I told the artisan that I would put a post here and see what kind of real interest there was and get back to him in a few days to let him know if I can find enough takers to make it worth his while. If I only get one or two I'm seriously thinking about making up the difference myself and holding on to the extras until someone wants them. Be nice if there was one available when needed instead of having to go through all this again. This guy does remarkable work and I'd kind of like for him to do the finish machining. He has a huge shop he putters in with several projects, both wood and metal, going and every one of them is a thing of beauty. I also don't want to find out what a machine shop is going to charge to do the setup and drilling for just one shoe.
Will post an update next week.