... when things weren't built to only be thrown out, but with the expectation of repair.
Note how old the equipment is.
Note how old the equipment is.
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A Part of Our Pasts ...
- Thread starter Veer_G
- Start date
WWII ones, the originals were all brown. Cool video of the boots getting a new lease on life.
Nice to see a Tradesman in our disposable world!
Corcoran was originally in Stoughton, MA.
My job issues Corcoran II Field Boots for summer wear. Only the toe and heel are spitshineable, the balance is some sort of "soft" oil tan leather and the soles are a one piece vibram thing.
Ive scavenged as many Corcoran originals as I can find in the supply system or from retiring guys. I have 4 pairs or so I rotate through. I wear from an 8.5 (wet stretched) to a 9.5 (thicker socks) being cheap and not wanting to buy a set.
We can send them in to the local cobbler for resoling but the cobbler will only resole with a vibram lug sole.
Ive called Corcoran and tried to buy the two part soles (Heel and Foot) and have the cobbler install them. They wont sell me the parts. The re-enactor supply company "At the Front" has two part soles to buy and I bought a bunch. Sucks that they are made in China but I get two or three years out of a resoling. The soft Chinese rubber wears much faster than the hard Corcoran product. ATF had some real USA Goodyear soles made for their own line of WWII boot and were supposed to start selling spares.....waiting.
When I gave them to the cobbler and asked him to resole my boots he was in shock - hadnt done that work since the local Mil base shut down. I think he enjoyed the novelty. He is an older man. His kid works in the shop but he doesnt do shoe repairs. He has developed custom sneakers that he sells for ridiculous money per pair. When the old man goes the repair part of the business will die too.
The custom shoe company....
Pretty sure the welting you see that craftsman dying black comes from a MA company. I understand there is only one company left in the country that makes Goodyear welting and they are in Massachusetts.
www.barbourwelting.com
Lots of brick buildings in this state that once upon a time produced shoes are now being made into condos.
As recently as the 90s Americans could be identified solely (no pun intended) by the quality of their footware.
I had my family send me a fresh set of Timberlands when winter set in in Moscow. Timberland was making boots in New Market, New Hampshire back than, now they are all Chinese. People on the Moscow Metro were like Gollum looking at my boots - "Ah Precious".
I hope this kid continues with his skills and finds success. Thing that will hurt him is our disposable society. The idea of durable goods you think would be favorable in our world of imminent environmental collapse but alas with AOC saying we only have 12 years left shit you might only get two or maybe three rebuilds before Armageddon happens.
My job issues Corcoran II Field Boots for summer wear. Only the toe and heel are spitshineable, the balance is some sort of "soft" oil tan leather and the soles are a one piece vibram thing.
Ive scavenged as many Corcoran originals as I can find in the supply system or from retiring guys. I have 4 pairs or so I rotate through. I wear from an 8.5 (wet stretched) to a 9.5 (thicker socks) being cheap and not wanting to buy a set.
We can send them in to the local cobbler for resoling but the cobbler will only resole with a vibram lug sole.
Ive called Corcoran and tried to buy the two part soles (Heel and Foot) and have the cobbler install them. They wont sell me the parts. The re-enactor supply company "At the Front" has two part soles to buy and I bought a bunch. Sucks that they are made in China but I get two or three years out of a resoling. The soft Chinese rubber wears much faster than the hard Corcoran product. ATF had some real USA Goodyear soles made for their own line of WWII boot and were supposed to start selling spares.....waiting.
When I gave them to the cobbler and asked him to resole my boots he was in shock - hadnt done that work since the local Mil base shut down. I think he enjoyed the novelty. He is an older man. His kid works in the shop but he doesnt do shoe repairs. He has developed custom sneakers that he sells for ridiculous money per pair. When the old man goes the repair part of the business will die too.
The custom shoe company....
Custom Shoe Company, running shoe, walker and hiker | Hersey
Custom Shoe Company, running shoe, walker and hiker
www.herseycustomshoe.com
Pretty sure the welting you see that craftsman dying black comes from a MA company. I understand there is only one company left in the country that makes Goodyear welting and they are in Massachusetts.
Barbour Welting
www.barbourwelting.com
Lots of brick buildings in this state that once upon a time produced shoes are now being made into condos.
As recently as the 90s Americans could be identified solely (no pun intended) by the quality of their footware.
I had my family send me a fresh set of Timberlands when winter set in in Moscow. Timberland was making boots in New Market, New Hampshire back than, now they are all Chinese. People on the Moscow Metro were like Gollum looking at my boots - "Ah Precious".
I hope this kid continues with his skills and finds success. Thing that will hurt him is our disposable society. The idea of durable goods you think would be favorable in our world of imminent environmental collapse but alas with AOC saying we only have 12 years left shit you might only get two or maybe three rebuilds before Armageddon happens.
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Awesome video - thanks for sharing! Is there even a way for someone to learn those arts these days, other than having a family member willing to share their knowledge?
The real question is...can he resole a pair of velcro sneakers?
The real question is...can he resole a pair of velcro sneakers?
Wish someone would make a nice boot jack. The one he sells is the standard POS that will fail in a year or so.
Bought this one.......
That lasted me about ten years before the inset rubber started to tear from the wood.
Can't find another one, it was German.
They know how to build a jack boot jack for sure.
Bought this one.......
That lasted me about ten years before the inset rubber started to tear from the wood.
Can't find another one, it was German.
They know how to build a jack boot jack for sure.
Damn, I still have my jump boots too. 4 years of "Honor Guard". 38 years later and one quick rub-down with a nylon, shines like a mirror! Mac
Oh yeah.
Price on one of the boxes was $95 back in the day.
Not anymore.
But relatively speaking I bet that $95 was worth more than the $185 or so they go for now. I mean $95 having more buying power and being a bigger part of take home pay than $185 is now in the current economy. It would have been an expensive boot.
Price on one of the boxes was $95 back in the day.
Not anymore.
But relatively speaking I bet that $95 was worth more than the $185 or so they go for now. I mean $95 having more buying power and being a bigger part of take home pay than $185 is now in the current economy. It would have been an expensive boot.
Very few of anything is made in America, even less is anything being built to last anymore. Its a real damn shame.
I commented to a good friend not long ago that we must be getting old as we miss things from our youth that were built to last and didn’t disappoint.
Most of them turn out to be a disappointment too. ?
I have to wear tall lineman's boots because of an injury to my shin 50 years ago, needs to be wrapped or I get shin splints that hurt like hell.
The boots last good but the eyelets wear out from chaffing when walking in the dirt of my fields. Hard to find someone who can replace eyelets on boots that are good other than the eyelets have worn through.
One thing I have learned is to throw away the laces that come with the boots and replace them with Briggs&Stratton starter cord.
It comes in very small diameters and will last the life of the boot or shoe and doesn't hold abrasive dirt like softer shoe laces do.
Things last longer that way.
I buy my boots from Hall's Safety that caters to Electric linemen.
I think they are a lesser known outfit but do have good deals on a lot of things like boots and tools that can creep over into almost everyone's life.
My boots are Made in the USA.
The boots last good but the eyelets wear out from chaffing when walking in the dirt of my fields. Hard to find someone who can replace eyelets on boots that are good other than the eyelets have worn through.
One thing I have learned is to throw away the laces that come with the boots and replace them with Briggs&Stratton starter cord.
It comes in very small diameters and will last the life of the boot or shoe and doesn't hold abrasive dirt like softer shoe laces do.
Things last longer that way.
I buy my boots from Hall's Safety that caters to Electric linemen.
I think they are a lesser known outfit but do have good deals on a lot of things like boots and tools that can creep over into almost everyone's life.
My boots are Made in the USA.
Perhaps laces that wore out before wearing out the eyelets would solve the first issue you mentioned?
pmclaine, No I didn't experience that, quite the opposite. I ran with standard soft laces for years and would have to change one once in a while. Those were getting frayed or broke, but, when frayed would hold dirt,abrasive, in the eyelets and chaff with each step.
I was down at the small engine shop one afternoon and broke a lace. I didn't have one in my pocket but was standing next to the bulk starter rope rolls. I picked out the right diameter cord, cut off a foot or 2 and with a lighter made a lace .
It stayed with me for the life off the boot. Any new laces needed were made from that. They don't fray and therefore don't run that abrasive through the eyelets.
Laces last 2X+ longer and eyelet wear is cut in half. I have never had one fail me nor get fuzzy. That's some TOUGH shit.
I was down at the small engine shop one afternoon and broke a lace. I didn't have one in my pocket but was standing next to the bulk starter rope rolls. I picked out the right diameter cord, cut off a foot or 2 and with a lighter made a lace .
It stayed with me for the life off the boot. Any new laces needed were made from that. They don't fray and therefore don't run that abrasive through the eyelets.
Laces last 2X+ longer and eyelet wear is cut in half. I have never had one fail me nor get fuzzy. That's some TOUGH shit.
Good deal.
Cant argue with scientific observation......
This is settled law and Ill store it in memory If I ever go back to working hard enough to wear out laces.
Havent done that since I left working site work development and my boots were always in the shit.
The Landis equipment in my uncles cobblers shop is a good 40 years older than me (I'm 58).
The horizontal spindle machinery is easily fixable.
However
All the sewing machines,trimmers and nailers are obsolete,so when something breaks he usually has to have the parts made.
The one nailer uses a roll of stranded wire for nails.
I have a pair of brown Corcoran's. They were made in the '60's. They had been on a display mannequin for the 82nd Airborne Accoc. in Illinois. They were literally like new with the box. I use them when I'm jumping with the WWII ADT. I was lucky to get them. I also have apair of ICB's my favorite boots. They were beat to hell but then the sole broke. The local cobbler said that he didn't do Vibram soles. I sent them to NuShoe in California. They did a great job as good as new.
www.nushoe.com
USMC Boots Repair | USMC Uniform Boot Repair Online
NuShoe is the official uniform boot repair factory for USMC, Navy, Army & Airforce. We replace components with new materials to rebuild your uniform boots.
www.nushoe.com
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I have a pair of brown Corcoran's. They were made in the '60's. They had been on a display mannequin for the 82nd Airborne Accoc. in Illinois. They were literally like new with the box. I use then when I'm jumping with the WWII ADT. I was lucky to get them. I also have apair of ICB's my favorite boots. They were beat to hell but then the sole broke. The local cobbler said that he didn't do Vibram soles. I sent them to NuShoe in California. They did a great job as good as new.
USMC Boots Repair | USMC Uniform Boot Repair Online
NuShoe is the official uniform boot repair factory for USMC, Navy, Army & Airforce. We replace components with new materials to rebuild your uniform boots.
Problem with resoling jump boots is finding cobblers familiar with the two piece sole and actually finding replacement soles.
Corcoran wont provide/sell soles.
The soles the kid is using in the video look to be better than OEM as they are corded and would probably last a long time.
I ended up buying soles from ATF that they source from China. They are too soft.
I get maybe two years out of them and thats rotating 4 sets of boots between April 15 and Oct 15. The cobbler I use was working when the local mil base was active prior to 1994 so he had actually replaced jump boot soles back in the day. That said he know short cuts. He only glues them on, no nails. Whatever glue he uses though is magic as I have not had a sole break loose.
There was a shoe shop in my hometown of Limon CO. when I was growing up that the kindest man I knew of ran. He would fix our shoes and boots till they were no longer rebuildable. He also patched my leathers for me when I was racing flat track motorsicles.
When I moved up to Sterling Co. there was a shop here with the same name.
One day I took some boots in there for eyelets and as soon as I got in the door, I stopped and looked around and thought I was back in my hometown as the man running the place looked exactly like the man in my hometown, the shop was set out exactly the same, the counter, ad displays and layout of the shop were exactly the same and the man was a very kind Gentleman.
I got the same kind of service and pricing as I did in my hometown and the quality of work was just as good.
Turns out they were brothers. I don't know if they were twins but may well have been. Lester and Lyle IIRC.
Damned hard to find a cobbler now in CO, I was taking my stuff to a Polish lady in Littleton, CO for years after Les retired but she finally retired too so I have nothing now.
When I moved up to Sterling Co. there was a shop here with the same name.
One day I took some boots in there for eyelets and as soon as I got in the door, I stopped and looked around and thought I was back in my hometown as the man running the place looked exactly like the man in my hometown, the shop was set out exactly the same, the counter, ad displays and layout of the shop were exactly the same and the man was a very kind Gentleman.
I got the same kind of service and pricing as I did in my hometown and the quality of work was just as good.
Turns out they were brothers. I don't know if they were twins but may well have been. Lester and Lyle IIRC.
Damned hard to find a cobbler now in CO, I was taking my stuff to a Polish lady in Littleton, CO for years after Les retired but she finally retired too so I have nothing now.
