Red Wing Iron Ranger Sole and Heel Repairs

[Edward]

So, checking in with the hive mind on this one as I'm second guessing myself. The photo below is of the soles of my old Iron Rangers, which I bought new in I think the spring of 2013.

As you can see, the heels are -finally, after over a decade of hard wear, needing repaired. Where I'm second guessing myself is whether I should just go the whole hog and have the whole sole done. The soles otherwise don't look like they need done - as you can see, I've barely worn off the stitching. OTOH, they do feel a little... harder, somehow, under my old feet (I've recently put a spongier insole in there for the first time rather than the usual simple leather one), so I'm wondering if a new sole (which I believe entails replacing the cork bedding) would be the trick. Another consideration is that if I do go for a replacement sole, it will be one of the minilug type, as below:

My original soles are the fully flat type, as was the norm when I bought my boots. Red Wing have since switched to a mini-lug profile. I originally wasn't keen, but it's subtle, and the extra grip I think might well be welcome. Especially considering chances are that the next resole would be when I'm in my early sixties, when I likely won't bounce as easily as I almost do now. I had a fall in another pair of smooth rubber soled boots a few months ago; no real harm done, but it was a bit of a realisation how easy it is to go over on some of our pavements locally when they're wet, and a nod that a bit more grip isn't a bad thing.

Financially, it's about £50 most places I can find online in the UK for heels, and £100-£120 for the full sole. (Recommendations welcome from anyone who's had this done in the UK.) Uppers are still in very good condition, so with a new pair of IRs running £300+/- locally, it seems a sensible investment.

Any thoughts out there? I think I've mostly answered my own question by posting and am leaning to the full resole, but open to any words from experience...

 

[ai00344]

I’m in the same boat with my 10 year old iron rangers. I would like to go with the complete resole and add a leather midsole but the cost of this in Canada is ~ $300. Seems a bit much to invest in an old pair of boots even though the uppers are in great condition.

 

[Edward]

I’m in the same boat with my 10 year old iron rangers. I would like to go with the complete resole and add a leather midsole but the cost of this in Canada is ~ $300. Seems a bit much to invest in an old pair of boots even though the uppers are in great condition.

Does sound steep. Over here it's be about £150 for that option, with a new pair of Iron Rangers now double that.

 

[jglf]

Definitely go for the full resole. The cork is probably worn out inside, and you don’t know exactly how much of the outsole is worn down in the middle section. Since the outsole is made from the same material throughout , you might not be able to tell how much it has worn through. You don’t want to do half the job only to realize later that you should have done it all, especially since it’s on 50-70 more.

 

[Edward]

Definitely go for the full resole. The cork is probably worn out inside, and you don’t know exactly how much of the outsole is worn down in the middle section. Since the outsole is made from the same material throughout , you might not be able to tell how much it has worn through. You don’t want to do half the job only to realize later that you should have done it all, especially since it’s on 50-70 more.

Good call - I'd figured the cork bed might have shifted, but not considered wear on the otherside of the sole itself. I think I will go for the full think. Thanks.

Now I just have to figure who I'm gonig to use...

 

[ai00344]

Post some pics when they are finished, I’m interested to see how they turn out.

 

[Fifty150]

Here in The USA, you can go to any Red Wing store to drop off the boots for a factory resole. That saves a few dollars in shipping. Is that an option where you guys live? A factory resole?​

​

The only problem is with the skill level of the local cobbler. There are a lot of shoe repair shops where they do really bad work. My local guy does bad work. He admits to it. He doesn't even have the equipment to do good work. His approach to shoe repair is to cut off, sand down, glue, then hammer. None of that stuff where they strip the shoe down to the Goodyear welt, replace the cork, and sew on a new sole. My local guy says he is not a shoe builder. He is only making repairs. And he does what he does to keep the cost down for the customer.




One thing to note, from watching YouTube videos, is that the gemming tends to delaminate and come loose from the footbed on Red Wings. Unless someone strips the shoe down to the footbed, that shoe will get a new sole with a defective foundation.​

​

 

[Faux59]

Full resole is what I'd do with a leather insole but I'm not a mini lug fan and much prefer V bars.

 

[Fifty150]

I prefer the old cork nitrile soles, like on Alden Indy boots.

 

[大馬伕]

I worry about factory machines perforating the uppers with new holes. A hand sewn job from a skilled cobbler is a better option. Only problem is finding a skilled cobbler. Maybe a half dozen on YouTube, with a long turn around time, higher prices, and you still pay for shipping. It almost makes it cheaper to buy new shoes.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

You answered your own question.

I’ve had Alden 405s with the flat nitrile soles. They’re fine about town, but it’s unclear to me how Indiana Jones never slipped and died.

I have the IRs with the mini lug sole; I’m generally happy enough to hike about in them. There can be sudden slips if it’s music festival muddy, but I’ve never fallen. Somehow they bite again after the initial slip (might be I’m slipping on the heel).

For snow I just go for something entirely different.

 

[大馬伕]

The cork is probably worn out inside

figured the cork bed might have shifted

the gemming tends to delaminate and come loose from the footbed

It's not that complicated. Only way to do the job right is deconstruct the boot down to the insole. But that is where it gets complicated. Who do you trust to do that job? I hate to think that only a handful of people in the world, who create content on YouTube will actually do the job right. And according to a different thread, one of them is underhanded.