**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[DWFII]



Any suggestions on darkening distressed smooth leather on Whites Boots. I want to see if I can darken the uppers on these boots. 

Darkening will happen of its own accord...whether you like it or not. If you want to accelerate the process you could simply apply a liberal coat of grease or oil...preferably petroleum based oil. Or you could apply a darker shoe cream.

 

[mogili222]

@DWFII Thank you.. I was just looking for something that could darken the leather now..

 

[Itchy]

Lurked for *weeks* on this topic, which may have fed into my continuing confusion. I'm not going for a highly polished look. This is what I think I should be doing, but please criticize and correct.


Damp cloth to wipe down the boot, free it of dirt and dust.

Stiff brush on the sole only, to free pebbles and grime.

*Leather cleaner (How often? Bick 1? Or will Bick 4 make a separate cleaner unnecessary?)

Conditioner (Bick 4? Every time or only when not using cream to touch up scratches?)

*Color-matched cream (How often do I needed to do this? Only when there are scratches in the leather or every ____months/polishes? Use instead of conditioner or after it?)

Horsehair brush to polish

Non-silicone leather protector (Do I need this? Will it make the boots harder to subsequently polish or lead to premature drying out and cracking? Bickmore Gard-More?)


Boots in question are dark brown Red Wing Beckmans and black Wolverine 1000 Miles. I'm eager to start wearing these and get on with enjoying them.

 

[DWFII]



@DWFII
 Thank you.. I was just looking for something that could darken the leather now.. 

Again...if I wasn't clear...dk. brown shoe cream would do it. As well as a grease--something like Hubbards. Both will darken pretty quick.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Montana Pitch Blend, or Obenaufs.

 

[DWFII]



Montana Pitch Blend, or Obenaufs.

Maybe the Obenaufs, I don't know (don't use it...don't use the Hubbards either) but the MPB doesn't really darken that much--it does darken but not a lot, in my experience. I think you'd have to apply it pretty heavily.

If I make a pair of boots out of oil stuffed leather, I always give them a coat of MPB when I'm finishing them up. I use a heat gun to gently force the product into the leather and a day later the colour is back to normal. Or near-as-nevermind.

 

[BootSpell]

The wear pattern on the soles of these boots is different than any other pairs I have. They're not any more uncomfortable than any of my other boots nor do they feel like I'm walking on just a "sliver" of the sole. I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen this before.

 

[Kahuna75]

That is odd...is the boot to long for you? I have only had odd things hapen to soles on shoes that were too long for my foot.

 

[BootSpell]

That is odd...is the boot to long for you? I have only had odd things hapen to soles on shoes that were too long for my foot.

No, the boots actually fit perfectly. For some reason, the way it appears to have been made is there is a curve to the sole so that the middle section is closer to the ground than the edges.

 

[DWFII]



No, the boots actually fit perfectly.  For some reason, the way it appears to have been made is there is a curve to the sole so that the middle section is closer to the ground than the edges.

That's normal. Some lasts more so than others. It actually looks like they are wearing/breaking in just about perfectly

 

[Kahuna75]

No, the boots actually fit perfectly.  For some reason, the way it appears to have been made is there is a curve to the sole so that the middle section is closer to the ground than the edges.

That's normal. Some lasts more so than others. It actually looks like they are wearing/breaking in just about perfectly

Well if that is normal I am in trouble as none of my shoes are wearing like that. Seems like it is getting toe wear toe...interesting.

How many wears do you have on those boots?

 

[BootSpell]

Quote:

That's normal. Some lasts more so than others. It actually looks like they are wearing/breaking in just about perfectly

Thanks, DW, your input is much appreciated. I love these boots and am much relieved that I didn't get a lemon.

Quote: Well if that is normal I am in trouble as none of my shoes are wearing like that. Seems like it is getting toe wear toe...interesting.

How many wears do you have on those boots?

I wouldn't sweat it. As DW says, some lasts wear more like this than others. Most of my boots wear more evenly across the whole sole, some more so than others although these are at one end of the extreme.

I have about 8 wears on these boots.

 

[benhour]

The wear pattern on the soles of these boots is different than any other pairs I have. They're not any more uncomfortable than any of my other boots nor do they feel like I'm walking on just a "sliver" of the sole. I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen this before.

this is because of the last!! not flat bottom!! had the same issue once!!

 

[DWFII]



Well if that is normal I am in trouble as none of my shoes are wearing like that. Seems like it is getting toe wear toe...interesting.

How many wears do you have on those boots?

I'll tell you why I think the boots are breaking in well.

First, the wear pattern on the sole is right down the center. Now some lasts have a more pronounced bottom radius than others and in these cases wear will be confined to a narrower area, initially. But eventually the outsole and insole will flatten out and the wear pattern will spread out across the width of the outsole. The fact that the wear is right down the middle however, suggests that the boot is balanced widthwise.

Additionally the wear pattern begins at, or just behind, the nominal treadline. That tells me that the heel is not too high...which would throw his weight onto his toes, and shift the wear pattern forward. You would not expect wear to be evident in the waist, esp. at this stage.

The only thing that worries me is the excessive wear at the breast of the heel. This indicates that the heel is sprung and that the boot is not balanced very well heel to toe. But having said that some makers deliberately spring the heel to compensate for weak shanks and/or a somewhat loose structure. It may walk out and eventually wear more evenly, but right now it seems apparent that he breast of the heel is striking significantly harder than the rear of the heel and, all other things being equal, that's not good...in my opinion.

--

 

[Kahuna75]

Thanks @DWFII I appreciate the explanation...