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venividivicibj

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Sole of shoe, open channel. Thread loose//ripped due to normal walking. Is this okay? Or should I superglue it down?
 
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Nick V.

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Sole of shoe, open channel. Thread loose//ripped due to normal walking. Is this okay? Or should I superglue it down?


Never use super-glue on leather. It dries it out and prevents it from being flexible. This most likely will cause the leather to crack.
That sole is stitched with a lock stitch. Lock stitches are independent of each other meaning the stitching won't unravel like pulling a loose thread off a button.
Your best bet is to burn the loose ends of the stitching (just briefly) with a match. Continue wearing them and keep an eye on the sole separating from the welt. If that happens bring them to a competent cobbler.
 

Joshua Lee

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Not shoe care per se, but can anyone tell me what is causing these creases in my AE Strands? These pictures are of the interior edges of the shoes right at the balls of the feet:

Right shoe:



Left shoe:

Do you happen to have flat feet? I actually have the very same issue on a pair of Enzo Bonafe chukka boots, the problem for my pair seems to be the volume in the lacing area is too much, so I have to tie them a bit tighter than normal. I think if I added a pad or an additional insole it would correct the problem.
 

DWFII

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Not shoe care per se, but can anyone tell me what is causing these creases in my AE Strands?  These pictures are of the interior edges of the shoes right at the balls of the feet:


Can be an indication that the shoes are too wide for you or too short for you. Not all shoes are created equal; not all feet are created equal.

Compare two lasts used to create a size 10C shoe...both can measure x number of inches around at the "joint" (ball joint) but be very different widths across the tread line. So the insole ends up being wider than your footprint.

Two feet that measure 11 inches long can have very different measurements from the back of the heel to the joint. IOW, some people have long toes, some have short toes.This heel-to-ball measurement is actually more important than length of foot. If you have a longer H-B measurement than the shoe, that pucker/crease will develop behind your medial ball joint nearly every time.

FWIW...I have flat feet and do not have this problem on any of my shoes.

--
 
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Munky

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On the Crocket and Jones website, they have a fairly standard video about how to care for your shoes. However, the man doing the cleaning puts a very considerable amount of polish on the shoes, using a brush. He also puts cream on the sole of the shoes.

This seems to go against the idea of 'less is more' but he certainly gets a great shine on the shoes he is cleaning. I had never seen anyone treating the soles of shoes in this way. Given that the man is the manager of the C&J Paris shop, he should know what he is talking about, I guess.
 

Munky

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Welcome back, VegTan. I love the fact that you have access to these interesting, if arcane, documents. The ones, above, on proper fitting shoes and boots will be useful for a lot of people.
 

DWFII

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patrickBOOTH

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^ It is all "hanger appeal". What looks good sells, doesn't mean it is better.
 

MoneyWellSpent

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^ It is all "hanger appeal". What looks good sells, doesn't mean it is better.

I assume you are talking about the C&J video Munky was referencing? I like that video, as it's very hypnotizing, with the classical music playing in the background. But, I agree that he seems to use a lot of product. The product on the soles was brought up the other day, and some of us chimed in that we don't do that, but none of the real experts ever said anything.
 

patrickBOOTH

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I will put some conditioner like Lexol, or Obenauf's Leather Oil on my soles only if they happen to get wet and soaked, otherwise anything to soften the soles will make them wear faster.

I do however polishing the sole in the arch area that doesn't touch the ground. I have pegged waists on my St. Crispin's (along with my initials pegged because I am a prick like that) and it keeps it looking nice and shiny.
 
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MoneyWellSpent

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I will put some conditioner like Lexol, or Obenauf's Leather Oil on my soles only if they happen to get wet and soaked, otherwise anything to soften the soles will make them wear faster.

I do however polishing the sole in the arch area that doesn't touch the ground. I have pegged waists on my St. Crispin's (along with my initials pegged because I am a prick like that) and it keeps it looking nice and shiny.

That is the logic I subscribe to as well. I've never had soles crack because of seldom wear. My oldest pair of shoes (which is an outlier in age) is 14 years old, and their soles aren't showing signs of cracking.
 

patrickBOOTH

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I have experienced soles cracking. They were a pair of shoes I just used for wet weather and I never conditioned them. Thereafter I always conditioned after letting them dry on their sides.
 

DWFII

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I assume you are talking about the C&J video Munky was referencing?  I like that video, as it's very hypnotizing, with the classical music playing in the background.  But, I agree that he seems to use a lot of product.  The product on the soles was brought up the other day, and some of us chimed in that we don't do that, but none of the real experts ever said anything. 


Maybe I missed that discussion but just from a practical POV, using something like Bick4 on your outsoles probably can't hurt. But anything with a heavy oil or fat base will simply soften the outsole and make it wear away quicker esp. on pavement and even in wet weather when despite the waterproofing they get saturated. Even silicone based products.

The water and the oil work the same way--loosening the fiber mat and softening the connective tissue.
 
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