Water resistant leather?

[ScottEnglish]

Well, I have tried the contact adhesive and ground rubber mixture for soling moccasins. On several pairs. I walk a reasonable number of miles weekly on tarmac and concrete. I find the contact adhesive and ground rubber soling wears very quickly. Too quickly.

One solution for extending the life of my mocs is to make the soling thicker by spreading more layers of the mixture on to the underneath of them. But it is time consuming and the fumes are unhealthy. The other solution, which is far more appealing, is to just use thicker leather for the soling. Probably buffalo. Or bison on your side of the pond.

I would like to know whether the leather soles on the moccasins made by Arrow Moccasin Company are resistant to water. My experience is that leather soaks up water once the finish on the grain side is worn off. If the soles on the Arrow mocs are not resistant to water, then why do folk buy them?

Scott

 

 

Edited February 22, 2021 by ScottEnglish
Clarity

[fredk]

When I used to repair medieval type shoes for medieval type re-enactors I used to glue on a modern rubber shoe sole repair patch. It was just big enough to cover just where the ball of the foot made contact with the ground. It was enough to about water proof the sole and add extra grip, especially on wet grass.

[chrisash]

It says this on their web site

Most important, if you get your moccasins soaking wet, let them "air-dry" naturally. Do not use heat sources such as stoves, campfires, hairdryers, etc.. These procedures will leave your moccasins dry and crisp, and unable to be restitched or resoled. To help seal out unwanted moisture, you should also considered applying Sno-Seal to help preserve and restore your moccasins. We have 8 fl.oz. jars of Sno-Seal available for $6.00, plus shipping.

[tsunkasapa]

Having worn moccasins most of my life, there is nothing that will do what you want. Wet feet are just part of wearing moccasins. Anything you put on the bottom will be gone in a day at best.

[jcuk]

Is there no way you can include some kind of water proofing as some part of the lining some kind of breathable product, please don't slaughter me if this is a stupid idea and if you do slaughter me i will claim lockdown madness.

Hope this helps

JCUK

Edited February 22, 2021 by jcuk

[Northmount]

Use something besides leather for the soles.  I see people using soles cut from tires.

 

[chuck123wapati]

http://creperubber.com/en/ here ya go leather will always get wet try this it may be the answer you are looking for.

this may be a better place. https://www.frankfordleather.com/crepe-sheets/soleflex-crepe.asp

Edited February 22, 2021 by chuck123wapati

[Aven]

The Soleflex  that Chuck linked can be warmed in a low temperature oven and molded to the bottom of moccasin while you are wearing it.  Check out Cheri Paxton's youtube video.  In the video, she just uses glue to attache them to the soles of her shoes.  I would be inclined to stitch them on as well.  But I tend to over engineer things.

 

[ScottEnglish]

Thanks to you all for your observations, contributions, and thoughts.

Scott