Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[eton97]

thanks for all the good feedback guys.

CJ. The way your cobbler did your boots is exactly the way I've had every pair of my boots and shoes done. There's no other way to do it without effecting the way you walk.
Be happy.....and get your other boots, where the cobbler just slapped the vibram on top of the original heel, sorted out

[lowrey]

Is there any particular reason why CCP will add extra leather toe and heel pieces to the soles of some footwear styles and not others?

what do you mean by extra pieces? actual extra layers of the outsole/heel..? I've never gotten or heard anyone getting that with the shoes?

[miserableman]

I mean the semi-circular pieces that are nailed to the toe and heel on certain styles.

2010 oxford http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...es_aa/ccp2.jpg

2010 derby http://www.lazzariweb.it/shop/images...M-2600L_04.jpg

Maybe I am looking for logic where there is none, other than it's just different.

[lowrey]

oh, right, I was thinking of actual full heel layers which m.a+ for example gives out with shoes.

I'd guess the idea is that thetope patch protects the sole and the heel piece could be replaced more easily when worn. if you are putting rubber soles, probably best to remove the toe piece, and if you don't want to add height to the heel (as discussed above in cj's case), the cobbler should take a layer off of the heel, both the front and back "piece".

[swims]

i had a cobbler do a shoddy job a few months ago when vibramming a pair of ccp boots. while grinding the sole down he managed to damage the leather/ nail covering the shank spring (which he's painted over - i think he's even got paint onto the upper of the shoe!). i can live with the cosmetic stuff, but the shank spring is starting to break through the weakened leather now that i'm wearing these more.

what can i do to stop this from getting worse? if the metal completely detaches from one end is the only option to just remove it?

[lowrey]

Wow those look pretty butchered. I'd take them to another cobbler and have the metal removed, it doesn't serve any purpose cut up like that

[swims]

i think you're right. got a feeling that the shank on these boots is more a detail for one of poells contradictions of function as there's no way it would shape the sole properly (and is exposed), but it's really disappointing to have to remove it - if it comes loose it will be a lot worse.

i was thinking today that maybe i can just have the nail removed and new one knocked in on the front end, that way it's still in place even if the leather surrounding it wears away.

[MechaStreisand]

Can anybody recommend a way to take care of Guidi baby calf leather boots for the winter? I already have rubber soles on them, but I think I'll need to do more than that. Earlier in the thread, Heirloom recommended waxing to make the leather more resistant to road salt, so would that be enough? If not I'm open to suggestions.

If it helps, I do like the broken in look more instead of the new look, so hopefully I wouldn't need to polish, but I'd rather have shiny boots then cracked boots, haha.

Thank you for your time.

EDIT: Thanks for the helpful advice everybody. I appreciate it!

[lowrey]

what kind of winter conditions? I wear most of my leather shoes all year around (for reference our first snowfall was in october) and to be honest, I do hardly anything to protect them. I just make sure they dry properly if they get notably wet, wipe clean if dirty and thats it.

However, I do rotate enough so that none of my shoes are super beat up, over time I imagine it wouldn't hurt to nourish the leather.

if you want to be safe, then maybe some sort of oil might work, as long as you don't use any protective sprays etc that will just clog up the leather.

[MechaStreisand]

what kind of winter conditions? I wear most of my leather shoes all year around (for reference our first snowfall was in october) and to be honest, I do hardly anything to protect them. I just make sure they dry properly if they get notably wet, wipe clean if dirty and thats it.

However, I do rotate enough so that none of my shoes are super beat up, over time I imagine it wouldn't hurt to nourish the leather.

if you want to be safe, then yea, some sort of wax/oil might work, as long as you don't use any protective sprays etc that will just clog up the leather.

The conditions usually aren't too bad, but up to a foot of snow isn't uncommon between December and February. Right now, they are my only pair of shoes, so that's why I'm slightly worried. Basically, I just want to do what I can to make sure that the boots wont crack and last as long as possible.

[SlightRight]

You will be very sorry if you wax them. Trust me!

[swims]

i wear all of my leather footwear as normal through the winter, just every so often i give them a light brush with Renapur leather balsalm. also, like lowrey says, just let them dry properly if they get soaked (away from direct heat) and they'll be fine.

[mitchellsydney]

Does anyone know anywhere in Sydney? I've been to a few places before that have butchered my shoes so I've been too scared to take any for ages!

Have some Damir Domas, Neil Barretts and YSLs that probably need re-souling I think

[nellytheelephant]

Why do people refer to 'vibram' particularly? Are they markedly superior to the unbranded rubber soles you get in most cobblers? Or is just that they are the best known?

Thanks.

[Oasis]

Anyone ever had a cobbler unwilling to vibram a pair of boots?

My usual cobbler, who I've had do work on CCP & Augusta in the past says he's not confident he can adhere a vibram sole to a pair of CCP's I took to him as the leather is too oily on the sole.. Not something I've heard before but he seems to be pretty sensible in his work, hence why I usually use him..