**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[striker]

On the topic of tongue pads, how do you get rid of the sticky adhesive remains of old tongue pads or heel liners? I use lighter fluid on book covers and plastic or metal surfaces but I can't imagine using it on leather.

 

[DWFII]



Thank you for the explanation. How about the use of tongue pads? I've never tried tongue pads so please correct me if I'm wrong, but are they meant to be a permanent fixation, unlike third-party insoles? If so, would the use of tongue pads precipitate the same result as per the earlier mentioned scenario?

If the lasted trees were made for the shoes in question then the tongue pads are again a third-party addition. They weren't there when the shoes were made and since lasted trees are essentially duplicates of the lasts that the shoe was made over, adding anything that was not there originally reduces the interior volume.

So when you put those trees inside the shoes something has to give...and it's dern sure not going to be the trees.

 

[Munky]

I may have said this before (and given my age, I have probably have). This is my - counterintuitive - experience of using added insoles.

I find I need them when my shoes are new. After a while, I can take them out and the shoes fit perfectly. By way of example, I bought a pair of Tricker Bourtons about two months ago. They have very, very thick soles. At first, I needed inserts in them. On Friday of last week, I took them out and my shoes are very comfortable. This has happened with all of my shoes, so far. A couple of years ago, I thought I had to have orthotic inserts in a particular pair of shoes. I wore these for a few months, then took them out. Again, the shoes fitted very well without the inserts.

Quite how this works is beyond me, except, I suppose, to wonder if the soles of new shoes need to be allowed to 'bend' until they are comfortable.

 

[mimo]

Sounds to me like you're making the shoes tighter to reduce heel slip when the soles are still stiff. It sounds odd, but there is perhaps some kind of logic there with double-soled shoes in particular.

 

[chogall]

It's only common sense. If the lasted shoe trees fit the shoe originally leaving third-party insoles in will cause the moist, warm leather to stretch to accommodate them. And then the leather will dry and set in that larger configuration.

That said, if you need insoles because the shoes are too big, the shoes don't fit you. But you know that. So, why do want to make the shoes bigger?

It also depends on how "lasted" the lasted shoe trees are...

For example, Saint Crispins' shoe trees are lasted, but fills the space horribly at the same time. Same with Vass' shoe trees. John Lobb/Edward Green/Gaziano & Girlings' shoe trees are generic 'lasted' to their last shape but fill the space pretty damn well.

Bespoke trees fills the space really well but it will still have small pockets of spaces at some places...

lasted shoe trees are not shoe lasts.

 

[EnglishShoes]

I just bought some cheapy suede shoes from Clarks for my hols. They are veg tan and designed to be worn without socks, so they have a very porous natural leather insole.

The problem I have is that they had a large sticker on the leather insole which has very neatly left most of it's sticker glue on the insole when the sticker was removed.

Most suggestions for sticker gum removal suggest using oil, ligher fluid, etc, I think any of these would leach straight into the leather and make a right mess of it.

Any ideas on how I could remove this residue?

 

[Kahuna75]



I just bought some cheapy suede shoes from Clarks for my hols.  They are veg tan and designed to be worn without socks, so they have a very porous natural leather insole.

The problem I have is that they had a large sticker on the leather insole which has very neatly left most of it's sticker glue on the insole when the sticker was removed. 

Most suggestions for sticker gum removal suggest using oil, ligher fluid, etc,  I think any of these would leach straight into the leather and make a right mess of it.

Any ideas on how I could remove this residue?

Try goof off or sprinkle a little powder on them to remove the tackiness

 

[Munky]

Sounds to me like you're making the shoes tighter to reduce heel slip when the soles are still stiff. It sounds odd, but there is perhaps some kind of logic there with double-soled shoes in particular.

Thanks, mimo, I think that sounds about right.

 

[EnglishShoes]

Try goof off or sprinkle a little powder on them to remove the tackiness

I was wondering if some baby powder might be the best approach.

Has anyone ever done this and got a decent long term result? Does the powder just fall off over time or does it permanently solve the issue?

 

[Kahuna75]

I would just use the goof off or goo gone stuff and be done with it. No damage is going to happen outside of perhaps a stain..inside the shoe on the footbed...no other damage will happen.

 

[EnglishShoes]

As the shoes were pretty cheap and I didn't have and goo removal stuff, I went for the baby powder option.

I'm pleased with the results! If anything, it re coloured the darker goo patch to match the rest of the sole.

 

[Zapasman]

My experience with leather added insoles (Peddag and Tacco) is really bad. Not comfortable, get moisture, put dirt, they do not adapt perfectly to your foot/insole and you must take them out before you insert the trees. I decided to throw them away and use those shoes with thick socks for winter time (though I should sell them

).

 

[DWFII]



Sounds to me like you're making the shoes tighter to reduce heel slip when the soles are still stiff. It sounds odd, but there is perhaps some kind of logic there with double-soled shoes in particular.

If you have significant heel slip ...regardless of how many soles it has...and the facings are laced up snug, the shoe doesn't fit.

 

[chogall]

Brushes.
Bristle x 2 - black and brown.
Horse hair x 3 - black, brown, light brown
Goat hair x 1 - buffing
Applicator x 2 - black and brown, for shoe creams, barely used
Welt brush x 3 - including tooth brushes.
Plastic bristle x 1 - for suede
Crepe x 1 - for suede

 

[Zapasman]

Brushes.
Bristle x 2 - black and brown.
Horse hair x 3 - black, brown, light brown
Goat hair x 1 - buffing
Applicator x 2 - black and brown, for shoe creams, barely used
Welt brush x 3 - including tooth brushes.
Plastic bristle x 1 - for suede
Crepe x 1 - for suede

In fact this thread should be plenty of brushes.