What to do about squeaking shoes

[Orvil Newton]

Old school stitched and nailed leather shoes sometimes develop a "Squeak". Is there a cure? My highly polished brown Corcorans get lots of compliments but the squeak when I walk is slightly embarrassing.

 

[Whislerm]

Depending on where it's squeaking sometimes just a good leather conditioning and a couple walks around the block will get rid of it.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Old school stitched and nailed leather shoes sometimes develop a "Squeak". Is there a cure? My highly polished brown Corcorans get lots of compliments but the squeak when I walk is slightly embarrassing.

If you have some time, soak the shoes inside and out with as much leather conditioner as you can apply on them. Literally drench the shoes, drown them in conditioner. Leave them soak it up for a few days and soak some more. Most (not always) but most of the noise you hear from shoes that are all leather is something rubbing while flexing during the stride of your foot as you walk. That means you have some "movement" of leather against another part of leather and thus that noise. Most likely the leather is dry and being dry is going to add to the noise.

If you elect to soak the shoes and then leave them alone....you will eventually have to wipe the inside of the shoe to get rid of all the excess conditioner, just use an old clean white T shirt and that should work. I would suggest Cadillac Boot and Shoe care as a conditioner, and expect to use about the entire bottle on your shoes. Pour it inside and slosh it around, rub it in with your fingers all over the inside and then do the same to the entire outside (as long as the shoes are not suede) you can use conditioner on the inside of suede shoes but not the outside, but on any other type of smooth leather or exotic leather you can use the Caddy......and the shoes will love having the conditioner used on them...will help prolong the life of the leather including the sole. Old shoes do not get dry over night....so don't expect to condition them just over night either....it takes time to properly condition a vintage shoe. I normally will work the conditioner into the shoes for at least three or four days. The let them "dry" a few days after wiping all the excess conditioner off them. Then the next step is application of paste cream shoe polish and or then the high gloss wax. I normally use both a paste cream liberally and let it sit a few hours before buffing it off....and then use the Gloss Polish Wax with some water and a cotton ball.....Saphir is what I like the best, but that is just our choice here.

 

[Orvil Newton]

Thanks. That makes sense. Now I will have to try to find that product on line or search for it on my next trip to the big city.

 

[herringbonekid]

a cobbler told me that squeaks are usually located between the insole and the cork filling.

 

[Rabbit]

Applying sole oil can help. You can even let the sole sit in the liquid for a while (provided you have enough of it; the Burgol comes in 250ml bottles only), else apply until saturated as usual.

 

[de Stokesay]

I solved a really annoying squeak by removing the insole, dumping quite a bit of plain old foot powder inside the boots, shaking it all about inside there, re-installing the insole, and going for a good long walk. I did this a couple of weeks ago, have put several miles on these boots since then, and haven't had a single squeak since. And no, it wasn't the insole squeaking.

de Stokesay

 

[LuvMyMan]

a cobbler told me that squeaks are usually located between the insole and the cork filling.

That is true for the most part. My Husband has a few pairs that you can tell the side of the shoe is rubbing a bit when flexing and you hear that "squeak" Some vintage that have a metal shank will also rub on dried out cork and again the reason for soaking those shoes with a ton of conditioner.....any part of leather that can "move" when the shoe flexes while being walked can produce the noises and it most likely is dry leather.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Applying sole oil can help. You can even let the sole sit in the liquid for a while (provided you have enough of it; the Burgol comes in 250ml bottles only), else apply until saturated as usual.

Very good information....I do not have a source for Burgol so we have just used the Caddy conditioner as it is thin enough to soak in deeply after drowning leather with it. It also leaves a nice surface after use on leather and wiped off.

 

[Rabbit]

I should add that sole oil (from Burgol) ruins or at least stains the uppers as it oversaturates the leather, so you have to be careful when letting the sole sit in it. Applying several coatings with a paint brush until the sole is saturated is safer for the uppers - and cheaper, since the stuff is expensive.

Cindy, if you ever need Burgol sole oil or their carnauba hard wax badly enough, there are several online sellers in Germany that will ship worldwide. Just google "burgol ledersohlenöl". But the conditioner does the job, too.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Thank you!

 

[galopede]

My mother always told me the squeaking meant the shoes hadn't been paid for, they were on the never never!

Gareth