Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Shoonoob]

The trashboat 93602s have arrived for restoration challenge. Cannot verify because the heels have been replaced but I think they are OLD. So the leather should withstand tons of abuse.
Game On!

 

[Numbernine]

Couple projects wrapping up. Lesson learned: If you gonna dye your first pair of shoes and they are corrected grain, buy your acetone and bick 4 by the gallon. Finally got them to the point I felt ok putting the vibram soles on.

 

[M.Photog]

I have a pair of black Florsheim Imperials with the number 92611. I also have a pair in the same size which are otherwise identical except they are labeled as Royal Imperials but the number is not legible. They are both size 10.5C and I normally get a 10D so they are a nice fit. They both came from the same GW on the same day so I'm sure they came form the same owner. Both pair are in good condition but they have been half-soled. It seems like it was done well if that is possible.

I wear both pair regularly but would like to start watching out for another pair of each color that has not been half-soled. Does anyone have an idea of the number of the brown pair?

 

[CWOyaji]

Bins find. These AE Fairgates ended up being free since the register wasn’t working. Instead of the $2 they would have ordinarily cost.

 

[wasmisterfu]

Couple projects wrapping up. Lesson learned: If you gonna dye your first pair of shoes and they are corrected grain, buy your acetone and bick 4 by the gallon. Finally got them to the point I felt ok putting the vibram soles on.

People think I’m exaggerating when I tell them they’re gonna need a lot of acetone when stripping CG. You need a LOT of acetone. And conditioner. And rags. And acetone.

How was the leather after you got the finish off?

 

[wasmisterfu]

Bins find. These ended up being free since the register wasn’t working. Instead of the $2 they would have ordinarily cost.
View attachment 1221192

Why are you taunting me?

Next you’ll find a pair of NOS Alden 974 color 8 shortwings with a wad of vintage 500 dollar bills stuffed in the toes for 2 dollars.

 

[friendlygoz]

Yeah, I mean all you can do is joke about it. Prada had managed, for the better part of 20 years to not totally screwup Church’s, but now they’ve gone full-marsupial.

And it’s not like the quality is even there. Zoom in and look at how crap this Polished Binder CG looks on this ridiculous studded brogue short-wing:

For the prices they’re charging, their stuff is trash. The thing looks like 2000’s era AE Polished Cobbler with more indifferent uppers stitching.

For roughly the same price, you could have bought these:

Yeah, and then save some money by gluing the fake diamonds. Well, looks like I got my next project lined up.

 

[CWOyaji]

@wasmisterfu I had to reunite that pair by picking through a bin full of the most wretched collection of footwear you could imagine. So although they were indeed free, I had to earn them. But, I did recently find this Montblanc 220 fountain pen inside a $0.99 bison wallet. So now I'm collecting fountain pens, too.

 

[ccpl14]

Which one of you got those Tan Nettleton PTB in 11C? Nice score.

 

[Numbernine]

People think I’m exaggerating when I tell them they’re gonna need a lot of acetone when stripping CG. You need a LOT of acetone. And conditioner. And rags. And acetone.

How was the leather after you got the finish off?

It was pretty dry on the surface but not too bad, trouble was I had to go through 3 strip and dye cycles before I got the knack to removing all the finish from the grain.(brush, rag, speed) I did 2 rounds with bic LP and a heat gun and god knows how much bic 4. Seems pretty supple now. I guess nettleton used a decent leather for their cg.

 

[wasmisterfu]

It was pretty dry on the surface but not too bad, trouble was I had to go through 3 strip and dye cycles before I got the knack to removing all the finish from the grain.(brush, rag, speed) I did 2 rounds with bic LP and a heat gun and god knows how much bic 4. Seems pretty supple now. I guess nettleton used a decent leather for their cg.

Well Nettleton was a good shoe, so I had a suspicion that they might have used good stuff. It’s ridiculous that these companies took good leather and put it under that PU finish. On my 87 Berwick’s (curtesy of @CWOyaji), the grain isn’t even obfuscated, it’s just sitting under that dopey finish. I blame the English, this “Polished Binder” weather resistant perms-shine stuff was their thing long before it was ever over here.

 

[wasmisterfu]

@wasmisterfu I had to reunite that pair by picking through a bin full of the most wretched collection of footwear you could imagine. So although they were indeed free, I had to earn them. But, I did recently find this Montblanc 220 fountain pen inside a $0.99 bison wallet. So now I'm collecting fountain pens, too.
View attachment 1221246

Whoa... I actually have one identical to that?! It was a gift from a family member, one I received a long time ago (almost 29 years ago). Man, I wish I could go thrifting with you.

 

[Numbernine]

Well Nettleton was a good shoe, so I had a suspicion that they might have used good stuff. It’s ridiculous that these companies took good leather and put it under that PU finish. On my 87 Berwick’s (curtesy of @CWOyaji), the grain isn’t even obfuscated, it’s just sitting under that dopey finish. I blame the English, this “Polished Binder” weather resistant perms-shine stuff was their thing long before it was ever over here.

Inorite look at that other pic of those Florsheims, what the hell could you possibly do to leather to improve on that.

 

[wasmisterfu]

I have a pair of black Florsheim Imperials with the number 92611. I also have a pair in the same size which are otherwise identical except they are labeled as Royal Imperials but the number is not legible. They are both size 10.5C and I normally get a 10D so they are a nice fit. They both came from the same GW on the same day so I'm sure they came form the same owner. Both pair are in good condition but they have been half-soled. It seems like it was done well if that is possible.

I wear both pair regularly but would like to start watching out for another pair of each color that has not been half-soled. Does anyone have an idea of the number of the brown pair?

Lighting up the @davidVC bat-signal, but I believe the model should be 97625.

 

[actionjbone]

I have a pair of black Florsheim Imperials with the number 92611. I also have a pair in the same size which are otherwise identical except they are labeled as Royal Imperials but the number is not legible. They are both size 10.5C and I normally get a 10D so they are a nice fit. They both came from the same GW on the same day so I'm sure they came form the same owner. Both pair are in good condition but they have been half-soled. It seems like it was done well if that is possible.

I wear both pair regularly but would like to start watching out for another pair of each color that has not been half-soled. Does anyone have an idea of the number of the brown pair?

Just resole them properly once they need it.

Got a good local cobbler?