The Great Cascadia Boot Thread

[daizawaguy]

Any advice from Whites size to Nicks please? I`m a 9D in Whites SD....

 

[cathpah]

Any advice from Whites size to Nicks please? I`m a 9D in Whites SD....

I'm a 8.5D in White's SD last, and on Nick's HNW last, I'm also and 8.5D...although they may be just a touch longer than my White's. Even so, on my second pair of Nick's I went with 8.5D again.

 

[daizawaguy]

Many thanks, the Renegade is now on Bakers site...eyeing a chocolate rough out with chocolate smooth combo...

 

[LouieBailie]

Over last couple of weeks I had some very interesting discussions with the Wesco rebuild dept. and staff.


The young man there informed me that what I wanted done to a pair of Wesco boots COULD NOT BE DONE. I questioned that and he was very firm in stating this XXX can not be done...

I asked him how long he had been there and he replied 13-14 years. I told him to look closely at the boots' DOM that they were going to resole/heel and check with the plant supervisor about the requests I made.

He was again very firm in stating that what I was asking them to do was not going to be done.. I told him I would call back in a couple of days or the next week.

Guess what...the shop foreman said sure, we CAN and WILL do what he is asking. It was a common practice when those boots were made back in the middle 90s....He also told me that is what they are gearing up to do on some newer model boots (ladies and mens) and shoe offerings for the future, also.

This job requested was to double mid sole with the 705 1/2 front sole stitched to the lower midsole then glued onto the stiched upper sole, then stack the rear heel up, to level out the boot, with 3 sections of leather under the mid soles in the rear and add the lower 700 heel cap.Once all glued and nailed to leave the heel finish in full block. I instructed them to dye the leather edges brown.

This setup is the "old" engineer boot sole/heel model that all the new guys think is so new and neat. It has been done since the 30s and was replaced with that new stuff called Vibram. Other new guys though Vibram was neater that the orig leather rubber setup.

So this sole/heel leather combo that started in 30s, changed several times over the years, and now boutique cobblers are charging a premium to go back the the 30's styles with orig stuff. Those cobblers are advertizing that they use orig half soles and heels from the 40 50 60s. This setup should not be used unless for shoe ponies only, because one step into new ethanol or mixed gas and the soles and heels go poof, Those rubber compounds are no where near as stable and strong as the newer rubbers being produced.

The actual cost to resole and heel in leather and 700 is less than using the new Vibram fire stuff anyway and the "old guys" love seeing it come back...I seem to remember the term "I told so"

Seems kids do not like what their dad wears, but love what granddad wore...the older the more beat up the better....

I should have the boots back in next couple of weeks and can PM pics to those who want to see them, I do not want to upset the internet group with these old boots.

Update: seems the origional 232 Vibram sole/heel should have never been put on these boots it required a differnt last, so they are replacing the midsoles and blocking the heels for n/c, again these boots are 18 years old and they are fixing a screw up they made free.

 

[rusty18]

Hey guys,
Purchased my first pair of PNW boots: Whites Semi Dress in Black Horsehide...bought them on ebay new and lucked into the right size and everything. I love these things more than any pair of new or vintage shoes/dress boots I own.
I desperately want the black cherry water buffalo, but I feel like I should branch out a bit from the semi-dress. Are calfskin models considered heresy?

 

[jrosenthal]



Hey guys,
Purchased my first pair of PNW boots:  Whites Semi Dress in Black Horsehide...bought them on ebay new and lucked into the right size and everything.  I love these things more than any pair of new or vintage shoes/dress boots I own.
I desperately want the black cherry water buffalo, but I feel like I should branch out a bit from the semi-dress.  Are calfskin models considered heresy?

Not heresy in my book! I have black water buffalo on my oxfords and it is a glove soft leather and beautiful. Like the calf skin, it needs to lined as it is a thinner leather. I wouldn't subject it to any real abuse, but as a dress/casual leather, it should be finer than anything you could get from the competition like Alden or AE. I was told by Baker's that the calf used by white's is thicker than that used by the aforementioned companies, but still a delicate surface. I put some serious gouges in the back counters of my oxfords that wouldn't have phased a work boot on the first day going down a set of scaffold stairs, so not the type of leathers for work boots.

James

 

[linafelt]

Hey guys,
Purchased my first pair of PNW boots: Whites Semi Dress in Black Horsehide...bought them on ebay new and lucked into the right size and everything. I love these things more than any pair of new or vintage shoes/dress boots I own.
I desperately want the black cherry water buffalo, but I feel like I should branch out a bit from the semi-dress. Are calfskin models considered heresy?

Let's see pics of those horsehides!

 

[cathpah]

Let's see pics of those horsehides!

Agreed! Their horsehide is some damn fine stuff.

 

[rusty18]

Gents--full pics are here: http://www.styleforum.net/t/435155/...-size-9d-block-heel-cream-lining#post_7470298

I had my taste but I found the water buffalo for half the price and wedding bands are more expensive than I thought!

 

[cathpah]

Gents--full pics are here: http://www.styleforum.net/t/435155/...-size-9d-block-heel-cream-lining#post_7470298

I had my taste but I found the water buffalo for half the price and wedding bands are more expensive than I thought!

Yeah, but a pair of White's will last your whole life!

(I kid, I kid...celebrating 10 years with my wife at the end of next month)

 

[dtpdta]

Posted in the Nick's thread but I will post here too.

I just got my Nick's boots in brown waxed flesh from Vermilyea Pelle. They are amazing. My favorite pair of boots right now. And Dustin was a pleasure to work with.

Here is the album on imgur

http://imgur.com/a/v8lsB

Here is a last comparison with OSB Trench Boots and Red Wing Beckmans

http://imgur.com/a/FOG7P

 

[daizawaguy]

My new Zuriick boots by Nicks.

Great boots and great service from the guys at Zuriick.

James











William

 

[mogili222]

Nice boots @daizawaguy .. What is the brown leather patch on the inside of the James? Is that only aesthetic or does it serve a purpose?

 

[4characters]

Fine looking boots @daizawaguy . Just got a new pair of boots myself

(today!)
Wesco:

 

[daizawaguy]

Nice boots @daizawaguy .. What is the brown leather patch on the inside of the James? Is that only aesthetic or does it serve a purpose?

Its the linesman patch....serves a purpose there, but I guess in this case, its cool!