Shoes that look better with age...

[Megatron1505]

I definitely specified a Vibram composition half sole, or a Vibram mini lug sole, just my taste really. The quality of the workmanship is fine, but it's just not what I wanted.

I have emailed James Taylor and Sons to register my disappointment, especially considering their reputation this is a real elementary error on their part. I have suggested that they should either rework them free of charge, or provide a refund to allow me to get the rework done elsewhere.

What really pisses me off though is that the full lug sole is exactly the sole I sent them with to be replaced, plus I specified exactly what I wanted, spoke to them on the phone, emailed them pictures, and even sent them hard copies of pictures showing the exact profile I wanted to achieve with the soles I requested.

[Megatron1505]

Nope, no heel change, they didn't carry what I wanted so I was going to get that done separately, The midsole is the original, and the welt does look the same as before.

[fre-co]

Sounds like they screwed up then, they should certainly re do it free. It's a shame since your welt has a finite resole life before it must be rewelted too.

[Megatron1505]

Yeh, I'm going to await their response with interest, it's not like it was a cheap resole either.

[garden gnomes in space]

Damn, you seem to have been very specific. Im wondering what kind of communication breakdown had to occur for them to fuck up like that.

[CrashTestBrummie]

i can empathise to a certain degree...i sent my old eg veldts down to london in the autumn for a complete resole and wore them in the worst of the winter weather. i was giving them an end-of-winter conditioning last week and noticed this:

took them to a local cobbler who wasn't impressed at all with the work that had been done, saying that they'd not bothered to do a simple stitching job before sticking on the sole.

having paid a decent wedge for the job, i sent them back down to the same cobbler via c&j and asked for a rework of the whole job. got them back yesterday and i've a sneaking suspicion that they've simply glued the whole thing back together (on the right):

time will tell, of course, but i'll be asking for a full refund via c&j if the same problem occurs, which i hope it doesn't. the cobbler could find that it hurts him deeply if the job has been botched again though, as the manager of the c&j shop was deeply unimpressed with having to re-send the boots down to a cobbler who he'd recommended personally and who gets a lot of work via crockett.

bonus boot pic, because i can:

[smittybat]

Any clown can glue a new sole on, you'd think they'd know better and do what you asked.

FYI I had my SD's resoled at White's with a double leather sole for $117 with return shipping, took only 2-3 weeks. They're inbound and I will post pics on arrival.

[knucks]

My wallet hates me...

Edited March 21, 2012 by knucks

[fre-co]

That is shoddy work ctb. Are you going to name and shame the culprit?

[CrashTestBrummie]

yeah, koko's (spelling?) in london.

used by crockett & jones for all non-c&j cobbler's jobs.

[knucks]

Any clown can glue a new sole on, you'd think they'd know better and do what you asked.

FYI I had my SD's resoled at White's with a double leather sole for $117 with return shipping, took only 2-3 weeks. They're inbound and I will post pics on arrival.

Curious: How long did you wear the SD before getting them resoled?

[PeterParker]

To be honest, I don't know if I'm happy or not. The quality of the workmanship seems to be very good...

Was the right edge of the sole (welt and midsole) on the right boot already chewed up before you had them resoled? If that wasn't pre-existing, I would consider that to be pretty shoddy workmanship...

[Paul T]

yeah, koko's (spelling?) in london.

used by crockett & jones for all non-c&j cobbler's jobs.

Very disappointing. I have to say I called them and found them a bit... not snooty, more standoffish, when I needed my veldt shoes resoling. I've worn mine - done by John Rushton's workman , who does a lot of veldtschoen stuff - a fair amount, seems good - maybe C&J should use him.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Paul T

[CrashTestBrummie]

maybe their association with c&j has gone to their heads!

i've got the shoe healer resoling a different pair of boots (as soon as he can get his hands on some ridgeways), maybe i should've just stuck with him...

[Maynard Friedman]

Continuing the shoddy cobbler workmanship theme, I've just had a pair of Loake brogue monks resoled (full leather sole and new heel) by Loake themselves. I had to send them back as the fronts of both heels (at the corners) were not properly attached to the soles. Received them again yesterday and they're now fine. Very disappointed at their initial quality control though.

[CrashTestBrummie]

must be summat in the water at the moment...

[SLAB]

whats up with all the unfortunate resoling.

I finally tracked down a local cobbler with a rapid e machine. Dude has been a cobbler his whole life and about to retire next year. He was just working on a pair of cordovan allen edmond chukkas. Don't know if I formulated my requests poorly but when I asked him if its possible to remove the crepe sole from my Alden Roy's and replace them with double leather soles he started ranting about its not possible because he does not own a last for the shoes and it would deform them??? perhaps he assumed i wanted a rewelt? (not sure if a cobbler needs a shoe last when doing a rewelt). anyway might give it a shot with a pair of red wings.

Edited March 21, 2012 by SLAB

[jaz13]

For those who own Viberg and Julian Boots. What is your comparison of the two? Do they both use same weight/quality hides. I know Viberg is particularly known for heavy leather. What about construction and dirability?

Cheers,

anyone?

Are there any White's or other alternatives to the Viberg's Serviceman Boot?

[coleslawyum]

I would venture to say that viberg is more modern workboot (but finished quite nicely) and Julian has a more 50's repro vibe. they both have used quality hides from Horween.

What's up with all the fucked up cobblering skills?

megatron- it looks like they just glued that sole back on. I hope they managed to nail the heel back on correctly instead of just pasting it on. what they should've done is remove the outside row of stitching, glued the sole on and then rapid stitch it again. I hope they didn't charge you too much for that bullshit work.

slab- it is better to have the correct last for a re-welt, but since it's the first re-sole, you just need some thing to hold it in place. the crepe sole is glued to a midsole, so all your cobbler needs to do is pull off the sole from the mid-sole and add a leather outsole.

here is takeshi Okuyama showing how to do it.

[ADDIC]

anyone know a legit shop in orange county to get some vibram soles for my Wolverine 1000 mile boots?

[marineabilly]

^ I have a list of boot repair shops on my blog. I think there's one in Fullerton on there. There's a review here:

http://vintageengineerboots.blogspot.jp/2011/07/resoled-chippewa-27899s.html

[indigoeagle]

Thanks for the comments! the railmans are tough as shit, but surprisingly comfortable. its the best mix of a dress shoe and work boot.

I actually dyed the chippewas green, but for the toe part I used a blue wax to experiment with the color. these days i'm using a green wax so the colors will match a bit better.

Beautiful boots there.

How did you dye them?

And what do you recommend if one wants to get boots in lighter brown a bit darker? I was thinking that a black cream should work. What do you think?

Also do you know what the difference would be between coloured wax and coloured creme?

I still have this Shoe Gear Shoe Polish Water Resistant with Carnauba lying at home from at least 7 years ago. Not sure if it's any good. It doesn't list any ingredients:

http://www.wards5and10.com/shoe-gear-1994-1.html

I'd be glad to get some products for this purpose recommended, too. I've heard of Meltonian. Not sure if that would fit the bill.

[ranonranonarat]

interest check.

i have been on the hunt for some quabaug heels for a while now and since i can't find any here in singapore or ebay for that matter, i am resorting to a group buy. i understand that it should be pretty easy to get these in the US from your local shoe repair store/cobbler, so this group buy will rather be more beneficial for people residing outside of the US.

haven't exactly had anything firmed up yet including prices, but i have sent out a couple of emails and made some enquiries with regards to this. do drop me a PM with the number of pairs you are keen in, so that i can contact those of you who are keen. attached below is a picture for reference.

edit: at the moment i can't guarantee that i can get them yet but i am putting this out just so i can have a general idea of how may pairs we're looking at and whether we can get a bulk discount on this. also not looking to make any money out of this, just covering cost.

Edited March 22, 2012 by ranonranonarat

[coleslawyum]

That's crazy that there's no Quabaug (vibram in the us) in Singapore. Do you know what the cobbler in Singapore uses instead?

Beautiful boots there.

How did you dye them?

And what do you recommend if one wants to get boots in lighter brown a bit darker? I was thinking that a black cream should work. What do you think?

Also do you know what the difference would be between coloured wax and coloured creme?

I still have this Shoe Gear Shoe Polish Water Resistant with Carnauba lying at home from at least 7 years ago. Not sure if it's any good. It doesn't list any ingredients:

http://www.wards5and...ear-1994-1.html

I'd be glad to get some products for this purpose recommended, too. I've heard of Meltonian. Not sure if that would fit the bill.

I just use leather dye, available at any craft, art or shoe store.

I would throw that 7 year old polish in the bin. Wax doesn't really have a long shelf life because they can easily dry out. Since it says water resistant, i suspect it has some kind of silicone base.

You can use a dark brown shoe cream to darken the upper. if you use black, it will start to make the brown have a blue cast. Unless thats the look you're going for.

Shoe cream has an oil base, so leather will absorb it well. Its meant for blending in scratches and scuffs. Shoe wax has, not surprisingly, a wax base used for getting a shine. I use a combination of both.

I only use saphir these days. i also recommend Tapir if you are looking for something that has less toxic chemicals. there is a maker in california that makes shoe cream / wax that uses only with natural ingredients. i haven't tried them yet, but i'll give it a go soon.

Edited March 22, 2012 by coleslawyum

[ranonranonarat]

most of the older street cobblers here use china made heels or heels which are unbranded, so i don't have any idea where they're from. the more "proper" repair shops in malls have some vibram heels but mostly thinner ones not suited for boots. most of the places i've been to, work more on dress shoes instead of boots. on top of that, i am not too keen about paying 35USD for a pair of heels when in reality they cost a lot less. i've had good experience with these heels, so most definitely i would like to go back to the same brand/make instead of making a switch.

i found it pretty surprising that i couldn't find any on ebay though.

[Megatron1505]

24 hours and absolutely no response from james taylor and sons, so much for being a reputable cobbler.

[killer b]

what's the concensus on john white shoes? green suede wouldn't normally be my thing, but they were £7 in tkmaxx this afternoon - seem to be of fairly sturdy construction...

[CrashTestBrummie]

what's the concensus on john white shoes? green suede wouldn't normally be my thing, but they were £7 in tkmaxx this afternoon - seem to be of fairly sturdy construction...

there was a mini-discussion on here about a year ago - i bought a pair of scotch grain brogue boots by them, and then sold them on ebay as i embarked on a 'little' spree of Tricker's and then veldtschoen (can tricker's be described as a gateway boot-drug?!).

they seem ok for the money, similar to loake in build, quality and cost and i suspect that they're also only assembled in england as i don't think they're a 'shoe-maker' in the sense that crockett, tricker's et al could be considered as such. some of their leather seems to be a little flimsy, though, and i've wondered if tk maxx are actually selling their (un-marked) seconds alongside their regular stock. yours seem pretty decent, though.

their stuff seems to pop up a lot in tk maxx though, and a lot of other stuff by them can be found there under different brand names. i bought someone a pair of their blue suede brogue boots recently as a present - goodyear-welted for about twenty quid in their clearance section, so a bit of a bargain if you're not too up your own arse when it comes to provenance of your footwear (i possibly fall into this category...).

24 hours and absolutely no response from james taylor and sons, so much for being a reputable cobbler.

send them a link to this page and see if that gets them shifting...

Edited March 22, 2012 by CrashTestBrummie

[indigoeagle]

I just use leather dye, available at any craft, art or shoe store.

I would throw that 7 year old polish in the bin.

You can use a dark brown shoe cream to darken the upper. if you use black, it will start to make the brown have a blue cast. Unless thats the look you're going for.

Shoe cream has an oil base, so leather will absorb it well. Its meant for blending in scratches and scuffs. Shoe wax has, not surprisingly, a wax base used for getting a shine. I use a combination of both.

I only use saphir these days. i also recommend Tapir if you are looking for something that has less toxic chemicals. there is a maker in california that makes shoe cream / wax that uses only with natural ingredients. i haven't tried them yet, but i'll give it a go soon.

Thanks for the interesting info and recommendation.

Is Tapir the Californian maker you referred to or would that be a different one.

For general leather maintenance I have both Obenauf LP and Mustang Paste. And I'd like to have my brown boots become darker but not blue, so brown cream/wax it is then.

Do you use the cream and wax in a special order with some time between the different treatments?

[killer b]

there was a mini-discussion on here about a year ago - i bought a pair of scotch grain brogue boots by them, and then sold them on ebay as i embarked on a 'little' spree of Tricker's and then veldtschoen (can tricker's be described as a gateway boot-drug?!).

they seem ok for the money, similar to loake in build, quality and cost and i suspect that they're also only assembled in england as i don't think they're a 'shoe-maker' in the sense that crockett, tricker's et al could be considered as such. some of their leather seems to be a little flimsy, though, and i've wondered if tk maxx are actually selling their (un-marked) seconds alongside their regular stock. yours seem pretty decent, though.

their stuff seems to pop up a lot in tk maxx though, and a lot of other stuff by them can be found there under different brand names. i bought someone a pair of their blue suede brogue boots recently as a present - goodyear-welted for about twenty quid in their clearance section, so a bit of a bargain if you're not too up your own arse when it comes to provenance of your footwear (i possibly fall into this category...).

yeah, there's been a load of them cropping up over the last 12 months, but never in my size, or more than i was prepared to pay (tbh, i was never going to pay much for green suede brogues...). 7 quid was too low to turn down though....