International Shoemaker's Day. Creative work "Profession" Shoemaker

Working professions that have been and will always be in demand are fading into the background in the modern world. The profession of a shoemaker has appeared since the time when people began to wear shoes. There will always be demand for the services of a shoemaker. Regardless of the season, the true masters of this craft do not sit without work.

Sergey Pavlov at work Photo: From the personal archive

Sergei Pavlov told AiF - Chuvashia about the peculiarities of the work of a shoemaker and why he is not offended when he is called that.

Maria Gracheva, "AiF" - Chuvashia ": How did you learn this craft?

Sergey Pavlov: As they say, life teaches everything. In the 1990s, I worked at the Aggregate Plant. You understand, then nobody had enough money for anything. Here's a colleague invited to work with his friend in the production of shoes. I had no idea what to do, the main thing is that they offered a salary five times more than they paid at the plant. There he learned how to make major shoe repairs, then got into the production of sewing boots and boots. Well, it dragged on. After some time, having gained experience, I decided that I could work for myself - I filled my hand.

- I have never met women in shoe repair. Or is it not for women?

Why. Russian women can learn everything. They fly into space. Yes, and they are excellent at repairing and making shoes. There are few female colleagues in our city, but we meet in the store where we buy materials for repairs.

There are "nuances"

- Still a shoemaker, a shoemaker, a shoemaker or a shoe repairman?

Interesting:

Peter I and Leo Tolstoy knew how to sew boots.

Many are offended when they are called shoemakers. It seems to sound disingenuous. And I, when they ask me about work, proudly say that I am a shoemaker. I don't see anything shameful in this. But the Russian folk “swears like a shoemaker” and “drinks like a shoemaker” - this is not about me. It is important to know your job well, to communicate with people. In my business, the main flow of work is regular customers.

- Is it really always cheaper to repair shoes than buying a new pair?

If the shoes are from the "Chinese consumer goods" series, of course, it's better to go buy a new one. And good shoes, as a rule, after the second year, socks are only brought for repairs.

A true master of his craft will always have a job. Photo: From the personal archive

How many pairs of shoes a day pass through your hands?

On average, about 30 people contact me per day. Who will bring one pair, who will bring two. There is some seasonality, of course. In summer, for example, there is more time to drink tea than it is now.

- Do the owners of shoes often do not return for their pair? Where are you going "good"?

There are cases when they return for their shoes in 1.5-2 years. Usually, of course, I keep such shoes for a year, then I give them to good hands. And sometimes it will lie in the garage for several years. Although usually good expensive shoes are not left for a long time.

Shoe "pro"

- What should be a good master?

In any profession, you need to be a good person. Another important thing I've learned as a shoemaker is patience. I come across different clients, but I know my business well, I can explain what's what calmly and clearly. The main thing is to love what you do. And I've been shoemaking for 23 years.

- Can you shoe a flea?

Only if the flea is big (smiles). Of course, we don’t do jewelry work here, but sometimes, it happens that they bring expensive boots with a hole, so you have to be creative in approaching the task, figure out how to quietly correct the situation.

Do you meet people by their shoes?

In the first few years I paid a lot of attention. Shoes even dreamed, honestly. Now it's just a job. I used to sew shoes for myself, my wife and mother-in-law. Now I will go and buy. You need to make the right choice. Now you can buy good shoes cheaply.

According to GOST 23251 “Shoes. Terms and definitions”, types of footwear include boots, boots, pumps, sandals, shoes, indoor shoes, half boots, half boots, boots, low shoes, sandals, dudes, moccasins, opanki, pantolets and tabi.

Shoemakers came to us from antiquity, that is, this profession has deep roots in history. And this is not surprising, because the need for it has been obvious ever since a person put on the first shoes. True, it is worth noting that the first shoes were made from bark, animal skins and other improvised materials, so that everyone was his own shoemaker. Now the term "shoemaker" itself is gradually being dropped, instead it is customary to say "shoemaker". This profession is quite in demand nowadays. Let's see what duties shoemakers have in our time, and do we need their services?

What does a shoemaker do

To understand what kind of work a shoemaker does, you need to figure out what kind of shoemaker we are talking about. There are two options - an educated shoemaker who works in industry or makes shoes to order, or a shoemaker who repairs shoes.

In the first case, the master has an education, works in a factory and performs any part of the overall process of creating shoes - gluing, finishing or assembling. A private shoemaker does the same, but he does all the steps to create shoes, starting with a sketch, on his own. His services are highly valued, since manual labor and good quality materials, such as those on this site - https://obuv-complekt.com/g19285014-nitki-shvejn - require costs.

Probably in every city there are a couple of small shops with the inscription "Shoe Repair". If you happened to go there, then you could see pieces of leather scattered everywhere, various tools, wooden blocks in the shape of a foot and many pairs of shoes. The masters sitting in such rooms, most likely, do not have the education of a shoemaker, they came to this profession after someone else. That is, they were either an apprentice with a more experienced shoemaker, or they were taught by someone from their environment. But this does not make their work any less qualitative. Many still turn to them for help, because how else to explain that their booths have been standing in one place for many years?

What kind of work does a shoemaker do?

A shoemaker can do the following:

1. Sew the sole. It is important to use quality threads here, such as strong Titanium threads.
2. Change the heel heel, and you can choose to make it from iron or another material. By the way, iron heels, although durable, are impractical to wear - the eternal knock will accompany you everywhere.
3. Grow the sole if it is worn. Of course, a short-lived service, but sometimes we become attached to a pair of shoes and cannot say goodbye to it, literally, wearing it to holes.
4. Perform small services, such as "tapping" on the sides of the shoe if it rubs, or putting spikes or other devices on the sole for better traction. To ice was not terrible.
5. Change the lock in the shoe or slider.
6. Attach loose accessories from shoes.

As you can see, the work of a shoemaker is difficult, associated with a burden on health. Therefore, the payment for their services should be appropriate, because they give us comfort.

Suitable educational specialties: Cutter (tailor-cutter).
Key items: Shoe production technology; Manage assembly operations.

Tuition fee (average in Russia): 30,000 rubles

Job description:

*tuition fees are per course.

Features of the profession

Until relatively recently, some 200 years ago, shoes were made exclusively by hand, individually or in tiny batches. This is what the shoemakers did. Today, shoes are mostly mass-produced. Craftsmen engaged in mass production are called shoemakers.

The designer develops sketches, the designer thinks over the design of the shoe, what parts it will consist of. When the parts are cut, they need to be put together - this is what the assembler does.
Assembling shoes is dozens of conveyor operations: from assembling the top to attaching the bottom. The more elements provided, the more operations have to be performed. This is assembly line work, and assemblers are considered the most numerous detachment of shoemakers. From the cutters, the conveyor receives individual parts of the top, which are gradually connected to each other, moving from worker to worker. First, the places of decorative seams are marked on the parts, then the edges of the parts are processed and polished and tinted, then they are sewn on a sewing machine, etc.

Sewing and decorating with decorative seams are very important operations that require precision and accuracy from the master. The vamp line and the edging line are the most difficult stages of work. The master leads the seam line one and a half - two centimeters from the edge, and the line, if it comes out crooked, cannot be torn and redone, especially if the shoes are leather. The needle leaves incorrigible marks on the shoe leather, and the damaged part is sent to marriage.

Finally, when the upper is ready, all the details are sewn and glued, the undercarriage of the boot can be attached to it. Various technologies can be used for this - from gluing to casting. To glue the sole, the finished top put on the block is smeared with glue at the junctions of the future connection. The sole is pressed against them with the help of a press. This is also a very important point: if the outsole is glued sideways, it will no longer be possible to correct the oversight.

A shoe assembler may specialize in making uppers, making bottoms, or joining uppers with bottoms.

Fashion, styles, shoe designs are constantly changing. This means that the shoe assembler has to constantly master new work algorithms, new operations. On the other hand, with experience comes skill, with which no innovation is scary anymore.

Cons of the profession. You have to work at a fast pace, the workshop is usually noisy, the air inevitably smells of fumes of dyes, adhesives, etc. If you do not pay attention to your posture, long concentrated work can lead to back pain, to stoop. Long work on the legs can lead to the expansion of the veins in the legs, diseases of the joints.

Many industrial hazards can only be compensated for by a healthy lifestyle, walking, swimming, comfortable shoes, etc. To protect their hearing from noise, workers use special anti-noise headphones, earplugs.

Workplace

A shoe assembler can work in shoe factories, workshops for individual tailoring of shoes (including orthopedic ones).

Salary pay

from 15 000 rub. up to 30,000 rubles

Important qualities

The profession of a shoe assembler implies good coordination of movements, a sense of rhythm, quick reaction, accuracy, the ability to concentrate and distribute attention.
Physical endurance is also required. Diseases of the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, poor eyesight (if it is not compensated by glasses), allergies to certain substances do not allow working on the conveyor.

Knowledge and skills

The shoe assembler must know the technology of shoe production, own assembly operations.

Where do they teach

The profession of a shoe assembler can be obtained in colleges that train personnel for the shoe industry.

Thousands (if not tens of thousands) of sandals, shoes, half boots, ankle boots and other shoes have already been in the hands of Irina Pener, which a woman has been reanimating for more than thirty years in a row. Seeing a representative of the fair sex in a shoe repair shop, skillfully tapping on the soles with a hammer, many are surprised: they say, is it really a female profession? But Irina knows her business, loves and at the same time "like a shoemaker" does not swear.

About why a shoemaker today is practically an endangered profession, how to recognize a "nitpick" in a client from the first minutes and what is like death for shoes - in an interview with Irina Pener.

Irina got into this rather rare (especially for a woman) profession, one might say, by accident. An elderly shoemaker who lived next door often told the girl about the intricacies of his craft and was one of those craftsmen who could cut and sew boots from scratch. Yes, they are so neat and good-quality that they didn’t get demolished. Of course, today there is no need to sew shoes by hand, but at that time it was enough to interest the girl. And when the organization in which Irina worked fell apart, she, remembering her interest in shoemaking, got a job as an apprentice at a local factory for sewing and repairing shoes.

"I am a shoemaker with boots"

“I started with the easiest thing for women's hands - I sewed shoes on a typewriter, changed locks,” recalls Irina. - I got a good master. I remember everyone taught me: "Know everything, but don't do everything." And, in principle, I learned everything that a shoemaker should know. But a variety of complex operations that require considerable physical strength (for example, tear off a heel or sole, drill something) - all this I ask my male partners to do. I myself am engaged in more "jewelry" work. But for myself, if necessary, I can do everything on my own.

As for the well-known saying "a shoemaker - without boots", here I also do not justify folk wisdom. I keep both my own shoes and the shoes of all my relatives (and I already have three adult children and seven grandchildren) in order, safe and sound.

“We are always aware of what shoes are in fashion”

“Of course, in thirty years of working as a shoemaker, I have not seen any kind of shoes! They bring us felt boots (by the way, they are quite difficult to repair - everything is sewn by hand), and concert shoes entirely in rhinestones, and youth sandals on a huge platform ...

And it’s also very easy for us to track which models of shoes are in fashion today. You may not even go shopping. And, of course, I can say with confidence that fashion is back. Therefore, when some customers bring in more solid pointy shoes with a request to cut and round their toes (and we do this too), sometimes you just want to say: “Yes, you wait a couple of years, and they will again be the most squeak.”

By the way, a Belarusian woman living in Germany recently came to us, brought a whole suitcase of shoes for repair - probably twenty pairs. He says that such repairs cost us three or four times cheaper than abroad. So, almost all of her shoes were just the same pointed. And since we usually lag behind Europe in fashion for a year or two, I take the liberty of suggesting that shoes with pointed toes will soon flood our shelves."

“One look at the shoes is enough to determine if the client is picky”

“In every profession there are some signs, observations that are developed with experience. So, for example, I noticed that the more “killed” shoes, and even more so if they are dirty (it happens that in the summer they bring winter boots in clods of last year’s mud), then one hundred percent the client, taking the repaired pair, will find fault, express his dissatisfaction on various occasions - in short, it will fray all the nerves. And this pattern has a simple explanation: if a person does not respect himself, which brings his own shoes to such a state, then why would he suddenly respect shoemakers and the work they do? .. "

“The entire medical staff ran to look at the“ woman with a hand in a boot ”

“My main tools that I have to deal with almost every day are a special hook, a knife, scissors, wire cutters, a screwdriver, a hammer, nails, shoe glue, needles and threads.

Of course, it could not do without injuries, especially at first. It used to happen that you hit your finger with a hammer so that you really want to swear “like a shoemaker”! .. And once a really anecdotal incident happened to me. She sewed the sole to the boot: one hand is inside, and the other is working with a sharp hook. And somehow I managed to plant this hook right under the nail of that hand in the boot. And that's it, you can't get it out. She sewed herself. Laughter, laughter, but it hurts! I had to call an ambulance. Of course, the doctors giggled all the way: I looked too funny. In the hospital, then almost the entire staff ran to look at the "woman with a hand in a boot." For a long time they did not know how to get me out, because it was not clear how deep the hook was. And it's a pity to cut the boot - it's a stranger, after all. But in the end, everything ended well: for the finger and for the boot."

"Alas, there are no shoemakers with manicure"

“What occupational diseases do we shoemakers have? The back hurts often, salts accumulate, stoop develops due to the fact that the work is sedentary. I'm saving myself only by teaching my grandchildren to give granny a massage.

Of course, work with glue and various solvents is not too good for health.

Well, I have hands, look what. Firstly, fingers over the years from constant work with a shoe tool become crooked, knobby. And the glue, of course, eats into the hands.

So it’s quite difficult to make a more or less decent manicure on my hands. I did it a couple of times, but after a few hours spent at work, this manicure was what it was - what wasn’t ... "

Candles, superglue, washing machine - what people just do not spoil shoes

“Very often it happens that people, unwittingly, spoil their shoes. One of the most common problems is trying to fix shoes, sandals and the like with superglue. Not only is this idea initially doomed to failure, it is also very difficult for the shoemaker to correct the situation later. Because such glue hardens and is no longer softened either by heating or by any other means. There is only one way out - to cut. And far from always this can be done so as not to damage the shoes even more.

We also often encounter the fact that people, especially pensioners, out of economy use sunflower oil, fat to “care” for their boots, lubricate the locks, “so as not to jam”, with a candle. Nothing good comes out of this, believe me.

And then there are people who think of washing shoes in the washing machine. For example, leatherette sandals or rag slippers with a "paper" insole. What remains of shoes in such cases is brought to us in tears ... "

“Now it’s easier for many people to throw away their shoes than to send them in for repair”

“Of course, shoes are brought to us in a very different condition. There are some that seem easier to throw away. Although candy can be made, of course, even from a completely worn and worn pair. Another question is how much work it will take and how much the client will pay in the end for the repair. Usually, when you talk about how much it costs to perform complex operations like a complete sole replacement or those that require a lot of special shoe glue - and it is by no means cheap - people really go and just buy themselves new shoes in the market.

The current availability and cheapness of shoes made of artificial materials has greatly reduced the demand for shoe repair. If in Soviet times shoes were bought on coupons, almost “for centuries”, and they were worn for years, giving them in for repairs over and over again until there was no living place left on it, now, as soon as the shoes fail, it is simply thrown away. That is, if earlier we had full bags of shoes, boots and sandals for repair, and people had to wait in line for three or four days, now the order is often made on the same day or, as we call it, “from the foot” - then eat in the presence of the owner.

Yes, and now we are not sitting without work: it happens that I repair forty pairs a day, but, of course, there is nothing to compare with past times. Moreover, many girls and women are now switching to shoes without heels: ballet flats, wedge shoes, slip-ons and sneakers. And this means that they no longer need to change the heels or arch supports ...

Therefore, I believe that the profession of a shoemaker, if it continues like this, will go into oblivion. Even now, I know that many schools that used to train such masters have already closed enrollments for this specialty. So I and my colleagues, quite probably, are the last of the Mohicans ... "

1. What is the name of your profession (position)?

My profession is my calling. I am a shoe repairman.

2. What is your job and what are your responsibilities?

I repair shoes, give them a "second life". I change pawls, locks, heels, soles, strengthen steps, stitch the soles.

3. What education is required to get your position?

Special education is not required. All you need is the desire to learn this skill. Actually, I have a secondary education. He came to work as a shoemaker 5 years ago, after working a little, he realized that this was a profitable occupation and soon opened his own shoe repair kiosk.

4. Describe your working day.

The working day is up to me. When there is a lot of work, and this is mostly autumn, the spring period starts at 7 am and ends at 6 pm. When there is little work I work from 9 am to 6 pm. I come to work, take orders, before lunch I go to the factory to buy the necessary material. There is no lunch as such, if I am very busy I manage with quick snacks, when I have time I go to the dining room and have lunch properly. All day I accept and issue already made orders. Weekends I choose myself when necessary, but it happens that there are none at all. I take a vacation as needed, if I go somewhere, but I work without a vacation.

5. How comfortable are your working conditions (all day outside, or in the office with a cup of coffee)?

Almost comfortable. The kiosk is warm, there is a radio, a portable DVD, a fan, but there are also disadvantages: dust, shavings (from emery), garbage.

6. What do you like most about your job?

First of all, it is freedom: I can manage my own working day, days off. I constantly communicate with people, make new acquaintances, there are regular customers who appreciate my work.

7. What do you dislike most about your job?

The work is a little harmful because of the dust, sometimes the chips fly off in the face.

8. If it's not a secret, what is your salary level (is it enough to write whether you are satisfied or not)?

My salary depends on the seasons. In the spring, and especially in the fall, I earn very well, I can afford to change the car. In winter, there is little work, and, accordingly, the salary is small. In the summer it is generally small.

9. Describe your team, what kind of people work with you?

I work alone.

10. What human qualities do you think are most important in your business?

The most important thing is hard work and perseverance.

11. Work gives me additional opportunities (everything that work gives you except money, from self-expression and communication with interesting people to the opportunity to visit different countries).

Acquaintance with different people, sometimes interesting and useful people meet.

12. Do you have the opportunity to evaluate your work on a five-point scale, what grade would you give?

Most likely 4, as there are small disadvantages that were described above.

13. Why did you choose this job?

I think that this job is one of the most in demand.

I think it's all inclusive.