Blisters & Felt insoles

[Hank Trent]

While preparing for an event with a lot of walking, I'm planning how to cope if I get a blister on the sole of my foot. I know all the preventative ideas, and they do work 99.9% of the time, so I'm not expecting any problems, but you gotta plan for the worst.

The period solution to continue walking, mentioned time and again, is to get felt insoles and cut a hole out over the sore, which sounds like a dandy solution. Cork insoles are also occasionally mentioned.

However, I can't find felt insoles thin enough. They're all 6mm or 3/8" and up, and I only have room in my shoes for about half that thickness.

Any suggestions for where to find thin felt or cork insoles or other period-type insoles, that are still stiff enough not to wad up, within the next 2-3 weeks? Any other period suggestions for coping with blisters?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Charles Heath]

Re: Blisters & Felt insoles

Hank,

The cut out method is about the same as that used with modern moleskin, where a little donut/grommet shaped piece of self-adhesive bandage is placed around the blister to reduce the PSI on the protrusion. I'd be curious as to how the period solution kept the insole from shifting around within the shoe -- even with a good fit.

Soap rubbed on the feet beforehand is a period solution, and often referenced in the soldiers' advice type posts. A number of reenactors use this to good effect. Grease, such as bacon grease, will work, too. If you are looking for cork, and don't mind cutting out the insoles yourself, try a roll of pressed cork gasket/tool tray liner material. I haven't bought any in about 20 years, but it may still be available at most auto parts type stores.

Good thoughts. I'm thinking "when" and not "if" is the operative word for blisters, and hot spots are a given. Just an optimist....

[Spinster]

Re: Blisters & Felt insoles

Hank,

I pad up and let the insoles make themselves thusly:

A thin carded layer of wool--either washed or greasy, but greasy has its own merits, placed in the bottom of the shoe and walked on, felts down rather quickly, especially if it is of the softer breeds that wear out easily, like merino.

For the longer run---and I don't think I can get this done in the timeframe, as I've got a museum opening, then going straight to dance attendance on Mama's knee replacements, I'd knit said insoles, then either needle felt or water felt them to the required stiffness.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Re: Blisters & Felt insoles

Mr. Heath is on to something regarding buying the rolled or bulk cork, as that is what I've done in the past with good results. What I did was take a sheet of paper and kept fiddling with it by cutting it down to fit exactly in my shoe or boot so as to obtain a perfect fit. I then took the flat cork and cut it to those dimensions, adding 3/4 to 1 inch wool or cotton tape around the edge of the cork to hold it together and to provide a better fit inside the shoe. This worked quite well for me.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Blisters & Felt insoles

Great suggestion for the cork gasket material! I'll try the auto parts store instead of the shoe stores.

Terre, I was thinking about roughing up a couple pieces of blanket wool and seeing what I could do with them, but I was afraid they wouldn't felt stiff enough. Now I might try that as well. Thank you!

I'd be curious as to how the period solution kept the insole from shifting around within the shoe -- even with a good fit.

For what it's worth, I was out for a 13-mile walk on our rails-to-trails today, and I took along some modern insoles in my pocket, to try if needed. Around 7 miles, I started getting a hot spot on the ball of one foot, so I cut out a hole in the appropriate place and added the insole. It was the usual foam rubber kind, so it had a bit more of a non-skid undersurface than felt or cork, but it worked perfectly, and I finished the rest of the walk with no more worsening of the hot spot at all. Now I'm curious how felt or cork would do.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Spinster]

Re: Blisters & Felt insoles

Hank,

At any good quality yarn store, they will have 'felting needles'----barbed fine needles to fit into a wooden handle. These are punched through wool as a means to 'dry felt' it--as oppossed to wet felting with soap and hot water. You get much more control as to size and shape with these needles, though the process is very repetitive.

Repeated punches with this instrument, through either carded wool or a piece of blanket, will result in the wool matting down more, and making an increasingly firm surface---making the sort of insole you desire, while allowing you to control softness or firmness in certain areas.

I make insoles for my sabots, pin cushions, bust pads, tailoring shapes--most anything that requires wool of some firmness in a particular shape-- with these