Mr. Powers, like you, I am a crafty experimenter, pretend builder, and generally curious person who enjoys seeing how things work, how to repair, etc. This video was EXACTLY what i needed, and i appreciate the narrative, the openness to experimentation and failure and the confidence with which you go deep diving into new areas, regardless of the success. Educational, and QUITE handy for my project this morning. Keep it up. VERY valuable to me. 3.2.20 - Gaspee Point, RI.
What I am seeing here is a good honest video.. about what it takes .. or what a fine craftsman goes through to fine tune and strive for perfection :) keep the vids coming .... I am thinking .. long term moisture and treatment of the leather would help before sanding and bkending ... they look great :)
Well Robert, your repair turned out much better than mine. The time i tried to repair some Brown shoes, they came out looking so damn splotchy and weird that old Uncle John lost a filling vecause he was laughing so hard!!! So the only real luck i had was to take down the finish on a Black pair of shoes, then make my repairs and then go after it with some Black Feibing's leather dye, then refinish the shoe. The Black dye will hide even the most hideous repair and actually turn out looking pretty nice!
Maybe if you do try the acrylic paint you could try to match the color to the raw leather color, so that when the color polish goes over it it's more even. That's assuming the polish interacts with the paint the same way, which it might not, but it could be an option! Otherwise it's so hard to predict the final color that matching it would be crazy difficult - I commend you! Cobbling looks like a ton of fun, thanks for adding these to RUclips.
Great work! Could you keep us informed how the shoe is progressing from now on? On the one hand you are reducing the thickness of the leather at that very already week point but on the other hand sanding the cracks will reduce the stress concentration (like failures in metalparts) so the stress distribution along the leather will be more even....
siclucealucks - yes, I will... I’ll post a link to a pinned comment with a link to current photos on Instagram in a few weeks after the owner (they’re not mine) wears them a few times. My opinion is that any crack repair is probably going to fail again, but I think it’s better because left untreated they’ll just get worse and worse very rapidly, and they already looked bad.
I’d like check it out, thanks! But when I google “LM crack stop” (I assume that’s supposed to be “crack” not “crash) it doesn’t yield much. Are you referring to Leather Magic brand?
@@CobblerBob Sorry, Robert, it is Crash Stop, by LM professional. They don’t distribute in North America, although I’m working with them to establish a presence. A few US cobblers use it. For instance, I know Steve at Bedos has some. Your best bet is to contact him. If you have trouble, pm me. I can request some for you. It takes forever, but I’m pretty sure I can get you some.
Sorry for missing your comment... the higher the number, the finer the grit of sandpaper. I believe 36 grit is about the roughest you can buy. 800 feels like a brown paper bag, just for a frame of reference.
Casey Grant Hmm, good point... no, I have not done one specifically on that! I have touched on that on some of my shoe shine / before and after videos though. I may have to tackle that one specifically!
Once you have a crack in the leather they’re basically done. I mean you can still wear them but they won’t be like the original. What I’m wondering is can a shoe upper lining be replaced? I keep getting holes in those.
Matt Hoffman - yes, I agree to an extent, cracking leather is a loosing battle. Replacing the upper? Or the lining? There’s a guy in England “The Bespoke Addict” that has a RUclips channel and an instagram that does that repairs the uppers. He restores 50 plus year old bespoke shoes, but it’s way outside my current abilities. Ive seen Steve at “Bedos Leatherworks” RUclips channel repair the linings of shoes. Check his channel and instagram out.
Robert Powers yeah I mean the lining. The actual uppers don’t have a whole or anything just the lining of the shoes where the big toe is has one. So I was wondering if anyone replaces that part as well.
so after using the Saphir reno-mat and sanding why not use the tube(s) of Saphir Creme Renovatrice ("brown") to fill in the color then cream polish and then condition ?
Himanshu Singh - with a sneaker I would try using acrylic paint, commonly available at any Walmart for hobby/craft store. Generally sneaker leather is colored, so it should be easier to fix. The natural leather cracks are harder to fix, where as the colored leather of a sneaker should be easy to match with acrylic paint. I would paint over the cracked area and fill the crack with the paint.
William findspennies - I have Fiebings leather dye & have used it... I wasn’t trying to paint to achieve a color per se, I was (unsuccessfully) trying to use it as a crack filler. I just jumped on their website because of your post and am looking at their offerings. Thank all you guys who obviously have some experience with this stuff... there are TONS of cracked shoes out there; if I can find some feasible way of repairing cracks I’ll explore it!
10:42 I think you meant Renomat ! speaking of which nearly got me in the shit with a pair of my Alfred Sargent's pulling old polish off, left patches where new polish wouldn't adhere.
BBS_Robski - I had that same problem re-shining my AE McAllisters recently. Short I found the solution to be to use the Saphir Medaille D’Or Creme Polish 1st, then Saphir Pate DeLuxe neutral, then Mirror Gloss. Multiple light coats letting the previous coat dry.
Sjef - I cannot day for sure, but I think all of the Mezlans I’ve seen are full grain calfskin. I have yet to see a pair of Mezlans that are corrected grain leather.
@@CobblerBob I have a split-toe model, looks like yours (shape). I think they were gifted, but they need a new sole (not sure if they are blake stitched). I am not sure how much it will cost, it is like you said. You have to make a decision, are the worth the investment. Do you like wearing them? Also: love your videos, very original approach.
These shoes are not actually mine! They belong to a co-worker/friend. I do love these shoes though! That’s one of the reasons I went through the effort to save them that I did.
You shouldn't use acrylic paint to fill in the cracks that's not how you should do it .There are leather glues for furniture that has a pourus (don't know the English word : holes in it ) inside which will take leather dyes and waxes .It will strengthen the crack and you will be able to colour blend it very easy
Fair question... both thumbnails have been growing wrinkled since I was in my 20's. It's not fungus as many on here have claimed, my doctor says it's common among people that have excema. Could also be partly because I've damaged the nail bed from years of wrenching on cars?
UPDATE May 9th, 2019: the owner has worn the shoes 3 times since the repair, and the cracking has not returned. They still look great.
Great, it's a reason to try it ;)
Thank you. I like that you video all of your trial and error and mistakes. It's such an important part of learning, Thank you.
Mr. Powers, like you, I am a crafty experimenter, pretend builder, and generally curious person who enjoys seeing how things work, how to repair, etc. This video was EXACTLY what i needed, and i appreciate the narrative, the openness to experimentation and failure and the confidence with which you go deep diving into new areas, regardless of the success. Educational, and QUITE handy for my project this morning. Keep it up. VERY valuable to me. 3.2.20 - Gaspee Point, RI.
What I am seeing here is a good honest video.. about what it takes .. or what a fine craftsman goes through to fine tune and strive for perfection :) keep the vids coming .... I am thinking .. long term moisture and treatment of the leather would help before sanding and bkending ... they look great :)
I use Kelly's cork renew to fill cracks but first sand leather first so it can bond better, let dry then sand with fine sand paper. Then paint or dye
Well Robert, your repair turned out much better than mine. The time i tried to repair some Brown shoes, they came out looking so damn splotchy and weird that old Uncle John lost a filling vecause he was laughing so hard!!! So the only real luck i had was to take down the finish on a Black pair of shoes, then make my repairs and then go after it with some Black Feibing's leather dye, then refinish the shoe. The Black dye will hide even the most hideous repair and actually turn out looking pretty nice!
Maybe if you do try the acrylic paint you could try to match the color to the raw leather color, so that when the color polish goes over it it's more even. That's assuming the polish interacts with the paint the same way, which it might not, but it could be an option! Otherwise it's so hard to predict the final color that matching it would be crazy difficult - I commend you! Cobbling looks like a ton of fun, thanks for adding these to RUclips.
Great idea, but your suspicion is correct, the polish has almost no effect on the acrylic.
Great work! Could you keep us informed how the shoe is progressing from now on? On the one hand you are reducing the thickness of the leather at that very already week point but on the other hand sanding the cracks will reduce the stress concentration (like failures in metalparts) so the stress distribution along the leather will be more even....
siclucealucks - yes, I will... I’ll post a link to a pinned comment with a link to current photos on Instagram in a few weeks after the owner (they’re not mine) wears them a few times. My opinion is that any crack repair is probably going to fail again, but I think it’s better because left untreated they’ll just get worse and worse very rapidly, and they already looked bad.
@@CobblerBob Thank you !
Another Great repair video Bob! Happy Easter to you and your family
You might like to try LM crash stop on those cracks. It fills in a little better than saphir renovatrice and you can custom mix your color. Thanks
I’d like check it out, thanks! But when I google “LM crack stop” (I assume that’s supposed to be “crack” not “crash) it doesn’t yield much. Are you referring to Leather Magic brand?
@@CobblerBob Sorry, Robert, it is Crash Stop, by LM professional. They don’t distribute in North America, although I’m working with them to establish a presence. A few US cobblers use it. For instance, I know Steve at Bedos has some. Your best bet is to contact him. If you have trouble, pm me. I can request some for you. It takes forever, but I’m pretty sure I can get you some.
Helpful. Sometimes it is as important to learn what not to do (the paint) as it is to learn what to do.
😂
They really look good
Another excellent video! I've been excited to see what you tackled next. Happy Easter, sir!
You did an awesome job
thank for the video. I have a question . what is the number or reference about the sandpaper. thanks
Sorry for missing your comment... the higher the number, the finer the grit of sandpaper. I believe 36 grit is about the roughest you can buy. 800 feels like a brown paper bag, just for a frame of reference.
Hi sir do you a video on changing colour of wingtips to Mahogany or Burgundy?Be blessed love your videos.
Yes! “Before & After: Color change on KF&S Full Grain Oxfords!”
ruclips.net/video/-Khdu70WsPE/видео.html
Love your videos, could you do one or have you done one that I’ve over looked where you work on lessening creases?
Keep up the good work
Casey Grant Hmm, good point... no, I have not done one specifically on that! I have touched on that on some of my shoe shine / before and after videos though. I may have to tackle that one specifically!
Robert Powers Thanks! That would be amazing
Once you have a crack in the leather they’re basically done. I mean you can still wear them but they won’t be like the original. What I’m wondering is can a shoe upper lining be replaced? I keep getting holes in those.
Matt Hoffman - yes, I agree to an extent, cracking leather is a loosing battle. Replacing the upper? Or the lining? There’s a guy in England “The Bespoke Addict” that has a RUclips channel and an instagram that does that repairs the uppers. He restores 50 plus year old bespoke shoes, but it’s way outside my current abilities.
Ive seen Steve at “Bedos Leatherworks” RUclips channel repair the linings of shoes. Check his channel and instagram out.
Robert Powers yeah I mean the lining. The actual uppers don’t have a whole or anything just the lining of the shoes where the big toe is has one. So I was wondering if anyone replaces that part as well.
Robert i bet you can spray paint them and make them bling
so after using the Saphir reno-mat and sanding why not use the tube(s) of Saphir Creme Renovatrice ("brown") to fill in the color then cream polish and then condition ?
Glad to see you back. Nice easter gift or dare I say egg?!
How do I remove the polish I got on the suede vamp. I screwed up a similar pair of shoes. Good thing they were thrifted.
Great content!
Thank you!!
I used wood stain on a pair of brown patent leather it turn out good .....
Nice job.looks good.
i have a crack in my white sneakers can i fix it please help....
Himanshu Singh - with a sneaker I would try using acrylic paint, commonly available at any Walmart for hobby/craft store. Generally sneaker leather is colored, so it should be easier to fix. The natural leather cracks are harder to fix, where as the colored leather of a sneaker should be easy to match with acrylic paint. I would paint over the cracked area and fill the crack with the paint.
Did you every think of Tandy leather dying instead of paint?
William findspennies - I have Fiebings leather dye & have used it... I wasn’t trying to paint to achieve a color per se, I was (unsuccessfully) trying to use it as a crack filler. I just jumped on their website because of your post and am looking at their offerings.
Thank all you guys who obviously have some experience with this stuff... there are TONS of cracked shoes out there; if I can find some feasible way of repairing cracks I’ll explore it!
10:42 I think you meant Renomat !
speaking of which nearly got me in the shit with a pair of my Alfred Sargent's pulling old polish off, left patches where new polish wouldn't adhere.
BBS_Robski - I had that same problem re-shining my AE McAllisters recently. Short I found the solution to be to use the Saphir Medaille D’Or Creme Polish 1st, then Saphir Pate DeLuxe neutral, then Mirror Gloss. Multiple light coats letting the previous coat dry.
@@CobblerBob pretty much what I did but it wasn't looking good at the time & can still see the colour difference in the spots.
I have an old pair of Mezlans, are they not calf?
Sjef - I cannot day for sure, but I think all of the Mezlans I’ve seen are full grain calfskin. I have yet to see a pair of Mezlans that are corrected grain leather.
@@CobblerBob I have a split-toe model, looks like yours (shape). I think they were gifted, but they need a new sole (not sure if they are blake stitched). I am not sure how much it will cost, it is like you said. You have to make a decision, are the worth the investment. Do you like wearing them? Also: love your videos, very original approach.
These shoes are not actually mine! They belong to a co-worker/friend. I do love these shoes though! That’s one of the reasons I went through the effort to save them that I did.
Thnxxx
Keep it up
You need to sand wider not deeper. Feather it out 2 to 4 inches out like bondo bubba
That very well may have been better... I try to minimize how much I remove though,
You shouldn't use acrylic paint to fill in the cracks that's not how you should do it .There are leather glues for furniture that has a pourus (don't know the English word : holes in it ) inside which will take leather dyes and waxes .It will strengthen the crack and you will be able to colour blend it very easy
Jens Roßbroich - thank you... any leads on any specific products?
@@CobblerBob unfortunately not .There are kits on eBay probably
Colour less leather filler
@@CobblerBob www.lederzentrum.de/international.html dont know if it is good stuff
Bob the cobbler body man shoe shiner!
Always wear gloves when using chemicals otherwise your skin will be cracking and the dermatologist will be sanding your skin
LOL, I see what you did there!
What happened to ur thumbnail?
Fair question... both thumbnails have been growing wrinkled since I was in my 20's. It's not fungus as many on here have claimed, my doctor says it's common among people that have excema. Could also be partly because I've damaged the nail bed from years of wrenching on cars?
@@CobblerBob yeah.. i was just trying to say that ur hands must be hardworking ones.
shoe fetish
Possibly the ugliest pair of shoes on earth.
LOL!!! I wasn’t expecting that!