.  I have watched 3 makers who collectively have 70 years of experience working for the top flight firms in the UK (Lobb, Fosters, G&G, and Cleverley), and who are widely regarded as the best in the trade.  My assertions are not opinion, they are the way things are done in the trade and the way they are taught in the industry.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-03-07 06:40:26)

mister kiss left the bench.

r.i.p., big old man.

cruz,

pls move the discussion to another shoe thread. this should be doable.

many thanks

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-03-09 20:22:27)