Vintage Florsheim Imperials Restoration | Dainite Soles

In this video, we give this pair of shell cordovan Florsheim Imperials a makeover. A customer mailed these in to us and wanted Dainite soles and top lifts. He also wanted to take it a step further and make these soles pop by adding some colored stitching. We also brought back the luster to this beautiful shell cordovan.
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Video edited by: Ashley Saldanha

[@JohnSmith-if4uy]

My Father was a school teacher from mid 1960s to 2004. Had 6 pairs of Florsheims like these and other topline Florsheims. Yes they lasted 40 years, but he was really fussy about taking care of them.

[@powderriverfarrier]

What's really good about these guys besides their very fast service when you order on line, the educational content of their videos and their creativity is the fact that, despite their vast knowledge, they work with the customer to fill the customer requests instead of just telling the customer what needs to be done. That shows the amount of confidence these two guys have in their work and in their abilities. Keep the videos coming guys.

[@TrentonHeath]

thepowderriverfarrier Thank you very much! We enjoy working with our customers so that they’re getting back shoes that suit them and that they’ll enjoy. Glad to hear the suede brush is working out for you. 👍🏻

[@maureentuohy8672]

Oh Wow! My Dad always wore Florsheim Wing Tips. He was an elegant dresser. One of the little pearls of wisdom he shared with me was. “Never skimp on food or shoes!” HaHa!

[@benjaminkenobi21]

That's what these shoes were made for.... and man do they come back looking sweet

[@ljstevens]

In the 50's and 60's Florsheim were the only shoes my father would wear. He had them for years and they still looked beautiful.

[@joweep188]

I don't know how and why this was in my recommended videos but now I'm hooked and can't stop watching. Keep up the great work.

[@afcsport]

If Trenton opened up a shoe shine academia I would definitely sign up for classes. Those shoes look gorgeous.

[@PuttPutt1986]

The utter disgust in your voice every time you said “one piece rubber heel” haha! Great video guys, love your work! 👍

[@TrentonHeath]

Pete Cardwell Haha! There’s definitely a time and place for the one piece rubber heel. Using them on a vintage pair of Florsheims is just laziness on the previous cobbler.

[@ThatOddGarage]

I picked up a pair of Florsheim loafers at a thrift store for about ten bucks a few months ago and I'm about to get them resoled. They're super nice and comfortable, even used. Fit snugly on my feet.

[@damianosavraammisaelidis9727]

I literally bumped into your channel by accident and MAN. I totally love your work. My grandpa was a shoe repairer back in his time but although I never met him for some reason I truly love the trade. I love when people are using their heart and soul into what they are doing and clearly guys you do. May the Lord bless you and keep you healthy and do that very thing you love the most.

[@scdobserver835]

Amazing transformation! SO satisfying to see this pair restored like this!

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you very much!

[@javippt]

Florsheim shoes are the shoes, and this repair was awesome, excellent job, I love to watch shoes repair, thank you so much for share your knowledge, blessings from Mexico!!!

[@deanjmoon]

So hard not to binge this Channel when you see a great restoration!

[@BeckVMH]

Ah, classic Florsheim wingtips! Not to be too critical, but too bad Florsheim aren’t what they used to be. Nice to see these still in their rotation and cared for. Thanks for posting.

[@thomasdenmark8031]

Beatiful shoes, excellent work. I would have preferred leather soles on shoes like that. But that's just my personal preference.

[@TrentonHeath]

Thomas Denmark Thank you! We’re big fans of leather as well, but these can definitely come in handy for folks that live in rainy areas, like this customer.

[@davidedmonds6427]

Makes the shoes very durable, BEAUTIFUL WORK!!!

[@yvobalcer]

They look totally new, great job.

[@errolmacdonald3256]

That's what I like, double-layer soles. And glad to know about Dainite rubber instead of leather.

[@coachtc1965]

Had to post this today. Major score, bought a pair of Florsheim Imperials at my local thrift store for $15.98, but today was 1/2 price day so I got these for under 8 bucks! Wish I could post pics on here!

[@jashton8710]

You sir, are a master of your craft.

[@steventrosiek2623]

Masterpiece shoes after restoration.

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you, Steven!

[@ianskinner1619]

Ive got a pair of 80's imperials, never worked on, but they need refurbishing of the soles, glad i watched this. Will be contacting you soon.

[@CrispyFrenFry]

I wish I had sent my vintage florsheims to you because I just got my favorite pair butchered by a local cobbler. The storm welt on one shoe now has an inch long gap near the arches and a series of punctures along the same shoe's heel and arch that weren't there before. In addition to that, the shoes were cracked in a sickly yellow shoe paste that was left in the brouging and other crevices. The cobbler was upset with my for pointing these out and even tried charging me more money for the project. I would have happily paid more money because it is hard work but not when my favorote pair is ruined. Now I have to see what can be done. I'm strapped for cash so I can't necessarily afford the $350 job found online so hopefully another local cobbler can fix my shoes up. Fingers crossed. I wanted to support local businesses but seeing my shoes like this honestly broke my heart.

[@davidedmonds6427]

Beautiful Work

[@cristianm8540]

I watch the video and smell sole, solvent and leather, excellent

[@wpl955g9]

Thanks for this, v helpful. I bought a pair of Church's toecap Oxfords second hand for £20 fifteen years ago at a thrift shop and they're now in need of new soles. I've been giving serious thought to Dainite replacements for durability in the UK's monsoon season. The previous owner had an indifferent leather half sole and new heel block fitted at some point, but they've lasted as long as they have because I save them for important ocassions: wedddings, job interviews, court appearances, that kind of thing.

[@BBS_Robski]

I have a few with Dainites but the majority are leather soled with cover soles to prevent the wicking of water, entirely your choice what sole you want but don't discount leather soles ! PS if you want a recommendation where to send them just shout !!

[@wpl955g9]

@@BBS_Robski Thank you, that's very kind - recommend away! I will probably stick with leather for these ones; they're rather elegant looking things, and I suppose leather's not gone wrong with them in 15+ years. But I figure my Loake Edwards (stout country brogues, Goodyear welted rubber sole as standard) may need an overhaul in a couple years, and Dainite looks the ticket!

[@BBS_Robski]

@@wpl955g9 no probs ! The Shoe Healer in Doncaster. Are your Edwards the Victory sole ?

[@wpl955g9]

@@BBS_Robski That they are. Second hand rescue, but a fair bit of wear in 'em. I'd send them back to Loake for a service but the last owner had the heels replaced somewhere else, and I think that invalidates their very generous offer. BTW, I remembered I was back home in Canada over the summer and ran across this guy in Cobalt, ON (old mining town) who's set up shop as a cobbler, having started as a talented amateur. Thought you might be interested! facebook.com/poorboysoles/

[@BBS_Robski]

@@wpl955g9 I sent a pair back to Loake & when they came back I wasn't impressed, sent them back & had them replaced with new (they were new anyway, re-soled due to quality issue)

[@joaquin-jacknava2696]

Nice job. The shoes look great. Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you! We appreciate you watching.

[@minsyoo]

Loving the videos guys. I've been a sneakers guy all my life but because of channels like yours I'm going to be "upgrading" my wardrobe. Love the idea of investing in finely crafted shoes, taking care of them, getting them re-soled, etc! If I can make a recommendation for a video.. I'd really appreciate a beginner's guide to various types of shoes from a cobbler's point of view. Oxfords, loafers, boots.. and then there's chelseas, chukkas, etc etc. I've become familiar with the general profile of them but are there general construction differences?

[@shino8854]

Unless your life revolves around suits and formal wear, don't bother.

[@BeckVMH]

Check out Allen Edmond. They have some very nice casual oxfords, cap toes for dress or casual.

[@petegalvs]

I feel like my mom had picked up at two or three pairs of these for me and my brothers over the years, and I did appreciate them at the time. I thought they were heavy and clunky, although I liked the way the leather soles "clicked" when I walked. Had I but known the trend 15 years later...

[@furdiebant]

The construction of vintage Imperials is really impressive - assume they were expensive when made especially given they are cordovan

[@adrianmontero4409]

I'm glad to see that you use a shoe tree on restoring this shoes because I see many of your videos that you don't really using a shoe tree when restoring the top of the shoes.

[@PatrickLino]

Great video as always fellas. I look forward to these every Sunday morning when I drink my coffee LoL

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks, Patrick! We really appreciate it. ☕️

[@1justice2012]

Another great repair job!

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you!

[@bret9741]

Wow! Great new lease on life on some really handsome shoes.

[@Cristian-rc4gw]

Wow great job

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks, Christian!

[@rp6699]

dude so much helpful. love your channel especially the fact that you dont keep a lot of ingredients secret and try to commercialise

[@michaelreece458]

Beautiful job, they look fantastic.

[@CobblerBob]

Beautiful! Just curious, did the owner request that the edges of the mid-soles and the heel block want them black? They look great with the subtle contrast between the black rubber and the black leather, but if they were mine I’d keep the edges of the leather brown!

[@cadetflamen12]

Robert Powers I love you're channel

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks, Robert! I definitely agree. That contrast does look great on these. Yeah, the customer asked to keep these uniform. We did a few other Imperials lately where we kept the contrast. Especially with that really thick sole, it adds some pop. Keep up the great work as well!

[@TheNunakun]

Trenton & Heath, Robert Powers, Steve from Bedo's Leatherworks, & Preston from Elegant Oxford - The Four Horsemen representing the cessation of shoe-care neglect.

[@sarahwalker5478]

Agree! The contrast looked really cool!

[@dhorpatanmaho]

@@TrentonHeath how much it costs?

[@into_the_void]

Hello from india , thats some great craftsmanship ! Really cool

[@DanielMartinez316]

I love red shoes

[@sluggle7694]

The stitching is awesome

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

Another cool video.

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you!

[@scorpleeon]

Fascinating

[@pestraid]

again great video; shoes loking good again!

[@TrentonHeath]

pestraid Thank you so much!

[@oc_villain3833]

I love what you Gentlemen do on your channel.,

[@gascan5225]

Amazing work 👍👍👍

[@vikingandislanderworks1601]

I used to have same shoes back in the 80s , threw them away in the 90s because they went "out of style." 2020: I feel stupid for having thrown them away.

[@shino8854]

Never throw away anything made in the 60's 70's 80's that was when products were made mostly by hand and made to last. Also they are collector pieces by now.

[@bg147]

@@shino8854 I know, but he threw them away many years ago before he knew to keep them. You don't even want to know about my 1968 Camaro and vintage toys that are long gone.

[@BeckVMH]

Yep, if I’d only known that stack of Mantle rookie cards would be worth something haha. Kidding. I did have a box of 60s 70s MLB cards thrown in the trash.

[@ML-xh6rd]

I found a pair of these for a buck at a thrift store a couple years back. Hey need a lot of work but I did don't want them to be thrown away. I'm trying to figure out how to send them to T&H for restoration. They're not even my size but I would love to give them to someone who can and would appreciate and use them. They're classics.

[@sowdiem6047]

I managed to keep my Garbage Pail Kids cards.

[@joshuasteele4498]

I’m actually considering this very thing with a pair of black Imperials I just purchased off EBay. Putting a rubber sole on them will make them a great option for damp conditions.

[@IveJustSeenAFace23]

Excellent!

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you, John!

[@psychmr2365]

Awesome video. I’ve shell-cordovan shoes that need work. Will be sending them your way.

[@MNpicker]

Orange thread👌🏼😎

[@TrentonHeath]

We agree. 👍🏻

[@bryanh.4504]

Great video!

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you!

[@seymore8480]

Makes me wanna head down to the thrift store and buy an old pair and send them in. Instead of buying new ones. 🔧🔨

[@zebrech]

Seymore 84 same. I actually may do that very thing while I’m at lunch tomorrow.

[@matthewjackson9615]

Me too, but who dresses up anymore? Seems to me our society no longer appreciates a nice look anymore. I noticed the other day that even bankers don't dress up like the used to , now they sport a business casual look.

[@thatxonexguy5438]

@@matthewjackson9615 who cares as long as you're dressed how you want to and feel good doing it

[@banjopete]

Very nice.

[@craighayes1982]

I always wondered when I was younger why leather shoes turned white like that pair did.

[@mrkrankypantsakakurtakaton676]

Outstanding

[@TrentonHeath]

Mr Kranky Pants AKA Kurt AKA Tony Pappagigio Thank you so much!

[@3b3id]

I would have preferred JR soles with Florsheim! Do like Dainite..have a few!

[@macthewind]

Love to watch artisans at work..

[@mac65onawing]

I have two pair of vintage florsheim imperial I pick up at the goodwill in great shape, I would love to do this....

[@bruceshelton1498]

Very nice

[@gniewko125]

Excellent content, keep up the good work.

[@marcomollo4524]

Vibram sole is the best

[@jaswats9645]

I bet there's a lot of decisions made on the fly. I noticed how you first said you would reuse the midsole but then changed to new material. I guess I would prefer knowing it was new? I dunno. You guys do great work.

[@SamMarlow007]

Not sure if anybody else noticed (or if corrected later on as I just started), but these models are not Wing-Tips, they are Longwings (Longwing Bluchers to be specific which you may see abbreviated as LWB when discussing shoe types). The wing portion extends down the sides to the back, not just on the tip, which is the difference the name suggests! Just a little info for anybody that might be interested in getting in to vintage models like this.

[@TrentonHeath]

Good point, Sam!

[@CrystalMendoza05]

Beautiful

[@electrogestapo]

I don't know half of what is going on but I like what I am seeing somehow.

[@crabtime2116]

A fun thing is after seeing a few videos it starts to make sense.

[@1234tv2]

Wish i lived close enough to you guys. Just moved to London and was looking for a new cobbler to fix 2 pairs of AE and a pair of Church's Me: Are you going to remove the old stitches. Cobbler: Sorry can't do that. That would just leave a bunch of holes. Me: A bunch of holes? I thought the machine re-used the existing ones? Cobbler: Sorry I can't do that. I usually stitch the new soles to the in-soles. Me: Are you going to f****** blake stitch my shoes? Cobbler: Yep that's right. And the guy was planning to charge £100 a pair. I luckely found another one close by who offered me free blind stitches due to my "traumatising experience" for roughly 2/3 of the price

[@whitemakesright2177]

Man, the vintage Florsheims are gorgeous shoes. It's a shame that Florsheim is no longer making shoes like this. Ditto Johnston and Murphy. It seems Allen Edmonds and Alden are the only remaining heritage dress shoe companies still making great shoes in America. Thankfully there are also many great companies founded in the last 50 years, as well. Boots are a different story, of course, with lots of great heritage companies still doing what they've always done.

[@davidk.8434]

Allen Edmonds quality has really tanked as of late, since a corporate buyout. Save your money for Aldens

[@67spankadelik]

Fantastic job as usual! Exactly how can you tell if you can add a Dainite sole to your Blake stitched boots? Would love for you guys to do them.

[@TrentonHeath]

67spankadelik What brand/style is the shoe? Typically, if it’s a decent shoe, and has a welt, Dainite soles can be added and then blake stitched. I just wouldn’t recommend it with cheaper, all cement constructed shoes.

[@67spankadelik]

@@TrentonHeath It's a Taft "Saint Boot". I also have a pair of Taft "Gladiator Boots" and they have a Dainite sole. Thanks for your reply.

[@UchihaSumairu]

I literally don't have a single pair of nice dress shoes. I'm too broke to afford something like that as its like 5 months spending money to save up for it (FOR NOW). I have to say though that I'm seeing the appeal. This channel is awesome! My walmart shoes are useless after a few weeks no joke as I walk for 8-12 hours a day at work. Speaking of can you recommend a decent shoe that would be comfortable for work like that but would go with a bright red polo work shirt and black pants (they have to be black :(

[@donb9710]

I didn’t think Shell Cordovans were part of the Imperial line!

[@KeenanModica]

6:50 Does this stitching only penetrate the Dainite and midsole? Essentially, what is the orange stiching attaching the Dainite sole to?

[@domxem5551]

Wish you guys were closer

[@TrentonHeath]

Dom Xem We accept mailed-in shoes.

[@josephfoxdietz5675]

I like the color of the polish you used. Is that Sophie’s dark brown polish ? Do you think I can use that color on my R.M. wWilliam chestnut boots? It’s really hard to find “chestnut” polish here in the U.S.

[@bigliss9040]

Trenton & Heath why do you not cut a groove in the Dainite soles to protect the stitches? My Allen Edmonds came the same way and I feel like I am going to wear through the stitches before I wear through the sole.

[@smitty1952]

At 3:50 you said the inner leather sole was in good shape and you would reuse it but it does not appear you did that, unless you did an incredible job of making it look brand new? Also, Im surprised you didn't use leather soap on the shoes before putting on the creme. Did that have anything to do with the fact these are cordovan?

[@olatusijazz8155]

Great craftsmanship. This is a classic shoe but it would have been better for the shoe owner to have It resold with (Rendenbach) leather sole with (Triumph) toe plates with combination (Rendenbach) heel with leather rubber heel top. That is my own personal reference.

[@TrentonHeath]

Olatusi Jazz Thanks! Yeah, I’m a lover of leather soled shoes as well. To each his own I suppose.

[@kurtwatson9039]

Trenton broke out the deer antler on these. Look out!

[@ianmedium]

Great job as usual! One question? I notice that cobblers, yourselves included when pressing the sole down in the machine only press the front, can you tell me why the back is not done as well? Thanks for another great video.

[@TheNunakun]

They likely do, just not on video.

[@TrentonHeath]

That’s exactly the reason. We do press the backs as well. For filming/entertainment purposes we cut the pressing short. We actually leave each shoe in the press for several minutes each before taking it off. We shorten all of that in editing.

[@ianmedium]

Trenton & Heath oh that’s great, thanks for both replies, now it makes sense!

[@liwiathan]

I like shankless shoes.

[@af22man]

do you have to remove previous polish to put on a shoe cream? how long do you have to wait after you polish a pair of shoes before you can put some restorative cream on the leather and have it absorb?

[@joanm.2987]

Great job!! I have 2 pairs of A.E penny loafers Verdun model. Both with leather sole. Due to a knee injury I don’t feel comfortable with them. Question: could it be feasible to refurbish them, just the same way you did on this video ? In your opinion, the Dainites soles and heels would it improve? And, how much would it cost me? Thanks in advance.

[@Iberian247]

Looks great! I’d like to send mine in, do you also stock the red or brown Dainite soles?

[@TrentonHeath]

We have black and brown in Dainite. We have other colors in the Vibram equivalency.

[@joshuasteele4498]

Question: about how much pressure does the sole press machine apply? Is that roughly what would apply by an average person walking on them or is it much greater than that?

[@davidhall8874]

Save going back and watching them work, how can you "make sure" they are putting in new cork?

[@pegsbarton6353]

I wondered this too. I'll be interested to know the answer. It's maybe enough just to ask, let the cobbler know that YOU know what goes on inside. But you can't check and he'll know that.

[@KeenanModica]

How do you all have black stitches on top and orange at the bottom? I'm so confused :(

[@shimenga1]

Thanks for the info about making sure to ask about replacing the old cork with cobblers . May I ask what your take is on sending shoes back to the factory vs finding a good cobbler who can resole Goodyear welted shoes for less?

[@American_Jeeper]

Being a purist, my opinion is that Florsheims need leather soles, and I didn't think I'd like the end result using rubber soles, but they actually look good!

[@samhong1597]

Would love to see a video on Nisolo loafers!

[@TrentonHeath]

Sam Hong Nisolo is based here in Nashville, and I own a couple of pairs myself. We’ll definitely do that.

[@ussilov]

Are those a pairsof welders snips? I work in a garage and they look like they would make short work of nails and screws etc. That need to be removed from tires.

[@shanemcardle9574]

I just bought a pair on eBay but I’m in Australia

[@dskim6]

The replaced shank in the right shoe is very crooked at 5:38. Also the acetone dripping onto the leather upper doesn’t cause any damage?

[@Sungodv]

You said you were going to reuse the original mid-soles...?

[@normanpotter2205]

Sungodv , good catch. The old midsole was in good condition, but after reviewing the midsole, we wanted to upgrade with new leather for the video.

[@TrentonHeath]

Nice catch! 😉 Yeah, I was going to reuse the original midsole, but after further examination, it had been stitched through several times and had too many holes for my liking. I wasn’t out much money to just throw a fresh piece of leather on there.

[@cougarhunter33]

I have some Imperials that have a really weird bounce to them that is difficult to describe. When standing in them, there is a almost a discernible sag between the heels and where foot contacts the ground at the ball. It's almost as though the shanks are either insufficient, or there are none in there at all. They don't click walking as I have experienced with broken shanks before, so I am kind of flummoxed as to what this could be or if it is just a peculiarity of the shoe.

[@TrentonHeath]

Have they been resoled before?

[@jamesa7506]

👍

[@seth_5394]

Why not use the nail holes provided in the top lifts instead of using the nail gun?

[@helioszxc]

5:34 why is one of the shanks crooked ?

[@tonygluk1]

Was looking for this comment.

[@sf55514]

Too late now but Trenton & Heath would have been a great name for your company.

[@syngensmyth4587]

If I can ask your opinion- the Florsheim Kenmoor Wingtip Oxford is not sold where I live in Australia but is available as a grey import at about $300.00. Do you think the newer ones are worth that to buy?

[@pianofry1138]

Any new Florsheim isn't worth $300. I'm not certain the currency conversion but I belive it to be about 7/10 and I wouldn't pay $210 US for any Florsheim.

[@retiredgoon512]

I know where I’m sending my shoes now! What was the cost of this repair? 🤔 Thanks.

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks, Michael! A Dainite resole is $105...plus any shipping.

[@ianmedium]

Trenton & Heath flipping Eck! That is so reasonable. I have seen one cobbler who posts on KZbin do the same work and charge over €400!

[@TrentonHeath]

ianmedium Yikes!

[@dhorpatanmaho]

@@TrentonHeath and how much for the rubber and leather resole..

[@CrispyFrenFry]

Great video! I just purchased my first pair of vintage cordovan florsheim imperial and would like to know if I can use anything else besides deer bone to smooth out the rolls. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[@notjh91]

They say you can use the back of a spoon with conditioner. Look for that method at The Elegant Oxford channel.