Shoes that look better with age...

[garden gnomes in space]

I too, have suspected that the Cats Paws are being reproduced. Im not sure when thy stopped making them, but I find it highly unlikely that these pristine examples are all of the sudden being found and used. Cobblers shops are fucking filthy where the resoling takes place. these soles and heels should not be looking brand new.

[erk]

I remember reading somewhere that cat's paw came under ownership of vibram and vibram has licensed the designs to some company in japan, and they're reproducing them. I have no idea how to find that info now, but I do remember reading something along those lines.

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[coleslawyum]

Yes, Toyo Enterprise is behind Sugar Cane, Mr. Freedom, (production side), Cheswick etc. etc.

I think they even started a small capsule of Cat's Paw "clothing" which probably has to licensed in order to be produced.

In terms of Real McCoy's and Toys McCoy, they use their own specific factory separate from who Sugar Cane uses. Could be more than one company that licenses Cat's Paw.

[ranonranonarat]

buying brand new cat's paws must somewhat be like buying present day LVC's? i really wouldn't be surprised if those were remade instead of "deadstock". double 0, good luck with your search. ebay, craigslist and sometimes etsy (strange but true) is a good place to find what you're looking for. things come up in strange places all the time... i'll let you know if i happen to come across any.

[ranonranonarat]

in other news, i've recently sent some tricker's to richard for a resole. they were oringinally tricker's x present brogue boots which were on a vibram moreflex sole which i hated. they didn't get a whole lot of wear out of them compared to my other boots so i decided that they would be better off with a resole (more for form reasons than function). richard and michelle were a great help, communication was extremely brisk and i couldn't be happier with their service. i didn't really know how they would look in the end but i'm glad i took the plunge. opted for a switch to a single leather midsole with commando soles and a commando heel stack. the greatest worry other than them getting lost in the mail was probably the choice of the tone of leather he used but boy these turned out great. with that said, they will be getting a lot more mileage. attached a picture of the original boot for better visualisation purposes.

[garden gnomes in space]

fucking right, those look great. I love the Christy sole, but not on English boots. They look 100 times better in my opinion

[stingray1381]

Is there any easy way to buy toys McCoy? And, do they make boots in larger sizes? I am an 11.5 in dress shoes and 11 in Indys.

[denimjunky]

So how do Lone Wolf Mechanics measure up against White's SDs etc regarding build quality?

They look like CXL...

Edited November 17, 2012 by denimjunky

[Double 0 Soul]

Dont know what happened to Cats Paw, Did it go bankrupt or was it just mothballed? The license to use the name has obviously been sold.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Double 0 Soul

[Double 0 Soul]

True thats the only way I've found them. BTW, what size are your heels? If your boots are 7.5 US, you always have to go with a size 8 or 9 heel. Which I happen to have a pair… (9-10, that is)

Your Cherry Red Railmans are one of the reasons i ordered the black Beauties!, Gleaned a bit of sizing advice from you on the quiet too.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Double 0 Soul

[Double 0 Soul]

If Cats Paw are being reproduced it would not be too much of a bad thing, Rubber manufacture has come a long way since the 40,s Just look at the technology in car tyres. If you could have the charm of a Cats Paw sole with a modern high grade rubber why not?

Rubber tends to brake down over time and loose its proporties, Old car and bike tyres are allways cracked. Elastic bands are fucked in a year or two. The soles on the L/W,s took some abuse and after 4 years not one sign of a crack. Strange No?

Edited November 20, 2012 by Double 0 Soul

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[engar]

I need to stop looking in this thread. It's potentially financial ruin.

+1

ranonranonarat, how much for the resoling?

[ranonranonarat]

the workmanship cost me £80 and shipping to and fro was approximately £50. pretty reasonable by my standards..

Edited November 17, 2012 by ranonranonarat

[BrownMetallic]

the workmanship cost me �80 and shipping to and fro was approximately �50. pretty reasonable by my standards..

that in $ing or GBP?

good to know__ something to consider for future resoling. tnx..

[ranonranonarat]

prices are in pounds. fixed!

Edited November 17, 2012 by ranonranonarat

[denimjunky]

If Cats Paw are being reproduced it would not be too much of a bad thing, Rubber manufacture has come a long way since the 40,s Just look at the technology in car tyres. Thats why Vibram are so dam good. If you could have the charm of a Cats Paw sole with a modern high grade rubber why not?

Rubber tends to brake down over time and loose its proporties, Old car and bike tyres are allways cracked. Elastic bands are fucked in a year or two. The soles on the L/W,s took some abuse and after 4 years not one sign of a crack. Strange No?

Yeah.

Cat paws tend to get a worse rep when compared to Vibram but yours sure held up well. 4 years of heavy wear. Not bad at all.

As you already insinuate, could be a remakes.

Edited November 17, 2012 by denimjunky

[onehundy]

Does anyone know if I can get my plain cap toe on my semidress replaced by a medallion cap toe?

[denimjunky]

Never heard of that. Might be a suitable question for Kyle at bakers.

What? Tired of your config?

[smittybat]

I remember reading somewhere that cat's paw came under ownership of vibram and vibram has licensed the designs to some company in japan, and they're reproducing them. I have no idea how to find that info now, but I do remember reading something along those lines.

I think bilt rite makes them now.

http://www.american-biltrite.com/footwear-components

[bestie]

Ranonran, the resole looks incredible. You definitely made the right choice. It's like you've now got a completely different, nicer-looking (I think) boot. Well done.

Side note: I saw a homie wearing White's semi dress THIS MORNING at my laundrymat on Bedford/S 2nd. I KNOW YOU'RE ON HERE -- REVEAL YOURSELF.

They looked nice, too.

Side note 2: any recs on strong, waxed flat brown laces? The ones that came with my SD are already splitting and showing signs of wear... White's: what the hell? Haven't even had them 72 hours and they have approx 30 hours of casual city walkin'. Little surprised. First world problems...

Side note 3: I've noticed that my heel slips **ever so slightly** in my new SD when running down stairs (chasing the subway). Not a huge deal, but does this mean I actually sized wrong? Is this an issue of length or width? They feel and fit amazing otherwise.

That's about it. Good stuff lately. Those boots (both of 'em) double 0 posted are "wow."

[paladin]

I guess these don't quite "look better with age," but maybe they belong here anyway. 1980's Red Wings, post-hurricane Sandy. Left in the closet when we evacuated, then subsequently submerged in salt water, sewage, and who knows what else, dried out, and worn for three weeks of house clean-up. The leather still seems surprisingly viable, so I am thinking I might try to salvage these and give them to a nice re-sole. Anybody have any tips on how to treat them?

[garden gnomes in space]

scrub them down with some leather cleaner of your choice. When they dry naturally, slather them in Obenauf's and et them soak that shit up.

[mlwdp]

Had to rep him for the boots. Story reminds me of the Harley that was found after the tsunami.

[denimjunky]

Or leather cleaner and boot oil afterwards...

[exaptavist]

.

Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[exaptavist]

.

Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[bestie]

Update: at the end of day #3, when I went to unlace my new White's after a gloriously long day of working, I discovered that the speed hook had already punctured the flat lace, making the one lace ready to break within a week or so. The hole isn't giant (whites speed hooks are kinda dinky IMO) but I'm pretty unimpressed. I'm hoping its a defect; whites has always been very fast about communicating and always are very helpful.

Also, sno-sealed them yesterday. I felt like they instantly softened up and felt more broken in within 10 mins of wear after a treatment!! Crazy stuff!

[CrashTestBrummie]

Anybody tried Obenauf's Treated Laces?

https://www.obenaufs...ategory&path=33

You could build a fucking hammock out of a couple of sets of the longer pair.

I changed over to using their LP a while ago in place of dubbin. Occurred to me yesterday that it's not the kind of product that gets used on EGs too often