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hollow heels

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Posted by Zonie on January 06, 2024 at 19:59:42

Getting my damaged Tony Lama boots to the cobbler proved quite an adventure. The cobbler's shop in my neighborhood to which I've been going for decades has been taken over by new people, and the new cobbler said he didn't have the tool to repair high boots. I went to another cobbler, and he said he couldn't repair a boot without a zipper. I thought, "WTF! Two cobblers in Phoenix, and neither of them can repair cowboy boots!"

It occurred to me that one of my co-workers is a retired barrel-racer. She must have had to wear that type of boot and might know of a good cobbler. I asked her, and she recommended a shop in north-central Phoenix. When I went there, there was no longer a cobbler in that plaza.

Finally I visited a cobbler in Scottsdale's Old Town district. That area is favored by the tourists, so I figured he'd be likely to be able to help. He was indeed quite knowledgeable, but he despaired of doing much.

He said that Tony Lama boots have hollow heels. He demonstrated this by driving an awl through one of the heel caps. He said, "I know, because I used to make Tony Lama boots." I was astonished at this, as he was Mexican-American, not Chinese. Then it occurred to me that the practice of making North American style cowboy boots in China was a recent one. Presumably the drovers of the Gobi Desert have their own style of footwear. Well if that's how Tony Lama boots are made, it might be wise to avoid the brand in future.

I asked about the possibility of a complete re-sole with solid heels. He said that would cost more than a new pair of boots. As it stood, he couldn't nail them back together, as there was nothing to hold the nails. He did offer to glue them, though he wasn't optimistic about how long that would last.

I consented, and he had the boot glued in several minutes. I asked what I owed him, but he declined to charge me.

I'll be surprised if it will stand up long to the forces involved in a 320 lbs. man churning up deep mud, but I suppose part of the fun can be finishing off boots in the mud. In any case, I have no cause to complain of the repair cost.

Wednesday evening's cold front brought us all of 0.01" of rain. As for tomorrow, NWS are going back and forth on whether the precipitation expected in the higher elevations of northeastern Phoenix will be rain or snow, but they are consistent that the water or water-equivalent will be less than 0.2", so it won't do much for the mud situation.



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