Ask your shoe repair questions here:

[florent]

I have a decent pair of Johnston & Murphy dress shoes, but the inside heel has torn and is pealing. Is there any kind of DIY repair I can do on these? See photo.

Thanks!

You can glue a leather piece over but it won't be an easy task to get a clean and durable result. This should be a rather cheap repair at any cobbler

 

[DRR]

Ostrich Leg Boots -

I have a pair of fantastic ostrich leg boots that are mostly perfect for me. My question is about the spur ridge - specifically, is it possible to decrease the size of the spur ridge on both boots to make it less prominent? I’ve attached photos, and a couple with a quarter for scale of how prominent the spur ridges are - a quarter is supposed to be exactly 1 inch. You can see that the spur ridge is about 3/4 of an inch when using the quarter for scale.

I’d appreciate any feedback from cobblers experienced with western boots.

Thank you.

 

[ccp1234]

These old Park Aves have a lot of wear in the upper back area (not sure what it's called). Are these toast? Or should I bring them to a cobbler? Or should I pay Allen Edmonds $150 to recondition? They're basically fine everywhere else.

 

[florent]

These old Park Aves have a lot of wear in the upper back area (not sure what it's called). Are these toast? Or should I bring them to a cobbler? Or should I pay Allen Edmonds $150 to recondition? They're basically fine everywhere else.

View attachment 1951661

If the interior isn't particularly damaged I would just put black cream on the worn area and make sure to use a shoehorn when putting them on (which you should do, damage or not)

 

[ccp1234]

If the interior isn't particularly damaged I would just put black cream on the worn area and make sure to use a shoehorn when putting them on (which you should do, damage or not)

Thanks, that's helpful, I didn't realize (or forgot?) that shoe cream is that powerful. Is there a brand you'd recommend?

 

[florent]

Thanks, that's helpful, I didn't realize (or forgot?) that shoe cream is that powerful. Is there a brand you'd recommend?

Cream isn't going to actually repair the damages, which isn't really possible anyway, but it will hide the white color and protect a bit the leather from further degradation. I use Saphir but I live in France so their products are cheap and easy to find here.

 

[SpallaPerfetta]

Is it possible to dye black leather to a different color? I have a pair of AE Dalton boots in black calf and I’m starting to think I’d be better served if they were a very dark brown or deep burgundy color. I’ve seen excellent dye jobs making lighter colors darker but is this possible with black?

 

[Nick V.]

These old Park Aves have a lot of wear in the upper back area (not sure what it's called). Are these toast? Or should I bring them to a cobbler? Or should I pay Allen Edmonds $150 to recondition? They're basically fine everywhere else.

View attachment 1951661

A wide tip black Sharpie would do the trick. Go over the area, let stand for a few minutes, then brush. Repeat as necessary.

 

[ccp1234]

A wide tip black Sharpie would do the trick. Go over the area, let stand for a few minutes, then brush. Repeat as necessary.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[sajesak]

Thank you for your question Sir--

Most likely you are correct, it probably is a last issue. My guess is that the other Green's that fit you in the sizes you mentioned are not loafers but, lace-ups.

A competent repair shop should have the necessary bench machines to give you more room by widening the vamp and/or raising the instep.

We call the process "wet lasting". The upper is treated with a solution which makes the leather more pliable. The shoes are put into the machines I mentioned above. The machines have a ratchet type devise which allows you to slowly increase the pressure. The leather should be eased rather than forced. Forcing the leather could cause damage to it by tearing seams and/or distorting the look of the shoe. It creates unnecessary stress on the leather. In our case we always tell the customer if we have to repeat the process a second time we don't charge for it. This way we have the opportunity of easing rather than forcing the leather.

Also, leather has sort of an elastic property. That means if you don't wear the shoe shortly after it is wet lasted the leather will tend to tighten a bit.

What I advise is to wear the shoes as soon as possible. Wear them around the house -or- in the office before you go out for the day wearing them. This addresses two issues.
1. By wearing them you are flexing the fibers of the leather which helps to make the wet lasting process more permanent.
2. If more stretching is needed you will know before you go out for the day wearing them. If you go out for the day and develop a acid staining orlando "hot spot" it's sure to cause discomfort that could be avoided.

There is no way to tell how much a shoe can be stretched it's a case-by-case type scenario. Generally I tell customers less than 1/2 size.

I've been doing some online searching in an attempt to determine what exactly I want from a local cobbler. I have a pair of Frye Prison boots and it's time to resole them. I do not want lug type soles nor crepe. I don't really care for the cork/rubber mix that I've seen pictures of online. Dainite? Mmmmm....not too sure about that.

What I want: leather midsole and some sort of rubber or harder wearing outsole. I love the look of the Role Club type resoles but I want to A) support a local business and B) not wait two years to get my boots back. Stacked leather heel would look good, too, I think.

So: what sort or rubber or hard wearing outsole to I want? I'd like to sort of know what I want and how to best express it when I visit the shop. I don't want to have to fumble around, wasting time and not get what I want do to failure to communicate. Thanks for any constructive help with this.

 

[Nick V.]

Pretty simple solution....
If you have a competent local repair shop, bring your boots there. Explain what you are looking to do and ask him for suggestions. Thats what they are there for. Ask the shop if you can look at their Vibram catalogue. They should be happy to let you look through it. You can also look up the repair catalogue online. A couple of things to help narrow things down. Any competent repair shop can easily remove the existing sole and add a leather midsole. If you want a stacked heel stay away from unit soles. Unit soles are all one piece (sole and heel). Sounds like you would prefer a flat sole maybe something like neoprene. This way the shop can add the leather mid soles and stitch on the outsole through the midsole and welt. In most cases they can use your original heel bases and sand down the edges to remove the existing finish and re-stain them clear -or- antique. Worst case is the original bases are not worthy of refinishing then the solution would be to add new heel bases and finish them to your desired look.
Hope this helps....

 

[grippybananas]

Seeking price points to have blake-stitched loafers resoled. Have been quoted 150usd.

 

[Nick V.]

Seeking price points to have blake-stitched loafers resoled. Have been quoted 150usd.

View attachment 2011901

Thats about the going rate.
However ask if the soles will be stitched on. Not all repair shops have the necessary machine to blake stitch. Many just cement the new sole on.
Second what grade leather would they be using? Would it be prime, super prime or, oak bark?
Big difference so for $150.00 what would you be getting? Also would they be replacing the heel bases? if so, with what?

 

[louisc31]

Got a small chip on the welt of my Our Legacy Camion boots - is this fixable?

I realize it is only a small chip, but still curious if this can be repaired for when these chips occur. Thanks!

 

[sidneybeaumont]

I had a small tear on the side of the rubber sole of my brogues. Tried to repair it with black seal special silicone but it wouldn’t really stick. So I burnished it with a very fine sand pad to even out the small hole to the best of my ability, but now it’s a bit rough.

As the next step I would apply Saphir Teinture Francaise to restore the color. I wonder if prior to recoloring there’s anything I can do to make the section smoother.

Any advice on what to do would be greatly appreciated. Happy to provide more pictures if needed. Thanks!