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Shoes that look better with age...

mizanation

By mizanation
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Chicken
Chicken

been going cheep: 1/4/10 1/4/10 purchased these clarks desert boots a while back. after moving to sunny california, i kind of got tired of hauling around in heavy duty boots, so i thought these

coleslawyum
coleslawyum

Minor update on my Toys McCoy Railman boots. 4 years. Vegetable tanned cowhide. Built like tanks.

riff
riff

I posted these on my tumblr a while back & realized I forgot to post here - my current workboot rotation:

Aramyr

Aramyr

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Damn, surprised to see just how popular the Alden indy boots seem here. I got a pair about 5 years ago that I absolutely love, as I have narrow feet and the Alden's allowed me to pick a width that actually fits like a glove. Haven't worn them much lately though, as I need to replace the laces and give them a polish. Replacing the heel may be in order as well.

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mizanation

mizanation

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somebody posted on my blog that tricker's from london are a "step above" the alden shell cordovans. can someone educate me on this?

btw, this whole thread started with a pair of shoes that my friend from london had. i am finally going to hang out with him tomorrow, so i will take pics of his "dead man's shoes." he also gave me the following shoe polishing advice that he got from his father:

1) always clean the welts of the shoes (this the area where the top leather part meets the sole. he says that the welt is where most shoes break, so if you keep it clean, your shoes will last longer. he suggests using a very soft brush or soft cloth to wipe away any dirt, debris or whatever.

2) always use kiwi paste polish!

3) polish the heel of the shoe. he says that when you lift up your shoe while walking, sometimes your heel looks bad. if you polish your heel, your shoes look good even from behind.

4) he says a spit shine is unnecessary for daily wear. you can get by with a regular old shine.

5) he shines his shoes daily. a couple minutes a day can make a huge difference in your appearance. i polished my shoes today and it was kinda zen-like. metaphorically, polishing my dirty shoes until they were shiney was like polishing my dull mind for the day, or some shit like that.

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Aramyr

Aramyr

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Just finished up spending quite a while working my Indys over with some Kiwi polish. Looking a whole lot better, I think they'll be good to go once I pick up some new laces, as the heels aren't quite as worn as I'd thought. Once I've got them set back up, I'll see about tossing up some pics of them, so guys with newer pairs can see what they may end up looking like after some years of wear.

Wore mine all day almost every day for approx 5 years, and had forgotten how light sneakers are compared! May have to add a pair of shell cordovans to the stable now though. I haven't tried the Tricker's myself, Miza, but it's hard for me to imagine they could be nicer than the stuff Alden puts out, unless they are outrageously expensive.

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Aramyr

Aramyr

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Unsure of the question, Dick? If this clarifies things, it is just my own experience that I have yet to find any shoes/boots in the same price slot as Alden of the same quality or better in terms of comfort and durability. This may merely be my personal preference; not trying to come off as some sort of Alden rockist.

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moykky

moykky

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...I haven't tried the Tricker's myself, Miza, but it's hard for me to imagine they could be nicer than the stuff Alden puts out, unless they are outrageously expensive.

I think Dick was just a little bit confused because you just said that Tricker's can't be nicer than Alden unless they are outrageously expensive. :)

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rnrswitch

rnrswitch

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I think the new brando fryes will be worth waiting til October, when they finally release them.

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mizanation

mizanation

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wow, 5 years of daily wear. that's something i'd love to see. thanks in advance, aramyr.

Just finished up spending quite a while working my Indys over with some Kiwi polish. Looking a whole lot better, I think they'll be good to go once I pick up some new laces, as the heels aren't quite as worn as I'd thought. Once I've got them set back up, I'll see about tossing up some pics of them, so guys with newer pairs can see what they may end up looking like after some years of wear.

Wore mine all day almost every day for approx 5 years, and had forgotten how light sneakers are compared! May have to add a pair of shell cordovans to the stable now though. I haven't tried the Tricker's myself, Miza, but it's hard for me to imagine they could be nicer than the stuff Alden puts out, unless they are outrageously expensive.

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naffbdp

naffbdp

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Best to use Meltonian polish with Alden shoes. Kiwi is lower quality stuff.

I also used Pecard's leather dressing on my Aldens. This helps take care of the leather.

from http://www.indygear.com/faq/bootsfaq.shtml

What leather care is recommended for the boots? Personally, I use the Pecard leather dressing available from David Morgan. It is a clear, neutral dressing that keeps the leather shiny and supple without the harsh salts and solvents that would eventually break down leather. And, yes, it does give the boots a nice slightly-weathered look. I use Pecard on the boots, bullwhip, satchel strap, and leather equipment belt. (also on holster) Dale If you're after the hard worn drug behind the truck look, jump over this because this is not for you. I'm all for keeping these in as good a shape as possible, as the price for these is pretty high, and let's face it, they're in constant contact with old "terra firma" at all times, so unlike all our other gear, they are constantly receiving daily wear and tear. With the following suggestions you can keep them looking good, but at the same time be protecting them and giving them more years of use in your arsenal of "indy gear". These shoes have that surface that I call a hard finish. When I first received my Aldens, I coated mine with the Pecards dressing. I gave them 4 days to soak. The dressing never did so into the leather, or at least not in my experience (as the Aldens are a wax coated leather) I finally buffed the excess off and began to wear them. I have been using a leather cream to keep the leather colored, as well as adding lanolin to the leather through the polish itself. One trick to give these shoes a good going over is to use the leather cream as described by the particular manufacture, buff to a shine, then use the old military trick of using an old pair of panty hose to give the leather a high shine. This also removes any excess polish that your buffing rag missed. Now here's where Pecards comes in....you will notice that your shoes take heavy flexing in the front of the shoe, as well as the tops around the ankles. This is from normal movement of the foot, of course. This is also "damaging" to the shoe, as it is constantly flexing those areas to the point that after several years of use, the leather will eventually crack through. The Pecards dressing actually lubricates the leather fibers and stops the oxidation of the leather. Air enters the cracked area that is not protected by the final hard finish of the shoe and oxidizes just like metal, allowing the eventual failure of the leather from drying. If you apply Pecards to these areas of the flexed leather, you'll find that the shoe not only seems to "break in" better, but in my experience seems to make the shoe more comfortable to walk in, as the usual binding you experience seems to go away. This is due to the fact that the Pecards is actually allowing the fibers to pass past each other in the flexing, but do not break in the constant use. To date this has been my regimen when I work on my shoes. By rubbing a light coating of Pecards into the leather (not a heavy coating, mind you, but very light over glaze), you also are able to remove the usual rubs and scrapes you seem to experience on the heels of your s remember HOW the scrapes got there) by just rubbing the offending scrape away with your fingers. The Pecards also allows you rub out any addition scratches you pick up by sealing the exposed leather, just as you seal the use cracks in the flexing of the leather. Try this and see what you think. So far this seems like a sale for Pecards. Well, to date this product seems to do a lot of things that I haven't been able to achieve with any other specific product. If you know of one let me know. I am not a fan of mink oil, as it attracts bugs in a lot of climates, and the fats can actually turn rancid, eventually breaking down the leather.

The easiest (and suggested way by the Pecards customer service dept.) is to either coat the boot with the paste, then apply low heat from your hair dryer to liquify the paste, allowing to soak into the leather. Or coat your boots with the paste, put in a large clear plastic bag and allow to sit in direct sunlight. It has the same effect. Then polish the boot (if you're still wanting to keep them looking good) with shoe cream of either neutral or sandelwood coloring. After buffing to a polish, finish the work with a good buffing using an old pair of nylon stockings and buff to a high polish. This also removes any additional polish that you may have missed. Michaelson

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rnrswitch

rnrswitch

Posted
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mrswitch, you don't have to wait until October, Frye has 'em now. They had a pair in my size, 10.5, so I just now ordered them.

really? I just looked an they wouldn't let me order them. It says they won't be available til september. Did you order the laced version or the pull on version. I am liking the laced version, but the pull on version looks like a boot out of "One Eyed Jacks." hard choice between the two.

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greentea

greentea

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I surely will:D

BTW, my sister is going to hong kong on sunday, I gave her the address of Take 5 ...I've asked for a RM wallet....( the HR-01A)

If she gets me this wallet I will be the one sending you pics...;)

i say screw it and get the peacemaker-01 :eek:

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rnrswitch

rnrswitch

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mrswitch, I ordered directly from the Frye website. At first I was told they hadn't come in yet, but the rep offered to check and there it was.

Which ones did you get. The laced version or the pull on version? I may be going for the laced version in that tan color. The pull on version looks pretty damn baddass in that tobacco color.

Post some pics when you get them bad boys.

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moykky

moykky

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Dave, or any other Redwing owner (is that 1905 model?), how heavy is that boot? I don't like too heavy boots with thick soles but that shoe looks nice and I'm in need of some winter shoes...

Damn they don't sell those Gokey boots anywhere near europe...

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