The Wesco squeak; is there a fix?
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As the title says, two of my Wesco lace-ups have developed a squeak. I suspect it's friction between the leather foot bed and the bottom of the boot. Leather on leather, if you will. Only my Wescos do this, hence the post here.
Is there a trick, hack, or known fix to reduce the squeak? Say, maybe some boot dressing? Or adhering a dryer sheet to the underside of the leather footbed? How did you handle the squeak?
Pictures of the offending boots:
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This happened to my White's. I called them figuring there would be some kind of simple fix, but nope, had to send them back and had them completely resoled. This pair was less than 6 months old and not worn much so I was surprised that was the best course of action.
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@ZackB said in The Wesco squeak; is there a fix?:
@Bobcat-Sig I know back in the day on sneakers people would put baby powder under the insole.
This is the sort of alchemy I was hoping for. I'll give it a try. Thank you.
@68degreesorless said in The Wesco squeak; is there a fix?:
This happened to my White's. I called them figuring there would be some kind of simple fix, but nope, had to send them back and had them completely resoled. This pair was less than 6 months old and not worn much so I was surprised that was the best course of action.
Yes, crazy. I know some squeaking can occur between layers of veg tan leather in the sole buildup, and some manufacturers will layer in various materials to combat the squeak. Was your issue in the sole or with the insole, like in my case?
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@Bobcat-Sig I think it was the sole itself
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@Bobcat-Sig In my experience i'd say you're probably right, this is normally caused by rubbing between the layers in the sole, many other brands do put an 'anti-squeak' layer in the midsole to combat this (normally something synthetic, but it varies) - Wesco doesn't, preferring a more traditional construction throughout:
However, what you gain in durability you loose in leather surfaces being layered together in a way that can cause friction and therefore a squeak. I'd say you've got two realistic options;
Send them back to Wesco with the best description of exactly where the squeak is located and when it occurs to see if they can rebuild the sole in a way to eliminate or mitigate it.
Alternatively you can try to power through it, if its a friction squeak it will eventually dissipate on its own as whatever two parts are rubbing wear themselves to a point that they settle with each other, although how long this may take is anybodies guess.
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I've had a few squeaks over the years. It's worth trying them without the insole, sometimes putting powder underneath the insole helps. I've had success by bending the soles a bit as well. If you are working somewhere with mopped floors, it's best to give the boot soles a good scrub as well - the cleaning fluids can create a film that squeaks when walking on hard surfaces. Good luck!
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I agree with all this.. I had a pair of Nicks that with a squeak that had nothing to do with the buildup leather or construction. Was actually just my sock on the leather foot bed(no removable insole) I reduce the thickness of my socks and put a super thin Pedag in that had a non-leather base on the under side.
Baby powder would work for a bit for the squeak but would always come back once the foot bed warmed up…
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Really good stuff, fellas. Thank you.
I was up at Wesco yesterday, picking up another pair of boots that I chronicled in another thread, so I had a chance to take the problem to the source.
Turns out, it's two things. The most common - and my problem - was the footbed rubbing against the midsole. The remedy? Baby powder, just as @ZackB and @northsouthdenimguy mentioned. They gave me a new set of insoles that solved the problem just the same.
The other issue that Wesco mentioned is that the leather-stacked heels, which are nailed together, can work a part just a slight bit and squeak. They tend to work themselves out, or a re-heel can also fix it.
@Ross said in The Wesco squeak; is there a fix?:
@Bobcat-Sig In my experience i'd say you're probably right, this is normally caused by rubbing between the layers in the sole, many other brands do put an 'anti-squeak' layer in the midsole to combat this (normally something synthetic, but it varies) - Wesco doesn't, preferring a more traditional construction throughout:
However, what you gain in durability you loose in leather surfaces being layered together in a way that can cause friction and therefore a squeak. I'd say you've got two realistic options;
Send them back to Wesco with the best description of exactly where the squeak is located and when it occurs to see if they can rebuild the sole in a way to eliminate or mitigate it.
Alternatively you can try to power through it, if its a friction squeak it will eventually dissipate on its own as whatever two parts are rubbing wear themselves to a point that they settle with each other, although how long this may take is anybodies guess.
I also asked about this midsole squeak. The multiple layers of veg tan leather can cause squeaks, but Wesco employs the use of a steel shank, which prevents most squeaking in the midsole. Others, like Drew's, White's, NIck's, etc., use veg tan shanks.
Such are the quirks with the sweet, hand-built boots.
Safety third
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@Bobcat-Sig I’m glad you got to the root of it and thank you for passing on all the info from the source.
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@ZackB My pleasure. The community here has been great, and I feel compelled to give back.
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@Bobcat-Sig This is great, thanks for sharing
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I found another fix worth mentioning.
Knowing that the squeak in both of my lace-ups was coming from the leather insole, I pulled them out and inspected them. The underside of the insole was polished to a nice sheen, as was the midsole in the boot, so it would seem reasonable that these two surfaces rubbing together would start to squeak under heat and friction. It also seems that if these insoles are shorter than he midsole, it gives them room to move back and forth, speeding up the polishing process, and eventually, the squeak. Check that first.
Additionally, if your insoles are showing a nice sheen underneath, do what I did; take a stiff brush and pull that nep back up. After all, these Wesco insoles are roughout on the bottom. Pulling those fibers back up removes that polished sheen and quiets the squeak.
I tested this yesterday with my Brooklyn x Wesco rough-out cap toes, and the squeak in both insoles was gone.
