WESCO-MRLOU-BLK - Wesco® - 10" Horsehide Pull-On "Mister Lou" Engineer Boot - Black

[seawolf]

@goosehd That sounds great. I should call around and find a cobbler that can do this. My right instep is a bit more pronounced than normal and it's painful sometimes when I wear my non-custom Wescos.

[goosehd]

@seawolf Also, the stretcher they used looked like this, which really helped with problem areas:

[pechelman]

Talk to Wesco about stretching. They can do this for you and they didn't charge me anything. Not sure if it's the same these days or not.

[seawolf]

@goosehd Oh no. That's what I have. FML. It doesn't quite hit the right spot. I need one that stretches up and down, not side to side. I'll go google that and see if it's a thing.

[goosehd]

@seawolf There are stretchers in all planes. I just put that one up there as an example.

[seawolf]

@goosehd I just found this, which is what I need. Thanks for the nudge.

[seawolf]

Really the issue was not knowing what that specific type of stretcher was called.

[injunjack]

OR you pee in your boot and wear it till it dryes. If you have problem peeing in your own boots, ask a friend to do it. (or byu urea at pharmacy or where-ever you get in your neck of the woods)
urea has been used ages for softening leather... once your boot is wet, it'll stretch and mold to your feet.
Also riding a motorcycle in rain gives boots a nice soak, and using them while wet damp does the trick as well....

[seawolf]

@injunjack I may have to move this to Unpopular Opinions.

[seawolf]

Stretching my instep to make room for my weird right foot. I used a 2:1 solution of water:isopropyl alcohol to loosen the fibers, and I'll leave it overnight and report back.

[Oaktavia]

@seawolf This is cool I am curious if this works.

[seawolf]

@Oaktavia Me too! I think it will. I got a nice wooden instep stretcher and cranked it open.

[Oaktavia]

@seawolf yeah I think it will too. I should have typed it was curious to see how this works. Where are you stretching? Just below the lower buckle? That is where mine pushed on my instep.

[seawolf]

@Oaktavia That’s exactly right. That spot is always rough for me with new engineer boots but usually it mellows out. This pair is different, and after a year of regular wear, it’s time to take some action. My right foot has a really high instep and I normally get custom fit Wescos, but I couldn’t pass up the Maryam release last year, and this is my penance for skipping the custom build.

[Oaktavia]

@seawolf the Maryam is really tough and unforgiving. It took me over a year before mine finally stopped being so stubborn. It's such a strong beast. I was worried my instep wouldn't get better but it finally did.

[seawolf]

@Oaktavia if I didn’t have a freakishly high instep on my right foot, I’d probably wait it out. My left boot feels amazing!

[thooy05]

@seawolf i did same process on mine work great!

[seawolf]

@thooy05 Heck yeah! I'm going to check mine soon. Thank you

[AtariHunter]

@seawolf

I had the same problem with my boots, the instep (especially on the right boot) was so tight at the beginning that I almost gave up. The first time I tried them on it took me about 5 minutes (no joke!).

Now, after about 2 months and stubbornly breaking in with the sole, I'm about 80-90% satisfied. I also had some discomfort on the instep and on the side (where the seam of the heel piece runs) at the beginning on both boots while wearing them. However, this has now been resolved.

In the meantime, I have taken the soles out and have now got to the point where I put the soles in with thin socks and take them out with thick ones. I am confident that the boots will break in some more over the next few months so that it will be even easier to put them on and that I can put the soles back in again (also with thicker socks). But yes, those guys are tough!

Good luck with stretching, I look forward to your report!

[seawolf]

@AtariHunter That's great to hear that you were able to get them how you like them!

@thooy05 Yes! That's awesome.

@Oaktavia I think I may have broken this wild horse. We'll see how they feel over a long period of time.

The right boot feels so much better now. I may do another round at some point, but they're good enough for today.