Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[Ares]

I believe those procedures are best for dress shoes.
We don't "take care of them" here.

Yes, when I use the word "shoes" I mean "dress shoes". Probably the language barrier has got the best of me, because in croatian by "footwear" we mean all kinds of shoes, and by "shoes" we mean dress shoes. XD
Most people here (from what I have seen) have very tough, oily leather boots, so if you buy shoes which are intentionally made to look old and worn out and you want to further promote such an image, there is probably no need for maintenance as I described.
But at least polish the soles once in a while, so a boring by-the-book kind of guy can have a good night sleep. :-)

[mattizzle]

Hi Ares

Thanks for the informative post.
Just a question does the saphir product create this shine effect or matte effect?
I am planning to get this for my CCP cordovan.
Should I be getting the Neutral Colour or just the black colour?

I heard good things with the KIWI product as wel,l which do you recommend?

[Lane]

Ares, I'm trashy with my shoes, and lots of them have mad creases, but I enjoyed your informative post cuz I do want to use some of these techniques maybe to keep my cherished guidis from dying out.

kinda was thinkin bout shoe trees for a while, but never plunged cuz I don't think I really need em for these shoes, but maybe for future dressier shoes this knowledge will serve well.

[comedyzen]

I have been getting my boots heeled and soled for some time now but am wondering if my cobbler has been doing it right this whole time.

When you get your boots H&S, does the cobbler cut into the leather sole a tad before applying the sole or does he just apply the rubber directly over?

Also, what is the avg. cost you are paying to get this done (sorry to be "that" guy asking this Q).

I've been getting Vibram rubber for the h&s for around $40 a pair.

[beardown]

I usually pay $30-$35 (sometimes I tip) for adding a vibram sole in the midwest. The guy sands down the surface of the original sole so that it will accept the epoxy so he can apply the vibram but he doesn't cut away any of the sole or heel itself.

He uses a grinder to do that I believe and then he uses a grinder after cutting away the excess. Normally he would use a light sand to blend the vibram into the edge of the sole but he knows not to touch the edges so it's pretty quick and easy. Turnaround time is usually 1 day if he's not busy. First time he polished a pair of Carpes up and I basically told him to add the vibram and then not touch the rest.

I have seen cobblers cut part of the heel away when adding a protective sole but never had it done.

[casem]

Why is finding good replacement shoe laces soooo efffffiiinnngggg hard!!! I've spend days upon days scouring the web, anytime I find something close to what I want it's in the UK and the shipping is at least 10x the price of the laces.

[Johngd]

Agree. impossible to find good laces. Btw which store did u find in UK that stocks good laces?

[lowrey]

When you get your boots H&S, does the cobbler cut into the leather sole a tad before applying the sole or does he just apply the rubber directly over?

this is up to you, they can just sand it or grind some of it off to match the height with the rubber to what it originally was. the latter is of course tampering more with the shoe and I'm sure someone considers it sacrilege, but I prefer that as I certainly don't want to add any height to for example CCP shoes, which already have a high heel.

[gavagai]

My cobbler has wanted to cut into the heel in the past and I always say no. No reason to let them do this.

I have them vibramed (very thin) and have the heel tapped.

Nothing more required. No need for polishes and weird creams etc.

I also won't leave my boots with them. I sit there as they do it as it takes no more than a few minutes. Give these people too much time and you come back and them have butchered your heel and polished your shoes. Both are absolute nightmares.

[comedyzen]

Ahhhh yes, the "I will polish your boots for free as a bonus because they were so distressed looking which was the reason why I bought them" service. Good intention, bad results. That happened to me once and now I make sure they don't give my leather any type of treatment.

Gav, who do you go to here in SF?

[mike]

is it possible to resole boots with a crepe sole? also is it more costly than dealing with normal soles?
i'm a bit hesitant to buy a pair of crepe sole boots at a premium; although i really like them i wear through soles very quickly

[KM80]

I've completely resoled my RO crepe sole combat boots several times now, I think people have even had them virbramed, but I just wore through the crepe and had an entirely new sole put on.

[shuit]

I have seen cobblers cut part of the heel away when adding a protective sole but never had it done.

My cobblers cut part of the heel aways and replace them with a vibram. At first I thought it was a bad idea but then he said it will give the boots more balance looks and perfect fit. The result is very satisfactory! The boots does in fact looks really balance. Just like new. I will post the picture of them once I get home as any of you who are considering going with this method might find it useful.

[ErnstLudwig]

is it possible to resole boots with a crepe sole? also is it more costly than dealing with normal soles?
i'm a bit hesitant to buy a pair of crepe sole boots at a premium; although i really like them i wear through soles very quickly

if the welt is of good quality / durable, multiple times is np.


Find a good clobber/shoemaker who can correct the heel (height planar to the joint line/area). Most RTW heels are incorrectly adjusted.

[Xhale12]

Can anyone recommend a good cobbler in LA? Need my guidis to be rubber soled.