Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[chicken1616]

Any recommendations for what to treat the edges of my midsoles and heel stacks with on boots used for work as a diesel mechanic? I’ve been using Resolene on my casual stuff and it holds up great, but it really takes a beating on my work boots. I’m wondering if I’m better off just treating the midsole with obenaufs? I’ve heard good and bad about doing that, but wasn’t sure. These boots see lots of wear and contact with oil, grease, coolant, water, and occasionally mud.

I use Resolene. The midsole and heel stack(all the way around) .I am a railroad machinist. I had two pair I ran into the ground in two years( alternated every other day) bottoms were completely trashed. I had both pairs rebuilt into casual wear boots. Back at round two at the RR and have two more pairs.

 

[klank74]

I use Resolene. The midsole and heel stack(all the way around) .I am a railroad machinist. I had two pair I ran into the ground in two years( alternated every other day) bottoms were completely trashed. I had both pairs rebuilt into casual wear boots. Back at round two at the RR and have two more pairs.

Thank you. That’s what I wound up using again. Cleaned them up yesterday, gave the edges a light sanding and put 3 coats resolene on them again.

What sole do you like for working on concrete? I have the 430 on this pair and the honey vibram on my second pair. I hardly wear the honey vibram pair because I screwed up and went with a double midsole on them and they just don’t have enough flexibility for what I do. I wear the 430’s much more frequently, but find them much more slick when climbing up on a truck that just came in from the rain or snow. Plus I find that I wish they had just a little bit more shock absorbtion when walking. I was thinking of going with the honey vibram on them too when the time comes, or the 100 white dot.

 

[chicagoan2016]

I use Resolene. The midsole and heel stack(all the way around) .I am a railroad machinist. I had two pair I ran into the ground in two years( alternated every other day) bottoms were completely trashed. I had both pairs rebuilt into casual wear boots. Back at round two at the RR and have two more pairs.

Hi man 👋
When I joined this thread almost two years ago, I read your posts but noticed you have been quiet since then : )
Glad you are back.

 

[iamntbatman]

What sole do you like for working on concrete?

You'll need a bucket of salt, rather than a grain, for this point of view because it's coming from a combo of experience-tidbits rather than firsthand experience of the actual thing:

I really think something like the Rambler is the ideal setup for working on surfaces like concrete. If you don't really need the front part of the logger-type heel (e.g. for climbing up things or kicking shovels), then distributing your weight across a wedge sole just seems optimal to me. The Rambler gives you the extreme comfort of the Vibram 2021 wedge sole (which I find to be extremely cushioning and slip-resistant) while still having the arch support of the 55 last.

Now, to be clear, I don't actually own any Ramblers (I'd love for someone who does to chime in), but I do own other boots on that sole and a few pairs in the 55 last and I think that would be a killer combination for standing/walking around all day on flat, hard surfaces like concrete.

 

[klank74]

I agree, a wedge would be the most comfortable. I’ve had a couple pairs of Thorogoods over the years. However, I’ve wound up on ****** a few times when walking through the snow to get in a truck. I’m getting older and I’ve found I don’t balance back from a fall like I used to.😂 I’ve found the honey vibram strikes a great balance between comfort and traction, but I have no experience with the 100 and wonder if it would be similar, but with better resistance to wear.

 

[klank74]

This should have been done a long time ago. Brought my work boots home this weekend and cleaned them up for the first time in almost a year. I meant to do it months ago, but my weekends just didn’t work out that way. I changed things up a bit. I used brown resolene on the edges this time instead of natural since the natural seemed to turn kinda brown over time anyways. Used Huberds shoe grease to condition instead of HDLP. I’ve found the HDLP seems to really attract and hold onto dust and dirt where as the Huberds isn’t as bad, but it also doesn’t seem to hold up as well. The leather laces were close to breaking so I went with the other laces that came with the boots. All in all, they cleaned I up better than I thought they would. Dawn dish soap still cleans greasy work boots up better than any saddle soap I’ve tried, but they definitely need conditioning afterwards.

 

[chicagoan2016]

@klank74 They look great. The welt stitching looks perfect.
I remember you recommended this configuration when I was considering black Bs.

 

[klank74]

@klank74 They look great. The welt stitching looks perfect.
I remember you recommended this configuration when I was considering black Bs.

Thanks! This pair turned out pretty good. Too bad it only took whites two tries😔

 

[chicagoan2016]

Thanks! This pair turned out pretty good. Too bad it only took whites two tries😔

I hear you bro, we all have been through that journey 😂
But when (and/or finally) White’s gets it right, their boots are second to none!

 

[RockyMountain22]

Any recommendations for what to treat the edges of my midsoles and heel stacks with on boots used for work as a diesel mechanic? I’ve been using Resolene on my casual stuff and it holds up great, but it really takes a beating on my work boots. I’m wondering if I’m better off just treating the midsole with obenaufs? I’ve heard good and bad about doing that, but wasn’t sure. These boots see lots of wear and contact with oil, grease, coolant, water, and occasionally mud.

Have always used Obenauf's, oil nearly always, HD on an outside only pair i knew would see harsh dirt and water/snow conditions, although have not subjected them to super acidic/alkaline fluids.

Glad to see how nice your work boots cleaned up - always amazed as how resilient the White's leather boots are after a thrashing and good clean up.

Your rough out black leather makes me appreciate my RO Packers that much more.

Cheers,

 

[RockyMountain22]

Curious if anyone has experimented with altering their heel stack height for magnifying or attenuating the arch support?

Have only done this once myself, built a 6" FR minus one layer to mimic a more bulletproof version of the Semi-Dress.

Seems we could emulate say, the high arch of the 690 without giving up the toe box space of the 55.

White's has specific height paired with specific arch geometry for a reason, so I'll probably never tweak my orders again.

Cheers,

 

[chicagoan2016]

White's has specific height paired with specific arch geometry for a reason, so I'll probably never tweak my orders again.

You have 690 packers with BHs' heels, did it not go well?

 

[klank74]

Have always used Obenauf's, oil nearly always, HD on an outside only pair i knew would see harsh dirt and water/snow conditions, although have not subjected them to super acidic/alkaline fluids.

Glad to see how nice your work boots cleaned up - always amazed as how resilient the White's leather boots are after a thrashing and good clean up.

Your rough out black leather makes me appreciate my RO Packers that much more.

Cheers,

I was surprised too, how well they cleaned up. Even the USA made redwings I’ve had in the past we’re starting to look pretty beat up after a year. These things looked almost brand new after cleaning them up.

I’ll never own anything but RO again for my work boots. I was hesitant to order it at first, thinking it would really hold onto grease and oil, but the durability far outweighs that. I think if these has been all smooth finish, they wouldn’t look this good yet.

 

[RockyMountain22]

You have 690 packers with BHs' heels, did it not go well?

No, exactly the opposite - the 690 Packers with a logger style heel (slightly curved vs flat sloping) in the as-designed height/geometry are the best boots I've ever put on my feet!

My high-arch feet are so happy - wish I would have tried the 690 last years ago ...

Was only wonder if others had tried tweaking the alchemy of White's Arch Ease.

Cheers,

 

[RockyMountain22]

I’ll never own anything but RO again for my work boots. I was hesitant to order it at first, thinking it would really hold onto grease and oil, but the durability far outweighs that. I think if these has been all smooth finish, they wouldn’t look this good yet.

My RO boots seem nearly impervious to physical abuse - just brush off the dirt and keep going.

My latest pair (10" black oil tan FRs on the 4811) are smooth out, so I'm certain they will show their battle scars proudly.

Cheers,