The key to finding everything you need for supplies and tools is to know the right brands and words.A lot of information is hard to gee by and so you should check discussion forums or check with someone who is in the industry. Parts for high heeled shoes are the most difficultto find, but the following should help.
For information on making shoes, there are out of print books on okay that surface occasionally. Because they are available only sometimes, it's good to keep checking back. Ask the seller if the book contains information on the specific type of shoe you would like to make (for example ladies high heels are explained a lot less often then menswear shoes, but sometimes it's in the book even if it's not in the seller description).
For supplies and tools, you need some of the following depending on what kind of shoes you will make:a form (pair of lasts, shoe molds) soling leather (veg tan, tooling leather), shanks or prefabricated footboards (which have the shank built in), heels (sometimes called heel blocks), heel tips (also called heel replacement tips, and sometimes called heels!), lining leather (which is very thin), toe box stuff. Barge cement (or some other really really good, but extremely toxic glue. A hammer and an awl should gee in use. You might also need cobblers thread, shoe buckles, polish, dye, leather hole punch, rough grit sandpaper, fine grit sandpaper, a roughener (which helps the glue hold leather together. Nails, screws, screwdriver. Plyers to aid in stretching the leather over the last. And you will need whatever creative supplies you intend on using of course. You may not need all the supplies I listed, and it's possible that you will need something that is not on the list.
It helps to write down what kind of shoes you are going to make, draw a picture, and make a list of everything you need for your particular shoes.
If anyone has any other information on books or supplies, I am just starting at this, so please share. I askedsomeone who teaches shoemaking for the information I have so far. And I took apart an old pair of heels to see how they were made. I also visited a website that sells shoe supplies, and I visited a shoe supply store in Manhattan where the sales people helped me figure out what parts were involved with high-heel making.
Update 12/06/07-I visited a little town in Italy called Vigevano, which is a shoe factory town. They had many shoemaking supply stores where I went in and bought all kinds of neat tools, leather and supplies. The people there were super nice even though only a few spoke English well enough for me to have meaningful conversations with them. Please be advised that the food in this town is amazing! I went in the winter, which I don't regemend, but go in the summer, for a day or two. Do your research beforehand. You can get a tour at one of the factories-the name of the factory escapes me, but the hotel I stayed at has the information. I stayed at hotel Europa which is the only hotel that's actually in Vigevano, so book ahead, because the other nearest hotel is really really far away! Some shoe parts manufacturers had sample parts and displays in the lobby. That's how shoe focused this town is! And trust me on this-winter in this town is not fun! I was enchanted regardless because I've never had such amazing food, seen so many beautiful and creative leather goods or been to a place where you could get shoemaking supplies and visit a factory.
Here's an idea for someone who makes their living on selling shoe supplies on okay-buy some high heels with the shanks attached from this town-which you can only do in bulk, and sell them on here. I'd buy from you in a heartbeat. That particular part-which is so difficult to gee by would make creating high heels much easier for the beginner.
FYI-I also bought a shoemaking video off of okay that took the mystery out of women's high-heeled shoes.
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