New Peal Chelsea boots (pics)

[Thurston]

I'm still very new here, but have been active on the various watch fora for about 6 years. Leather is a whole lot easier to shoot than polished steel and reflective sapphire crystal.

I got these BB Peal Chelseas about a week ago. I loved the styling and fit, but the color was very dull and lifeless. Some brown polish did very little to burnish them up. I decided to try my hand at antiquing them using med. brown and black creme followed by brown polish and cordovan polish. The result was great but very uneven and somewhat fragile. In some places it looked rather cheesey. So after thinking about it for 2 days, I stripped all the polish off with a mild solvent (I've done this on mid grade shoes before). I kept my stripping operation light and only did about a 97% job. I also intentionally left lines or striations that look a bit hairy running down the vamp through the toe. I then buffed with leather conditioner and applied one coat of Kiwi brown. I'm extremely happy with the results and can't wait to wear them.

I didn't take a 'before' photo, but the tab shows the original anemic color.

 

[skalogre]

I rather like them.

 

[thinman]

Originally Posted by skalogre

I rather like them.

I like them too! Nice job!!

 

[DocHolliday]

I think they look great. They've got a natural warmth I like.

 

[gza]

Very, very nice - I applaud your creativity and resourcefulness. I may have to try something similar soon. What was the solvent you used? I'm familiar only with ethanol and acetone.

 

[LegB4Wicket]

Congratulations on your purchase. They look great! A very good and sound investment.

Regards,

LBW

 

[jml90]

They have a nice well erhm antique look to them.
Damn I need a thesaurus

 

[norcaltransplant]

Nice antiquing job. Let them scuff up a bit. Reapply polish until they develop a great patina. Revel in the joys of well shod feet.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Fine looking chelsea boots. They should give you years of good use.

 

[Thurston]

The solvent used in this case was Goof Off. I have had excellent results in the past using Afta, but can't find that at retail anymore. I was originally put onto using Afta by a shoe repair shop after a debacle last year.

I had played golf at a high end club in North Jersey, about 60 miles from my home. The locker room attendant polished my Alden burgundy shells and they looked great. I had a few cocktails before putting them back on and didn't pay close attention. When I went to put trees in them the next morning, I realized the surface was sticky. I attempted to buff them out, but the surface treatment turned gummy and clouded up. I called the locker room in a rage and spoke to the shoe man. I found out he had wiped them with Neat's Foot oil. I explained what he had done wrong and he told me he gets about one such call a year and he polishes more and knows more about caring for shoes than anyone in New Jersey or New York and if I simply came in or sent my shoes to him he'd straighten it out. Obviously I would never let him touch them again.

I called a well established Main Line shoe repair shop and explained my plight. They told me they see that once in a while and offered to correct it for me with a solvent they use or I could simply use Afta spot remover (it's like a dry cleaning fluid) myself. The prescription calls for wiping the shoe with a rag or paper towel doused with solvent until it comes up clean. Then let the shoes dry and wipe them down with Lexol or similar. Let them dry overnight and polish. It scared the heck out of me but came out fine. I have subsequently used that method on some brown J&Ms that had gotten too dark over the years from excessive buildup of polish and contamination with black polish. The result was like a new pair of shoes.

 

[mrchapel]

Those are gorgeous! How comfortable are they? Workmanship looks excellent, but then I know next to nothing about the quality of BB shoes of any kind.

 

[Thurston]

They are a D width and seem to fit pretty true to size and width. They are snug, but not tight. Intuitively that's how boots need to fit. They tend to make my foot look narrow, which I guess is a good thing. They look amazing with jeans, so-so with chinos and pretty good with dressier pants. I imagine they'll pair pretty well with cords. Length seems to be key. More break is better. Less looks like a throwback to the early sixties.

I was very impressed with the Brooks/Peal monk straps when I tried them recently. They will be mine at the next 25% off sale. My other Brooks shoes are all Aldens and they are typical Alden.

 

[HitMan009]

Are these rebranded Alfred Sargent and if it is, what is the model name for them?