Hard sole mocs tutorial

[Lifesaver13bsa]

Where do you think I could get a fairly inexpensive brain tanned hide or a decent commercial hide?

thanks
Lifesaver

[powwowbum49]

Well, I guess I ought to start this tutorial since I said I would. Folks this is not going to be put up on the board really fast cause I have tons of other projects going at the same time, but I will try not to drag it out forever.

I am going to do this as a general plains style hard sole moc which can be adjusted slight to the subtle differences to fit a more specific tribal style.

The first thing is to choose your materials. You can do this based on how much you want to spend and how much wear and tear the mocs are going to take. You will need two types of leather -- something hard for the sole (duh) like russet/saddle leather, latigo or rawhide and something soft for the upper like deer, elk or moose hide.

The most traditional way would be rawhide soles with brain tanned hide for the uppers (if that is important too you), but it will also be the most expensive for most people.

Soles - what to use for the sole will depend on personal preference, how much you can spend and how much use the mocs will get. Latigo and rawhide hold up very well over the long haul. Latigo will remain flat after use. Rawhide on the other hand will form to your foot once it is used for a while. Russet leather is the easiest to use but also wears out the fastest and should only be used if you can't afford the more expensive leather or you just don't plan on using the mocs that often.

Upper - the upper leather needs to be soft and workable. Brain tanned hide is my favorite choice. Commercial tanned hides are ok too though. If your mocs are going to be beaded and you are using commercial tanned hide you might want to find one with a good loft (fluffy) to the leather since hides like that are easier to bead. Keep in mind too that deer, elk and moose hide stretches to varying degrees. Commercial stretches a lot in comparison to brain tanned too and this stretch will need to be taken into account later on. Avoid cowhide, it does not make very good mocs. Cowhide is thick and rather stiff and hard to work with even when it is split.