Resole cowboy boots

[PurpleBronc]

Hey, has anyone ever done anything with resoling cowboy boots? Have an old pair I'm trying to do, and any tips would be helpful.

Thanks!

[Dwight]

 

[Tastech]

Looks like a Half sole will do the job 

With a knife cut the stitching between the welt and outersole 

Remove the outersole with pincers . Under that layer will be cork . Remove the cork the best way you can .Screwdriver will do the job . 

Remove stitches from the welt using an awl to pick at them and tweezers to remove them .

Replace cork layer. Cork floor tile will work if the real stuff is unavailable. I use a clear overhead projector plastic sheet to make the template for the cork  . You will work out what i mean .

Use a strong contact cement to glue the cork in . With a sanding block of about 36 grit Sand the cork flush with the welt and roughen the welt and any other areas where the new sole will sit  as well to give some tooth for the glue . 

Sole leather is not you average bark tan leather  so you might have to source a pair of half soles from a cobbler 

You will have to skive the sole leather where it will overlap the original near the shank . ( i Use a 30 mm overlap )

 Apply contact cement to both shoe and sole and let dry  and repeat . with a heat gun get the sole warm and put it in position then hammer it down , you will have to use the back of the cobblers hammer to push the welt against the sole  ( yes that's what the other end is used for, That and for starting short nails  )

Once all is good trim the excess using a sharp knife and sand the sole edge flush .

A channel must be made on the sole to correspond to the distance off the outside of the welt to the stitching hole .(usually about 4-5 mm )

Wet the cut channel with a wet sponge or spray bottle and commence stitching following the welt hole as a space guide . 

You will need a curved awl , 2 needles and some heavy waxed thread . (The choice is up to you ) You start your hole from the welt side pushing out through the sole . Tighten each stitch as you go .

How you finish the edges or sole is up to you but i recommend something waxy 

What i wrote above is just a summary not a concise step by step .

You can watch a few youtube videos to see what i describe demonstrated and make up you own mind if you are confident to proceed .

Or just take the boots to a cobbler and let him do what he does best .

I do between 10-15 resoles a week but use specialized tools and machinery because i have to make it pay . But when i make my own shoes i hand stitch the soles because of the precision and finish but my fingers and tendons in the elbow ache for a month afterwards .

By all means i encourage you to have a go , You will find it satisfying for sure .

[Northmount]

9 hours ago, PurpleBronc said:

Hey, has anyone ever done anything with resoling cowboy boots? Have an old pair I'm trying to do, and any tips would be helpful.

Thanks!

Moved your post to "Shoes, Boots, Sandals and Moccassins"

[PurpleBronc]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:53 PM, Tastech said:

Looks like a Half sole will do the job 

With a knife cut the stitching between the welt and outersole 

Remove the outersole with pincers . Under that layer will be cork . Remove the cork the best way you can .Screwdriver will do the job . 

Remove stitches from the welt using an awl to pick at them and tweezers to remove them .

Replace cork layer. Cork floor tile will work if the real stuff is unavailable. I use a clear overhead projector plastic sheet to make the template for the cork  . You will work out what i mean .

Use a strong contact cement to glue the cork in . With a sanding block of about 36 grit Sand the cork flush with the welt and roughen the welt and any other areas where the new sole will sit  as well to give some tooth for the glue . 

Sole leather is not you average bark tan leather  so you might have to source a pair of half soles from a cobbler 

You will have to skive the sole leather where it will overlap the original near the shank . ( i Use a 30 mm overlap )

 Apply contact cement to both shoe and sole and let dry  and repeat . with a heat gun get the sole warm and put it in position then hammer it down , you will have to use the back of the cobblers hammer to push the welt against the sole  ( yes that's what the other end is used for, That and for starting short nails  )

Once all is good trim the excess using a sharp knife and sand the sole edge flush .

A channel must be made on the sole to correspond to the distance off the outside of the welt to the stitching hole .(usually about 4-5 mm )

Wet the cut channel with a wet sponge or spray bottle and commence stitching following the welt hole as a space guide . 

You will need a curved awl , 2 needles and some heavy waxed thread . (The choice is up to you ) You start your hole from the welt side pushing out through the sole . Tighten each stitch as you go .

How you finish the edges or sole is up to you but i recommend something waxy 

What i wrote above is just a summary not a concise step by step .

You can watch a few youtube videos to see what i describe demonstrated and make up you own mind if you are confident to proceed .

Or just take the boots to a cobbler and let him do what he does best .

I do between 10-15 resoles a week but use specialized tools and machinery because i have to make it pay . But when i make my own shoes i hand stitch the soles because of the precision and finish but my fingers and tendons in the elbow ache for a month afterwards .

By all means i encourage you to have a go , You will find it satisfying for sure .

Thanks, all!

[chuck123wapati]

It amazes me in a sad way, there were shoe repair shops in every town when I was a young man. now its almost a lost art in less than one lifetime. 

[Mablung]

I have a pair of wolverine boots that need to be resold. Watching that video got me thinking that I could probably manage to do it myself. I found a last Jack on eBay for a good price, which I might grab so that I can start doing some more advanced shoe making and repair work. if everything goes to hell in a handbasket, at least I will be able to make and repair shoes. 

[fredk]

This reminds me I have a pair of #1 son's shoes to repair. They are/were expensive Italian. I took them round the local 'shoe repairers', not one would or could do anything with them. There are absolutely no cobblers left. All these guys could do is stick rubber soles on them

Although I made medieval shoes about 20 years ago it looks like a new talent I'll have to learn to repair this one pair

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, fredk said:

This reminds me I have a pair of #1 son's shoes to repair. They are/were expensive Italian. I took them round the local 'shoe repairers', not one would or could do anything with them. There are absolutely no cobblers left. All these guys could do is stick rubber soles on them

Although I made medieval shoes about 20 years ago it looks like a new talent I'll have to learn to repair this one pair

Time to become one’s own cobbler, right?

[Dwight]

16 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

It amazes me in a sad way, there were shoe repair shops in every town when I was a young man. now its almost a lost art in less than one lifetime. 

Count the number of farriers in town in 1890 . . . then again in 1930 . . . 

Same idea . . . same results

May God bless,

Dwight

[Tastech]

I am the last Traditional cobbler in my city of 500,000 people . There are shoe repair kiosks in some of the malls but they know jack $hit . They can do some basic heels and not much else . An analogy would be . Kiosk shoe repairs are like a Mcdonalds  and i am a qualified chef in a 5 star restaurant . I have always been suspect of a person who calls themselves a cobbler and cuts keys  or does engraving . It means you do 3 things half a$$ed.  I started as a cobbler then learnt shoe making and ended up as an engineer . After 20 years of engineering i went back to shoe making and being a cobbler simply because i love it  . There is a big demand for it but no one wants to learn  so i am pretty much the last man standing . Its not a hard job to learn but to learn and be good at it you have to have a passion for it . Therefore i think anyone here on the forum who wants to learn can easily do so by having the drive and just by watching a few videos on youtube to get the jist of how things are done and then practice . You do need a bit of a start up kit but that is easily obtained second hand on ebay because there are no more cobblers left and plenty of tools  and machines to go around . One of the main contributors to the decline in cobblers is that shoes are not made they way they used to be and the quality of old is rarely seen anymore.  One of the things that has changed in the 30 years is that 30 years ago  people looked after their shoes and boots . I am disgusted in quite a few people  and their complete lack of care . I can say with all honestly that 90% of people under 40 do not know how to polish their shoes . I only deal with high quality shoes  and repair and charge accordingly . It is sad that the trade is on its death bed ,but i think there will always be some cobblers left simply because they love it  as i do . Young people are just not interested in learning any trade so that only leaves immigrants .   So if one opens shop in your town show some appreciation for the trade  and give them some business . I could make a list of the country of origin of the immigrant cobblers and rate them but i know i would get into some sort of trouble but i will name 2 because i am impressed by their consistent work . Turks and Egyptians, i also hear Mexicans are born naturals . Ok thats 3 . 

[Mulesaw]

2 hours ago, Tastech said:

I am the last Traditional cobbler in my city of 500,000 people . There are shoe repair kiosks in some of the malls but they know jack $hit . They can do some basic heels and not much else . An analogy would be . Kiosk shoe repairs are like a Mcdonalds  and i am a qualified chef in a 5 star restaurant . I have always been suspect of a person who calls themselves a cobbler and cuts keys  or does engraving . It means you do 3 things half a$$ed.  I started as a cobbler then learnt shoe making and ended up as an engineer . After 20 years of engineering i went back to shoe making and being a cobbler simply because i love it  . There is a big demand for it but no one wants to learn  so i am pretty much the last man standing . Its not a hard job to learn but to learn and be good at it you have to have a passion for it . Therefore i think anyone here on the forum who wants to learn can easily do so by having the drive and just by watching a few videos on youtube to get the jist of how things are done and then practice . You do need a bit of a start up kit but that is easily obtained second hand on ebay because there are no more cobblers left and plenty of tools  and machines to go around . One of the main contributors to the decline in cobblers is that shoes are not made they way they used to be and the quality of old is rarely seen anymore.  One of the things that has changed in the 30 years is that 30 years ago  people looked after their shoes and boots . I am disgusted in quite a few people  and their complete lack of care . I can say with all honestly that 90% of people under 40 do not know how to polish their shoes . I only deal with high quality shoes  and repair and charge accordingly . It is sad that the trade is on its death bed ,but i think there will always be some cobblers left simply because they love it  as i do . Young people are just not interested in learning any trade so that only leaves immigrants .   So if one opens shop in your town show some appreciation for the trade  and give them some business . I could make a list of the country of origin of the immigrant cobblers and rate them but i know i would get into some sort of trouble but i will name 2 because i am impressed by their consistent work . Turks and Egyptians, i also hear Mexicans are born naturals . Ok thats 3 . 

Spot on!

Without intention, I can see that I am slowly getting into more and more shoe/boot repairs. I change the zippers in riding boots regularly, but people have started coming with other boots and shoes as well. I haven't tried to resole anything yet, but I hope that a bit of sound judgement and YouTube will get me a long way when that time comes. 
Some of the repairs are so simple that I wonder if people have lost all ability to repair even a small stitch that unravels, but I think that it might be a general false assumption that you need this or that special equipment to do even the smallest repair job. When truth be told, a needle, some thread and a pair of pliers or a thimble could get you a long way.

But I can see why even the arcade cobblers will close up shop: If people can buy a new set of shoes at a price that is maybe 2x the price of getting a new heel pad glued on - well then most people will just do that. Also a lot of new shoes aren't made in a way that allow much to be repaired.

At least that is a good thing about the riding boots. Many are still well made, and they are so expensive that people take care of them and are happy to pay to have them repaired.

[Mablung]

5 hours ago, Tastech said:

I am the last Traditional cobbler in my city of 500,000 people . There are shoe repair kiosks in some of the malls but they know jack $hit . They can do some basic heels and not much else . An analogy would be . Kiosk shoe repairs are like a Mcdonalds  and i am a qualified chef in a 5 star restaurant . I have always been suspect of a person who calls themselves a cobbler and cuts keys  or does engraving . It means you do 3 things half a$$ed.  I started as a cobbler then learnt shoe making and ended up as an engineer . After 20 years of engineering i went back to shoe making and being a cobbler simply because i love it  . There is a big demand for it but no one wants to learn  so i am pretty much the last man standing . Its not a hard job to learn but to learn and be good at it you have to have a passion for it . Therefore i think anyone here on the forum who wants to learn can easily do so by having the drive and just by watching a few videos on youtube to get the jist of how things are done and then practice . You do need a bit of a start up kit but that is easily obtained second hand on ebay because there are no more cobblers left and plenty of tools  and machines to go around . One of the main contributors to the decline in cobblers is that shoes are not made they way they used to be and the quality of old is rarely seen anymore.  One of the things that has changed in the 30 years is that 30 years ago  people looked after their shoes and boots . I am disgusted in quite a few people  and their complete lack of care . I can say with all honestly that 90% of people under 40 do not know how to polish their shoes . I only deal with high quality shoes  and repair and charge accordingly . It is sad that the trade is on its death bed ,but i think there will always be some cobblers left simply because they love it  as i do . Young people are just not interested in learning any trade so that only leaves immigrants .   So if one opens shop in your town show some appreciation for the trade  and give them some business . I could make a list of the country of origin of the immigrant cobblers and rate them but i know i would get into some sort of trouble but i will name 2 because i am impressed by their consistent work . Turks and Egyptians, i also hear Mexicans are born naturals . Ok thats 3 . 

A few questions for you. 
 

What are, in your mind, the essential steps in polishing a shoe? You may have meant simply that no one under 40 knows how to select, apply, and buff a shoe polish, which really isn’t hard to do, but I just wonder what else you think is necessary to really polish a shoe well. 
 

For someone getting started cobbling, what tools are essential? Outsole stitchers, sanding machines, so on are all helpful labor-saving devices, but what is truly essential to getting going  in the craft?

What do you consider a high-quality shoe that would get you to work on it? I’ll use a couple of my shoes as comparison jumping-off points. I have a pair of Johnston & Murphy Oxfords I bought for $100 or so on sale close to ten years ago—I think the outsole is either cemented or has a closed stitching channel, but I’m not sure which. I also have a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile boots that are Goodyear welted with open-channel stitching. Would you decline to work on either one, and why?

I have taken an inordinate interest in making and repairing shoes, so I may have more questions for you, if you’re willing to take a little time to answer. 

[Tastech]

Thanks for your questions and i will try and answer them  tailored to what i think would be of interest to you .

First of all I am Australian so i will answer you questions with my experience and how it relates to me ,but i am sure it applies to Europe and the Americas . About 40 years ago Australia dropped the 200% tariff on imported footwear and textiles ( UK and US were  always exempt )  This lead to cheap inferior imports and people got used to the cheaper price which in turn destroyed the shoe manufacturing in Australia . Factories received less orders , needed less staff and eventually closed down or manufactured overseas . This also made redundant the tanneries , machine suppliers and service people , rubber manufacturers and component makers .  Because shoes were cheaper people valued them less because they could buy a new pair for a little over the cost of repair . Yet there were enough good quality repairable shoes around to keep cobblers busy for the next 10-15 years .  Because good shoes used to cost the equivalent of a weeks wages people had less but made them last by looking after them  and getting them repaired . In the last 40 years a generation has grown up not having an appreciation of quality shoes and focus on brand names not quality . I call them the sneaker generation . Enter fast fashion and you have another generation who doesn't have time to wear out a pair of shoes before the next trend happens because of this manufactures make even crappier shoes . As a result these generation never had the need to know how to look after a pair of shoes or how to make them more presentable  let alone how to polish .

When it comes to cleaning and polishing shoes it is a simple step by step process however the process and the products used depends on the material . Full grain , nu buck , nappa , suede , reptile and canvas all have their nuances and methods . most grained leathers respond very well to a clean with a damp cloth and a good quality conditioner . Then either a cream or wax polish and a good buff . too easy. But most importantly is knowing when to polish or clean . Unfortunately most people leave it way to late and some avoidable damage is done . For some good quality advice and demonstrations on shoe polishing i recommend a YouTube channel called "Elegant Oxford " just watch his transformations and simple and relaxing narrative . Often some of my older customers will tell me how it was their job to polish the family shoes on a Sunday afternoon so the family can look respectable for the rest of the week . What times they were when a family's dignity balanced of the respectability of their shoes .LOL.

To get started in shoe repairs you have to be familiar with the process and it is 100% process . Each process has its tool and technique . Most of the tools are multi functional so you really dont need that many . For repairs some essentials are needed , A cobblers hammer to your liking . For general work and a good all rounder is a German pattern  cobblers hammer Made by Stahl , I also love my #2 London pattern George Barnsley for some heavier sole beating . (Bet you didn't know cobblers hammers came in patterns and size numbers) .  A decent quality utility knife ( Stanley knife ) is very useful . Look for one with minimum blade movement .  A pair of large and small pincers for removing heels and rubber soles  and for cutting off nails . A curved awl and a pair of small bent nose pliers for picking out stitches . I use a series of knife blade shapes for different purposes and each cobbler shapes them to his preference . You start off with a big blade and it gets reshaped as it wears down and replaced and it gets smaller and reshaped as you get a new one .

You have to find a good supplier of shoe repair materials because you cant really improvise , Sole butt leather , heel rubber , sole rubber and glues are all specific to the shoe repair trade . you will be overwhelmed by how many tread patterns and rubber densities  and thicknesses there are , As a general rule we replace like for like . If it was soft we replace it with soft , same goes for hard . You can't stock everything so pick a few and use what you have .

When it comes to machinery  you really don't need much for home repairs .  A sewing machine and a finishing machine are essential. Probably the best sewing machine for repairs is the Singer 29k71 . It is a legend of a machine and rightly deserves its reputation . You don't need a full blown finishing machine but can get away with a belt linishing attachment fitted to a large bench grinder . 36 and 100 grit belts for roughing and finishing sole and heel edges , the rest can be done by hand .

Outsole stitchers are and can be a major headache if you don't know the machine and how to operate one . They can be frustrating at best and soul destroying at worse. they are referred to as the devils machine . Learn how to hand stitch soles efficiently and stay away from outsole stitchers . Hand stitching a pair of resoles takes between 60 -90 mins .

My advise would be to befriend a cobbler and tell him you want to watch and learn . he may refuse at first but keep pestering  . You cant beat the hands on experience . you have to touch feel and smell whats going on and familiarize yourself with the process  and see the tools and how they are used . Chances are the cobbler will be a grumpy old bastard but hold your tongue and keep focused . You may even like it and you may even get offered a job . if so take it , the skills are valuable and transferable  to other trades .

I have a couple of favourite YouTube shoe makers  , They are true masters yet just follow a process 

Terry Kim is similar to they way i like to do things ---   Terry Kim's Shoemaking (2020) | Short Film @gnno (youtube.com)

Siroeno Yosui is next level  he is 2024 shoe make of the year ----   Making HANDMADE Classic Shoes in a Vintage Freudenberg Leather (youtube.com)

you may also find this inspiring---     How It's Made:Handmade shoes with Norwegian stitching [asmr] (youtube.com)

with these videos pay close attention to their tools and how they use them . All of them true masters .

Its late as i write this . Tomorrow i will try and post some photos of some of the essential tools so you know what i mean . chances are you already have some .

Sorry for the long winded answers but they were actually short .lol