Alden Modified Last: If You Wear, or are Interested, Please Read

[dopey]

It isn't really the light. The shoes have darkened a lot of over time. The only part that still shows some lighter orange color, is the area at the top near the laces and even that is mostly brown. Everything else is pretty dark. And, yes, Nelson did the work.

 

[wdahab]

My Natty CXL Modified Indy's today. LP'd a la the Crane's method, oiled with Lexol. A little bit less heavy duty than he uses, but I find that heavier oils and Sno-Seal make Natty CXL look a bit too muddy. These are nice and water tight, but are more of a golden color.

3-4 weeks in, and they are breaking in super nicely. I did have to add a homemade half insole out of a slab of Natty CXL I have, since my heels had driven a bit too far down into the normal padding, making them a bit loose there. I made a promise to myself that I was going to make these my sole fall-winter-spring boots, and really beat the crap out of them. I figure in a few years, these are going to look amazing.

 

[luzer]



My Natty CXL Modified Indy's today. LP'd a la the Crane's method, oiled with Lexol. A little bit less heavy duty than he uses, but I find that heavier oils and Sno-Seal make Natty CXL look a bit too muddy. These are nice and water tight, but are more of a golden color.

3-4 weeks in, and they are breaking in super nicely. I did have to add a homemade half insole out of a slab of Natty CXL I have, since my heels had driven a bit too far down into the normal padding, making them a bit loose there. I made a promise to myself that I was going to make these my sole fall-winter-spring boots, and really beat the crap out of them. I figure in a few years, these are going to look amazing.

i need a recommendation for cleaning/care of my indy CXL. too scared to put anything on

 

[linafelt]

They will darken no matter what I think. To lessen it I'd avoid boot oil and stick with Venetian shoe cream. Though it may be best to just not treat them for some time; CXL is pretty well oiled up to begin with...

 

[wdahab]

CXL is well oiled to start with, but it does not hold that oil forever, and Moulded Shoe seems to have some stock that's been there for *years*. In fact when I went earlier this year, they still had a bunch of old 405s with the canvas interior (though the guy said he thinks people would be idiots to buy it just for authenticity, there's a reason they switched to leather).

It all comes down to your use case. If your boots are mostly going to be worn in light weather, around a city, and never *really* be exposed to the elements, VSC will do you well. If you want to expose them to the weather and wear them as real boots, they would do well to be treated properly. They'll darken on their own anyway.

Basically, if you plan on wearing a boot every single day for years (I plan on wearing these almost every day in the fall and winter for at least a year or two, maybe further on if I can keep my focus) they need oil and wax.

If you plan on wearing them 1 or 2 times a week, in the office and on the street as a wonderful looking boot, well, VSC works and you're not really wearing them enough to matter. But in a couple years, they'll be much darker anyway.

 

[luzer]

help caring my Alden Indy Chromexcel in the modified last, please?

 

[wdahab]



help caring my Alden Indy Chromexcel in the modified last, please?

Well, over on the Alden thread, you'll get a lot of advice about how to keep your boots looking nice and pristine. But yours look like you're wearing them to get nice and worn in, scuffed, exposed to water and dirt judging from the wear, actually exposing them to the world. Look up a few posts, and you can see what my natural CXL modifieds look like with my treatment. They've been worn in snow, rain, puddles, and kicked up a lot of sand, and I've worn them every day for 1.5 months so far, which at 40-50 wearings is probably more than many people have ever worn their Indy's already. Yeah, they are much darker because of it, but they are also evenly darker, as the entire boot has been treated with wax and oils. They are more scuff resistant, and they have a beautiful golden brown hue to them.

I use Lexol for conditioning, though any non-petroleum-based oil/conditioner will be fine (this is separate from any wax product). That will hydrate the leather nice and properly. I do this about once every week or two (of wearing mine every day). Then, if you plan on continuing to really expose them to the elements, I recommend a beeswax-based water proofer, like Obenauf's LP (what I use) or Sno-Seal.

But, if you want to keep the light color of the Natural CXL, and plan to keep them as quasi-dress boots, you'll probably get some decent advice over on the main Alden thread (though I saw one person recommend you use brown tinted products on them... make sure you only use neutral colored anything on them, you don't want to be putting anything with pigment on natural cxl).

 

[LImorowman]

Hey Gents, I was at Moulded about 6 or 9 months ago or so and asked if they were going to get any modified Indy's in black. I think it was Raphael that said that the order was in process but it was going to be a while before they come in. I know the term "a while" is relevant, but I was led to believe they would be ready this fall or winter. Does anyone know if they are going to be available anytime soon? Or did I miss the run? I didn't see anything on Moulded's site..
Thanks for any info..

 

[Mike147]

Give Moulded a call or send Rafael an email - they should be able to get you an update.

 

[mtc2000]

V-tip Modified, in black shell and #8 (faded). The best selling models in Japan.

 

[mtc2000]

 

[Mike147]

Did you buy these in New York or Japan? Alden Shop had them...

 

[seasquirrel]



Did you buy these in New York or Japan? Alden Shop had them...

I'd love to know how to buy these, too! I know Moulded has my size in #549 (calf v-tip), but I've heard they rarely get shell Modified.

 

[mtc2000]

Got those in Japan.

Didn't know about Alden NY, but I think Leffot had a batch of #8 V-tip's last year.

 

[wdahab]

I'll be honest, while the Modified last is the best for boots, for bluchers/balmorals I think that Allen Edmonds has a lot of lasts that might satisfy Modified lovers. The 5 last, in particular is really similar, has the same wide flare front, and narrow heel. Yeah, it's not Alden quality, but it's available, it works better for my feet than the Barrie or TruBalance lasts, and you can actually get it in shell (and custom, MTO shell orders) in it, which you can't on the Modified. For boots, though, AE doesn't have anything that works for my foot, unfortunately.