My Allen Edmonds Dalton Boot Dye Experiment!
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Hey Guys,
I’ve been meaning to post pics of my shoe dye experience for a while so here goes. I bought these Allen Edmonds Daltons in gray due to the awesome deal they had on several styles in gray (I guess the gray leather was a bust for AE?) Anyway my plan was to dye them from the start, hopefully being able to go to a rich cordovan color, and a worst case scenario of black. I’m not much of a black shoe guy (I would have much preferred the Dalton boot in Walnut…), but there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a nice pair of black shoes for occasions that call for them! I started out by using deglazer on the shoes to get the shine off and prepare the leather to take the dye. The deglazer did a decent job of removing the polish/top coat and got the color down to a matte gray.
I suppose the color could have been further removed but I was anxious to get on with the project so they only got 2 applications of deglazer before moving on to the cordovan dye. Yes, the dye used was cordovan, not black, but they pretty much turned out black, with some subtle undertones of a dark brown/reddish color. No need to apply the black dye! The initial color was a grayish brown, but with a bit of polish they settled down into a nice color that I think will look great with some wear. I like the boots, having worn them 2 times now, and I was very surprised by their comfort; they were initially more comfortable than my similarly styled McAllisters were when new. I’ve got some flat waxed laces to install, which won’t make a huge difference but I think I’ll like them better than the current round laces. (We’re a fickle bunch, aren’t we?)
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Agreed- well done. I have to admit that I liked the grey a lot, though. I keep planning to buy a pair of grey boots, but never quite get around to it.
