Saturday, October 22, 2016

READER MAIL


John,

Was hoping for a bit of advice.

Just picked up a pair of RRL engineers. So far I love em. Of course it's only been 2 days but they really have fit nicely from the jump. Got a great deal on them too, brand new.

Here's the thing: I just noticed that the inside stitching on the shaft, in the back, opened up a bit. I've attached a pic to show you. Is this something I need to be concerned with now, something to fix ASAP? I don't believe I can return or exchange as they are an eBay purchase and I've worn them for a couple days.

If they need immediate attention do you have any Brooklyn recommendations on a boot guy or is this something that a reasonably talented shoe repair place can handle?

Really appreciate your assistance.

Thanks,
Elly

www.vintageengineerboots.com


Hi Elly!

Congrats on the boots! Do not lose sleep over those stitches. They'll be fine. They merely serve to close the shaft during construction while the backstay (strip of leather running up the outside back of the shaft) locks/supports it in place while also serving as a decorative aspect of the boots -- notice the double row of stitching flanking each side of the seam.


You can lose that seam and still not have worry about structure. For piece of mind, I recommend using a q-tip to apply glue (Elmer's school glue ... even crazy glue, which is a messier option) to the portion over the thread ends in order to prevent further unraveling -- a nice even coat. The glue will dry clear.

Cheers!
John

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