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Saint Crispin's Shrunken Leather Problems and Questions

NewConvert

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I just bought some amazing Saint Crispin's Chukkas in the shrunken leather. I wore them once in rain and they have these spots that will not come out. I sent it back to them to refinish the leather and after wearing once more in a light rain, they spotted again. Polish will not cover it up.

Has anyone here experienced this with the SC Shrunken Leather?

Should I just keep it and live with it or get a refund? It may not be that noticeable to the passerby but I know it's there and $1650 is a lot to pay for a shoe with spotting.

Your thoughts anyone?



1000


Here is the original shoes:


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GBR

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Send them back. Should not happen in this way.
 

luk-cha

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no only are those spot are an issue, look how they have creased - aweful, some of the worse leather i have ever seen!
 
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JubeiSpiegel

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It might be important to note that even the creases have a lighter brown coming through, similar to the spots...
 

DWFII

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It's very hard to tell from a photo...you probably know that.

But it looks to me as if the lighter colour is the base colour--the original colour of the leather. And that the darker brown is a water based overcoat.

Where the rain drops have hit the darker dye has dissolved and the lighter colour underneath has been exposed. Nothing too startling there but my guess is that the problem will not go away but only get worse.

My advice would be to send them back and ask for either a refund or a permanent solution to the problem such as "re-finishing" with a solvent based dye.
 

SoGent

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never seen anything quite like that on either of two St C shrunken calf resulting from rain water
 

NewConvert

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Thanks for your thoughts guys. Someone told me that I should just "go with it" because it makes the shoes look more worn in like a "Spreazzatura" kinda thing. But spots like this are hard for me to deal with. They even spotted on the soles of the shoes. You can see it on the edge trim.
 

NewConvert

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never seen anything quite like that on either of two St C shrunken calf resulting from rain water


What do you use on your SC shrunken leather shoes? Do they require more Reno or conditioner than normal calfskin shoes?
 

SoGent

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What do you use on your SC shrunken leather shoes? Do they require more Reno or conditioner than normal calfskin shoes?

I use either Saphir Crème Delicate or their Leather Balm instead of the standard Reno then move on to polish.
I think the answer to your second question is YES.

The reason I say this is based on a personal experience with an order and a conversation with the retailer of my first pair.
Apparently shrunken skins can tear when being lasted, particularly at the quarter panel from around the ball of the foot toward
the toe as was the case with my second pair. The retailer I was working with caught it and immediately sent them back for a remake.
I use a little extra crème in those areas and the vamp for that reason just to be safe and it seems to work.

Your situation has to be some sort of flaw with the finish, particularly from straight up mother nature's rain water.
 

luk-cha

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Thanks for your thoughts guys. Someone told me that I should just "go with it" because it makes the shoes look more worn in like a "Spreazzatura" kinda thing. But spots like this are hard for me to deal with. They even spotted on the soles of the shoes. You can see it on the edge trim.


what a great rational for accept sub-standard good's, rather you than me!
 

DWFII

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   I use either Saphir Crème Delicate or their Leather Balm instead of the standard Reno then move on to polish.
   I think the answer to your second question is YES.

   The reason I say this is based on a personal experience with an order and a conversation with the retailer of my first pair.
   Apparently shrunken skins can tear when being lasted, particularly at the quarter panel from around the ball of the foot toward
   the toe as was the case with my second pair.
The retailer I was working with caught it and immediately sent them back for a remake.
   I use a little extra crème in those areas and the vamp for that reason just to be safe and it seems to work.

   Your situation has to be some sort of flaw with the finish, particularly from straight up mother nature's rain water.


Thatis very strange. I've never heard of or experienced that with shrunken leather. Must be a very dry tannage...or something.

Shrunken skins are essentially "tumbled" to "shrink" them. That's why they have the texture that they do...it's not natural. But the shrinking "builds in" extra stretch. For instance, if you cut two identical pieces of leather, one from the skin before it is shrunk and the other after, and then wet and stretch each piece, the shrunken piece will stretch more. Sometime lots more.
 

SoGent

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Someone told me that I should just "go with it" because it makes the shoes look more worn in like a "Spreazzatura" kinda thing. They even spotted on the soles of the shoes. You can see it on the edge trim.

common man, did you get a kiss with that tug job ?
ps: the same spotting on the edge trim . . . . moves closer to confirmation it ain't just rain water.
 
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SoGent

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Thatis very strange. I've never heard of or experienced that with shrunken leather. Must be a very dry tannage...or something.

Shrunken skins are essentially "tumbled" to "shrink" them. That's why they have the texture that they do...it's not natural. But the shrinking "builds in" extra stretch. For instance, if you cut two identical pieces of leather, one from the skin before it is shrunk and the other after, and then wet and stretch each piece, the shrunken piece will stretch more. Sometime lots more.

I tend to agree with the dryness theory myself but the extra stretch capability built in from shrinking makes perfect sense.
 
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NewConvert

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So the consensus is to send them back! Ok. The folks at Leffot told me that a few clients have had problems with this shrunken leather from SC, so they asked then to investigate the problem. I was thinking about replacing them with these Gaziano Regency monks or the Saint Crispin's Suede Oxfords:

1000



1000
 

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