Shoes that look better with age...

[Knoll]

Sturdy-looking boots there, davichan!

Question for the shoe care experts amongst us: cleaned up the newly-arrived Coniston (and I can see why now those who own it rate the boot so highly, truly a thing of beauty), but there seems to be some kind of residue in the grain on the body of the boot. I've cleaned the boots with saddle soap, and added a touch of cream and polish but residue is still there.

Any ideas on how to clear it off the leather, or is this normal with country grain?

Also, when bulling the toecaps I noticed this mark came up after a while:

It was a lot whiter at first, but I left some polish on overnight and buffed it gently this morning and it looks a lot more subtle.

Again, any ideas on what it is and how to remedy, if possible?

Nice boots! It is not so clear what the residue is like due to the light and reflections. I have some new zug grain boots that have a residue almost like a powder or dried soap mark.

How did you get rid?

[CrashTestBrummie]

Nice boots! It is not so clear what the residue is like due to the light and reflections. I have some new zug grain boots that have a residue almost like a powder or dried soap mark.

How did you get rid?

I followed the advice given by riff a few posts later - he said that it was most likely due to wax coming through the leather. I used a hairdryer on a medium setting to soften the wax, and used a cotton rag to rub the wax back into the leather, and then buffed the boot.

All sorted now

What boots do you have?

[Knoll]

I see, makes sense, I missed that later post. I have these;

http://www.thebureaubelfast.com/shop/product/1510/trickers-for-the-bureau-brown-zug-grain-toe-cap-super-boot-dainite/

Was quite surprised when they arrived so soon because I assumed they were MTO with a leadtime.

[Highvoltage]

Here's my 403's about a week in. My favorite shoes ever.

A lousy pic of my Iron Rangers at work. They are breaking in nice, very comfortable. They are starting to look like proper work boots, which they are:

[CrashTestBrummie]

I see, makes sense, I missed that later post. I have these;

http://www.thebureaubelfast.com/shop/product/1510/trickers-for-the-bureau-brown-zug-grain-toe-cap-super-boot-dainite/

Was quite surprised when they arrived so soon because I assumed they were MTO with a leadtime.

They are MTO, made tor the shop in question, but they would have ordered in bulk so as to have a number of pairs in stock.

Very, very handsome boots - could you please share more pics?

[Paul T]

Very, very handsome boots - could you please share more pics?

Seconded! We need glossy, close-up photos!

The Bureau do a great job with their Tricker's.

[choice]

Shameless plug, letting go of my Alden Roy boots and my cordovan chukkas: link below

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=276443

[CrashTestBrummie]

They look terrific - that zug grain is notorious for wearing in slowly, the fella who turned me on to the Selkirk told me it took about six months before his were comfortable.

After a day of tramping for miles round a large theme park, I really hope that the fella who said that to you is someone who doesn't walk much...my heels are pretty much shredded after a day in these battleships...love them to bits, though, even if they do make the Grasmere feel like a soft velvet slipper

Any joy with your trip to Northampton?

[Knoll]

They are MTO, made tor the shop in question, but they would have ordered in bulk so as to have a number of pairs in stock.

Very, very handsome boots - could you please share more pics?

Seconded! We need glossy, close-up photos!

The Bureau do a great job with their Tricker's.

Yes, I had assumed a leadtime but stock availability aside they will also be benefiting from volume procurement. I will see what I can muster over the weekend, my photography will more than likely let the side down.

I may also be able to post pics of my Malton on return from The Shoe Healer.

[Paul T]

I have a check imminent, and thought I'd celebrate with a trip to Northampton to indulge my obsession for some zug grain.

First stop was Tricker's.

They're in the town centre; I chatted for some time with David, who's fairly well-known, and helpful. Unfortunately we wasted lots of time yakking about cameras when we should have been taling about shoes, and then suddenly about another six people arrived.

Their showroom is terrific, in that you can look straight into the factory. They have some retro radio station playing loud, so you see them making shoes to the sound of "Live and Let Die", by Wings. As Alan Partridge once said: "Wings - the band the Beatles could have been..."

One day I'd like to do a proper photo story on the factory - but today I was really pushed for time.

I noticed that Tricker's have made a beautiful zug veldtschoen in the past - this was in the display cabinet.

Now they will only make this as a custom boot - around £490. Wish I could...

They aren't keen on veldtschoen, it's not their thing. David was saying a veldt shoe will only take three resoles before there's not enough body to restitch. THen he spontaneously pointed out that three resoles with a Commando sole might take several decades.

They had an OK range - unfortunately, my camera's just started playing up so I don't have shots. I was open minded about what I'd see - would have been interested in a grasmere, or brogues, or even another pair of Malton or Stow, or other boots. But sadly... all the interesting boots were in other sizes. (for instance, the Bureau Grasmere in a 9). They had some funky green Chelsea brogue, in a lime green, an Italian collab, too. But no Burford or Grasmere in my size, sadly.

He mentioned also they have a lot of demand for Vibram soles - but they're limited by the production on the soles. Seems like they do an almost mind-boggling number of collaborations world-wide. I can see how that makes total sense for them. He and I didn't discuss this, but I realise while there's a huge price hike in the UK, some of it is the rise in VAT, and that doesn't apply for overseas buyers - who also benefit from an improved exchange rate. So I get the feeling their overseas market is holding up well.

David went into the factory to look for anything else - he found this pair of Ilkley, which I liked. But the fit wasn't perfect... we'd sized down (the Ilkley is on 4444, a bigger last than the Stowe) and it was snug around the instep but a little loose at the heel.

I was tempted, but thought I'd leave it for now, as I also planned a trip to Joseph Cheaney, and Crockett and Jones.

Country shoes, seconds, are £210, boots £220. Fair value, but oh for the days when they were £150 or so.

Cheaney are a half-hour drive away - thru attractive countryside, and in the spirit of Englishness, there was a Spitfire flying around the countryside about five miles out of Northampton - caught a flash of those elliptical wings, and recognised the sound of that Merlin engine, then a few minutes later it came in to land right above me. Wonder who it belongs to?

The Cheaney Factory is about two miles outside Kettering in a small town, Desborough.

The factory looks interesting - the shop is in a smaller house, opposite.

[Paul T]

Charming assistants with chunky brummie accents. But another blow-out on the options. My main hope in the dirve to Northampton was I'd find a pair of Cheaney Pennines or the Cairngorm. But again, nothing in my size.

To make it worse, they had a pair of Windermere (the same boots as the Pennine, which they make for Herring), in Size 9, Just too big. I tried em on, walked round in them, even for £100, I had to admit they were simply the wrong size.

Compared to Trickers' the Cheaney range is, when you see them lined up, a bit more old-fashioned, kind of slick. Lots of antiqued leathers, not to my taste, but the workmanship was beautiful. They are now owned by Church's.

Their prices vary, probably proportionate to Tricker's, which cost a little more retail, but some of them definitely come in with more of a discount than the Tricker's factory prices, altho they have maybe three quarters the amount of stock.

Those Windermere were gorgeous. And I liked this zug boot - but I want something in Burgundy or dk tan, as I have a lot of mid tan:

So, again, no result. So it was back to Northampton for the Crockett and JOnes factory shop, which only opens Friday afternoon and Saturday.

Again, another imposing factory building.

A reasonable amount of stock. I'd read they do all their samples in 8, and that there's a better choice of shoes in this size. Not today.

One of those vertical dividers contains all of the 8. Nothing that floated my boat, but for the Coniston, which was pretty good value at £220, considering their retail prices are a fair bit higher than Tricker's. Again, wrong colour for me.

So. I restrained myself, and went home. A worthwhile trip, but next time I'll call Cheaney up to see what they have, before trecking out there.

It's hard to be definitive on Tricker's from chat with them alone, because I mentioned that i knew Levi's and Present people, with whom they've done collabs, but they seem by far the hippest, and youth-oriented - of course it's personal, but the chunkiness and solidity of all their boots sets them apart from all the others, who seem more aimed towards barristers and formal wear. Of course, that kind of thing could be far more profitable for all I know, as I only tend hang out with metrosexuals.

If I'd had time, I would probably have gone back to Tricker's and picked up those Ilkley. But I was rushed, and thought I'd leave a purchase to another day when I could enjoy it and not be panicked into it.

[robbie]

^ very cool post, thanks for sharing. Those factories are beautiful looking. Nothing around here like that, we had a handful of car factories in OKC which were similar, but I love all the windows. Thanks for sharing, sucks you weren't able to come away with anything.

[Denton]

the windermere are gorgeous

very nice paul

[morse9443]

Best boots post in a long time. Thanks for sharing, Paul.

[denimjunky]

Interesting journalism, Paul! (must spread)

[Lendo]

So i picked up a pair of Yuketen Cap toe oxfords a bit over a year ago on eBay for a ridiculously good price, decided to modify them a bit. They were originally brown, had them dyed black. Also had the leather sole replaced with a Vibram Gumlite sole by my local shoe repair folks. I'm really happy with the way they turned out and plan on wearing them into the ground.

[BrownMetallic]

had time to wipe the winter gunk off the R/O WSJs. since the "smooth" is on the inside, getting in them is like sliding in a pair of well-fitting gloves. they've been really, really comfortble to wear :-D

__some before

... & after pix

i'm going to do a 2nd pass to further clean & raise the naps

[CrashTestBrummie]

Great post, Paul - need to spread etc.

Shame you weren't able to pick anything up, but cheers for sharing the pics and info with us - and those Tricker's veldtschoen really floated my boat, predictably enough. Truly mouth-watering stuff...

And Brummies in the Cheaney place? Whatever next?!

[Paul T]

Shame you weren't able to pick anything up, but cheers for sharing the pics and info with us - and those Tricker's veldtschoen really floated my boat, predictably enough. Truly mouth-watering stuff...

MTO? How many would we need?

I bet we can talk Riff into it, that's three...

[CrashTestBrummie]

We'd need six...

[rkusmant]

Yeah, count me in for the veldtschoen. What's the model name?

[ranonranonarat]

paul thanks for sharing that. i am still looking around at a purchase but still havent found something that hit the spot for me yet. nevertheless it was a very informative post. photojourn must be your forte.

[kansas]

Paul, thanks for the post. Very interesting. Must spread.....

[mikecch]

Fantastic trip Paul T! Very jealous of all these shoe makers in the UK.

Well, I found a place in Melbourne that has a few pairs of AS and Church's - mostly loafers, etc though, no boots.

Southern Hemisphere prices of course (AUD is stronger than the USD atm too!)

McCloud's has a shoe factory, and produce their own shoes.

They have the machinery and skills to repair and re-sole (with leather, Vibram's version of the Dainite, Commando, etc) Goodyear welted boots too

Erm, couple more pics to bore you with.

I thought the colour contrast with the Nihon Menpu 40500 denim was quite interesting:

Very happy with the grain experiment - a very "British" growth

[denimjunky]

Nice setup:

[mikecch]

MTO? How many would we need?

I bet we can talk Riff into it, that's three...

We'd need six...

Very interested (if after July)!

What colour and out-sole were you thinking of?

[CrashTestBrummie]

I noticed that Tricker's have made a beautiful zug veldtschoen in the past - this was in the display cabinet.

Now they will only make this as a custom boot - around £490. Wish I could...

If this was MTO as a group order, it would be £325 each - and I don't think non-UK residents would have to pay 20% Value Added Tax (VAT), which would be a bonus.

Yeah, count me in for the veldtschoen. What's the model name?

Very interested (if after July)!

What colour and out-sole were you thinking of?

Don't know the model name (Paul?), and I'd like to know what last it was made on - probably the 4497s last.

As for details, it would have to be brown zug grain, and I don't think you'd do much with the outsole - but maybe have brass eyelets for contrast and/or black piping.

I'd have to be a 'possible' for this (and July would work for me, too), as I've already got two boots in zug and would need to think about whether I really needed another one, no matter how nice it was - the lack of toecap would be a draw, as would a different last (maybe the 4444 last, otherwise it would be too similar to a Grasmere).

Tempting, though...

[Paul T]

Don't know the model name (Paul?), and I'd like to know what last it was made on - probably the 4497s last.

As for details, it would have to be brown zug grain, and I don't think you'd do much with the outsole - but maybe have brass eyelets for contrast and/or black piping.

I'd have to be a 'possible' for this (and July would work for me, too), as I've already got two boots in zug and would need to think about whether I really needed another one, no matter how nice it was...

If we could get them for £325, that would be something of a bargain. Many of their MTO are simply variants on their existing styles - a Stow with a natural welt, or in contrasting colours, etc.

These would be much more interesting, a classic but unusual design, a throwback to Tricker's history selling boots to the military, and - although it's strictly a secondary consideration - I can see them appreciating in value, and being sold by this guy in a few years for an extortionate sum. Definitely a Rolls Royce for Mondeo Money.

For me, it's the interesting shape that's the attraction - I would only be interested in that burgundy colour and a dark trim option, with commando sole. I'd settle for a Storm Welt altho I'd much prefer veldtschoen, it's sleeker. I'd want to keep it reasonably plain, as to me that's the essence of their appeal. Speedhooks would be cool. I don't really have the disposable income for boots, but for these I'd make an exception, having them done late summer/autumn would be a benefit.

[CrashTestBrummie]

If we could get them for £325, that would be something of a bargain. Many of their MTO are simply variants on their existing styles - a Stow with a natural welt, or in contrasting colours, etc.

These would be much more interesting, a classic but unusual design, a throwback to Tricker's history selling boots to the military, and - although it's strictly a secondary consideration - I can see them appreciating in value, and being sold by this guy in a few years for an extortionate sum. Definitely a Rolls Royce for Mondeo Money.

For me, it's the interesting shape that's the attraction - I would only be interested in that burgundy colour and a dark trim option, with commando sole. I'd settle for a Storm Welt altho I'd much prefer veldtschoen, it's sleeker. I'd want to keep it reasonably plain, as to me that's the essence of their appeal. Speedhooks would be cool. I don't really have the disposable income for boots, but for these I'd make an exception, having them done late summer/autumn would be a benefit.

Worth dropping David a line off the back of your trip, maybe?

Having a storm welt would just make them Grasmere with a plain toe, in essence, like the Bureau boots posted a couple of pages back - beautiful, but not different enough for my liking.

A veldtschoen build, on a sleek last, with plain toecap, speedhooks and that vamp seam shape...I'd consider selling the Grasmere to part-fund these...

You set on the commando sole for longevity?

[Paul T]

You set on the commando sole for longevity?

Yup, I'll call David Monday!

If we have a veldtschoen,my guess is we would need a sole that wears more slowly than leather. Are you agin'?