Shoes that look better with age...

[CrashTestBrummie]

great couple of posts. what's the 94% on the ridgeway?

great looking boots ranon.

no idea of what the 94% stands for, but it's on all three pairs of boots that i own with ridgeway soles. definitely my sole of preference, in case you'd not guessed...

and i agree, ranon's boots look bloody great.

Fabulous boots, guys. Ben, I cannot believe those Tricker's!

yeah, they're fantastic. they were originally very, very shiny and the leather was extremely brittle prior to the re-sole and subsequent heavy waxing. interesting metal in the original soles, too...

and the same 'old jewry' address on the insole, which is a one-piece without a sock liner or heel cushion:

for me, though, it's the 'beva boots' that are the real revelation, finding a pair of cc41 boots in such good nick under all that grime and birdshit! classic ammo boot styling and just in need of a new sole to make them wearable.

best £30 i've spent for a looooooong time...oh, and the lotus are the ww2 pattern, too, meaning that the tricker's are probably the junior boots of the trio of pairs.

Edited July 1, 2012 by CrashTestBrummie

[ranonranonarat]

thanks all for the compliments, i owe it to slab really.

bloody pictures wouldn't load earlier but beautiful boots ben, fantastic find and you sure did a fine job cleaning those up. those 50 year old tricker's are too good.

paul, a tad smaller and i would have picked those up from you. you should clean them up and put them right where they belong - your feet!

can't rep, can't seem to find the damned button.

Edited July 1, 2012 by ranonranonarat

[Seul]

Jesus tapdancing christ: these are amazing...

[Roguls]

what size are those???

size?

Cigar Indys are 10D.

[straightxedge]

Burg&SchildxViberg

[hollowsleather]

Finally got a shipping notice from Baker for my natural cxl smoke jumpers. Took 9 weeks.

I'll have pictures next week, if anyone looks at superfuture still. Feels like an empty auditorium around here lately.

[bangaucacat]

my white's

[garden gnomes in space]

hell yea, is that red dog rough out? looks amazing

[valz]

lthrkrft

[Rob060]

is it possible for a cobbler to stretch out leather in a certain spot? after the break in period the right boot feels perfect, but my red wings stretched more in the width on the right than they did on the left and i just developed a corn on my left little toe because of it.

[CrashTestBrummie]

is it possible for a cobbler to stretch out leather in a certain spot? after the break in period the right boot feels perfect, but my red wings stretched more in the width on the right than they did on the left and i just developed a corn on my left little toe because of it.

yeah, but with very mixed results in my experience. best to talk to your local cobbler and see what they reckon.

[garden gnomes in space]

FWIW, they make tool specifically designed to stretch a specific spot due to corns, bunions or whatever. Like crashtestbrummie said tho, a lot depends on how dramatic the issue is and how skilled your cobbler is and how willing they are to take the time to do it. Nothing can ruin a shoe faster than a cobbler who isnt paying attention to your request and does a half-assed money grab rush job.

Edited July 6, 2012 by garden gnomes in space

[Poonjo]

Finally got a shipping notice from Baker for my natural cxl smoke jumpers. Took 9 weeks.

I'll have pictures next week, if anyone looks at superfuture still. Feels like an empty auditorium around here lately.

Holy f...

Well, atleast it'll be worth it! Please, you need to post those!

@bangau: Huh, I'm not usually a fan of rough out, but I guess that colour really gets to me because I love those...

Edited July 7, 2012 by Poonjo

[demonator]

Finally got a shipping notice from Baker for my natural cxl smoke jumpers. Took 9 weeks.

I'll have pictures next week, if anyone looks at superfuture still. Feels like an empty auditorium around here lately.

well wheres the boot???

[hollowsleather]

well wheres the boot???

I'll have pictures next week

Patience, Ed.

[seawolf]

These are my custom Boss boots. I brought walking shoes with me on a trip, and opted to wear these instead as they proved to be far more comfortable for 8 mile a day walking.

And these are my custom lace-to-toe Jobmasters.

[demonator]

and i fucking agree with you seawolf. well not as comfy as a pair of new balance . nothing beats a worn in pair of boss or jobmaster

[TheBlackGoat]

Killer wescos seawolf!!!

[fre-co]

Here are my semi dress.... again

[fre-co]

And here are my WESCO Boss.... 10D

Now for sale on ebay. Open to offers from the good folk of the shoes thread.

[garden gnomes in space]

10D US?

[fre-co]

Yep of course.

[BrownMetallic]

SemiDress 5'" HH MTO [by Baker's] : HorseHide x Bison toe caps & backstays :: Swing Last [_i know it's not for every1]:: Vibram composite half-soles + Quabaug block heels [1/4 lowered] + close trim.

***got 3 other pairs of laces that i interchange, in case you find these reds unsettling

Edited July 9, 2012 by BrownMetallic

[mikedbt5]

Eventually picked up a pair of Cheaney Pennine courtesy of Richard at Shoehealer , wish I had done so a long time ago !!

Will post a " family " pic this week with my AS Montrose , Stows and Tweed .

[onehundy]

would look better with out the red laces

[wgmds]

yeah, those cheapen them up something fierce. i'm more traditional when it comes to work boots, though. i like a big sole to reflect the big shoe. i think you should have gone for a double--or even single--leather sole instead of a half sole with that heel. maybe it's just me, but the stockiness of the shoe with the indy style sole isn't for me.

[BrownMetallic]

tnx for the advise. i swap laces every now & then.

as for the sole unit, i got the SmokeJumper to cover the rugged & chunky dept. i was attempting for a more urban appeal/aesthetic for the MTO without going so far as a dress boots. single/double leather looked lower profiled & sleek__ i tried, but leather sole is just not me.

@the concept level, i thought the half-sole + 1/4" lowering on "Swing" last & blocked heels were a sound combination ... & i felt great & excited when i 1st got them. there was almost zero break in time due to the upturned toe of the swing last & soft HH, so i even wore them for travel the very week i got them.

but, later i realized there's something OFF__ aesthetically, as well as utility-wise. i don't know if it's actual or just visual, but it seems there's a significant change in the look & feel of the boots when you combine the half-soles + 1/4" lowering options. imo, either opt for a full sole unit on a lowered block heel or keep the standard heel height if you're going for the half-soles.

anyway, part of the plan was a "fall back". if the combo does not work out, [plan b] was to bring them up by 1/4" [to standard] & gun for a slight heel taper, as on the Viberg service boots, once it's time to re-heel.

btw, the concept begun on a capped toe boots on half-sole with close trim, so that is a constant .

Edited July 10, 2012 by BrownMetallic

[garden gnomes in space]

i have a lowered heel and I understand what you are saying. I think the composite half sole exaggerates the contrast because it goes from a thicker leather/rubber sole and tapers to a thin leather only middle and then a heel. It looks even more odd when you have a standard heel height with a composite half sole. At least from certain angles. I think I will be going to a full sole/ standard heel height when a resole comes up. I also like the idea of a more Viberg-ish heel taper, but I doubt Whites would oblige.

[wgmds]

on a separate note, it seems like one would need to have the true arch ease, you need a full vibram sole and full heel or a raised heel on the

[garden gnomes in space]

absolutely. Lowering by a 1/4" totally changes the arch profile. Theres a Chinese guy on Style Forum that has taken some good pics comparing the differences between heel height and single vs. double soles etc...