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Post by lagatta on Apr 16, 2018 22:36:06 GMT
Don't know if this goes here, but I put on a lovely pair of Josef Seibel trainers that I hadn't worn in a while because they are a pale putty colour. It seems that there are ways of darkening leather goods, no? Without dye that could flake off? Oils, waxes, that sort of thing?
They are so comfy and supportive, but look odd with the clothing I wear.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2018 15:23:46 GMT
My advice would be to check with your local cobbler Lagatta.
Or, scope out some sites online.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 17, 2018 16:05:27 GMT
Yes, I'll do that casimira. I have a good cobbler. I just want to make them darker, not dye them a radically different colour. These are not only leather but leather-lined.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 17, 2018 16:07:03 GMT
Sometimes something as simple as olive oil will do the trick. It all depends on how much darker you want them to be.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2018 19:38:09 GMT
Glad you have a good cobbler.
We lost our local cobbler after Katrina and have yet to find a decent one since.
In NYC there are cobblers on almost every other block it seems. And locksmiths.
Where did you take your leather saddlebag for your bicycle when it needed work?
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Post by questa on Apr 17, 2018 22:49:38 GMT
How nice to see and hear the word "cobbler" again. It is unknown to the 30 somethings and under except as a crudity..."that's a load of old cobblers" [lies]. Instead our shoes, backpacks, handbags etc go to the "shoe repair". Not nearly as time-honoured as 'cobbler'
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Post by lagatta on Apr 18, 2018 14:49:37 GMT
My cobbler is Senegalese! His wife is a garden-variety Québécoise. Like many people from "global South" countries, he can repair pretty much anything. But actually my bicycle saddlebags are mostly cloth, not leather, and I repaired that myself.
There used to be several Italian cobblers (calzolai) around here, but they have all died or retired, and their children found more lucrative vocations, I guess.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 18, 2018 15:20:29 GMT
Update - I found some "mink oil" (huile de vison) among my shoe care items up high in a cupboard, and coated the shoes with a bit of it. I'll let this stand and later wipe off any excess. It has certainly darkened the shoes. I'll do this again in a few days. Some of the sites I consulted said olive oil wasn't good for shoes.
We use mink oil and neat's foot oil to waterproof heavy winter boots, but the utilitarian winter boots I have now aren't leather.
I do have to see my cobbler anyway, to repair some shoes that are "down at heel".
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Post by lagatta on Apr 21, 2018 16:56:46 GMT
Shoes are fine, though I'll treat again more in a while. I bought them some bright-red laces!
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 21, 2018 22:30:54 GMT
Do you want to know how to darken the laces?  |
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Post by lagatta on Apr 21, 2018 23:24:33 GMT
No intention of putting them in the cat box. I'm as happy as a six-year-old with my bright laces.
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