Street cobbler ruins $240 boots

[logean]

hey happened to me in new york from an italian cobbler
or whatever he was, "ruined" some magnificent shoes
he looked like he came out of retirement specifically
I thought it would be cute given my italian heritage
only thing really bruised was my ego

for indulging in expensive shoes
they were quite wearable after but the "value" was gone

ha ha we are pathetic sometimes

[ezzra]

I have one time let a technician in our building repair a food processor he said he can fix,

one week later I got it back in a box, taken to bits and pieces and couldn't put it back again..

Oh well...

[smotherb]

I refuse to let any Thais near anything of any value here in Thailand.

All "knowledge" seems to be third fourth fifth hand and often wrong.

Mind you years ago a friend of mine burnt herself on a hot exhaust and I had a hell of a fight with her Mother to NOT put HOT water on the burn but cold.

I am the same No where near anything of value.

Then, you have never had sex with a Thai. Or, is that of no value?

[slipperylobster]

LOL.....

You sound like the guy who paid one dollar for a cheap polish on his Mercedes.... who used oven cleaner instead of wax.

[tpkhk]

OP;

Central Embassy - has a store called Colorwash (from Singapore) on Floor B1.... that seems to do cleaning, coloring, restoration. Albeit a bit pricey.

Another firm called Cleanique on the 3rd floor of Amarin Plaza (with outlets in Singapore).... but they may be specializing in bags only.

Could be worth asking.....I have not tried either, but hope this helps.

[2fishin2]

Well thanks for that, you have been enormously helpful.

I'm sure the forum owners are proud to have the likes of you on board.

Yes and they are proud to have people like you also. Seriously do you think coming here on a forum of old grumpy expats and the like, there will be a solution to your "problem"?

We know you arent happy but come on man this is thailand where flip flops rule the streets. Why in the world a hiso would ever give good expensive leather shoes to a "cobbler" or whatever on the street in Thailand is beyond comprehension to most people here?

Want to get advise about dating thai girls or the current political situation ok but shoes man....what are you thinking

[seancbk]

They were tan coloured, now they look like glossy teak.

Don't so much mind the colour. Hate the gloss.

My guess is that it will fade.

You could also try finding one of the professional cobblers in Bangkok and go seek their advice, there are outlets in all the malls.

The other thing is a picture would have helped people get a better idea of what he's done.

Good luck!

[ChoakMyDee]

The OP has a problem and asked for help in a nice way. I don't get all the people giving him a hard time and making jokes about it. If I had a $240 pair of shoes ruined I would do the same thing and I would want to know how to fix them. What a bunch of <deleted>. I pray that some day you will have a real problem and I will take great delight in laughing in your faces.

[samsensam]

i have some Loakes in london, lovley shoes i wouldnt bring here due to the uneven pavements and chance of the leather getting badly scuffed

i also look after them myself

a thai shoe cleaner probably didnt know what he was doing

[slipperylobster]

Ok...I will help.

You must get rid of the wax build up. We did this in the Marines....with newly issued boots.

Shaving cream works...probably best. Second is alcohol.

apply to the boots and rub away the wax. Do this 2 or 3 times. (Can use a soft fingernail brush for this part).

Finish up with saddle soap.

Now you have a good base to lay wax.

Go to a good polisher and make sure you physically hand them some store bought shoe polish, of high quality, of the same color that your boots originally were.

I, personally, would spit shine them boots myself. I bought a second hand pair of original Italian made leather zip-up boots for 500 baht. Dancing boots. Probably worth 200 usd brand new. Mint condition. I use brown kiwi wax (put in the sun) and fill the lid with water. A soft cloth, in small circles (alternate water and polish)...do this for half hour....3 days in a row. The water lubricates things... (never use spit).

Ok finished... I don't want somebody laughing at my bad luck...but could not resist the urge to rib you on your choice.

Edited December 9, 2014 by slipperylobster

[slipperylobster]

removed

sorry for the ribbing.

[USNret]

"I didn't complain, having faith that he was a professional" said the dying mini-bus passenger.

Edited December 9, 2014 by USNret

[Tonawatchee]

$240 boots?

Street Gobbler disguised as a Street Cobbler.

[Bigfarang1948]

Well. You get what you pay for, sometimes. I mean how was this street cobbler supposed to know you had just handed him your, to me from me, favorite $240.00 birthday boots? This problem is your naivete about getting quality work from someone who is used to cleaning cheap 100 baht loafers.

[dotpoom]

So without being able to tell me directly, I'm having to assume the boots are now f***ed beyond repair?

Anything positive to add?

Why do you think they may be f'd beyond repair? If they are structurally OK then surely it's a re dye job that's required. An expert bookmaker should be able to restore them to their former glory.

At last....somebody is actually attempting to answer your question. If in the future you ever need advice after the horse has bolted....you know what topic to post.

[transam]

If a silicone product has been used dying will/might be a problem as it will not penetrate the leather. I have done similar jobs but the shoes had to coloured in a dark colour.

OP, I have a similar pair of boots back in the UK, I miss them a lot. But here is a pair of shoes I have here, now 20+ years old .

...........

[ToddinChonburi]

I think I would try to find some real good leather conditioner and test on a small spot on boot. normally leather will get darker , not change colors. He may have put some kind of water proofing on them. Not good. Leather needs to breath and I am afraid this may really shorten the life of your boots. good luck.

[Songlaw]

From what I can read here, there is an unverifiable assumption being made; that of the application of silicone. My first suggestion is based on that assumption being true. The least aggressive substance that you can use in an attempt to rectify this situation, is denatured alcohol (save your booze, we are talking wood based here). Using a white cotton cloth (old T-shirt?) and some denatured alcohol, pick an area toward the back of the boot and rub with dime/baht sized circular motions, but not overly aggressively. If anything is being removed, it will allow you to determine the color and to some extent, the composition. And if not, the alcohol will at least evaporate leaving no additional residue. If you determine that this is of some benefit, do the entire shoe, then see with what you are left when dry.

Now, if that suggestion does not provide tangible results, the next incremental step would be to introduce a petroleum distillate of some sort. Naptha, commonly known as old school lighter fluid, in addition to being the most benign and somewhat similar to alcohol (clear, fast evaporating) in that it should leave no discernible residue, would be the "clear" choice. Apply in the same manner as the alcohol to determine its efficacy. My guess is that this will more than likely be the fix. But try the alcohol first. If there is actual silicone involved, it is your only real hope.

Wait, I just remembered something. I have been around a bit, and when everything else has failed me, often WD-40, which most people do not realize is a compound based on fish oil, and a rag has, more often than not, bailed me out. It would actually be good for the integrity of the leather, and leave it somewhat water resistant, as it is a water dispersal (WD) agent. Best of luck.

[mogandave]

If a silicone product has been used dying will/might be a problem as it will not penetrate the leather. I have done similar jobs but the shoes had to coloured in a dark colour.

OP, I have a similar pair of boots back in the UK, I miss them a lot. But here is a pair of shoes I have here, now 20+ years old .

Photo0981.jpg...........

Didn't they have any men's shoes? I used to have a pair just like that, until I got a job...

[NoshowJones]

I refuse to let any Thais near anything of any value here in Thailand.

All "knowledge" seems to be third fourth fifth hand and often wrong.

Mind you years ago a friend of mine burnt herself on a hot exhaust and I had a hell of a fight with her Mother to NOT put HOT water on the burn but cold.

Depends on what you mean by 'of any value', I have had Thai builders, and mechanics do work for me over the last nine years without any problems.

[Torrens54]

About the only course of action open to you is to: Give the Cobbler, "The Boot!"

[puukao]

I just dropped off a Rolex in BKK to get fixed.....they said they could fix a problem that, according to the internet and people in Switzerland, is extremely complex and can take months. the nice thai guy said 1 day, 200 baht.

[lucifer666]

Leave them out in full sunlight for a few days, that may bleach some of the colour out.

[Gandtee]

If you were a 'Snob' you would be cleaning your own boots. Snob is a slang word in London for a Cobbler. It seems like he cobbled your boots! I have acquaintances who allowed a shoe polisher to clean their suede shoes. He did a lovely job and put a real good polish on them. Clean your own footwear. Don't be a snob.

[timmyp]

There are plenty of shops and chang who do a good job, but you have to know which ones. If it's a valuable item, then you need to confirm first whether the shop or repair guy is properly capable.

I remember this used to be a problem with music stores in the U.S. with the guitar techs they had on staff. Some shops had properly trained and experienced luthiers, and others had carpenters who thought, "I play guitar and I like wood, I can do this job." The latter always did a crap job, and further repairs were inevitably needed. When there are no standards in place for quality, people who shouldn't be doing the job are often doing it.

In Thailand, I have dropped off electronics for repair and had a chair re-upholstered, all with success because I only went to places that were recommended by others. In contrast, the times that I thought "oh, this is an easy wire to solder" and "these shoes just need some glue on the sole", and dropped off the item without checking out the shop first, the results have been very disappointing, much like your shoes.

Check out the place first!

[The manic]

For some reason this post has really cheered me up. It is most amusing.

[Gandtee]

I just dropped off a Rolex in BKK to get fixed.....they said they could fix a problem that, according to the internet and people in Switzerland, is extremely complex and can take months. the nice thai guy said 1 day, 200 baht.

Likewise. My old Omega was repaired in Siam Plaza by Omega technicians on a couple of occasions due to the winder unscrewing, allowing water to get in. Getting fed up with paying an arm and a leg I put it away in drawer where it stayed for years. Last year my son visited me and took it back to Switzerland. Omega said that taking the back off would cost more than the watch was worth. It is Seamaster about 1988. I then gave it to my grandson who fancies himself as Thai James Bond, for Christmas. He badgered me and in the end I removed the back, cleaned the contacts, put in a new battery and it has worked perfectly since last Christmas.The Thai James Bond is very happy and even puts it on to go to bed. He won't take it to school though!

[Strangebrew]

First of all your crazy to get shoes polished here You should only use neutral polish oops I mean creme And the only person I know that has it in this part of the world is me. But there may be hope if you go to Las Vegas At the airport The shoe shine guy may help you.

[Strangebrew]

Ok here is the product that may help fix the knucklehead shoe shine you got. It is called Cadillac Boot and shoe It is not cheap cost's about 7.00 USD for 8 oz. apply to boots then wipe off next get Moneysworth shoe creme neutral if you can't find correct color boots were. Apply and get good quality brush the polish with not only is this product it is the best I only use on my shoes not keeps awesome shine but protects the leather.

[bizman]

I'm sure all is not lost. When I served in U.S. Marine Corps often had surprise inpections of ourselves, uniforms, and equipment. Many of us purchased extra pairs of shoes and boots, but never wore. We would polish them until our reflection showed. Eventually though, the polish built up too much and we had to completely strip it, as well as the dye off until we reached the original leather. We would then re-dye and start the polishing regime over again. It can be done countless times without affecting the leather. Therefore, your option is to get some stripper substance at any place selling shoe related products and do it yourself (not really that difficult) or find a place and have them do it for you. Most real shoe repair places do this all the time (not including bkk street ones) especially for women's shoes so they can match their purses!

1. strip 2. condition 3. dye 4. polish