SoleHeeled offers convenient and affordable RM Williams boot repairs by Australia’s best craftsmen, with free shipping to your door. This case study outlines how we recently repaired a customer’s RM Williams boots.
The boots
These RM Williams Craftsman boots were structurally in great shape despite being visibly worn on the soles, the leather uppers and the elastic gussets. When the customer reached out to us for a free diagnosis/quote, we offered to perform a full nailed resole, replace the elastics and perform leather restoration work.
Elastic gusset replacement
We began by carefully unstitching the existing elastic gussets and removed any dirt and old glue from the area. Next, we cut to shape a pair of original RM Williams elastic gussets — because the existing elastic gussets were stretched (as is common since the they are constantly being stretched and loose elasticity over time) we did this with reference to the width of the gap in the leather itself.
After cutting the new elastics to fit the boots, we stitched them into place along the original stitching lines.
Full nailed sole replacement
When began by removing removing the heel blocks and then peeling off the old leather soles. We then repaired the damaged cork layer between the inner and outer soles and nailed into place a new pair of original RM Williams leather soles — using brass nails that offer superior durability, retaining their colour and shape even as the leather around them is worn through.
Unlike most RM Williams boots, which have a welt (i.e. a layer of leather between the outer soles and uppers) into which new soles can be stitched as needed, these boots were nailed directly into the uppers — making them lighter weight and giving them a relatively low profile compared to RM Williams’ welted boots.
We sanded down the sides of the soles to size and stained the surface to give the soles their signature, classic finish.
With the new soles in place, we then reinstalled the original heel blocks and replaced the rubber heel caps at their base with entirely new RM Williams heel caps.
Leather cleaning, conditioning and polishing
We began by cleaning the leather throughout the exterior of the shoes to remove any dirt / impurities from the leather’s surface.
Once the leather was completely dry, we applied our specialist leather conditioner. Ensuring the leather is clean and dry is important in getting the most out of the conditioner. Frequent conditioning helps to nourish the leather (which also prevents dryness and eventual cracking) while also helping to get the leather feeling fresher.
Finally, we polished the leather using a pigmented polish to help restore the colour (especially around the toes), which had been scuffed away. This also helps to buff out some of the scuff marks and lighter scratches.
The result was a pair of boots that looked nearly as new as they were on the day they were bought, and with many years left in them.
Have a pair of R.M. Williams boots needing repair or restoration?
Our experienced craftsmen have been trusted by not only generations of Australians but also local and international brands (including RM Williams, Clarks and Gucci) with the repair and restoration of boots since 1955. If you have a beloved pair of R.M. Williams boots in need of repair or restoration, ask us for a free diagnosis/quote by completing our online order form — where you can upload photos of the boots and let us know exactly what you would like done to them, or let us advise you on what the boots need based on the photos.
SoleHeeled serves all of Australia through its free 2-way shipping service:
Order online: Answer a few questions to get an instant quote and complete your order.
Send your boots: Drop your boots off at a local post office for free packaging and shipping to us.
We repair: A team of experienced craftsmen will carefully repair your boots.
We return: We'll deliver your repaired boots to you, wherever you are in Australia.
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