Boot Care (cobblers, sole treatment etc.)

[masuerte]

There's been alot of boots posted up in superfuture lately. I know I have a few leather soled boots thanks to superfuture. How are you all in terms of taking care of those newly bought boots this year?

I wore out my boots once and the leather soles are getting screwed up. I'm currently in search of a cobbler in L.A. (feel free to post your favorite cobblers in your city) so that I might get some rubber reinforcement on the soles. How much is it and is it worth it? Should I just out the leather and replace it?

[ko]

I've been thinking about this too; I think that having your leather soles get screwed up is just part of owning your boots/shoes. Of course you can rubber put on the bottom to save your soles/yourself; atleast once a day I almost eat shit on tile and other slick floors.

[snugglepony]

ko's correct: the leather soles aren't getting "screwed up," they're wearing in.

wear them till the leather gets thinner, then have them resoled, either with leather again, or with a vibram rubber/composite sole if you need more traction.

a resole job on a welted boot shouldn't be more than $50 or $60.

[minya]

how long do you find typical leather soles to last, snuggle?

[Bill2]

Andre's #1 is the best cobbler I've found in LA. Corner of Sunset and Fairfax. They did the complete resole on my red wings, seen below

[tangerine]

Several people have suggested to me that I get rubber half soles on my boots.

I don't like the idea; I feel like they were made to be worn as manufactured. We "wear out" our jeans; why not our boots?

If they were slippery I would be more amenable to the idea, but they are not that slippery, so for now I am going to wear them as they are.

We'll see how long they last.

[Analog]

With leather soles, how do you feel about wearing them in rain/snow? Personally I almost never wear my leather sole shoes in the rain/snow (at least not on purpose).

Bill : Very nice - how much did that put you out?

[snugglepony]

how long do you find typical leather soles to last, snuggle?

depends on the thickness, of course, but the leather sole on my fryes lasted about two years with fairly regular wear.

i had them resoled with a vibram sole once they'd worn thin -- mostly because i started motorcycling in them and wanted something a little more abrasion-resistant and with more grip.

[tangerine]

With leather soles, how do you feel about wearing them in rain/snow? Personally I almost never wear my leather sole shoes in the rain/snow (at least not on purpose).

Bill : Very nice - how much did that put you out?

That's a good point, I have other, rubber-or-other-nonslip soled boots for wet weather; but they were made that way.

[Miles]

depends on the thickness, of course, but the leather sole on my fryes lasted about two years with fairly regular wear.

As Snugglepony mentions, it's all about thickness and quality of the leather, which is to say that there's a pretty wide range of how long soles will last.

A few years ago, I was wearing my Prada chelsea boots literally everyday. First off, that wasn't wasn't a great idea for preserving the quality. That said, the original soles probably lasted me about 8 months or so. Besides the frequency, they just saw regular NYC wear (e.g., lots of concrete sidewalks).

When it came time to re-sole, I took them to really pedestrian cobbler. The replacement soles the cobbler used were a fairly poor quality, and from then on I'd typically wear them out in about 3-4 months (still daily use).

Lately, I've been wearing Barney's Co-op boots that I purchased in October 2005. They came with Il Cuoio soles, which are considered some of the best around. I actually just had them replaced today, after fairly regular wear, but nothing like the daily use my Pradas saw.

Net: Timing totally fucking depends, I guess.

[englandmj7]

There's been alot of boots posted up in superfuture lately. I know I have a few leather soled boots thanks to superfuture. How are you all in terms of taking care of those newly bought boots this year?

I wore out my boots once and the leather soles are getting screwed up. I'm currently in search of a cobbler in L.A. (feel free to post your favorite cobblers in your city) so that I might get some rubber reinforcement on the soles. How much is it and is it worth it? Should I just out the leather and replace it?

The first thing I would recommend is to get toe taps. This will run you anywhere from $5-$10 at any cobbler and they will help reduce the need to have heel/toe work done significantly. I replace my toe taps every other month or so and I have had shoes for two years or so that still don't need the soles replaced. Also, if the heel is entirely leather, get a rubber cap put on them. Normally, the heel will wear down more than any other part of the shoe. This is a pretty simple job.

In regards to LA cobblers, Pasquale is pretty much imo, the most reputed:

http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&q=pasquale&near=Los+Angeles,+CA&radius=0.0&latlng=34052222,-118242778,4285831137556781578&sa=X&oi=local&ct=result&cd=1

I have had my shoes repaired there plenty of times and they are great. Alot of celeb/high profile clients entrust their high-end shoes to these guys and they don't dissapoint.

[JBee]

i always treat the soles after they've been worn in the rain. Keeps them a little more supple and prolongs life (less chance of cracking), NEVER polish though

[chromesquared]

Ok, so I was about to start a new thread, but rather than weather the NEG REP storm that would ensue with out first performing the requisite search, I searched, glad I did.

I recently picked up a pair of used Carpe Diems and the sole needs replacing. I have been debating getting them done up with a Vibram sole, but I also like the way leather soles look. If I do opt for the Vibram, am I correct in my assumption that the Vibram sole will be glued over the new leather sole?

In my very limited experience (with a pair of glued sole Donald J. Pliners, complete ShAT!), leather soled shoes and rain do NOT mix. When it rained in the morning the 10 minute walk to the train station would render my shits soaked! I’d have to spend the rest of the day with soggy ass feet.

Also, after reading Englands post above about toe taps I did a little research on Google, but all I could come up with was dance shoe taps, for tapping. Are the dance taps and the shoe protectors essentially the same thing?

Lastly (this is the reason I was going to start a new thread), does anyone know of a good/reputable cobbler in Tokyo?

Thanks all.

N.

[readytoignite]

leather soles aren't made to withstand being wet so if you wear yours in those conditions (esp snow) the easiest solution is to slap a rubber half sole on top. or you can get those slip on rubber booties which don't look great but get the job done.

i am sure there are many fine vibram soles out there but if i would try to stay with the same look as the original but that's just me.

i would also avoid wearing any shoes or boots on consecutive days if you want to prolong the life of the upper

[edmond]

leather soles aren't made to withstand being wet so if you wear yours in those conditions (esp snow) the easiest solution is to slap a rubber half sole on top. or you can get those slip on rubber booties which don't look great but get the job done.

i am sure there are many fine vibram soles out there but if i would try to stay with the same look as the original but that's just me.

i would also avoid wearing any shoes or boots on consecutive days if you want to prolong the life of the upper

you mean by nt wearing it in consecutive days is that for example i have two pairs of boots i wear the 1st one on MWFS and the 2nd one on TTHS?

[triniboy27]

i would also avoid wearing any shoes or boots on consecutive days if you want to prolong the life of the upper

Exactly.

And invest in some shoe trees.

[edmond]

i use newspaper on my boots.. thats what the tag says on those lonewolfs..

[triniboy27]

Newspaper is good if the shoes get soaked as it'll absorb the water but shoe trees help the shoe maintain its shape.

[darkanimal]

the reason you need at least 5 badass boots in your life. rotate them like your girlfriends.

[keysonawire]

Don't forget to treat the leather uppers to some conditioner and a horsehair brush every 2 weeks or so.

Can someone point me in the direction of some conditioner for distressed black leather NDCs (online store)? I wear them a lot but haven't been very good about taking care of them. I only have some brown polish that came with my dark brown ndc boots, which I've used on both.

And bi-weekly is the right amount? Even if I only wear them bi-weekly?

Anything to look for at the local drug store?

[poliopoliopolio]

any new york cobbler suggestions?

[englandmj7]

Ok, so I was about to start a new thread, but rather than weather the NEG REP storm that would ensue with out first performing the requisite search, I searched, glad I did.

I recently picked up a pair of used Carpe Diems and the sole needs replacing. I have been debating getting them done up with a Vibram sole, but I also like the way leather soles look. If I do opt for the Vibram, am I correct in my assumption that the Vibram sole will be glued over the new leather sole?

In my very limited experience (with a pair of glued sole Donald J. Pliners, complete ShAT!), leather soled shoes and rain do NOT mix. When it rained in the morning the 10 minute walk to the train station would render my shits soaked! I’d have to spend the rest of the day with soggy ass feet.

Also, after reading Englands post above about toe taps I did a little research on Google, but all I could come up with was dance shoe taps, for tapping. Are the dance taps and the shoe protectors essentially the same thing?

Lastly (this is the reason I was going to start a new thread), does anyone know of a good/reputable cobbler in Tokyo?

Thanks all.

N.

Hey man,

The dance taps aren't the same. Taps go by a variety of names depending on the manufacturer (Kiwi's are called 'Heel Savers')

Any cobbler will know what you are talking about if you ask them to put taps on your shoes, in any case. I should note, however, that if you do decide to get them resoled with leather soles, taps aren't a great idea if these boots get heavy wear (unless you can find a place that does the metal taps - same shape as the Kiwi ones above, but made from steel - but then you have the pretentious noise, so it's bittersweet). The plastic ones are more so for the ocassional dress shoe as you have often have to change them every 20-30 wears or so.

Regarding the sole, one method of adding 'treads' or rubber to the sole is to simply glue them on to the base leather welt, but if you want a 100% rubber Vibram sole, without attaching anything to the existing welt, they will have to rebuild the entire sole of the shoe and it can cost around $150.

[keysonawire]

any new york cobbler suggestions?

http://www.thesartorialist.com/list.html

Wish I was still in NY

[chromesquared]

England,

Tried to rep, but gotta spread. Anyway, thanks for your answer, very detailed/informative. I kinda figured/was hoping that the dance taps werent the same, but I guess either way theyll give a little sound.

Now I just gotta find a good spot in Japan.