Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[madhat]

I recently acquired a pair of Florsheim 96302 5 nail V-Cleat that has a textured finish. I have never used Bick 4. I presume that the "for smooth leather" means no suede/nubuck and that it will work fine on these as well as my pebble Mac Neil's?

Thanks guys for your assistance.

Yes, you can treat pebble grain as you would "smooth leather".

 

[smfdoc]

I recently acquired a pair of Florsheim 96302 5 nail V-Cleat that has a textured finish. I have never used Bick 4. I presume that the "for smooth leather" means no suede/nubuck and that it will work fine on these as well as my pebble Mac Neil's?

Thanks guys for your assistance.

Yes, @madhat is correct about Bick 4. It is fine for pebble calf leather, smooth calf and CXL. Just not suede or neubuck.

 

[M.Photog]

A while ago I sent a message on Vcleat website saying I would try the Glycerin treatment on my shoes and boots. Today I'm showing a pair of boots (When I bought them they were sold as 1920s) I cleaned up and conditioned(Lexol Deep Cleaner, Lexol Conditioner, Glycerin treatment, Cadillac shoe conditioner then Saphir shoe cream and Saphir wax). They had a lot of black polish on them and some straw remains.

I suppose I could have gone for a brighter shine in the toes but I was a bit lazy and want to bring them to the cobbler to get the heels replaced and a toppy added to not wear the original sole out which has a closed channel stitching. They have a purple leather lining but I forgot to take a picture so I will show it in the future when I do more things to them. No brand and no size markins anywhere to be found. I think these might have been made by a bespoke shoemaker.

They have the softest and most flexible leather of all shoes I've ever handled, it just can't wrinkle, except for the areas of the shoe which have stiffeners I can crush all the shoe without problem. I love it.

Spoiler: More pictures

Do you still believe they are from the 1920s? If so they are in really great condition, where did you find such a great pair of boots?

 

[Dicky Dicardo]

A while ago I sent a message on Vcleat website saying I would try the Glycerin treatment on my shoes and boots. Today I'm showing a pair of boots (When I bought them they were sold as 1920s) I cleaned up and conditioned(Lexol Deep Cleaner, Lexol Conditioner, Glycerin treatment, Cadillac shoe conditioner then Saphir shoe cream and Saphir wax). They had a lot of black polish on them and some straw remains.

I suppose I could have gone for a brighter shine in the toes but I was a bit lazy and want to bring them to the cobbler to get the heels replaced and a toppy added to not wear the original sole out which has a closed channel stitching. They have a purple leather lining but I forgot to take a picture so I will show it in the future when I do more things to them. No brand and no size markins anywhere to be found. I think these might have been made by a bespoke shoemaker.

They have the softest and most flexible leather of all shoes I've ever handled, it just can't wrinkle, except for the areas of the shoe which have stiffeners I can crush all the shoe without problem. I love it.

Spoiler: More pictures

Did the trees come with them, or did you find those elsewhere?

 

[AHS]

Duplication? There is no such thing. They are all different, at least to me

Alden 975, 2 x AE MacNeil, Florsheim 93605, Freeman Bootmaker Guild (all burgundy shell).

View attachment 824265


@AHS as far as fit goes, the 93605s are 8.5C but I also have the calf versions in 8D and 8.5B. 8.5C is the preferred size. AE MacNeils are 8.5C, but they do fit slightly narrower than Florsheims. Aldens are 7.5D, but 8C might be a better fit.

As for quality, I think Florsheims are about th same as Aldens, followed by AE. Based on my limited experience, I would rate the various brands in the following order:
1) Vtg Nettleton Traditionals
2) Vtg Florsheim/Alden
3) AE
4) Vtg Hanover

As for aesthetics, both Florsheim and AE MacNeil have pointier toe. However, the wing on the former is more balanced. Alden really stands out from the rest of the pack. The toe box is significantly wider and the shoe looks pretty clunky.

@cc808314, I really love this photo. Thanks again for posting.

Is the shoe closest to the viewer (in the right hand corner) the Alden or the Freeman Bootmaker Guild? Maybe it is the angle, but that one looks particularly bulbous.

AHS

 

[davidVC]

A while ago I sent a message on Vcleat website saying I would try the Glycerin treatment on my shoes and boots. Today I'm showing a pair of boots (When I bought them they were sold as 1920s) I cleaned up and conditioned(Lexol Deep Cleaner, Lexol Conditioner, Glycerin treatment, Cadillac shoe conditioner then Saphir shoe cream and Saphir wax). They had a lot of black polish on them and some straw remains.

I suppose I could have gone for a brighter shine in the toes but I was a bit lazy and want to bring them to the cobbler to get the heels replaced and a toppy added to not wear the original sole out which has a closed channel stitching. They have a purple leather lining but I forgot to take a picture so I will show it in the future when I do more things to them. No brand and no size markins anywhere to be found. I think these might have been made by a bespoke shoemaker.

They have the softest and most flexible leather of all shoes I've ever handled, it just can't wrinkle, except for the areas of the shoe which have stiffeners I can crush all the shoe without problem. I love it.

Spoiler: More pictures

Its amazing that you found boots that old in wearable condition. They look great.

I could be wrong but it looks like the upper is made from kid leather (young goat). So it should be soft.

 

[davidVC]

On my blog, I posted a update some of the shoes I had restored over the past year. I have been wearing them. John McHale, Nettleton and Florsheim. They include a pair that was immersed in water and two that had the Japanese inspired glycerin treatment done on them.

http://vcleat.com/long-term-update/

 

[TheHeathen]

Yes, you can treat pebble grain as you would "smooth leather".

Yes, @madhat is correct about Bick 4. It is fine for pebble calf leather, smooth calf and CXL. Just not suede or neubuck.

Thank you gentlemen.

My pair of Imperials were on the davidVC watch list (thanks David) and of course they're in excellent shape. I wiped them down and was waiting for the application of Bick 4 to soak in before I even thought about taking any before pictures. I'll definitely post some after pics though.

On a somewhat related note my AE Boulevard's look, and more importantly feel, so much better after 4 applications of the AE lotion. I'm guessing that they were worn once, maybe twice and put away for the last 40ish years. I used my fingers to massage in the lotion and the first 3 applications were absorbed almost instantly. Now, they almost feel like a glove. I might give them a shot of the Bick 4 before I wear them just for good measure.

 

[Dicky Dicardo]

Interesting article about vintage shoes:
http://shoegazing.se/english/2017/08/05/reflection-it-was-better-before/

 

[willyto]

Great job on the boots and welcome to the thread.

Thank you.

Do you still believe they are from the 1920s? If so they are in really great condition, where did you find such a great pair of boots?

To be honest I'm always a bit wary of the dating from Ebay sellers who are not doing it professionally. It could very well be right though. The detail and stitching lines look so finely made and I can count around 20 stitches per inch. The toe shape also reminds me of the era.

I found them on Ebay. I do a lot of search on Ebay daily.

Did the trees come with them, or did you find those elsewhere?

The trees came from a pair of nubuck cricket boots I bought in London. I have yet to restore those. I'm still kicking myself in the head for not buying two recent pairs of boot trees in my size...

Its amazing that you found boots that old in wearable condition. They look great.

I could be wrong but it looks like the upper is made from kid leather (young goat). So it should be soft.

Thank you. I thought they could be kangaroo or kid leather. I had read somewhere that those leathers didn't take much shine and the cap toes are hard to shine. Whatever they are I wish more makers used this kind of leather today, I dislike stiff leather boots made today.

I'll be posting more shoes soon, currently waiting for 3 pairs to dry completely from Glycerin treatment. Also polishing a pair of Dunn & Co brogue black cap toe oxfords as we speak.

 

[suitforcourt]

Interesting article about vintage shoes:
http://shoegazing.se/english/2017/08/05/reflection-it-was-better-before/

Interesting article about vintage shoes:
http://shoegazing.se/english/2017/08/05/reflection-it-was-better-before/

Great article. Reinforces my belief that certain vintage shoes are miles ahead of the current ones.

 

[M.Photog]

Thank you.


To be honest I'm always a bit wary of the dating from Ebay sellers who are not doing it professionally. It could very well be right though. The detail and stitching lines look so finely made and I can count around 20 stitches per inch. The toe shape also reminds me of the era.

It seems likely to me that the estimate is good. I am no expert but i would think certainly pre WW2. Wouldn't it be nice if a pair of vintage shoes came with a written history?

 

[suitforcourt]

It seems likely to me that the estimate is good. I am no expert but i would think certainly pre WW2. Wouldn't it be nice if a pair of vintage shoes came with a written history?

Sounds like you're volunteering to start a website and project

 

[cc808314]

@cc808314, I really love this photo. Thanks again for posting.

Is the shoe closest to the viewer (in the right hand corner) the Alden or the Freeman Bootmaker Guild? Maybe it is the angle, but that one looks particularly bulbous.

AHS

They are th Aldens. You are right, the angle made them look more bulbous than they are. Still, they have a pretty wide toe box. I will snap some more photos later.

 

[eTrojan]

I saw this spade sole J&M pair yesterday. The rare Handmade line. Probably made in the 1980s. They retailed for $1000 in the early 90s. But they are 13AA, so I don't think they are going to fit @smfdoc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/232430008743

Check out photo #7. Cool profile for the shoe

Just as a follow up, I chased these but they exceeded my max. I capped out at $200. They went for $315. Probably worth it, but without knowing that they would fit correctly, it seemed excessive.