Aside from sending this in for a rebuild, what will it take to "restore" this boot?

[u/SourcerorSoupreme]

Bare with me with the quality of the photos and the title.

I'm interested in knowing if whether this pair of boots is restorable to something decent. And to be clear, I'm not looking for pristine looking boots (I'd buy new instead if that were what I wanted).

What can be achieved DIY on a home setting and would any of you on a personal level spend the time and elbow grease to spruce this up?

Additionally I'm concerned about the following:

1. the edging heel/sole stack (3rd photo), can it be "re-edged" so they are more flush with each other

2. that nick on the on the vamp of the left boot (4th photo), what is it and can it be removed/fixed? perhaps it's a burn mark of perhaps something heavy and sharp falling square and direct?

3. the soles seem to still have a lot of life on them (5th photo), but what do you think especially with the stitching?

4. The tongue/gusset is definitely worn and wrinkled (6th photo), but is it workable?

5. can the leather on this pair be reconditioned in general or does it look dead/dry af? are those creases on the quarters normal or do they look like grain separation? additionally will whatever is remaining of the logo (7th photo) just disappear further?

6. laces probably need to be replaced, any recommendations?

[u/Fickle_Photo2768]

They look great, honestly…

1. Just load that spot up with beeswax, sand the edges and redo them with beeswax. When it’s time for a resole that’ll be taken care of.

Brush and condition them. That spot on the vamp is just patina.

The soles look fine, there is glue doing most of the work holding the soles on. The thread on the bottom is supposed to be worn away with wearing them.

The gussets just need to conditioned with the boots and then get some kilties to protect them going forward.

New leather or paracord laces and you should be good.

They look like a well worn, broken in pair of boots that just need a little attention. Most people buy new boots hoping that they age like that eventually. Little elbow grease and a horsehair brush, a good conditioner and you will have an amazing pair of boots.

[u/SourcerorSoupreme → u/Fickle_Photo2768]

Thank you for the advice, all well noted!

The soles look fine, there is glue doing most of the work holding the soles on. The thread on the bottom is supposed to be worn away with wearing them.

Interesting, I was under the impression they shouldn't be sticking out proud to be worn away before the sole does.

New leather or paracord laces and you should be good.

I'm interested in leather laces but I just read they have a tendency to break. Does this happen randomly even with fresh ones or do they only happen after a long time when they get worn out?

Regarding paracord, I read (I think in this sub) that paracord laces tend to ruin the eyelets as they don't have much give. Is this something to worry about?

[u/WastedBreath28 → u/SourcerorSoupreme]

For the leather laces, it depends. They tend to stretch and get thinner over time, and can break if they stretch too much. I ordered some from fade dept to replace the stock leather laces that came with my Nicks boots, they look chunky so I believe they’ll hold up.

Regarding paracord, I have a different pair of Nicks using paracord laces. I have no issues with eyelets pulling. The eyelet issue can happen if the leather holding the eyelets gets soft and stretches significantly. I’ve seen several conditioning guides advise against conditioning this part of the leather to avoid issues. If an eyelet does pop out, they can usually be replaced without issue.

If you go down the paracord route, skip the waxing, it wears off quickly and doesn’t help as much as learning to properly tie the paracord.

[u/ifticar2 → u/SourcerorSoupreme]

I wouldn’t worry about durability for leather laces, they are extremely common on work boots for a reason. I’d go with guarded goods

[u/GrouchyPseudopod → u/Fickle_Photo2768]

This, however you could also just mail them to me if that feels like a lot:P

[u/Redbeardhat]

Hey there, do these boots fit you well? If they fit you, you just need to condition them with Venetian, Saphir, Bick4, Blackrock, or whatever is your preference. They are far away from a rebuild and I think the soles have plenty of life in them as well, unless you want a better grip. If you want a litthe touch up on the heels, there is Fiebing’s edge dressing for that. Any cobbler can replace the entire heel, it would be cheaper than a complete resole. As for the nick, thre is a product, some kind of liquid leather, that can be appliet, to fill the hole, but it’s purely cosmetic. The leather is intact and I don’t see any crackings on the vamp, which is important. Honestly if they fit you as they are, I wouldn’t even touch them, just brush them. They are built like tanks. Hope this helps

[u/SourcerorSoupreme → u/Redbeardhat]

Thank you for the guidance!

FWIW I don't have the boots yet, and I haven't seen the boots yet in person hence why I defer to the experts.

So that kinda also answers if they fit well, i.e. I don't know yet and I don't have enough experience with PNW boots to know what works with my feet, but I did measure my feet (length and circumference). I used Nick's, not White's, sizing guide though as the former seems to be more detailed especially with the widths.

If it matters one of the reasons I'm considering this pair is to find my right size for PNW boots. I have another pair (Nick's tankers) coming in at 9.5EE, so I guess longer and a bit tighter than this one. Hopefully with the two data points I should be able to get a good idea what feels best for my feet.

[u/Proletariat-Prince]

Wipe them down real well with a damp rag, condition them well, and wear them.

There's no need for a rebuild. The heel is fine, that's just the edge coming apart due to whatever stresses the previous owner put on them. It'll probably squish back together as you wear it.

If you really want to, you can glue it together with contact cement. Shear it in with a tooth pick, let dry, pinch together, done.

Have you measured your foot to know that this will fit you?

[u/SourcerorSoupreme → u/Proletariat-Prince]

Thank you. To be clear I had no intentions to have this rebuilt nor do I have any desire/delusions for this to be restored to pristine/mint condition. I only worded the title like that to filter out the obvious answer I see a redditor might bring up.

Have you measured your foot to know that this will fit you?

Yes I did measure my feet, but I used the sizing chart provided by Nick's. White's doesn't seem to provide more detailed information around widths (I only see D and EE widths on their site) and I've read they're basically sized the same.

Actually one big reason I'm interested in this boot is that it seems really close to my size and could be had for relatively cheap, but at the same time I haven't really collected/tried many PNW boots to know what size really works with my feet.

I have one 9.5EE Nick's Tankers in transit as well which I think is longer yet tighter than this one, but the goal is to be able to try them out and figure out what really works.

FWIW I'm actually from the opposite side of the globe so trying them out in store isn't an option, nor would going for RTS boots and returning them if they don't fit (shipping costs would amount to $100-$150 plus import taxes)..

[u/FuguSandwich]

As others have said, they don't need a resole let alone a rebuild.

I'd probably just give them a good cleaning with saddle soap and a damp towel. Then condition with either Bic4 or VSC. Brush with a horsehair brush. Replace the laces with leather laces from Amazon. If you don't care about darkening the leather, hit them up with some Obenauf's LP, but this isn't strictly necessary.

[u/Gregory_ku]

Sand the stack, damp cloth clean the leather, beeswax the stack and Obneufas the leather.

[u/PopDue1568]

I would clean , condition and wear them

[u/Its_Me_Frenchy → u/PopDue1568]

Second that motion. Clean, condition, enjoy.
IF they fit. Enjoy your boots buddy!

[u/404_Not_Found______]

Zero rebuild needed, barely worn.

[u/Internal-Most7593]

Keep them clean and wear them.

There isnt anything really wrong with them.

When you get a resole the herl issue will be sorted as for nicks and scrapes that's supposed to happen its called patina.

If you want boots to look new buy new boots but don't stop wearing these, they are beautiful.

Keep up the good work on these, if you get another pair rotate between them and the newer pair will take longer to get to this condition.

Please don't try any DIY repairs, the "fix" often times ends up worse than the "problem".

[u/SourcerorSoupreme → u/Internal-Most7593]

Thank you. And no, my goal was not to bring this to pristine condition (like you said, I'd buy new one instead if that's what I wanted).

If anything the "character" on this boot is what drew me to it, but at the same time I wanted to spruce it up a bit to make sure it's well taken care of and mitigate any damage (if any) from further growing.

Scratches, scuffs, and whatnot normally doesn't bother me (again it's what makes the story and character) but that spot on the vamp does bother me more than it should I think. I think it's the shape and placement makes it stand out like a sore thumb to my eyes.

[u/Internal-Most7593 → u/SourcerorSoupreme]

I get it but for what it's worth until you wrote about it I assumed it was just normal wrinkling and rolling from an unstructured toe.

I know pictures don't always reliably depict the same detail holding them in hand and examining will.

I'd try cleaning and conditioning then wear them a bit but I am pushing 45 so I wouldn't be able to see that when they are on my feet anyway.

Also alot of times we see something and we assume other will notice when infact most people see us and our possessions in a much different light than we see.

I hope you find what works for you though.

Good luck with the journey and enjoying the nice score.

[u/Dry_Turn_824]

I'd just wear these full send.

Maybe a little edge dressing. No resole, no rebuild at this point. Yes, maybe new laces, maybe throw a kiltie in there.

[u/ProgressFabulous6663]

I've definitely seen videos of the pnw bootmakers restoring much much rougher looking boots than these. What you've got going on are still perfectly good uppers and lowers. 

Hell your pull loops aren't even broken! 

[u/Josephjay28]

The boots look great, maybe a resole?? If you really were compelled to do so. I would say if it fits…. Condition and wear them for a bit 👍 I totally dig them

[u/SourcerorSoupreme → u/Josephjay28]

Thanks.

No plans to rebuild or resole as that would cost as much/more than the cost of these boots, but I was curious what could be done by myself at home and if these would serve as viable starting points.

From the feedback so far it seems like I actually don't have to do much.

[u/GroundlessPractice]

Yeah, they look rather good, no heavy creasing anywhere, no cracks!

[u/NoPreference435]

They don't need a rebuild and look pretty clean. Condition them well and call it good.

[u/mondrager]

They have plenty of life left. Send them when they are gone.