I owned original Docs in the 90's. Just bought myself a pair of Solovairs. Check out the history between Docs and Solovair. Nowadays... Solovair for the win.
@@wuorson5111 Whoa, you definitely know how to invest in a good pair of boots. Now, some people prefer Solovair over Dr. Martens. What's your take on it?
@@evumies same here. nowadays Doc Martens don't even make steel toes anymore and I wore out my last pair of 1919s from '98, so I bought a pair of Solovairs, same size, same fit, same feel. they are what Docs used to be.
@@shinitaisenpai9057 Yeah, it seems like their industrial line has gone out the door. Honestly, I didn't really know much about Docs until I started to get into boots a few years ago, so much of it is new to me, however, I've researched hundreds of hours as well as restored hundreds of docs, so I'd say I'm familiar now. I just got a pair of green suede solovairs that I can't wait to make a new video on! Let me know if that's something you'd enjoy.
Thanks so much for watching! I do my best to make content each week for you guys. Keep an eye out! Please share it with a friend or family member. Thanks!
Dude, nice. They're definitely not the easiest to come by, though, I hope you enjoy them! I have a pair of brown crazy horse deadstock 1460 MIE. What color are yours?
I bought my first pair of Doc Martens a couple of weeks ago. I went with the 1460 soft leather and it already pretty much came broken in which was perfect. I absolutely love them and find myself wearing them a lot despite having many other Boots
Very cool! Yeah, some docs, especially older models, can be really hard to break in. I'm glad they're comfortable for you! You can keep them comfortable by massaging conditioner into the leather quarterly. Thanks so much for watching!
@@evumies Hey, I'll cover shipping if you'd like to do mine, lol. I have the original catalog from London Fog importers. I thought of emailing you about some green suede shoes I have that got a toe crunched at a show - a Black 47 show, who has the song "Green Suede Shoes."
@@NickHoward-lq5uv Gotcha! Yeah, I know a lot of chefs who love doc martens because of the grippy PVC soles. They're really easy to clean as well. I have a pair of made in england brown 1460's, they're one of my favorite boots to wear.
Linda! Thanks for your consistent support. It's really encouraging. I hope this video provides you with invaluable content. Please share it with any friends who own Dr. Martens! 😄
Hey Brian! Thanks so much for watching. I love the greasy style docs. Super industrial. I've treated tons of cat-damaged leather. I have an American short-haired tuxedo! I hope this video helps you. There is an option to use leather filling cream. Let me know if you've tried that!
This was super helpful. Best restoration tutorial on DM I've seen. And I have watched a ton. Thought I ruined mine working on my roof last spring. This gives me hope that I can save them. Ty so much❤ You deserve WAY more views!❤
Hey hey! Thank you so much for watching! That's quite the compliment. I tried to find good tutorials for myself, but couldn't find any, so I made one for you guys! I hope your DM boots turn out well! Please share the video! Thanks so much.
Make sure to add an iron with a damp towel to get rid of creases to the toe cap, and he missed out renovating cream before polishing also add a shoe tree .
Hey friend! Thanks so much for watching. We were all leather newbies at one time. Great question! You can over-condition pisa leather, but not in a bad way that would damage the leather. The only "bad" thing that would happen is that the leather would create a white film or excess conditioner layer over the top. Best practice is to wipe off your leather with a damp cloth to get any residue or debris before adding new conditioner. Each conditioner is different. I'd suggest something like Bick 4 for a newbie leather enthusiast because you it doesn't darken your leather. For black leather, you can get away with a lot more than colored leathers. Let me know if that helped or if you have any follow up questions! Thanks again for being apart of the community.
Hey friend! I've run into this problem tons of times. Depending on what they polished over, it should be easy to remove. Grab yourself a cotton swab or cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol and have at the yellow stitching. Try not to get the leather. This should completely remove that polish. Repeat as necessary. Hope that helps!
Hey friend! Can you explain a little more about what the back "collapsed" exactly means? I'd love to help! Feel free to send some photos to my youtube email found in my bio. Looking forward to it!
Hey there! The ice cube method is for making boots shine. It doesn't necessary matter what leather. Ice cube produces cold temperatures which harden wax, which gives it the extra shine. It doesn't matter on the leather. If you have virginia leather, it is going to have more grain and texture, so adding shine will make it look like new. However, if you add too much wax, it can cover the texture which may change the look. All the best!
What?! That's crazy! Inflation can do some damage, huh? I think the average MSRP price for the 1460 new is what...USD $160? Do you still have your boots from the before?
@evumies I don't have them now, Doc Martens started off as work boots, skinheads first started wearing them here in late 60s thats why they were cheap then, it's when they turned into a mainstream fashion item the prices went up
@@chaoswitch1974 Definitely can be repaired. If you have flaps, they can be glued back down, but if you're willing to take some time, I'd highly suggestion doing so. Let me know how it turns out. Feel free to scour my videos to get some ideas.
I have a pair from 1992 that I got from my late mother for Christmas that year. They really need new soles and a good restoration. Could you recommend someone?
It's awesome you still have them! It's worth the resole if you can find a place to do it. All the places I know of to get genuine restored bouncing outsoles are in the UK. However, Trenton & Heath in Nashville did some on their youtube channel. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GwxI394tslY.html Here's their website: www.potterandsons.com/
I have a red pair similar to the damaged one in this video. It has scuff marks on the toes. Is it still ok to use sandpaper? How do I match the color with polish or can I just use conditioner? Trying to figure out how to use your fabulous tips on non black Docs.
Hey there! Thanks so much for watching. You're definitely on the right track. It really depends on what type of leather you're working with. Do you know if it's smooth, patent, or suede? If it's smooth, there are two main types of coated leather, aniline and semi-aniline. Essentially one is semi coated and the other is fully coated. Most likely, your doc is a smooth leather semi-aniline boot. It's probably wise to get the color you need before trying to sand down the leather (if at all). I'd suggest getting cream polish dyes like the ones I suggested in my video. Or check out my kit.co/evumies for more suggestions. I will be honest, it's going to be more difficult to restore colored leather than black leather simply because you're trying to match an older worn color. But it's not impossible! Let me know if you need any further help!
Thanks for letting us know! That's definitely some of the highest quality polish out there! I'd love to get my hands on some more. Thanks so much for watching!
I have a pair of vintage 14-eye made in England docs, and while they’re in pretty good shape, I’m having a hard time getting the leather to soften to MY foot shape instead of the original wearer’s. They seem pretty stiff and absurdly painful - so much more than any I’ve had. Will just repeated cleaning/conditioning and wear fix this? Thank you!
Great question. Yeah, it can definitely be hard to re-break footwear. They may be stiff and painful because of the age of the leather. However, there's a few things you may want to try at your own risk. It may not work necessarily or result in the outcome, but you could try. When it comes to the insole, are you having any issues with that or just the foot shape of the toe box? Also, I know some doc's 14-eye are steel toe, do you know if it is or not? You can use a magnet to find out, or just feel that it's rock solid, lol. Anyways, you could try to dampen the leather with water and then wear your boots in order to soften the fibers and allow it to dry into your foot's shape. On top of that, you want to follow up with an oil based conditioner, I'd suggest Leather Honey. Check out resources at kit.co/evumies. Repeated cleaning and conditioning may fix the issues along with prolonged wearing, but using conditioner is going to help the most because it will soften up the leather, especially if it's hard. Let me know how it turns out!
@@evumies No steel toe on this pair. Primarily the issue is the Achilles tendon area, which is a killer on all of them, admittedly, but is particularly nasty with these. I’ll try your suggestions. Appreciate you!
Excellent question. Yes, they can! They may not look perfect or original, but there's a lot you can do to fix them. I have a cat, so I've had a lot of experience. 1. You can use shoe polish to fill in the scrapes, dents, or claw marks. You'll want to add thin layers and build up a wax barrier on them. 2. You can buy leather filler. This can be easier but may not look as uniform depending on how well you can apply it. Check out those resources here: kit.co/evumies
Hey friend! It seems like there's all kinds of issue you're having with your docs! And it would seem that the reason for the blisters on your heel is that your shoes are not the correct size, which in turn allows excess space for your feet to rub, which causes the blisters. I would suggest getting shoe inserts to fill in the space of your boots, potentially double up on socks, and tighten your laces. There's only so much you can do if you're a size 6 wearing size 8 shoes, but I hope those tips help!
What do you think of the modern made in Englands? Yours kinda look shorter than the new ones. Are they? Or did they just settle down so they look shorter?
I see what you're saying. I think they may be slightly shorter, but not by much. I should measure it some time! Modern made in England docs are still not as good as they used to be, but they're still better than the made in China, Laos, Thailand, etc. ones. The leather quality is higher and the construction seems better as well. If you can, buy those instead.
@@evumies yeaahhh I bought a secondhand pair of the new made in Englands… they seem all right but the crease pattern already looks kinda rough. Might try Solovair if I buy new boots again… do you prefer the smooth leather to the greasy for the real vintage ones? Is it just a looks thing?
@@mrdanielnewell I see. May I ask if you use shoe trees? That crease is mainly going to happen with lower quality leather and lack of proper storage. Solovair is also a really good choice. Personally, I prefer the leather that's easiest to clean and longest lasting, that is, smooth leather. Greasy leather is essentially smooth leather with added waxes / greases. But my favorite leather is called pull-up leather. It's a brown oiled leather that shows a lot of patina. It's beautiful. What about you?
Hey there! Thanks for watching. This is type of wear it typical for most leather shoes and boots that do not get hydrated or fail to use shoe trees for proper shaping. If your leather got wet, it probably destroyed some of the leather fibers integrity, which lead to the cracking. There's not much you can do to fix it, but you may be able to make it a little better by hydrating your leather. Check out some of my videos to better guide you along! All the best.
Hey hey! Vegan leather is able to be cleaned, but it's not able to be restored. So if you have multiple scuffs, scrapes, bumps, or discoloration, there's not much you can do because the material is very low quality and not durable in comparison to genuine leather. However, you can simply take a damp cloth with a tiny drop of dish soap (or shoe/leather cleaner) and wipe off the boots. You can also take a tooth brush and get into the grooves with that same cleaning solution. Make sure to dry your boots thoroughly before wearing them or putting them away so that they don't grow bacteria. When it comes to making your boots fit better, there's only so much you can do, however, you can get shoe inserts (additional shoe insoles) to fill in the space of your boots, potentially double up on socks, and tighten your laces. There's only so much you can do if you're a size 6 wearing size 8 shoes, but I hope those tips help!
That's a great question. If you had patent, they would have a plastic barrier to protect the leather below, however, since they are white smooth leather, you'll want to invest in a spray protectant. I'd suggest ShoeMGK's Spray & Protect. You can get it on Amazon or their website. For a free 20% off + free shipping, use my code: EVUMIES at checkout on their website. To clean white smooth leather doc's I'd suggest watching my white doc video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8u6k_k0V-oA.htmlsi=QmmShRY572aprDZ4 Let me know if that helps!
That's a great question. Yeah, you wouldn't want to use a polish. The problem is that polish helps hide some of the dents, scrapes, bumps, or tears. However, you can still use something like leather filler to carefully cover those things and then simply wipe it down after. If you just want to clean your boots, simply follow the same steps but don't shine it after. This will maintain your matte finish. Or another idea is to add the leather cream or polish, but don't polish it up (it will be matte until you brush or polish it). I'll consider making a video for that. Thanks so much!
@evumies thank you it'd mean alot to learn how to keep them matte. I can't believe there isn't anything made yet to specifically maintain the same matte look out of the box.
@@JayJay-qu4nw You're welcome! I agree. I love matte black. Usually, I just leave my leather the way it is, with the exception of conditioning it with a cream that doesn't use waxes (waxes make them glossy). So for this reason, I'll use things like Bick 4 conditioner. (it also doesn't darken your leather) Check it out! kit.co/evumies
I was under the impression that most Docs use patent leather (there’s a plastic coating). If this is true, does that make conditioning kind of meaningless since conditioner can’t be absorbed through the plastic?
Docs use 4 main types of material that I know of. 1. Smooth leather 2. Suede leather 3. Patent leather and 4. vegan leather. Most docs I'd say are smooth leather. But yeah, patent leather is literally leather coated with lacquer which is essentially a layer of plastic. There's no way that you're gonna get conditioner into the leather from the top. What I do suggest is conditioning the leather from the inside of the boot (if your pair is unlined), that way, you're getting conditioner directly onto the leather. This is why patent is terrible both for the environment and for longevity of your boots. Thanks so much for watching!
Hey Esther! Thank you so much for watching. I love the Netherlands! I have friends in Sweden as well. Instead of offering you suggestions that may not be available, what is available to you? then I can suggest which one I could recommend. Though, I know that Chamberlain's Leather Milk products can be great because they use pH balanced formulas to preserve leather.
Hi, i dont know if you will reply this, but i need your help. I accidentally rub acetone on my Dr Martens, creating a doff/matte black situation on the skin. Any idea on how to restore the shine? Does the ice cube polish method works? Thank you so much
Hey friend! I will reply to this! I'm sorry to hear that you ruined your docs, but there's hope! Acetone won't completely ruin your leather, just the color or finish if it was a quick wipe. You have a few options. First of all, what type of leather is it? Smooth leather, patent, or suede? Secondly, you can either put pigmented polish or cream OR (a little more difficult) use leather dye (I suggest fiebing's). Here's a video using dye: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0X2jQBWmzI8.html Lastly, shine comes from brushing the oils and waxes with a polish but you don't NEED the ice cube, but it can help. Let me know if you have any other questions or need help. :)
@@evumies Hi, thank you so much for answering my comments. The type of leather in my Dr martens is Black Smooth. You see, the black smooth DMs have some kind of gloss coating on its grain leather. The acetone did erase that surface gloss on the leather. Now i dont really know how to restore that shine, but thanks a lot for the help
@@analogway12 Yeah, totally get you. You'd do best with a black shoe polish or a cream polish to restore that shine. Make sure you add thin layers at a time to build up a nice layer to cover the acetone mark and create that like-new shine. Let me know how it turns out!
Am I crazy or do these boots not look like they're in poor condition at all? I mean maybe a little bit but, look at the souls. It just looks like maybe somebody wore him for a few months in the rain and they got muddy and a bit dried out.
Hey friend. Thanks for watching. My goal is not necessarily always to completely transform the condition or your leather, it's also to maintain it. Sure, these are not in the worst condition, but the goal is to keep your boots looking new. These are in fact vintage boots, but they are well taken care of. Just because outsoles of shoes aren't worn down, doesn't mean the boot isn't old. Hope this video helped you!
i know they’re differently made, but i wonder if this able to used for those as well. i have a well loved pair from 2014 and i’m wondering if it’s worth trying this process or if you have different recommendations?
Hey Tabitha! That's a great question. Here's the idea. Leather is leather. There are different qualities of leather (modern docs are often lower quality), but the methods are still useful today and work equally well. Try it out and let me know! Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately, I'll have to agree with you in that most modern Dr. Martens aren't made to the same high quality standard that they used to be. However, I definitely would just throw them away if you already purchased them. There's still tons of things you can do to conserve your boots! Thanks so much for watching.
@@welshrarebit9238 Hey friend! Thanks for watching. It's probably because you have 11 pairs that you don't accumulate all the wear on one pair of boots! I'd love to hear what colors and models you have. Let me know!
