Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[flashoflight]

People here that have been recommending The Firm in NYC have been talking about the one at this address right?

116 4th Ave, New York, NY

The one next to Strand book store? Because I just dropped off my boots for re soling and a small fix and their quote was quite reasonable. I remember reading that they were on the expensive side so I'm worried I gave my boots to a different store who may not do a good job haha.

[cjbreed]

both times i used the firm they were very reasonable.

Null12 i bought mine new and they showed up with a heel tap. i am glad its there...

[cjbreed]

I'm having some trouble with my Layer-0 boots and thought I'd ask for advice here as there's a lot of great knowledge in this thread.

The bottom layer of the leather sole keeps separating from the others. I think this is due to water getting in the crack and weakening the glue. I can't avoid the soles getting wet due to where I live being wet a lot of the time. I've taken them to a cobbler once and had them reglued and renailed, but they've come apart again, and this time I lost one of the nails (It's possible he may not have done a very good job, I don't have access to any really exceptional cobblers in Memphis TN. The only place that might have a good one that I visit frequently is New Orleans.) Should I just get them topied? I don't want the sole to get thicker though. Could a good cobbler remove the bottommost layer of leather and replace it with topy? There is a rubber heel tap already.

Pictures for clearer explanation:
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Layer-0 split heel construction
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Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated :)

man i think these needed a vibram sole from the start. lesson learned i guess....

[flashoflight]

both times i used the firm they were very reasonable.

Alright great. The one you went to was near Union Square/Strand/Forbidden planet?

[macutay]

Recently purchased a pair of Guidi 988's. I have been wearing them for a week and noticed now that my right boot heel squeaks. Anyone else encounter this with Guidi? Should I bring it to a cobbler, or is this a simple fix on my end?

[okayvin]

are you sure that it is the heel squeaking and not your socks rubbing?

[returningson]

Recently purchased a pair of Guidi 988's. I have been wearing them for a week and noticed now that my right boot heel squeaks. Anyone else encounter this with Guidi? Should I bring it to a cobbler, or is this a simple fix on my end?

WD-40?

[macutay]

are you sure that it is the heel squeaking and not your socks rubbing?

Yeah, I'm sure. I can distinctly hear the squeaks coming from the heel. Maybe the leather just needs to be broken in? o_0

[dji]

possible scenario is that there is an air gap between the insole and the cork lining, in which case your cobbler would need to remove the insole and reglue it.

[returningson]

Yeah, I'm sure. I can distinctly hear the squeaks coming from the heel. Maybe the leather just needs to be broken in? o_0

I would think its just the leather. My pair of new Guidi hiking boots squeaked or made a "crunchy" sound that went away after a week of hard wear. If they are brand new, I would wear em hard for a while and see if the sound goes away. If it doesn't, then it probably is the lining problem that dji described.

[flashoflight]

I'll add another recommendation for Firm Shoe Repair NYC near Union Square. Had them re-sole the heel of a pair of boots as well as a small stitching fix. I dropped it off Saturday and they estimated it would be done today and it was. Not the fastest, but I appreciate them sticking to their estimated date. They also didn't charge very much. The stitch fix and the re-sole look very neat and clean. I'll upload a picture of the re-sole later in case anyone wants to see what their work is like. Not sure what brand of sole they used (it wasn't Vibram), but he assured me it was good quality. I hope he was right.

[flashoflight]

So here are the pictures of the heel re-sole. Are those mini nails normal in a re-sole job? The previous sole seemed to just be glued on with no nails. Does it look like a decent job or have they somehow butchered the heel or something? Haha...

[en0rm]

looks fine

[magic]

Looks really good job. Nails on the rubber for heels is common and better to have it.

[flashoflight]

Great! So the positive reviews for them are warranted. Looks like I've found my cobbler for NYC then.