• Home
    • Recent
    • Calendar
    • Register
    • Login
    Iron Heart Forum
    Iron Heart Forum

    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Viberg

    Footwear
    365
    6.9k
    2.1m
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • Finn666F
      Finn666
      Joined:

      @joesaintjohn:

      Man, I'm really obsessed with the look of shell cordovan, but I'm so unsure of how to keep them looking awesome…

      shell cordovan should be pretty easy to take care off buddy…here's some more helpful info though:

      @Planetarium:

      Shell cordovan is made from a membrane under the butt of a horse. It's not very large, so you only get about one pair of shoes per horse; it is thusly quite pricey. As a leather it doesn't stretch, is highly abrasion-resistant, and needs little care other than brushing. Wax is occasionally applied locally to a large scratch or gash, but otherwise only about once a year if the boots are well-used. Some people like to use a deer bone to reapply natural animal fats as well.
       
      Shell doesn't crease like ordinary leather; you don't get the microcreases of calf, just a clean bend at each point of stress. Sometimes wax/fat can build up in these creases, but it brushes away easily.
       
      Contact with water can result in some spotting (water + oil, you do the math), but again this brushes away quite easily.
       
      Hope that helps!

      @Crat:

      As Planetarium sait it is highly abrasion resistant. The microcreases that form on calf eventually always will tear. Cordovan doesn't have these microcreses and therefore is much less likely to tear. As far as i know you are unlikely to find a stronger leather to make a pair of shoes from.
      The way cordovan reacts to water is very much dependent on the skin itself, some shells 'spot' and others dont. All (Horween) shell is highly water resistant and therefore also not very breathable. 
       
      This is a horse's butt. You can see how the structure changes where the 'normal' hide turns to cordovan. 

       

       

       
       
      Here's a nice video on Cordovan.

      Just for the sake of comparison, here are two shoes in horween leather. One in cordovan and the other in… eeh... something Horween.  
      The point is the very noticeable difference in the way the 'normal' leather develops the sharp microcreases that eventually lead to tearing whereas the cordovan creases in 'big waves'. 

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • ArabitA
        Arabit
        Joined:

        Thanks for the info Finn,
        I'm hungry for some shell cordovan boots…

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Finn666F
          Finn666
          Joined:

          @Arabit:

          Thanks for the info Finn,
          I'm hungry for some shell cordovan boots…

          if you are, there might be a group buy thingy going on over on superfuture.com!
          brand isn´t fixed yet, but the names are buco, white´s, viberg and some other big ones…

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • SpaceGnomeS
            SpaceGnome
            Joined:

            i would say shell is more abrasion resis@joesaintjohn:

            Man, I'm really obsessed with the look of shell cordovan, but I'm so unsure of how to keep them looking awesome. My wallet has some weird stuff going on. BTW, those Whisky boots are incredible and Urb, I weirdly love those rough outs. Badass.

            horse hair brush bro.  thats all I use on my shell wallet.  Oh, and I call bullshit in the more resistent to abrasions thing.  it might not pick up the micro scratches that cow leather gets, but it can still get dinged up pretty bad just by going in and out of a pocket

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • FridayF
              Friday
              Joined:

              I'm still waiting for these to reach me.. Hopefully safe n sound..

              Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

              ~Shinici Haraki~

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • D
                demonito
                Joined:

                friday if any of those dont fit yousell em to me ok?

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • D
                  demonito
                  Joined:

                  id gladly take both pairs of you if you want . seriously man pm me if you wanna let them go.

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • FridayF
                    Friday
                    Joined:

                    Will do Ed.. You're 1st on the list 🙂

                    Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

                    ~Shinici Haraki~

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • D
                      demonito
                      Joined:

                      sounds good buddy . you want me to send ya a deposit?

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • D
                        davito
                        Joined:

                        Fridaaaay nice man congrats to those horse booties. ;)) enjoy.

                        Cheers,
                        David

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Finn666F
                          Finn666
                          Joined:

                          congrats mate…
                          the only thing i don´t like that much about the hh engineers is that the leather of the left boot is all wrinkled and the right boot is totally "clean". looks like 2 different pairs imo!

                          those service boots are badass though 😉

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • FridayF
                            Friday
                            Joined:

                            I get what you mean rafa. We'll see when I get them and inspect them in person. I'm assuming its not that bad because Guy didn't mention anything/defect in the description (sample sale thread ). But I do see that they are wrinkled. Hopefully nothing that my cobbler couldn't fix. Hopefully.

                            Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

                            ~Shinici Haraki~

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • FridayF
                              Friday
                              Joined:

                              Thanks davito just couldn't resists with the opportunity and price.

                              Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

                              ~Shinici Haraki~

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • D
                                davito
                                Joined:

                                Guys the more the horse lives on your feet the more beautiful it gets imo, i never worry about graining, wrinkles or anything else. You will never get every pair looking the same. Just my opinion, enjoy the horses guys and shape em well

                                Cheers,
                                David

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • FridayF
                                  Friday
                                  Joined:

                                  Thanks buddy…. Getting much more excited now. Cheers

                                  Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

                                  ~Shinici Haraki~

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • EastWestE
                                    EastWest
                                    Joined:

                                    Hi all, just posted some hikers from the sample sale in the FS board if any interest. cheers.

                                    J.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • S
                                      Snowy
                                      Joined:

                                      @Finn666:

                                      congrats mate…
                                      the only thing i don´t like that much about the hh engineers is that the leather of the left boot is all wrinkled and the right boot is totally "clean". looks like 2 different pairs imo!

                                      those service boots are badass though 😉

                                      Yeah their totally trashed, not worth keeping IMO. Friday I think you should ship them over to me 😉 😃

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • S
                                        Snowy
                                        Joined:

                                        Not sure if I should keep posting in the Viberg/Scout or bring back to general. Going to bring general for the mo'

                                        These copped a fairly serious soaking today, as you can see, it beaded on top, no wurriez bro.

                                        clicky

                                        Pretty sure I'm a Viberg convert for life. Have been trying to figure out how I can buy a pair through my company 😃

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • FridayF
                                          Friday
                                          Joined:

                                          Hahahaha count me in if somehow your finance department gives a go for it….

                                          Tough, heavy and ready! = IRON HEART

                                          ~Shinici Haraki~

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • toddjcoleyT
                                            toddjcoley
                                            Joined:

                                            I know what you mean snow. I am already thinking about ordering another pair. I don't need flights home, you can to Australia right?

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Copyright Iron Heart 2025.