Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[Jpto]

I don't think that this (the triple sole) would be a good option for kneeling down with your toes bent. Celastic toes and toe caps also make this worse. This is a pretty thick sole. It does however, give a big heavy guy plenty of support for walking and standing.

For work boots, I went with distressed rough-out, single midsole, unstructured toe, and the honey vibram soles. That has plenty of flex to do what you mentioned.

I'm thinking about ordering a pair with Honey Vibram - what's the heel & heel height on your pair? Thanks!

 

[miggyramone]

Another guy with clown feet Definitely consider the option for having a combo last (which is what I got). I similarly have duck feet and ended up going with a 13 D/E (E in the toes, D for the rest). It cost an extra $50 and I'm so glad I did. Heck, they can probably use my last if you also go with 13 D/E.




The first thing to do is to send a physical fitting sheet to Bakers. I didn't even print the thing off; I just got my girlfriend to sketch my feet on some paper and sent it in along with dimensions that I measured using some measuring tape. Baker should take care of the rest.




I think if you're getting analysis paralysis regarding which leather to get, it's best to consider what you'll be wearing the boots for primarily. If they'll be every day work/yard/office wear then maybe consider a leather which is more understated (brown dress, brown CXL, black, etc); I personally think something like olive is a little more loud and won't make a good first pair but I'm sure people will disagree with me. You can also request the toe cap that the MP boots have on the semi-dress and bounty hunter boots (which is what I did; the quad-stitch is very flattering imho).



I know that you can definitely get the MP made on a combo last (that'll probably be my next boot) but no idea about swing last.



Again, I think you should consider options which will be more understated so you don't end up looking like Ronald McDonald.

I think the final thing to consider (especially since you have big feet) is the weight of the boot. My 6 inch bounty hunters weigh over 1 kg each (>2.2 lbs) and that's with a single sole + rubber sole. It's easy to want to get colossal 10 inch triple mid sole boots with thick leathers but you might be put off when it feels like you're wearing concrete blocks on your feet. Again, people may disagree with that including yourself but I think it's worth considering.



Christ those look amazing

All this is solid advice!

 

[ThreeLions]

I'm thinking about ordering a pair with Honey Vibram - what's the heel & heel height on your pair? Thanks!

It's just the standard heel. If you don't ask for anything specific, this is how they come.

I saw someone else's on here recently that had +¼" heels for a little added arch support. I think when I get them re-soled (which at this rate will be at least another 5 years), I might ask for the +¼" myself.

 

[Phalanx]

Isn't there also something called a half slip if you want further arch support? Not sure if they still offer that.

 

[ThreeLions]

Isn't there also something called a half slip if you want further arch support? Not sure if they still offer that.

I recall seeing that as an option, but I never have quite understood what it was for. I'd be interested to hear the differences between adding a half slip and adding heel height, and why someone would choose one over the other.

 

[Woodtroll]

I recall seeing that as an option, but I never have quite understood what it was for. I'd be interested to hear the differences between adding a half slip and adding heel height, and why someone would choose one over the other.

The half slip is (was?) mainly intended for Lineman's boots, to add an extra layer of padding/stiffening right in front of the heel in the arch, to protect the arch of folks who stand on ladders and steps on poles, or wear gaffs, since that is where the weight typically rests. It can indeed increase the heel height, but if that's all you want it's easy enough to add another layer on the heel stack and not thicken/stiffen that arch further. I've also seen it for folks that use a half-sole outer sole, so that they end up with two layers of leather under the arch instead of just the single mid-sole, which can look a little flimsy but as far as I know still holds up fine.

In the post quoted below is a pair of Smokejumpers that I added an extra 1/4" to the heel height on, because I'm used to the higher heel of the 100 sole and wanted to duplicate that feel with a 430 sole. You'll see that it doesn't look odd on a larger sized boot (at least I don't think so...).

I hope this helps!

My Smooth Distressed Smokejumpers ordered through Baker's have arrived, and I couldn't be more pleased. I was trying to duplicate the somewhat "cushioned" feel of my daily-wear boots that have the Vibram 100 soles, so Kyle recommended the double midsole and +1/4" heel. I was really afraid this was going to make a "clunky" looking boot, but with the 11.5 boot size I think it all looks pretty well balanced. And they feel a lot like my work boots, without tracking all the outdoors into the house! The soles are the 430 mini-lug Vibrams. The welt trim was ordered as "standard", but is still trimmed pretty close and is very well done. I've got a couple of older pairs that have a really wide welt trim, which I do not like as well.

View attachment 1357321 View attachment 1357322 View attachment 1357324 View attachment 1357325

Kyle was a tremendous help in getting these just right; he put a "close instep" request on my order, and it did close up the gap between the quarters over the instep when the boots are laced. Apparently I have a fat (I mean, "high volume") instep!

The photos show a lot more variation in the color than appears to the eye, but the "texture" in this color is one of the appeals of this leather. With some age and oil, I think the leather will darken enough to blend better with the brown edges (at least, that's what I was counting on when I ordered the brown edges). The leather is pretty soft, which is the only thing I am uncertain about; being used to the stiffer oil-tan work leathers, this stuff seems slipper-soft to me. I don't plan to do heavy work like firewood cutting in these boots, only routine chores around the place and occasional casual wear when we "go to town", so it should be fine.

Many thanks to Kyle at Baker's, and to the crew at White's boots, for a job well done! I am extremely appreciative of all the effort that went into putting these boots on my feet.

 

[Turns31]

Do we have any idea when that fancy new rebuildable Main Street is coming out? Been a few months now and I haven't heard anything.

 

[justsayno]

Do any of you guys have an issue with rusted brass eyelets? What did you you do about that?

 

[PACostag]

looks like oxidation you me

You can probably carefully apply a brass cleaner to remove the oxidation

 

[Patek]

Do any of you guys have an issue with rusted brass eyelets? What did you you do about that?

View attachment 1397232

That is called patina and one of the reasons I like brass eyelets. Any metal cleaner will take it off but if you over polish you will make it shiny.

 

[justsayno]

Thx fellas. It sounds like this is expected with White’s brass eyelet. The Viberg brass eyelets don’t have this feature

I like vintage leather look but not so much the rusty brass. Plus I’m not sure if these will cause a long term damage to the upper so I’ll be changing them up.

 

[montanamike]

Would a semi stiff brush remove it with the laces removed? My memory is brass is a pretty high % copper and it varies by purpose. Perhaps the Whites iteration uses more copper than the Viberg. I simply embrace it on my Nicks. I'm sure Brasso or something would work but I think the cure may be worse than the symptoms.

 

[Sledge42]

That is called patina and one of the reasons I like brass eyelets. Any metal cleaner will take it off but if you over polish you will make it shiny.

PATINA +1 Yum!

 

[linafelt]

^^ I would not call the green gunk patina, nor is it rust I don’t think, just “gunk.” You can easily scrape it off with a toothpick and/or qtip, without affecting the real patina/color of the brass.

 

[Rymanocerous]

Thx fellas. It sounds like this is expected with White’s brass eyelet. The Viberg brass eyelets don’t have this feature

I like vintage leather look but not so much the rusty brass. Plus I’m not sure if these will cause a long term damage to the upper so I’ll be changing them up.

All brass can and will (potentially) exhibit this, Viberg eyelets included. Its a chemical reaction between the Metal, Water, Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. Some coating/oils will slow this reaction.