SoleHeeled offers convenient and affordable Red Wing boot repairs by Australia’s best craftsmen, with free shipping to your door. This case study outlines how we recently repaired a customer’s Red Wing boots.
The boots
These Red Wing 1178 boots were in good shape, but — as with most well-made leather boots — the leather was starting to look a little unhealthy while the soles and heels were heavily worn. When this customer reached out to us for a free diagnosis/quote, we offered to clean, condition and polish the leather uppers and then perform a full resole.
Leather cleaning, conditioning and polishing
We started off by thoroughly cleaning the leather to remove all sorts of impurities, including accumulated dirt and oils. We then nourished the dry leather with a conditioner, nourishing and making it more supple. When then used a neutral wax polish to buff out the scuffing and get the leather looking much fresher.
Heel block reconstruction and reheel
Not only had the rubber heel caps worn away entirely, but the heel blocks themselves — i.e. the layers of stacked leather just above the rubber heel caps — had been heavily worn into as well. So we replaced the stacked leather with entirely new leather and covered them with a pair of Vibram rubber heel caps, which are treaded for greater traction and made of a durable rubber compound for maximum longevity.
Full resole
We removed the original soles along the entire length of each boot, and carefully picked away at the old stitching. We then added a pair of high-quality, oil-resistant Topy rubber soles and stitched them into place before sanding them down around the sides to match the shape of the boots.
Have a pair of Red Wing boots needing repair or restoration?
Our experienced craftsmen have been trusted by not only generations of Australians but also local and international brands (including Versace and Canali) with the repair and restoration of boots since 1955. If you have a beloved pair of Red Wing boots in need of repair or restoration, ask us for a free diagnosis/quote by completing our online order form — where you can upload photos of the boots and let us know exactly what you would like done to them, or let us advise you on what the boots need based on the photos.
SoleHeeled serves all of Australia through its free 2-way shipping service:
Order online: Answer a few questions to get an instant quote and complete your order.
Send your boots: Drop your boots off at a local post office for free packaging and shipping to us.
We repair: A team of experienced craftsmen will carefully repair your boots.
We return: We'll deliver your repaired boots to you, wherever you are in Australia.
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