Stretching boots to fit?

[Diamond S]

So long story short, I bought a pair of Anderson Bean full quill ostrich boots about 2 years ago, they fit good in the store ( tried them on with thin dress socks ) I later found out that the uppers are so tall that they will rub a spot raw on my calf. I got some Dan Post Tall socks, but they are too thick to allow me to get the boot on. The problem is my heal hits the back of the upper and my instep gets wedged in the front and they will not go on for love nor money. I have tried baby powder, putting band-aids on the uppers where they rub my leg, nothing works. so I guess it is time to stretch them.

So have any of you ever stretched out a tight fitting boot? If so, what method did you use?

[Iolabowhunter]

When I was a kid my grandparents would pour rubbing alcohol in my boots and told me to wear them until they dried out. This wouldn’t help the tops but did work on the lowers.


Land or Sea, Blessed by Thee!

[PYBUCK]

I used to soak them in methanol to stretch them. Best thing you can do is sell them, take your loss and go get a pair that fits right.

[Grulla]

Steam them over the stove with boiling water then put them on , or get them soaked with water wear till dry .

[Trinidad434]

I had that problem with a pair of ariats wore knee braces on my calves till the uppers broke in and been good ever since

[White Falcon]

Soak in water for a few seconds. dump out water, then wear till dry.

[redhoghunter]

So long story short, I bought a pair of Anderson Bean full quill ostrich boots about 2 years ago, they fit good in the store ( tried them on with thin dress socks ) I later found out that the uppers are so tall that they will rub a spot raw on my calf. I got some Dan Post Tall socks, but they are too thick to allow me to get the boot on. The problem is my heal hits the back of the upper and my instep gets wedged in the front and they will not go on for love nor money. I have tried baby powder, putting band-aids on the uppers where they rub my leg, nothing works. so I guess it is time to stretch them.

So have any of you ever stretched out a tight fitting boot? If so, what method did you use?

My recommendations are to 1) contact Anderson Bean, I think they will "re-craft" the boots for you OR 2) take them to a boot shop and have them looked at by a professional - we did this with a pair of boots my daughter needed fixed.... turned out great!

[lanceodom]

You can buy boot stretcher off of Amazon. Works like a charm.

[Diamond S]

My main problem is getting them on, once they are on they are great. The uppers are too narrow to let my foot slide in without getting wedged between the back of the upper and the instep.

[glen]

Call shoe repair place and ask if they can stretch out a pair of boots. Go show them your hot spots and it is worth it.

[banzai]

OP, If you have to stretch the part of the boot where your instep hits the bottom of the upper before sliding down into the foot part of the boot so you can wear any socks that are clean, get a bunch of broom sticks and dowel rods and shove them into the boot until they are tight in the base of the upper where it meets the foot part of the boot. Then get one more dowel, hopefully kinda thin, and shove that into the boot until it hits bottom. You may have to hammer it in.

Once the dowels are providing some stretch to the inside of the base of the upper, polish the outside of the boot with the colors that you would ordinarily use on that boot. this will help the leather soften and stretch without changing the color.

If a spot on the upper rubs really bad, take a pad sander to it.

Yes, stick a pad sander with fine sandpaper on it, into the upper of the offending boot. Turn it on and sand the general area where the run occurs, while applying hand pressure from the outside of the boot upper. Should fix it. Won't affect the look of the outside of the boot. This way you can wear dress socks with the boots.

I wear low socks with my boots. You will eventually get used to the feel of leather uppers and no socks to the point where you won't even notice in the summer.

This is kinda funny because it's a Chinese guy telling a Texas guy how he can fix his cowboy boots himself, for free.

[Hunteraudit]

Wear em everyday and earn their respect.

[Diamond S]

OP, If you have to stretch the part of the boot where your instep hits the bottom of the upper before sliding down into the foot part of the boot so you can wear any socks that are clean, get a bunch of broom sticks and dowel rods and shove them into the boot until they are tight in the base of the upper where it meets the foot part of the boot. Then get one more dowel, hopefully kinda thin, and shove that into the boot until it hits bottom. You may have to hammer it in.

Once the dowels are providing some stretch to the inside of the base of the upper, polish the outside of the boot with the colors that you would ordinarily use on that boot. this will help the leather soften and stretch without changing the color.

If a spot on the upper rubs really bad, take a pad sander to it.

Yes, stick a pad sander with fine sandpaper on it, into the upper of the offending boot. Turn it on and sand the general area where the run occurs, while applying hand pressure from the outside of the boot upper. Should fix it. Won't affect the look of the outside of the boot. This way you can wear dress socks with the boots.

I wear low socks with my boots. You will eventually get used to the feel of leather uppers and no socks to the point where you won't even notice in the summer.

This is kinda funny because it's a Chinese guy telling a Texas guy how he can fix his cowboy boots himself, for free.

The last sentence is a classic. LOL

[Ruark]

I sold tens of thousands of cowboy boots in my younger years. Do NOT soak them in water, kerosene, bleach, goat pee, chicken spit, drain cleaner, or pixie fluid from the Seventh Ring of Saturn.

Ostrich is a very flexible hide; and has a high ability to "self shape" to fit your foot. So you're good there. Be thankful you don't have bullhide or buffalo. They're like sheet metal.

Most stores like Academy have a can of "Shoe Stretch." You just spray it on the tight area and wear it a couple of hours and it will stretch out into a perfect fit (depending on the hide). You might need to do this for 3 or 4 wearings. The main thing is to wear them until dries, so they'll stay stretched. With ostrich, it should be a piece of cake.

Another way is to spray it and then put a stretcher inside to push the leather outwards, then let it dry for about an hour. The danger here, though, is over stretching them. It doesn't take much stretching to make a big difference!

Boots can be a little difficult to get on, but when they "pop" over the high spot, they should be comfortable enough to sleep in. If you come home from work and the first thing you want to do is get those effing boots off, they don't fit right.

Some people think their boots are hard to get on, when they really aren't, they're just not putting them on right. You don't sit down, raise your leg up in the air and pull them on. Put them on the floor, then step into them standing up. Use the "pull holes" to hold them upright while you slide your foot down into them, NOT to "pull them on" with. Talcum powder can really help, especially with new ones. Always wear fresh, dry socks, and don't wear the same boots 2 days in a row if you can help it, especially in hot weather.

Full quill is the king of boot hides. Wear them with pride, and take care of them.

[redleif]

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