Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[shiftyskunk]

Beauties!
To snug up the fit there are thin leather insoles or thin foam insoles available at Amazon.

Thank you. Currently I’m just wearing them over my thickest woollen socks and they’re alright. Definitely won’t be able to wear them with thin dress socks.

 

[DG123]

Thank you. Currently I’m just wearing them over my thickest woollen socks and they’re alright. Definitely won’t be able to wear them with thin dress socks.

This is an excellent leather insole product designed to snug up the fit of boots without changing the boot's original arch support characteristics.

https://www.amazon.com/Nicks-Leather-Insoles-Handmade-12-13-5/dp/B0BMWCTQC9/ref=sr_1_5?crid=4JE9EM29ZHOM&keywords=nicks%2Bboots&qid=1701276319&sprefix=nicks%2Bboots%2Caps%2C1399&sr=8-5&th=1

Here is a foam version insole, also thin and designed to only snug up the fit:

https://www.amazon.com/Spenco-Comfort-Lightweight-Cushioning-Orthotic/dp/B0012SCWV4/ref=sr_1_6_pp?crid=17SG36H5IP772&keywords=spenco%2Binsoles%2Bmen&qid=1701276482&sprefix=spenco%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-6&th=1

 

[mlwdp]

When will White’s bring back their boot jacks? Stumptown is selling them in Japan.

 

[b1lf]

Very excited to see some wear on those horsehide BH. From what I've seen White's fans who do put some work on their boots, they still typically reserve horsehide for their dressier casual-wear boots instead of their rough workboots. But...tough leather, makes sense to use it for work!

If you go back to Jan 2019 you’ll see I received my first pair of Whites x Baker’s Horsehide Bounty Hunters. After exchanging for another pair (fit issues) which was a pleasant experience from Bakers but an excruciating wait…. I was sure glad I did. I’ve been wearing them for nearly 5 years now.

I work in construction and they were put through the wringer. Although I’m not out there swinging a hammer or pouring concrete (I’m in project management), I am on site every single day and walk the job site.

I just had them resoled. Below is a quick before & after (right before the resole).

I just received my second pair of White’s x Bakers. This time a Natty CXL MP. I have some quality issues I’m navigating and I’ll post some pics of that later.









^ the after pics are just crappy iPhone pics that don’t do the leather justice. I’ll take some other photos after the resole later. As you can see, the black tea-core horsehide has resulted in some incredible brown tones showing through.

 

[b1lf]

Quick picture of the new pair

https://www.flickr.com/gp/74856779@N02/h4E45UNpYN

 

[SonnyTheElder]

Fresh in some Red Dog roughout Ramblers from Baker's a week ago and breaking them (or them breaking me) in this week.

 

[SonnyTheElder]

Quick picture of the new pair

https://www.flickr.com/gp/74856779@N02/h4E45UNpYN

Great makeup, especially paired with that Pigeon Tree belt.

 

[mr. burns]

My 8 year old bounty hunters are due for a full rebuild. They've been resoled twice. They're the distressed smooth leather, but I'm thinking of going natural cxl this time. Both leathers kinda look the same in color after a while. I was quoted $388 and a 3-4 month lead time.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

My 8 year old bounty hunters are due for a full rebuild. They've been resoled twice. They're the distressed smooth leather, but I'm thinking of going natural cxl this time. Both leathers kinda look the same in color after a while. I was quoted $388 and a 3-4 month lead time.

Who quoted that price? Nicks does a MTO repair for $339. Franks rebuild is $320. Don't know about White's as I have not been happy with their rebuild or resole service.

I just sent 2 pairs off to Baker's. 1 Rebuild, 1 Resole. Their prices are inline with the former. I had a pair of MP's resoled from them earlier this year & their work is top notch.

Ironically my rebuild pair is also Distressed Smooth. On my worksheet I requested a callback to discuss leather options as Im also on the fence. I do know I'm going with Dr. Sole soles. One in the #1122 Raw Cord and I may try their #3020 (their version of Dainite Studded).

 

[ABMTL]

This is a squeak update. Really a squeak-technology update.

I had a pair of custom-fit black-horsehide Semidress that had developed an awful squeak last year. The soles had barely been worn down. The squeak was under the ball of the foot, in both boots. They were simply mortifying to wear: loud, ridiculous, flatulent boots.

I made several calls (to Baker's, to White's, to a few specialist cobblers) and I was discouraged to learn that the "squeak fix" rate of re-builds is nowhere near 100%. I hated the idea of potentially paying hundreds of dollars to have the boot re-built--only to have the squeak persist. To make matters worse, I live in Canada, so any back-and-forth shipping would have been a major pain.

I gave up on the boots. I put them at the back of my closet.

But I had read Woodtroll's incredibly helpful posts--quoted in part below--about injecting glue into the boot and the idea stayed with me. Woodtroll is boot-braver than me. I kept balking at the idea of permanently ruining my $700 boots if the glue was *too* aggressive. I didn't want to ruin my options for a future re-build.

But the fact that he solved his problem inspired me to take a similar approach.

So the other day I took my squeaky boots out the closet. I bought myself a big honking syringe at the pharmacy, and I also bought a bottle of talcum powder. I used Woodtroll's exact method and angle-of-attack for hitting the squeaky "air pocket" of the boot, but then instead of filling the syringe with glue, I poured in some talcum powder--which eventually (with some trial and error to figure out how to "puff" the powder through the needle) successfully shot into the boot cavity.

The boots no longer squeak. They went silent after about fifteen seconds of walking around. They've been quiet for miles since.

I have no idea how long this fix will last, but I am very, very happy.

Thank you, Woodtroll. And here's hoping this alternative approach is helpful for some future White's boots owner.

Good evening folks,

I had a PM request for further information on injecting the glue, so I thought I'd share the reply here in case others wanted to give this a shot. The "don't glue your boots to the floor" bit was not intended to be condescending, just my poor attempt to humorously say, "Think through what you're doing and be careful". I sincerely apologize if that sounded harsh to anyone.

I've long since lost track of where I obtained the line sketch of the Norwegian rolled welt White's uses, so I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes by modifying and using it. Below is the sketch and a quick photo. The blue line in the sketch shows how the needle should go in, through the top of the rolled welt and down into the gap between the insole and midsole.

The photo is of very poor quality, and the needle angle looks more shallow than it really is because the boot is rolled to get better lighting. But the insertion point is in the upper "round" part of the roll on the welt, and downward in between the threads on the stitching to try to keep from cutting either the exposed thread, or the thread inside the roll of the welt. You can see from the "crinkles" in my welt about how the inner stitching covered by the welt (the nearly horizontal red line in the diagram) lays inside, so I tried to sneak the needle in between the threads.

I hope this helps! If not, don't hesitate to ask further questions. I should have taken photos during my repair process, but it honestly didn't cross my mind.

Take care!

View attachment 1842029 View attachment 1842032

 

[mr. burns]

Who quoted that price? Nicks does a MTO repair for $339. Franks rebuild is $320. Don't know about White's as I have not been happy with their rebuild or resole service.

I just sent 2 pairs off to Baker's. 1 Rebuild, 1 Resole. Their prices are inline with the former. I had a pair of MP's resoled from them earlier this year & their work is top notch.

Ironically my rebuild pair is also Distressed Smooth. On my worksheet I requested a callback to discuss leather options as Im also on the fence. I do know I'm going with Dr. Sole soles. One in the #1122 Raw Cord and I may try their #3020 (their version of Dainite Studded).

Oh, nice to know I have some options. A guy named Sean at White's quoted me. Maybe it's because of the extra welt in their stitch down construction?? I do like the cleaner look of Nick's stitch down. I'm thinking brown cxl might look better and match with the old distressed smooth upper. Was also thinking of doing a lowered block heel instead of the standard logger. Something a little closer to an MP boot.

Like these


I just emailed them asking if it was possible to remove the pull loops on my boots. They constantly snag the cuff of my jeans and for a 6" boot with a rounded top, they're not really needed.

 

[mlwdp]

Wish White’s would sell the boot jack again.

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

Hello everybody,

I am currently considering purchasing my first pair of White's boots, and was wondering if any of you might be able to offer me some advice.

First off, I already have a pair of PNW boots, a pair of MTO 8 inch Nicks Falcons in Black Chromexcel, which I absolutely adore. They are built like absolute tanks, and using them for my evening walks (I live in a small medieval city center in Northern Europe) is an absolute pleasure.

After seeing Rose Anvil's video on his Drifter 2.0 boots (which as I understand it are essentially a 10 inch Rancher with a dogger heel) I fell in love with the 4811 last that White's offers. It sits somewhere between the bump toe work boot aesthetic of Nicks HNW last (used in my own Falcon, comparable to a Red Wing number 8 last) and the full on western style of a packer boot.

Because I am not a a huge fan of the collapsed toe-box look, I am looking to get a pair of White's original Farmer/Rancher boots, with a celastic toe box. The only thing that I am unsure of is whether or not to get single or double celastic, or if there is in fact a substantial difference between the two.

Aside from that I am hoping to get it in Seidel's red dog leather, without a pull loop, and hopefully with yellow mustard colored-thread to match the antique brass hardware (not sure if that is an option when them).

Many thanks!

 

[chicagoan2016]

Hello everybody,

I am currently considering purchasing my first pair of White's boots, and was wondering if any of you might be able to offer me some advice.

First off, I already have a pair of PNW boots, a pair of MTO 8 inch Nicks Falcons in Black Chromexcel, which I absolutely adore. They are built like absolute tanks, and using them for my evening walks (I live in a small medieval city center in Northern Europe) is an absolute pleasure.

After seeing Rose Anvil's video on his Drifter 2.0 boots (which as I understand it are essentially a 10 inch Rancher with a dogger heel) I fell in love with the 4811 last that White's offers. It sits somewhere between the bump toe work boot aesthetic of Nicks HNW last (used in my own Falcon, comparable to a Red Wing number 8 last) and the full on western style of a packer boot.

Because I am not a a huge fan of the collapsed toe-box look, I am looking to get a pair of White's original Farmer/Rancher boots, with a celastic toe box. The only thing that I am unsure of is whether or not to get single or double celastic, or if there is in fact a substantial difference between the two.

Aside from that I am hoping to get it in Seidel's red dog leather, without a pull loop, and hopefully with yellow mustard colored-thread to match the antique brass hardware (not sure if that is an option when them).

Many thanks!

I highly recommend talking to Kyle Baker of Baker Shoe.
They work with White's to get you a fully customized pair.
All my White's have celastic toes and I love it. I would say single celastic would work for what you described.

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

I highly recommend talking to Kyle Baker of Baker Shoe.
They work with White's to get you a fully customized pair.
All my White's have celastic toes and I love it. I would say single celastic would work for what you described.

Many thanks for your response!

I must say, after seeing some pictures of the SD, the Cruiser, and the MP, my resolve has been tested a bit. I try to console myself that my four pairs of Red Wing Blacksmiths are more than adequate for my 6-inch boot needs, but...ahhh, White's look so damn good!