2019 shoe revival challenge - submit entries HERE

[ijustknow]

No magic trick, the creases was mostly due to the soles & insoles being severely bent. Resoling automatically staightened the whole shoes, several applications of dyes and cream took care of the remaining creases (leather quality is great, which definitely helps!)

Thanks for the useful information. One more question, without resole, is it possible to straighten the whole shoes? Because my old shoes curve up a little which makes the crease more annoying.

 

[suitforcourt]

No magic trick, the creases was mostly due to the soles & insoles being severely bent. Resoling automatically staightened the whole shoes, several applications of dyes and cream took care of the remaining creases (leather quality is great, which definitely helps!)

Thanks for the useful information. One more question, without resole, is it possible to straighten the whole shoes? Because my old shoes curve up a little which makes the crease more annoying.

Use water treatment as discussed on vcleat.com

 

[ijustknow]

Use water treatment as discussed on vcleat.com

Yeah, I follow vcleat for a while, I copied his method to tackle crease, but to straighten outsole, not tried. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Cantaloupe]

View attachment 1235802 I bought the Executive Imperials that I wanted to work on last year (but the seller would not budge below $15.95). They were still for sale and I bought them for $14.
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I liked the austerity brogue design. The uppers looked neglected. The heels and soles still looked good, although I decided to apply a sole protector. I figured that if I was going to do a bunch of work on them, I didn’t want the sole wearing out right away.

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I went after these with some acetone and the dark brown finish came right off. It left behind a reddish layer that appeared to be some sort of corrected grain finish. This took more acetone and scrubbing, but it too came off.

I finished this step by thoroughly scrubbing with isopropyl alcohol/water to further help remove the wrinkles.

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Now came the fun part. The theme of these shoes was “autumn.” I applied a mix of dyes with a slight greenish tint using a sponge to the heel and wingtip. This was actually three “coats” of various mixed shades, followed by another that was more brownish.
The main part of the shoe had something similar done, but with a slightly reddish tint of light brown. This was finished with a hand scrubbed coat of dye using a small scrap of sponge.

The sole bottom was sanded, and cleaned with isopropyl alcohol prior to installing the sole protector. I chose a tan sole protector so that it would be a similar color as the sole.

I did not think that the original black sole edge would look as good with this lighter shade of brown. I wanted a medium shade of brown, but found that the heel stack had a black layer above a thick black rubber bottom. I decided that a dark brown would be less jarring visually with that black, so I dyed the edge brown and finished with two coats of chili edge dressing.

They were finished with cream conditioner, followed up with wax.

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Wow, this is brilliant work man!

 

[mreams99]

Wow, this is brilliant work man!

Thank you.
It was a lot of fun.

 

[mreams99]

While we wait for the results, I thought I’d share one more picture of my pair. It’s interesting how the look can change in different light conditions.

 

[suitforcourt]

Update: @davidVC and I have finished our evaluations. Just waiting for Jim McFarland. He is aiming for end of this week.

 

[suitforcourt]

Hi everyone, unfortunately Jim McFarland won't be able to participate as a panel judge this year. His mother recently passed away. We extend our condolences to Jim and his family during this difficult time.

 

[suitforcourt]

Sorry everyone, the results will be up this week. Promise.

Jim McFarland actually completed the evaluations. I just need to chat with him tonight.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

I already have an idea for next year's competition:

1. Competition opens January 1, 2020 and closes June 1, 2020;
2. No monetary limit;
3. After submissions, first round of contest will be voting by members like the 2018 edition;
4. Final 10 will then be evaluated by a panel of judges for the top 3 finishes;
5. Criteria for evaluation will better reflect the realistic expectations of enthusiasts as opposed to amateur cobblers.

This will give everyone LOTS of time, and flexibility to work on the shoes as a side hobby. Plus I am integrating the evaluation system to bring members back in, and then leave finals to a panel of judges.

I can't make everyone happy, but I want everyone to enjoy and participate.

 

[mreams99]

Sorry everyone, the results will be up this week. Promise.

Jim McFarland actually completed the evaluations. I just need to chat with him tonight.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

I already have an idea for next year's competition:

1. Competition opens January 1, 2020 and closes June 1, 2020;
2. No monetary limit;
3. After submissions, first round of contest will be voting by members like the 2018 edition;
4. Final 10 will then be evaluated by a panel of judges for the top 3 finishes;
5. Criteria for evaluation will better reflect the realistic expectations of enthusiasts as opposed to amateur cobblers.

This will give everyone LOTS of time, and flexibility to work on the shoes as a side hobby. Plus I am integrating the evaluation system to bring members back in, and then leave finals to a panel of judges.

I can't make everyone happy, but I want everyone to enjoy and participate.

This sounds pretty reasonable.
I really like your idea of getting members involved in “voting” for their favorites to narrow it down.

 

[suitforcourt]

This sounds pretty reasonable.
I really like your idea of getting members involved in “voting” for their favorites to narrow it down.

I think this is the first time you endorsed my idea for this challenge. That's the cherry on the top!

 

[mreams99]

I think this is the first time you endorsed my idea for this challenge. That's the cherry on the top!

I had actually been thinking about this over the weekend — the “audience participation” part in particular. I like your suggestion better than what I was thinking.

 

[suitforcourt]

I had actually been thinking about this over the weekend — the “audience participation” part in particular. I like your suggestion better than what I was thinking.

Make any suggestions. Nothing is written in stone.

 

[mreams99]

Make any suggestions. Nothing is written in stone.

My idea was to assign points as a criteria in the scoring, based on the votes received. Maybe make the voting worth enough to break a tie, but not overwhelm the rest of the scoring.

 

[suitforcourt]

Ok gentlemen, thank you again to the 9 participants for the work and enthusiasm. Jim, @davidVC and I had a lot of fun with the submissions.

The top 3 finishers are:

1. @florent ;
2. @hbk320 ; and
3. @mreams99 .

I will contact winners with their prizes. Thanks again.

The 2020 competition is coming quickly. I anticipate opening January 2020, and closing it June 2020. The rules will be more flexible, and grading system will be geared towards enthusiasts as opposed to amateur cobblers.

Looking forward to the 3rd edition of the shoe revival challenge. Until then - keep on shoeing.