Hey Guys,
Ive 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. Im 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. Ive got some flat waxed laces to install, which wont make a huge difference but I think Ill like them better than the current round laces. (Were a fickle bunch, arent we?)
Ive 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. Im 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. Ive got some flat waxed laces to install, which wont make a huge difference but I think Ill like them better than the current round laces. (Were a fickle bunch, arent we?)
