Mr. Python
Race Dog
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2009
- Messages
- 1,980
- Reaction score
- 2
- Bike
- Yamaha XT 660 Z
So I got a pair of Fly 805 boots from a fellow WD – thanks again dude. :notworthy:
They were the right size lengthwise but very narrow across the foot. Painfully so.
I figure I’ll tough out it till they stretch but after about 10mins I wimp out and begin researching how to stretch boots.
Wooden boot stretcher thingys a plenty. Nope no WalMart here
A military site recommended the conventional soak in warm water and wear till dry. No notable improvement. The army dudes also suggested peeing in them – scratch that one.
uke_l: imagine the smell
Back to the net and I find a Chinese site that suggests putting a packet of water in the shoe and freezing the footwear, ice expands and stretches the shoe. They were demoing a pair of high heels but I liked the concept (the freezing not the heels). So in went a pair of rubbish bags, filled ‘em with water and froze them.
When I took them out they were solid but there were soft spots here and there. Defrosted them, partial success the boots went on way easier, no yoga manoeuvres were necessary. Outer 2 toes, little ‘uns, still getting squeezed. Seems the bag made air pockets and the water didn’t get all the way to the front.
So what the hell, scratch the bag and fill the boot..
Again partial success but still putting the squeeze on the toe..
So I went out to the workshop and built these puppies.
They’re cut outs of the front of each of my klod busters (size 12) firmly attached to a pair of bottle screws. These then got inserted into the boot and cranked open to force the wood part in to the toe area. While applying surgical spirits to the leather to soften it (also recommended on one of the sites).
Success, pressure on the toes gone, I now have a pair of boots that fit with the conventional tightness of new boots that can be broken in the old fashioned way by stomping round the house in them.
I’m stoked I found a solution as buying my own pair is not an option right now and I would’ve had to carry on using hiking boots.
You guys probably know these tricks already but I had fun and thought they might be useful to someone. :deal:
They were the right size lengthwise but very narrow across the foot. Painfully so.
I figure I’ll tough out it till they stretch but after about 10mins I wimp out and begin researching how to stretch boots.
Wooden boot stretcher thingys a plenty. Nope no WalMart here
A military site recommended the conventional soak in warm water and wear till dry. No notable improvement. The army dudes also suggested peeing in them – scratch that one.
uke_l: imagine the smellBack to the net and I find a Chinese site that suggests putting a packet of water in the shoe and freezing the footwear, ice expands and stretches the shoe. They were demoing a pair of high heels but I liked the concept (the freezing not the heels). So in went a pair of rubbish bags, filled ‘em with water and froze them.
When I took them out they were solid but there were soft spots here and there. Defrosted them, partial success the boots went on way easier, no yoga manoeuvres were necessary. Outer 2 toes, little ‘uns, still getting squeezed. Seems the bag made air pockets and the water didn’t get all the way to the front.
So what the hell, scratch the bag and fill the boot..
Again partial success but still putting the squeeze on the toe..
So I went out to the workshop and built these puppies.
They’re cut outs of the front of each of my klod busters (size 12) firmly attached to a pair of bottle screws. These then got inserted into the boot and cranked open to force the wood part in to the toe area. While applying surgical spirits to the leather to soften it (also recommended on one of the sites).
Success, pressure on the toes gone, I now have a pair of boots that fit with the conventional tightness of new boots that can be broken in the old fashioned way by stomping round the house in them.
I’m stoked I found a solution as buying my own pair is not an option right now and I would’ve had to carry on using hiking boots.
You guys probably know these tricks already but I had fun and thought they might be useful to someone. :deal:
