Rider Boot Company

The new Ottowa in Baltic W/P Suede will be available exclusively at:

LeatherSoul….both Hawaii and Beverly Hills locations.

This random website will have the Desert Sand & the Noix ready to send out in exchange for money….. Rider Boot Shop.

Ron

Spent a little time this week re-working a pair of shell cordovan boots that has been thru the ringer, it appears. There are a lot of opinions out there on what is the best way to polish/clean shell cordovan, and there really is no ‘best’ way, IMO. Much of it depends on the finish that the factory that made the shoe or boot uses – not just how the material itself is tanned and finished in Chicago. Besides, there is a fairly large difference in the shells from the delivery to delivery…..it’s not plastic, so what works for one might not be as nice for another. This, however, is how I usually do it:

Arrived –

First step is to brush them off, and then a good bath with Renomat –

Next step is a couple of wipe downs with Saphir Regenerant (a cleaner….sponge it on, let it dry, wipe it off) –

After that I make a mix of Renovateur and Cream and brush it on –

After 2 coats of that mix, plenty of brushing and a hard cloth buffing, it’s time for 2 coats of wax (I use Neutral….shell really doesn’t absorb much, if any, color) –

Usually, they turn out well…..and it’s really not hard at all. For everyday maintenance, a simply brushing will do the trick.

-Ron

The new S/S hikers came out of production great……limited edition supply, with purchase details coming

Monday:

Ottowa LTD in Cape Butt Suede on Vibram Mountain sole is $660 usd.

-Ron

…..figure it’s a good time to show how to recondition a pair after a LONG 6 months of hard wear.

Nicely broken in:

First step, after getting out the laces, is a quick brushing:

Now it’s time for a bath……using Saphir RenoMat, which is a very nice cleaner and easy to use:

Then a quick, light brushing (I like the palm size brushes, not shoe brushes, for this):

Now I brush on a bead of clear Dubbin (Saphir HP in this case) over the neutral stitching, which will protect them from the color to come:

Now the secret weapon…..Saphir’s Sport Wax in the Black:

Now, just more light buffing with the horsehair brush followed by some rag work, a light coat of NeatsFoot Oil, a little more brushing and ready for another 6 months:

………new boots in Walnut, Gunmetal Shell Cordovan – not to mention calfskin – being packed up today and tomorrow in Florence getting ready to head to J Gilbert Footwear, and their new shop in Seattle.  Been a bit of a drama, but things getting slowly back on track for us in Italy.  Not easy adding a new factory, moving material, patterns, etc!  Were getting there, and hope to have pics to show off soon.

Thanks Mr. Borgioli!

Ron