Restoring vintage Florsheim spectators

[thunderw21]

I purshased these specs several months ago thinking I could fix them up and sell them. However, the condition was worse than I first thought.

The black leather is in fine condition but as you can see from the photos, the white leather is very rough. I thought the white sections were just dirty and could easily be cleaned off but it turns out the dark markings are actually dry areas that have begun to flake and expose the underneath raw leather.

Are there any ways to permanently restore the white sections and if so what might they be?

 

[SteveAS]

This is just an idea; I've never tried it, so I don't know whether it would work well, but how about taking a copper wire brush to the white leather and rubbing all the dry surface leather off the white leather portions. It seems like you that would leave you with essentially suede, which you could make bright white with chalk.

 

[Isshinryu101]

This is just an idea; I've never tried it, so I don't know whether it would work well, but how about taking a copper wire brush to the white leather and rubbing all the dry surface leather off the white leather portions. It seems like you that would leave you with essentially suede, which you could make bright white with chalk.

NOT this.

 

[Isshinryu101]

Step 1: GENTLY clean off any dirt with a damp cloth. VERY gently, as that leather looks dry......

Step 2: CONDITION

Step 3: CONDITION

Step 4: CONDITION

Step 5: CONDITION.

Cookie will tell you the preferred brand for work like this (as he intro'd me to it as well). Conditioning should go on regularly for well over a month. Then take fresh pics & get back to us.

 

[resortes805]

Step 1: GENTLY clean off any dirt with a damp cloth. VERY gently, as that leather looks dry......

Step 2: CONDITION

Step 3: CONDITION

Step 4: CONDITION

Step 5: CONDITION.

Cookie will tell you the preferred brand for work like this (as he intro'd me to it as well). Conditioning should go on regularly for well over a month. Then take fresh pics & get back to us.

What is the best conditioner to use on suede? On these vintage specs, the white parts are usually suede.

 

[Isshinryu101]

I do not believe that is suede. It looks to be pebble grain calf leather. In fact, if they were suede, i would be VERY surprised if they dried out like that. Decent suede is VERY hard to dry out. I have seen dozens of pairs of vintage spectators (from '10's boots to 50's shoes) where the calf has dried out badly, but the suede is still nice and soft. It often is stained, but still soft.

There is no way to effectively condition cracked suede. The conditioner (as well as any liquids) would badly stain the suede.

 

[thunderw21]

Correct, it is pebble grain leather.

 

[Isshinryu101]

Correct, it is pebble grain leather.

Please keep us posted with the restoration job. ALSO, the conditioner you need for that is Pecards antique conditioner (learned from our own Cookie). Anything else will badly stain any cracked areas and is probably too harsh for such dry leather

 

[Michaelshane]

What size are they?

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I used to work for Florsheim. Those shoes look to be vintage 1980s,maybe earlier and are most likely calf skin. They look as though they weren't worn much at all by the looks of the soles.
The best course of action would be to clean them thoroughly with a good saddle soap to remove any dirt and loose flakes of the original white dye. When completely dry, use a high quality dye, not a shoe polish, to recolor the white areas. Follow that with a judicious application of conditioner if needed.

 

[Isshinryu101]

This is NOT meant as an insult, but this is VERY confusing advice. "I used to work at Florsheim" really doesn't mean that a person knows how to restore Vintage shoes. Of COURSE these are 1980's or earlier! That style of Longwing was around for 3 decades... 60's thru 80's. WHAT decade is NOT possible to tell without pics of the original soles and numbering inside. Considering the wear to the uppers and the footbed, it's pretty safe to assume a re-sole and re-heel. That stamp on the sole? Ever see that in Flosheim? EVER?
Black/ heavily darkened footbed = well-worn. We already established they are calf... Florsheim made this model with calf, suede, and shell.

You CANNOT just use saddle soap on well-dried out leather. It will rub a lot of the surface layer off. The surface leather on Corrected Grain leather (which pebble grain is) is a coating which cannot merely be re-applied. You have to moisten them up some before doing much else.

ALSO, shoe dye on dried out leather? Bad advice. There are acidic compounds in dye which will dry the leather out further. You should NEVER dye dried out leather.

Again, not trying to sound like a jerk, but if one's not pretty sure about a thing, it's best not to advise on it. As a side note, Florsheim has been outsourcing shoes for well over 20 years now. Even in the 80's, they were outsourcing mfg. overseas, so it's not like Florsheim employees were ever taught how to make shoes from this time on.

ALSO, Florsheim NEVER was a shoe RESTORATION company. They never have had an expertise in restoring old and dried leather. Working there would have added no extra knowledge in which to answer this thread's question.

I used to work for Florsheim. Those shoes look to be vintage 1980s,maybe earlier and are most likely calf skin. They look as though they weren't worn much at all by the looks of the soles.
The best course of action would be to clean them thoroughly with a good saddle soap to remove any dirt and loose flakes of the original white dye. When completely dry, use a high quality dye, not a shoe polish, to recolor the white areas. Follow that with a judicious application of conditioner if needed.

 

[cookie]

Top advice from the Master's Apprentice who has surpassed all tests !

 

[Isshinryu101]

Top advice from the Master's Apprentice who has surpassed all tests !

It's NICE to have the benefit of befriending someone who's already "in the know" about so many "Vintage Shoe Secrets"... and willing to share them with me. Seriously.

 

[Mario]

It's NICE to have the benefit of befriending someone who's already "in the know" about so many "Vintage Shoe Secrets"... and willing to share them with me. Seriously.

Dear me... You really get a kick out of addressing people in a rude manner, don't you? Plus you have an inclination to YELL in your posts. Why don't use UPPERCASE THROUGHOUT? Will definitely help to make you heard over the din us lowly commoners are producing with our incompetent gibberish. :hail:

 

[Michaelshane]

I'd still like to know what size they are.

 

[thunderw21]

I'd still like to know what size they are.

Size 7.

 

[Isshinryu101]

the curse of the small footed vintage shoemen!

 

[thunderw21]

the curse of the small footed vintage shoemen!

Tell me about it. The replacement sole says size 12 but the shoe itself says 7. It's definitely a 7.

 

[Isshinryu101]

Tell me about it. The replacement sole says size 12 but the shoe itself says 7. It's definitely a 7.

Ah yes, the replacement sole sizes are not the same as regular shoe sizes. They tricked me once before in an ebay pic!

 

[cookie]

Dear me... You really get a kick out of addressing people in a rude manner, don't you? Plus you have an inclination to YELL in your posts. Why don't use UPPERCASE THROUGHOUT? Will definitely help to make you heard over the din us lowly commoners are producing with our incompetent gibberish. :hail:

Mario he was complementing me. Selbstverstaendlich.