Shoes that look better with age...

[onehundy]

Are the RRl engineer boots horsehide? the ones with the vibram half sole and cats paw soles

[rkusmant]

Chicago, IL vs. Lewiston, ME

Navy Chromexcel vs. Natural/Color #8 Chromexcel

Edited November 27, 2011 by rkusmant

[arcarsenal]

Those navy ones from oak street bootmakers? i just ordered the brown camp boot from them.

[Paul T]

Went down to the William Lennon factory last week.

This is the 1904 Blake machine that is at the heart of their production;

The factory is hidden away in the heart of the Peak District. Very misty and mysterious as I made my up there by train and taxi... and then the sun came out.

Lennon director Dan Walker:

And yes, their shoes do indeed look better with age. THis is a Zug boot on the WW2 last - note how the toe shape changes after hard wear.

More pics appearing 9.30 at www.loomstate.co.uk

[mikecch]

Looking forward to the full post!

Now if only Dan would get back to me...

[Tiro]

that second pair of zug boots looks really nice.

oh, markus, you can hook us RW wearing people up with resoles? wouldn't mind a vibram moreflex on my 2904's...

[rayw44]

Are the RRl engineer boots horsehide? the ones with the vibram half sole and cats paw soles

The pair I have are cowhide, and I would think they all are (despite their outrageous retail price).

[rkusmant]

Those navy ones from oak street bootmakers? i just ordered the brown camp boot from them.

Yes, navy ones from Oak Street Bootsmakers and the other is custom made by Rancourt.

[rayw44]

I just got these back from Zip Stevenson, and I had him use some of the Cat's Paws I found a few weeks back. They are 50s-60s Chippewas that started as a much taller pair with kick plates and metal taps on the soles. I had Zip cut them down and resole them. His work speaks for itself, but I have to say his turn around and pricing are pretty damn good too. It was only $200 for all the work he did on these, and he said a standard resole with Biltrite half soles only runs $180.

The before:

The after:

The shafts look uneven, but are even when stretched to their true height.

And his standard resole with Biltrite half soles (which are still very nice IMO)

And a few pics of the RRLs I recently purchased since I just mentioned them.

Obviously not everyone's cup of tea, but I really like them. The extra features on these are a nice touch, like the extra stitching at the rear, the brass roller buckles and the sole work, but I don't think I would have paid anywhere close to retail for them.

[attackwithstones]

I hate myself for not buying the same RRLs you posted. I waited too long and missed out. I think they look so sweet!

[smittybat]

rayw44 - Those boots look great. Noticed you're selling some boots on Ebay too.

[rayw44]

Ya, I sort of have a backlog of stuff I needed to get rid of. Some are boots I originally planned to sell, and others are from my collection that I just don't have room for.

Attackwithstones, I think I saw a few more of the studded rrls on ebay in like 8 9 and 10. The seller who has them for $795 was easy to deal with and actually negotiated a lower price with me.

[fre-co]

I've just listed my 9E Roy boots on ebay.

If any sufu users want them now is the time to message me.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280781001285

[SLAB]

Rayw44, resole on those engineers looks very good, so do the biltrites; ah, also pls check your pm

not everyones cup-of-tea but Red Wing released a new model: the 'IronSmith'; engineers with a cap toe (available in black, brown and tan)

Uploaded at ImageFra.me

Uploaded at ImageFra.me

[arcarsenal]

Yes, navy ones from Oak Street Bootsmakers and the other is custom made by Rancourt.

Cool, nice looking shoe. How do you like them? I know they're completely different than the camp boot, but, how did you find the sizing? Spot on true to size like they say?

[js0930]

hey, a heads up for anyone visiting bangkok. i was wandering through jatujack (or chatuchak) market last weekend and saw a bootery selling engineer harness and cowboy boots. i didn't look that long, but for anyone that's interested it looked like all the boots were good year welted, natural/brown midsoles, leather stacked heels and i believe the one pair of boots i looked at was 2500 baht ($80), but don't quote me on that. Definitely not the same quality as viberg or whites, but worth looking into if you're coming through here and you can't afford the higher end goods (or want something no one else has). in the next 2 weeks i'm going to try to head out there with my camera.

it's across from the denim section if you know the market at all. if not, send me a pm and i'll try to explain in more detail.

[fre-co]

More engineers:

These are my new Wesco boss. stock make up, I got these for a pretty good deal.

Here's a question for engineer aficionados: How fucking tight should they be!? They are certainly gripping my foot around the instep. Am I going to be crippled for life? Any advice on how they should fit and feel when new would be much appreciated (imaginary rep will be given)

[Obbigood]

^ nice Boss!

Mine is tight too, esp on top. But still acceptable.

Ya, more engineers

Wesco Boss Burlap and rough out meet up.

[rkusmant]

Cool, nice looking shoe. How do you like them? I know they're completely different than the camp boot, but, how did you find the sizing? Spot on true to size like they say?

Sizing a bit tighter than OS because it's leather lined. Both of my 2 pairs are oxford trail shoes, so exactly same style.

I know (Kyle) Rancourt is kind of new name here but great service and less than 2 weeks for shipped custom order never hurts, my wallet does actually.

more pics here:

[hollowsleather]

Rancourt is going to be huge. They buy unglazed undyed shell cordovan from Horween and dye their own.

Fucking awesome.

I miss capital letters.

[arcarsenal]

yeaaah been eyeing rancourt as well, maybe for a pair of oxfords in the spring.

the shoes look great, thanks for the other pics.

[ThinFinn]

copped these yesterday.

Yuketen Johnson Boot

to cont.

[ThinFinn]

cont.

[stingray1381]

Very nice, thin.

[Denim Phenom]

The cap toe on those engineer boots is ugly.

[akuma no uta]

I'd like to see some more leathers here, and when I say more leathers I mean like, llama, bison, camel, deer etc.

[lazymuthafuka]

Before

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After

[baldy]

I don't get it..

[beatle]

lol

[Seul]

They were cleaned...

Here are my three year old Grensons, and my 6 months old Oakstreet Bootmakers. I just had a new sole put on my Grensons to provide me with some grip... A nice, thin Vibram-esque sole.