Authenticity Be Darned - Safety first!!!

cpt dan blodgett · January 24, 2012, 05:33:44 PM

Wore my brand new shiny infantry boots (kindal like cav boots only shorter) to work today. Wanted to break them in a little prior to WR.
Box toes Check
Leather Soles Check
Leather heels Check

Long story short was slip sliding all day on concrete and tile floors. Culminated with an actual fall while carrying 2 chairs.
Fell gracefully but chairs ended up smashing tip of left ring finger.

Moral of the story will be looking for a shoe repair shop to put on rubber heels this weekend.

Niederlander · January 24, 2012, 08:09:28 PM

Totally agree! I'm a big fan of rubber soles on grass, too. It's amazing how slick leather soles are!

Pony Racer · January 25, 2012, 05:52:48 AM

I have been mightily happy with my hob nails and heel plate on my leather sole shoes.

two lessons still

1. Be real careful on those slate floors - slick without any wetness

2. Don't walk on the wife's hard wood floors inside the house!

FTrooper · January 25, 2012, 08:33:59 AM

As much as I am a stickler for authenticity, this is something I conceded on along time ago and strongly believe in as well!

I too have had way too much fun or all types of surfaces (tile to hard ground and grass) and add it a gun or a pointy object...jeeze!

I am convinced that people walked very differently back in the day (not unlike women have to walk very differently is high heels). Putting out weight down different (like placing your weight on the ball of the foot before the heel, like we do now). We greatly underestimate how changing a design (adding a rubber heel) changes how people do things physiologically. However, this is a theory, I am not going to study wear patterns of original 19th century footwear to confirm it, I am simply going to buy a pair of play boots with rubber soles...lol!

I know Missouri Boot and Shoe used to offer it int he past if you asked.

I bet Tom Mattimore would offer it too if asked.

To echo the original subject: SAFETY (getting hurt, or injuring another makes a hobby ALOT less fun).

Chris Fischer
F-Troop

Trailrider · January 25, 2012, 11:43:26 AM

When I first bought a pair of cavalry boots, which had leather soles, I slipped on wet grass, and I pulled some tendons in my foot, fortunately not seriously. I immediately went to my local cobbler and had him install thin rubber soles and heels. No problems thereafter. Never have had anyone say word one about them! Don't much care if they do.

G.W. Strong · January 25, 2012, 04:50:25 PM

For 25 years I did medieval reenactment before doing this. I became quite well knows as a shoemaker and was one of the very first people to introduce authentic medieval footwear to the medieval reenactment community. Like all of you I struggles with learning to walk in leather soles. I tried everything to improve traction. Gradually I learned that I need to walk differently in these shoes. This was especially true when you add a full suit of armour into the mix. It is easy to get over your center of balance when you have all of that extra weight. I learned to place more of the weight on the balls of my feet and my footwork in battle is more graceful and well balanced than it ever was before leather soles. Now have leather soled boots for this game and I am content even on wet grass. The only time I have ever had an issue was after a SASS match My son and I stopped at a local gun store on the way home and I almost fell on my ass on the tile. It turns out that a couple of nails in the heel of my boot had worked their way proud of the surface and it was like walking ice skates. Two whacks of a hammer and I was back in business.

Even though I love leather soles I understand the desire for safety. As a shoemaker I installed dozens of Vibram and other man made soles over the leather ones on the shoes I made for my clients.

cpt dan blodgett · January 25, 2012, 05:50:35 PM

As stated in original post, I was walking on a concrete (sealed and waxed) floor. Carrying chairs may have altered gait. Who knows. The deed is done, have rubber heels on two pairs of boots now. Sticker shock. 1st time since the 70s I have had heels replaced on cowboy boots. What used to be $5 is now $24.50. Good news is they were finished in the time it took me to drive from Shoe Shop to dentist appt and back.

Cheaper than xrays and casts I reckon.

G.W. Strong · January 25, 2012, 06:55:09 PM

Quote from: cpt dan blodgett on January 25, 2012, 05:50:35 PM
As stated in original post, I was walking on a concrete (sealed and waxed) floor. Carrying chairs may have altered gait. Who knows. The deed is done, have rubber heels on two pairs of boots now. Sticker shock. 1st time since the 70s I have had heels replaced on cowboy boots. What used to be $5 is now $24.50. Good news is they were finished in the time it took me to drive from Shoe Shop to dentist appt and back.

Cheaper than xrays and casts I reckon.

Much cheaper amd much less painful!

Charles Isaac · January 25, 2012, 09:09:38 PM

+ 100 you have to walk different with leather bottoms. Thank God for modern footwear-no wonder just about everyone walked with canes by the time they were 50 or so back in the old days!

I have heel plates on my brogans and they help out a whole bunch, but the soles need to be re-sewn.

Niederlander · January 26, 2012, 05:39:20 AM

Where I really notice problems is going up or down hill with leather soles on either dry prairie grass or wet grass. It's not such an issue on totally flat ranges, but where we have our Muster, it can be a HUGE issue! Let's just say we have a lot of slopes to negotiate!

St. George · January 26, 2012, 08:02:51 AM

Now that everyone's trying to change the way they've walked all their lives - add spurs...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

cpt dan blodgett · January 26, 2012, 08:35:41 AM

Do not have a clue if I am walking correctly or not, but just traversed the floor where I fell, that initiated this thread. With just the rubber heels, there is no tendency to slip. It really is all about coefficients of friction and force vectors.

G.W. Strong · January 26, 2012, 09:41:32 AM

Quote from: St. George on January 26, 2012, 08:02:51 AM
Now that everyone's trying to change the way they've walked all their lives - add spurs...

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

I remember my first experience with spurs. I had been wearing them for about 10 minutes when I tried to walk down stairs. I caught the sput on the back edge of the step and nearly fell down the whole flight. I had to learn how to walk differently in them. No wonder cowboys did not like getting off their horse.

FTrooper · January 26, 2012, 06:21:22 PM

The only problem with heel plates I also learned echos what Hop said about the loose nails. You get on smooth concrete, or worse, polish tiled and it is like ice skates!

Chris Fischer
F-Troop

Mustang Gregg · January 26, 2012, 10:37:30 PM

Safety first!
As much as I love to wear my Ltc Roosevelt-looking little round specs, I don't wear them whilst shooting.
I put on some large coverage safety glasses.

MG

cpt dan blodgett · January 26, 2012, 11:14:24 PM

It has been a heck of a week, slip tueday mess up fingers, dentist yesterday 1st step to a new crown and tonight I share Mustang Gregg's sadness as my dog also died this evening.

Niederlander · January 27, 2012, 05:24:49 AM

Sorry to hear about your dog. That is tough!

St. George · January 27, 2012, 04:24:29 PM

I'll give you the same advice one of my Staff gave me, when my first Vizsla died.

"Nothing Cures A Broken Heart Like Puppy Breath'.

He was right.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

WaddWatsonEllis · February 29, 2012, 01:06:15 AM

Captain Dan,

That is why I bought the Fort Western Boots ... I can wear then all day if need be ... I wish they made Cavalry boots .... as it is, I just tuck in the Mule Ears and let others deal with it ... thank God I play a Confederate ... by 1862 the South was pretty broke ... and men were 'in uniform' in many different 'uniforms' ....

http://www.fortwestern.com/fort-frontier-mens-nebraskan-mule-ear-shooter-boots/p/408398

I wish you the same peace that I am asking for in Mustang Greg and his family ...

TTFN,