Red Wing 953

I bought these boots a few years ago as boots that I could wear casually, or maybe do a little work in them. It was a case of finding these boots for a great price for my hard-to-fit feet. (I’m kind of borderline 13B/14A depending on the boot.) I was kind of waiting for the right time to start wearing them. They just did not excite me though, so they sat unused. My son is extremely hard on his boots and quickly destroyed the Doc Marten and Solovair boots that he liked. I decided to buy him a pair of Red Wing 953s because I knew that they would hold up a lot better. He insisted on black boots though, so I dyed his black with leather dye. Six to twelve months later he complained that they were not as black anymore and asked me to redye them. I picked them up and the teacore effect was incredible. I hated to do it, but I dyed them black again. But seeing his boots inspired me. As much as I like his boots, I didn’t want black boots myself. I mixed up some leather dye to create a deep dark black cherry and dyed my own pair of 953s, hoping to achieve a similar effect over time.

It can be difficult to find size 14A boots, but I just happened to find this new old stock pair on eBay. They arrived quickly, but the leather was a little dry. I applied some leather conditioner when they arrived, but did not wear them for a long time.