A Stylized MAG - A Scratch Build - Almost Complete

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

UPDATE:

Well the idea was a good one. Pity the letters still deformed :unsure

On a better note, here is a comparison between the old form of the original K-MAG and my version :cool

Soon I will cut out some canvas :love

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

And so it begins :love

This will be interesting to say the least.

 

[punisher]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

This is getting very exciting!

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Yes it is

Shoe Goo to the rescue [again]!

It turns out that the aqua MAG letters are polypropylene and don't glue really well. They deformed during the heating process, moved whist I waited for the glue to dry and basically then just fell away.

So with some help of Shoe Goo, they'll never come off again. I've skinned over the top and now that they are cured, they don't have that cloudy look as this image shows. I need cover the entire Heel Cup to give that rubberized look and it helps better match to the mid-sole. l probably should have painted them with the same grey I used on the mid-soles.

 

[Jedifyfe]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Cavx, pretty soon you are going to have a pair of shoes that are 15lbs of Shoe Goo... Lol

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Cavx, pretty soon you are going to have a pair of shoes that are 15lbs of Shoe Goo... Lol

Too Funny :lol Oh well at least their weight will match that Tube Bag :lol

Off to make another set of Heel Cups. These ones will be more angular.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

UPDATE:

I decided after seeing an image of Punisher's new Heel Cup that I needed to rework mine. :darnkids

I forced my own hand this morning by rough cutting the formed shape with tin snips which meant I could not round out the tops as there was no material left to do so.

Close up of the back of the Heel Cup. Note how it sits down over the mid-sole.

Back of the Shoe. These so need to be higher and I can't wait to start stitching the new uppers :love

Back angle shot.

And side profile shot. The new version of the Heel Cup came out a bit shorter, sort of closer to the MP MAG Heel Cup. I wonder what it will look like with some letters glued in place?

 

[punisher]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Now that's what I'm talking about! Niiiiiiiice! I like how it has a nice rounded back.mine ended up flatter than I wanted. What if you cut foam letters and covered them in shoe goo?

 

[Pitbull]

Man everyone's work here looks stunning!!! I love creeping through these mag threads

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Now that's what I'm talking about! Niiiiiiiice! I like how it has a nice rounded back.mine ended up flatter than I wanted. What if you cut foam letters and covered them in shoe goo?

Like EVA craft foam? Yes that could work. I just need to remember to paint the part first so that when I Shoe Goo it up, it takes on the same colour as the mid-sole. Then I can splat paint both at the same time.

Man everyone's work here looks stunning!!! I love creeping through these mag threads

Thanks Pitbull It is actually guys like Punisher that have given me the push to get this right and keep going. It is almost competition. I do something and he does it better, so I go and re-work my parts. I got the pattern right though :love

There was a time when I had convinced myself that the base shoe was fine. I am so glad I listened to my heart and not my head on that one :cool

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

UPDATE:

Rather than throw out the earlier versions of the Heel Cups, I decided to re-work them.

After cutting these back, they now look much better. However they are a bit too small for my 10s. They fit the 8s nice though :love

So looking at the size of the text, I will need to increase the next set of laser cut letters by at least 10%.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

UPDATE:

I've never really sewn before, so after a few frustrating hours, I have this.

I really don't where to go from here :confused

I am guessing that now (whilst everything is still open) is a good time to:

1. Add the ribs whilst the lace section is still open. I was thinking about using some 1" webbing to make tubes (8 per shoe) and then stitch the tubes into the liner. The elastic can then be run through that before stitching the sole piece on.

2. Add the foam to the collar.

3. Make the cuff and tongue.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

And after a bit of a think, I came up with this.

I seem to have lost some of the profile. At this stage I am not too worried because I can turn this back inside out and restitch the part that should be recessed in. I was struggling with how to get this far, and considering I've never done anything like this before (and am not pulling apart another shoe to see how the pros do it), I think I am doing OK.

 

[airair]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

great stuff

im still totally confused as to how the actual shoe is stitched together

especially the top part?

i can't tell if the white upper part is actually stitched onto the grey outer side or simply glued, while the lower half is all stitched.

its very confusing.

if someone has any tips on how the hell this thing is stitched together, would be really grateful!

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

great stuff

im still totally confused as to how the actual shoe is stitched together

especially the top part?

Depends on how you construct them I guess.


Umm weird. I really could not explain how to put them together without a series of images.

Here are mine and as you can see, they free stand and there is no foam inside yet. I'll pad the collar and heel, but that will probably be all.

Tonight I was finishing off the seems on the lace section and when I turned the upper inside out, I ended up with a pair of right uppers. In the end I worked it out and now I have a symmetrical pair.

Here is a close up of the seams where the "power laces" will come through.

What I don't want is lace slots like both the MP and K shoes have. I'll probably end up hand stitching the sections between the laces.

i can't tell if the white upper part is actually stitched onto the grey outer side or simply glued, while the lower half is all stitched.

its very confusing.

if someone has any tips on how the hell this thing is stitched together, would be really grateful!

I will be making a sole for the upper that will be stitched. This will probably be the only part that won't need reversing. All other parts of these uppers have been turned inside out so that the stitching is hidden.

Once attached, will allow the upper to be worn like a shoe, it just won't have a sole. I'll then glue that into the mid-sole.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

A quick tutorial on how I assembled my uppers:
[and what I would do different if/when doing these again]

1. Trace the patterns onto the fabric. Remember to make left and right sets.

2. Cut out the patterns and allow at least 10mm around the mark out for sewing.
2a. If you have an over-locker [I do, but no idea how to use it], this would be a perfect time to ensure the edges are finished off and don't fray.
2b. If you don't, sew around the edges anyway [which is what I did].

3. Before [hindsight is a wonderful thing] you join the large sections, prepare the seems on the parts where the "power laces" will come through. You can do the front section where the tongue will attach as well.

4. Join the main sections.

I flipped the smaller section back, stitched the seam and folded it back to create hidden seems.

5. Stitch the upper from heel to inside front of collar stopping at the lace section.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for the liners. Construction pending, you may elect to snip and fold the edges of the outer and glue them to an EVA foam base. [I might do this later at some point]


Hope this helps. More to come soon.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Really not happy with how these are turning out, so I bought more materials and will do it all again.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

A word about cottons. Not all are equal. Back in 2002, I was working in the textiles industry. I was never really interested in the actual products back then. I have taken an interest now though.

I found this whilst cleaning out the garage. I have no idea why I would have bought this, but anyway, here it is. This roll is 1500m of #20 gauge Nylon Bonded (I presume UV stabilized as well) and I can not break it with my hands! This stuff is tough. It is designed for use on furniture, camping etc. The thread used on shoes is typically #40 and this thread range comes in a #10 as well.

Today as part of my new MAG kit, I bought the strongest grey they had which I could break (with some effort). The girl that was serving didn't know about the gauges and was shocked with how much effort was required to break the thread I bought.

So my thread I bought is probably about #60~#40. It is not listed on the spools and each spool is just 100m and costs $6.00 each (I bought three).

I also had to buy proper canvas needles for the machine.

My new MAG kit comprises of fabric, webbing, elastic and of course the thread and needles. I bought the vinyl last time, so will just use that as normal. Only thing I forgot to get was "bias binding" which is used to go around the tongue. I don't need that yet anyway.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

When things don't work out as you planned, you need to something different.

I decided I need to start again as I was not happy with the way things were progressing on the earlier attempt. So this time I am making a base in EVA. I didn't want to use EVA because it can be hot, however unless I can work out how to keep the shape in double stitched canvas, laminating the fabric to this may be the only way.

These are taped and glues using super glue. The tape was just to allow the glue to dry and can probably come off now. I have never done PEP or anything similar before and I have such high respect for the guys that do PEP gluing center-meter at a time. I cheated a bit. I taped the shoes together so the seams were closed, opened them, glued them and released them to allow the glue to dry. It seems to have worked.

And for the $64,000 question: Do they fit? Yes and very well by the way.

I used the inner sock liner for the shape of the sole for these and had to cut about an 1" off the end. This concerned me quite a bit because the shoes that the sock liner came from are also US10, yet these fit really well.

 

[AlexBC]

Re: A Stylized MAG - A Build From The Ground Up > Creating New Uppers Pg9

Damn, making great progress here.

I'm still unhappy with my outsoles so i'm gonna go into research mode to make them better. Gonna be a while til I start my uppers.