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Stretching Shoes 13-Feb-2004 At 6:27:31 PM Nico

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I've been doing my own resoling and general shoe maintenance for some years now - the Grandfather's Axe principle - I've had the same old Boreal Fires for a decade and more - but with many new soles, new rands, big leather patches (cut from left handed leather gloves) - but the trick with stretching is to get the right gunk for the material. Mostly it's oil based, like neatsfoot oil that we used to put on walking boots to keep them waterproof (before they were made of some petrochemical substance). An oil based leather preservative makes the leather more supple, and therefore stretchy. Ask your partner if he or she has suede conditioner. If you dip leather in water (Plan B) it gets hard, and then needs further TLC if it's going to last. (But - I have an old pair of very pointy somethings that are murder to wear and no amount of stretching would change the basic shape of the last. Buy shoes which are tight - yes - but which are basically the same shape as your foot - broad, narrow, high instep etc. Bugger the fashionistas.)

Nico