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

[Cleav]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Question for those with experience on closed channel soles peeling: how long has it taken before this has happened?  

Two pairs of C&J handgrade both started peeling at the same time after a little over a year.  In terms of usage, I wear each of them 1-2 times per week and until recently I had a walking lifestyle splitting time between Manhattan and central DC.  I don't tend to bother much about rain unless it's a downpour so I'm sure they've gotten wet.  I've just super-glued down the peels when they've popped up so it doesn't really bother me - I'm inquiring more as a point of curiosity.  Is a year or so about how long these should stay stuck down, or was C&J using cheap glue?

Got any pics J?

 

[jssdc]

Got any pics J?

Here's a shot of one pair I sent to Nick a couple of months ago. Following his advice I re-glued, which took under 5 minutes and has held up fine. Unfortunately I can't show an after shot because they're currently on a box in the ocean somewhere (probably in the Mediterranean at this point).

The other pair I glued up this morning without taking a "before", but it was in the same place so I'm happy to show an "after" when I get home.

 

[jssdc]

Given that some of us think that C&J's and Carmina's are posh shoes, what are we to learn from this? Given that many lower priced shoes last a lot longer, what is the point of increasing the amount we pay for shoes - at least for RTW? Or are these cases 'outliers'? I'm not keen on paying for C&J shoes, only to have to superglue them.
Yours sincerely,
Munky

Munky, this is a can of worms.

 

[Cleav]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Here's a shot of one pair I sent to Nick a couple of months ago. Following his advice I re-glued, which took under 5 minutes and has held up fine. Unfortunately I can't show an after shot because they're currently on a box in the ocean somewhere (probably in the Mediterranean at this point). The other pair I glued up this morning without taking a "before", but it was in the same place so I'm happy to show an "after" when I get home.

Thanks J, interesting as it's not my experience with C&J. But hey, I bow to others superior knowledge

 

[patrickBOOTH]

It's the bottom of your ******* shoe that you walk on. It's totally normal.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Hello, quite new here so apologies if this has been covered. I have a problem where by I seem to be wearing through the vamp lining of shoes quicker than any other part.
Any thoughts or suggestions to prevent or reduce this?

Are you using cedar she trees that fit? That helps with creasing and moisture absorption. Also, you should put some conditioner in the vamp linings as well. I do.

 

[MGoCrimson]

It's the bottom of your ******* shoe that you walk on. It's totally normal.

Yea, I skipped the glue and tore off the worn through bit of sole because it was unsightly.

 

[goatandtricycle]

Thanks. Never realised conditioning the inners was a thing!

 

[jssdc]

Yeah I get that it's normal for the channel cover to peel - I was just looking to see if others has seen peeling in the same time frame. Maybe I'm OCD that I wanted to glue it back, although I'm not particularly so when it comes to other aspects of shoe care

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Thanks. Never realised conditioning the inners was a thing!

A good thing to do is mix 1/2 water with 1/2 white vinegar and get it all in there. Let it dry and then condition. Fermented foot sweat shifts the leather protein fibers ionic negative, which makes the other leather constituents like fat liquors leach out. The leather then gets dry and essentially reverts to raw hide. The acidic nature of the vinegar shifts the protein fibers cationic, which is the natural state they want to be in. This helps the absorption of the conditioners and keeps the fibers soft.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Yeah I get that it's normal for the channel cover to peel - I was just looking to see if others has seen peeling in the same time frame. Maybe I'm OCD that I wanted to glue it back, although I'm not particularly so when it comes to other aspects of shoe care

The time frame depends on your environment, your gait, your weight. Whatever that is it is normal to occur. Don't use crazy glue, though. It is not a flexible glue so it can actually worsen the condition of the soles.

 

[Nick V.]



Question for those with experience on closed channel soles peeling: how long has it taken before this has happened?  

Two pairs of C&J handgrade both started peeling at the same time after a little over a year.  In terms of usage, I wear each of them 1-2 times per week and until recently I had a walking lifestyle splitting time between Manhattan and central DC.  I don't tend to bother much about rain unless it's a downpour so I'm sure they've gotten wet.  I've just super-glued down the peels when they've popped up so it doesn't really bother me - I'm inquiring more as a point of curiosity.  Is a year or so about how long these should stay stuck down, or was C&J using cheap glue?

I wouldn't suggest Super-Glue.
It's two rigid and can dry out the leather and stitching making them brittle.
The soles are stitched using a lock-stitch method. If a few of them get damaged it doesn't mean the rest will unravel.

 

[Munky]

Goodness! I didn't realise that it would be like this.

 

[traverscao]



I wouldn't suggest Super-Glue.
It's two rigid and can dry out the leather and stitching making them brittle.
The soles are stitched using a lock-stitch method. If a few of them get damaged it doesn't mean the rest will unravel.

Nick, would it rot or damage the thread in longer run, though? I thought by having a channel the welt stitching is nicely protected.

 

[Journeyman]

Hello, quite new here so apologies if this has been covered. I have a problem where by I seem to be wearing through the vamp lining of shoes quicker than any other part.
Any thoughts or suggestions to prevent or reduce this?

What are your shoes lined with - linen (fabric) or leather?

I've known fabric-lined shoes to wear through fairly easily at pressure points (such as where the little toe sometimes presses against the side of the shoe) and, of course, once the lining is worn through then the leather upper can start to wear and even crack or split at that point, given time.

However, I haven't known of any leather-lined shoes that have done that although it's obviously possible, given enough wear and enough time.

There is a possibility that you're wearing shoes that just don't fit your feet well and so you're getting quite a lot of rubbing in a particular area, which is leading to excessive wear at that point.