Final pour from the Brubaker Foundry • In 11 active carts • 21 left
Lyle's No-Bend Long Shoe Horn
Lyle's No-Bend Long Shoe Horn
Ships within 2–3 days
30-day money-back guarantee
Free US shipping with tracking
Couldn't load pickup availability
Lyle's No-Bend Long Shoe Horn
Poured from 1952 molds in a Pennsylvania tobacco barn
Lyle Brubaker, 73, has poured metal at his family’s foundry in Strasburg, Lancaster County, for 54 years. After his hip surgery in 2009 he made his first long shoe horn. His back has ended the pouring. These are his last 212.
“I know what it’s like to sit on your own stairs at six in the morning and not reach your feet. Nobody should have to do that. I want these hanging by front doors where somebody needs one every morning.”
Lyle Brubaker · Strasburg, Pennsylvania
What comes in the box
Horse or lion head, about 22–23 in long
Cord loop at the head for a hook by the door
Nothing to assemble, nothing to adjust
Packed in a long kraft box, ready to give
What makes Lyle’s shoe horn different
Long enough to reach your heel while you stand up straight. Made for the “don’t bend” rule after hip surgery.
The heavy cast head keeps the spoon pointed down into the heel. You guide it instead of pushing it.
A wide, polished spoon with a rounded edge. Your heel slides in and the back of the shoe keeps its shape.
The horse and the lion come from the shapes Lyle’s father carved by hand at the kitchen table in 1952.
A warm reddish-brown wooden shaft with a gold collar. It feels like a walking cane, not a plastic tool.
The cord loop keeps it on a hook at hand height. No digging through a drawer, no bending down to pick it up.
“After a hip replacement, putting on shoes is one of the first daily tasks my patients struggle with. They are told not to bend past 90 degrees, and they still have to get dressed every morning. A long shoe horn lets them do it standing up, without leaning forward or sitting on the edge of the bed. I keep one in every home-visit bag.”
Gretchen Albright, OTR/L · Occupational therapist · Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Choose your head
Perfect for
Why Lyle’s shoe horn lasts
- Real wood handle. Will not bend like a ruler or snap like plastic.
- Heavy cast head. Sits steady in your hand and does not slip.
- Gold collar joint. Holds handle and spoon together where cheap shoe horns break.
- Polished spoon. Smooth and rounded, kind to the leather of your shoes.
- Built for every morning. Lyle’s first one from 2009 still hangs in his own hallway.
If it doesn’t make your mornings easier, one email to info@craft-folk.com is enough. Lyle would rather have it back than have it sit in a closet.
Tip from Lyle: Hang it on a hook right by the door at hand height. Set the spoon in the back of the shoe, step down and let your heel slide in. Every head is poured by hand, so the gold finish can show small marks from the sand mold — no two are exactly alike.
Product details
| Contents | 1 long shoe horn with hanging loop |
| Head | Horse or lion, gold-finished cast zinc alloy |
| Handle | Reddish-brown hardwood with gold collar |
| Spoon | Polished gold-tone metal, rounded edge |
| Length | Horse 22.2 in (56 cm) · Lion 23 in (58.5 cm) |
| Use | Standing up — work boots, sneakers, loafers, dress shoes |
| Care | Wipe with a soft, dry cloth |
| Made by | Lyle Brubaker, Strasburg, Pennsylvania — final pour, 212 remaining |
| Made so far | About 3,100 since 2009 |
The Last Pour
The Last Pour
A note from the foundry:
Lyle Brubaker has poured metal at his family’s foundry in Strasburg, Lancaster County, since 1972, from the horse and lion his father carved at the kitchen table in 1952. In 2009, after hip surgery, he wasn’t allowed to bend and sat on his own stairs every morning, unable to reach his boots. So he set a horse head on a long hardwood handle. Since then he has made about 3,100 shoe horns for neighbors, his church and a Lancaster therapy clinic. This summer his back gave out. 212 shoe horns are left, horse and lion together. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 5–8 business days
- Every shoe horn is packed in a long kraft gift box and sent with tracking
- Horse: 22.2 in long · Lion: 23 in long
- Gold-finished cast head, reddish-brown hardwood handle, polished gold-tone spoon
- Cord loop for hanging by the door
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@craft-folk.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@craft-folk.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm. Whether it’s about your order, horse or lion, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it by your door, use it for a few weeks, and if it isn’t right for you, email info@craft-folk.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Each head is poured by hand into a sand mold pressed from the horse and lion Lyle’s father carved in 1952, then finished in gold. Lyle turns the reddish-brown hardwood handle, joins it to the polished gold-tone spoon with a gold collar and adds the cord loop for hanging. The horse is 22.2 in long, the lion 23 in — long enough to put your shoes on standing up.