I chose this leather specifically because I thought it would take very well to cobbler shop use. I had already made a wallet out of the same side of Horween Tan Latigo and after just a couple of months in my back pocket it had taken the kind of color that a vegetable tanned belt would need two years to achieve. The pattern was one that I knew would be versatile enough to wear around town and in the shop, and I knew the Dainite Studded sole has just enough grip for base weather and is sturdy enough to last the whole six months.
This last came from Ukraine with a pointy chiseled tip. I rounded the tip of the last and removed a little length overall, without changing the overall shape of the last from the ball back. It was listed as a size 41 (8.5 brannock) but is more like a 10 Brannock. I have a 9.5C LTT so I used a rather thick insole to take up the extra space. Not a bad thing when I spend 8 hours a day standing in these.
I made this pair with my own two hands. If you want a pair you can buy one from me. I have modified the pattern a little bit to give the shaft a nicer shape and lower the counter a smidge. Find me on Instagram at @oldspeedmfg
The vast majority of the time I spent in these boots over the last 6 months has been in the cobbler shop at Pilgrim Shoe Repair, where I’ve been refining this pattern and others, shaping new lasts, and of course repairing a lot of shoes. Outside of that these shoes have been through snowstorms, rain, sand, and even the X Ray machine at Philadelphia International. They have had no failures in this time.
This leather evolved like the shark: all at once in the very beginning and then seemingly not at all for the next 400 million years. The color came in fairly quickly from the original muted yellow tan to a rich orange brown with burnishing near the soles and on the edges of the panels, and blue-black crocking all around the upper part of the shaft. Three conditionings over 6 months helped with this, as did very regular brushing and the occasional wipe with a damp sponge. Shop use also introduced some oil and some texture, specifically around the toe and heel. One of the boots was splashed with green leather paint which I was able to remove the majority of, but these are a couple of stitches on the outsole stitching that are still a little green. There are also some mystery dimples on the vamps that may have been from acid but I don’t know when that would have happened.
A little loose. Wearability is good but for me (low volume D width) a thick insole is necessary.
This sole is not good in the wet. It’s better than leather but I don’t think I’ve ever used a sole that is so slippery on wet cobblestone.
There is no feeling like wearing something you made yourself. Not that it happens a lot, but when a stranger says “nice boots” and I get to say “thanks, I made them myself” I feel so good that I worry a prank is being pulled on me. If you have interest in making your own shoes, you MUST try it. Find someone to guide you, work hard at it and create something. I made my first pair and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that I decided in days to start my own shoemaking journey. It is my life now. I want to prove to people that good products can be knowable: they do not need to come from far-flung places by way of expensive boutiques, they do not need to have the blessing of well-known, well-trained designers who have been anointed by the elite, they just need to be made in an earnest way with proven techniques and for the purpose of serving the wearer. YOU can do that. And you’ll be happy you did.