Shoes that look better with age...

[marineabilly]

Excuse the bad gash on the toe. I do wear these M-F since december.

Bates 922 with full color reflection in the shine and hardly any visible pores (I get too bored to finish them sometimes). Enjoy.

I don't see the gash, but maybe it's jus the glare from the super shine. Before we switched from black boots to desert boots in the Marines, I used to spit shine my boots like it was no ones business. Whenever I got a gash, I'd apply enough crazy glue to lay the leather back down nice and flat then give it a light sanding with a fine grit then apply more polish/spit shine.

You want to get rid of the old layers of polish first, though by using shaving cream and steel wool. Once that's all stripped, let dry and apply polish and buff. I'd then start spit shining the entire boot. I would only do the toes when I was feeling lazy. It would take at least five coats before I started getting a decent shine. After that, they got only one layer of shine after work in perparation for the next day. I would do this for a few weeks/month before stripping them and starting over...or when the polish started to flake really bad.

Oh the good ol' days...

[itylerstewart]

You want to get rid of the old layers of polish first, though by using shaving cream and steel wool. Once that's all stripped, let dry and apply polish and buff. I'd then start spit shining the entire boot. I would only do the toes when I was feeling lazy. It would take at least five coats before I started getting a decent shine. After that, they got only one layer of shine after work in perparation for the next day. I would do this for a few weeks/month before stripping them and starting over...or when the polish started to flake really bad.

Oh the good ol' days...

We just paint over dust in the Navy brother hahaha

[crownzip]

Iron Rangers are looking mighty fine!

and the pairs i wore at work today:

[marineabilly]

The RC's look amazing with even just a little age.

[Happy Hooligan]

I don't know what it is, but I still can't get into those.

[onehundy]

I am getting my Lonewolf engineer boots resoled there too. I'll take some better pictures this time.

[bahnahnahs]

whats the closest looking pair of boots that is readily available online?

[vann]

are you talking of the Beckmann?thats Featherstone leather,i would never use any oil on it,i wax them once in a while,the leather isnt dry at all.

i see..

what wax did you use?

[Aquaphor]

whats the closest looking pair of boots that is readily available online?

Dayton boots look pretty close to that, and prob more solid build quality too. You have to email them to buy from them.

[babag]

I was looking at this pair of Yuketen boots that are similar:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yuketen-Leather-work-boots-black-new-7-5-vtg-AMAZING-CONSTRUCTION-/170694488295?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item27be2f30e7#ht_500wt_1112

[bahnahnahs]

Dayton boots look pretty close to that, and prob more solid build quality too. You have to email them to buy from them.

hmm.. looked through the website. dont see any models that look similar.

Is it some thing off the catalogue?

And the yuketen.. it looks nice... but pity not my size

In fact, i was thinking if the white's semi dress will look something like that.. or im just cheating myself thinking it looks similar..

[hollowsleather]

The toe profile is definitely different than White's. It looks a bit like the Roy boot, but that doesn't come in black afaik.

[Aquaphor]

hmm.. looked through the website. dont see any models that look similar.

Is it some thing off the catalogue?

Just look for the wings&horns service boot. If you buy form Dayton, it is just the non distressed version

And this thread:

http://new.styleforum.net/t/158840/what-s-the-appeal-of-the-wings-horns-x-dayton-service-boots/1320

[CrashTestBrummie]

Finally got the resoled veldtschoen boots back, ended up with a nicely matched brown commando sole. Better pics to come:

Sent the boots off via the local C&J shop - they use a fella down in Finchley, on the High Street (Kokos - 020 8883 0876).

And ('new' shoe spoiler alert!), a pretty unworn pair of Lotus shoes, built on a different last to the other, worn pair posted recently. Marked 71/02 (date of manufacture?) and a noticeably roomy size 11 - the others are a small 10.5.

Hypothetical before and after; didn't expect to ever find a pair in such good shape:

[the Repeater]

whats the closest looking pair of boots that is readily available online?

@ Blackbird.

[kayodic]

thanks sweapea for your recommendation, im still contemplating the options of those women's boots, kinda hard to find my size. if almostnice can convince me, i'll def get another pair of RW when i come to visit his store

my current RW8138

[xchen]

a sneak peak from my engagement shoot.

Loafers I inherited from my father-in-law to be.

Johnston & Murphy Aristocraft (made in USA)

[stewiegriffin]

outta topic but those are good looking shots..love the color tones.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

so after the new shoe thread has been started I dunno if this is now the right one.

Found this repro of the M43 Service Shoes. Looks very good to me

[rayw44]

They do look very nice. I especially like the real-looking contract stamp. Who makes them?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Dunno who makes them yet. But I know who sells them

Price point is 38,000 Yen

[robbie]

^ they look pretty similar to WW2 impressions, they make boots but I'm pretty sure there is a huge waiting list for those rough out boots.

[aapoli]

They do look very nice. I especially like the real-looking contract stamp. Who makes them?

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/moc/collection/m-43_service_shoes/index.html

[patrick_b]

The RC's look amazing with even just a little age.

.

I've never felt the need to own a pair of engineer boots until now. Those Road Champ's are amazing.

.

[marineabilly]

For those on the fence - I've been advocating the importance of purchasing these boots for some time now as there's no telling when production will discontinued. It sounds like that time has come. You can buy two or three average pairs of Engineer Boots for the price of one of these, but which would you be most proud to own?

[attackwithstones]

I scrolled back a lot of pages and read somewhere at sometime you were NOT into these boots at all. I love that you are so into them and such a big contributer of info on them. It just goes to show how good they are in person!

[bl@ster]

^ they look pretty similar to WW2 impressions, they make boots but I'm pretty sure there is a huge waiting list for those rough out boots.

ATF has them for 99 bucks here:

http://www.atthefrontshop.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=USFRO

Not as well made probably as the ones posted above but also not $500.

[marineabilly]

I scrolled back a lot of pages and read somewhere at sometime you were NOT into these boots at all. I love that you are so into them and such a big contributer of info on them. It just goes to show how good they are in person!

Totally...they are night and day between photos and in person. Once you handle them, the quality and style are clearly top notch. No joke, but I am seriously tempted to purchase another pair just to store away for future use.

[Happy Hooligan]

maybe that's what I'm having trouble with. I've not held them in person. Just by going by photos, they look "off" to me.

Not trying to hate on them, I guess I need to see these in person.

[pepper davies]

I'm tempted as well, but I just bought the lady quite a birthday present. I would have to sell something more important than those boots to facilitate the purchase.