Who remembers their father using a hobbing foot to repair their shoes?

[wornout53 10]

I still have my dads hobbing foot...it is a piece of family history.

[trastrick 866]

2 hours ago, JOHN HABS said:

Hobbing Foot:  I've still got one and still use it to repair my wife's shoes and my own.

 

Got a bit fed up taking my boots to place like Timpsons to have the soles replaced at a cost more than the boots were to buy,

having the soles replaced and the boots heeled was looking at a £27 price tag.

 

Ordered the soles and heels off Amazon did the job myself at a cost of about £11.

Don't think it takes that much skill in using the hobbing foot.....all it is, is an extra pair of hands to hold the shoe in position

whilst its being repaired.

It had to be done just right!

 

One of the regular hazards for us kids was "a nail in mi shoe" sticking up from the sole. Or a "flying heel plate" that came loose and sliced your calf as you ran!

 

It took a little skill to avoid these problems!

 

Also I remember wearing a pair of old uncles hand me down shoes, that were so worn down on one side of the heel that I used to walk to school along Myrtle Road on the paved bank so it would equalize and wouldn't  become a permanent disfigurement!

Edited February 16, 2019 by trastrick

[Ontarian1981 10]

2 hours ago, wornout53 said:

I still have my dads hobbing foot...it is a piece of family history.

I wouldn't mind betting that there are way more hobbing foots in the world than there are cobblers. Another trade that is facing extinction due to the credit fuelled affluence of modern day living.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Ontarian1981

[Jim Hardie 527]

On 11/02/2019 at 09:46, trastrick said:

You could buy leather by the sheet, then Woolworths came up with proper sized stick on rubber soles and heels!

Stick-on soles were ok but they weren't as good as shoes.  👣

[Mossway 15]

I’ve got one but never knew it had a ‘g’ on the end.

[Broakham 10]

My dad had a '3 footed' hobbing foot, whereas my grandad had 3 individual ones that fitted in an iron socket fixed to a large block of wood. 

[jaffa1 10]

Mine's a three footer or should I say two footer and a heel and I use it occasionally.  You can't  seem to get stick on soles anymore as another poster said so I must look on Amazon.

Edited February 16, 2019 by jaffa1

[apearson 0]

18 hours ago, trastrick said:

One of the regular hazards for us kids was "a nail in mi shoe" sticking up from the sole.

So true. I'd forgotten that, how nails used to come through and quickly destroy your sock and then get to work stabbin into your foot.

16 hours ago, Mossway said:

I’ve got one but never knew it had a ‘g’ on the end.

Yep.  My grandparents had one, we always called it the Obbin Foot. 

[Heartshome 20]

Yes, Mum used to mend our shoes on it, I also remember the horrid smelling glue, that stuck the sole on Phew!! Like others members, I still have it as a door stop.

[johnpm 18]

We had one at home although don't recall dad using it  & I remember my grandad using one to repair his boots in the  1950's

[trastrick 866]

In the 40's and 50s we learned a lot of life skills, from our elders. Shoe repairing, dying, woodworking, metal working, soldering, plumbing, darning, sewing, patching, knitting, gardening, cooking, baking, ginger beer making, wallpapering, painting, cement mixing, plastering, garden wall and fence building.

 

Most of our toys were home made. Sledges, 4 wheelers, bagatelle boards, crib boards, kaleidascopes and many more.

 

With a few tools, glues, sealants and stuff I can still do a lot of minor repairs around the house.

[RedStrawberry 0]

When we had new shoes, we weren’t allowed to wear them until Dad had put Stick-a-soles on them to make them wear better! He always did them on the hobbing foot. He also put extra rubber heels on flat shoes when they were new before we could wear them.