Middle Earth Ranger Forum

That's a shame about your boots, Greg. Those things look awesome and appear to be well-made.

Greg wrote: I'd considered modifying a pair of these to accept laces and extend the uppers, but I really don't like the pebbly texture.

The Boots by Bohemond Medieval High Shoes that I got this summer were made from the same pebbly textured leather, a point of dissatisfaction on my part. I associate this with chrome tanned leather, although I'm no expert.

From what I understand, it is nearly impossible to get leather made in a period manner. What you need for an upper is soft pliable light-medium vegetable tanned leather. The best way to approximate this, according to Marc Carlson, is liberal application of tallow/neets foot oil to a modern veg tan.

I see what you're saying, Greg. Bummer about the old boots, and also bummer about VL not being able to do custom requests. It does make sense though. I've wondered if they sub-contracted like that, because their prices were frankly too good to be totally hand-made and custom. It honestly doesn't bother me in the slightest, except for the fact that, like you said, they can't really do anything out of their very specific range of styles. That being said, I think you could easily get away with doing a project like mine and have the end result turn out really cool. The only thing I don't know yet, as previously mentioned, is how they stand up to long-term use.

As for the leather itself, I don't know if these were chrome-tanned, but the look and feel of the leather was definitely closer to a natural veg-tan than many examples I've seen. As for a really nice, period-correct leather that could be used for shoes or other projects that require the leather to be quite soft and supple, I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking out Tandy for one of their milled double shoulders: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 8-557.aspx

This is what I used for the uppers on my new boots. It's veg-tanned, capable of being stamped, carved, dyed, and tooled, and it's very soft and pliable. They usually have it in several different weights. Just plain gorgeous stuff, and the applications are practically limitless. Plus, as I see it, the stuff is far more period than most other leathers of its consistency.

mcapanelli wrote:The boots came out awesome dude. You really outdid yourself. Great job man.

No kidding. They're gorgeous.

Absolutely beautiful! I would love to try this with with a pair of Bohemond's Medieval High Shoe. Thanks for the inspiration!

If your shoes get wet a lot- don't use neatsfoot or animal oils. Your leather will rot. Stuck with a grease- like Hubbards boot grease or Tandys "Doc Johnson's" in the puck can. Doc's is also in a tube- but it's too liquid-y for my tastes, and doesn't seem to be as waxy.

Also, neatsfoot gets sticky, if you use even a tiny bit too much- so I'd avoid it for sheaths, too!

Finally- that's a GREAT mod to your boots, well done- they look cool, and also seem nicely functional, too! If you grease them, you won't need to dye the top turn-downs, they'll look fine and won't transfer dye to your pants, that way, too.

Thanks for sharing!

sgainbrachta wrote:If your shoes get wet a lot- don't use neatsfoot or animal oils. Your leather will rot. Stuck with a grease- like Hubbards boot grease or Tandys "Doc Johnson's" in the puck can. Doc's is also in a tube- but it's too liquid-y for my tastes, and doesn't seem to be as waxy.

Also, neatsfoot gets sticky, if you use even a tiny bit too much- so I'd avoid it for sheaths, too!

Finally- that's a GREAT mod to your boots, well done- they look cool, and also seem nicely functional, too! If you grease them, you won't need to dye the top turn-downs, they'll look fine and won't transfer dye to your pants, that way, too.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the info, as always! You're a veritable encyclopedia of useful information! I will definitely have to keep that in mind. For now I think I'm going to start with a spray-on leather finisher, and then go from there.

And thanks once again to everyone for the compliments! I highly recommend trying out this method, because it really works like a charm. Now we'll just have to see how they hold up over extended periods. I still haven't gotten a chance to break them in.

Very nicely done. I have those same base boots but adding the tops never occurred to me. As for waterproofing, mink oil works well (or has for me for a long time). Even Kiwi neutral shoe polish works. I have spent a lot of time in wet boots but I have never had an issue with using mink oil.

Very neat! If I am not mistaken, this is based on a Viking turnshoe, which is great, since the sole can be replaced if it wears out, keeping the rest of the boot.

Frankly, I don't like the idea of high boots too much. They're often heavy and awkward; the leather is extra weight on the feet if you're covering extra miles, and I've yet to find high boots that stay up!

Has anyone had any experience with these boots? They are sold through KOA but are made by GRFB:
http://kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=GB1165

The trick to getting high boots to stay up is to make the upper/calf portion out of leather that is heavier/stiffer than the more pliable foot portion...which most companies don't do. You can also do double layers on the uppers to help make it more stiff, or add a strip up the back for structure, etc.

I find that high boots are exceedingly nice for tromping through brush and stuff...no more briars in my shins.

They look great! I'm so often inspired by everyone here diving into projects. I think the diversity of skill levels give the overall group an 'authenticity' that would come from people creating and repairing gear both on the trail and in camp.

I have those very boots. The leather sole is a bit different to walk in, for me at least. They are stiff enough to stay up, but not too tight, as least on my legs. I am 5'8, wearing them here in this candid shot at the Pony lol



Ken

Mirimaran wrote:I have those very boots. The leather sole is a bit different to walk in, for me at least. They are stiff enough to stay up, but not too tight, as least on my legs. I am 5'8, wearing them here in this candid shot at the Pony lol



Ken

Such a great shot! I am quoting this just to bump another picture up!

he he that was a fun contest! thanks for the bump, still recommending the boots!



Ken

Mirimaran wrote:The leather sole is a bit different to walk in, for me at least.

Thanks! I'm pretty accustomed to walking in leather soles.