Club Obi Wan

COW Members,

My Aldens arrive next week and I am really uncertain what the best course of action is with regards to dyeing/tinting, when to use Pecard's, etc.
I am fairly certain that I want to naturally distress them (through day-to-day use/adventures ;-)). However, I am interested in what you all advise with regards to dyeing (based on your lessons-learned, etc. from your own Aldens). For instance:
(1) For those of you who have dyed/tinted your Aldens, were you happy with the results? Did you also dye the stitching?
(2) If I decide to dye them - what is the best product and color to use?
(3) Plus, do you put Pecard's on first, or after tinting?
(4) Any other general care & maintenance suggestions are more than welcome.

Thanks to all for your knowledgable advice,

P.S.> Sorry for the title pun, I couldn't resist.

-Spooky

Hello Spooky,

I got my Aldens a few weeks ago. All I did to mine was to put a coat of Kiwi brown ploish on them. It darkened them just a little, it also helped tone down the white stitches.

Thanks J Weaver,

My Dad used to use Kiwi polish on his shoes ...
I have also been scouring old COW posts for anything on Aldens ...
I've seen Meltonian boot cream mentioned also.
Not sure what the difference between polish and boot cream is though.

Do you have a pic of your Aldens after you tinted? or now?

Thanks,

DLS

hi spooky,

for my part, i have my aldens for less than a month. I have one suggestion : You maybe should wait a few time to use them to have more nuances of brown color before dying them. That's what i have decided and the "pumpkin reflect" is already starting to disappear !

That's just my choice as a new owner of aldens

hope you understand my english

regards

i post a pic for you here :

http://www.pir2rensy.com/mes_aldens/spooky1.jpg

hope you see what i mean when i say that the pumpkin color started to disappear for more brown nuances after to dye them.

I believe that the shoes must live and face the weather before being dying !

Bastoon,

How you doing, fellow "Dig Worker"?

Congrats on the Aldens - I see what you mean about the color.
I will definitely consider leaving them be (maybe just some Pecards dressing)

Thanks for the photo and your advice !
Sincerely,

-Spooky

Here you go, its not much of a pic, but it's the best I can do. (no digital camera ) This is after 1 coat of brown polish.
Aldens

I just got my aldens less than a month. I put pecard brown weatherproof dressing on them. I coated them for about 3-4 times before i put the standard pecard dressing. Pecard brown weatherproof really works on darkening my aldens. Now the colour of my aldens is darker compare to the light colour when i first received it.

One suggestion is to wait andsee how dark the Aldens are when you first get them.
A few years ago they use to come in a VERY Orangey pumkin color and dying them was really the only alternative.

I believe the leather now comes in a more bropwning tone. Is that correct for those of you who have recently bought them?

I would also suggest the Brown Pecards over the Kiwi.
Kiwi is a shoe polish that will wear off faster.
Pecards is a waterproofing that soaks into the leather.

I know alot of people have had great luck using the Pecards.

And just for reference, my dyed Aldens (which were of the VERY Pumpkin color)

You're right Dalexs..the new leather now is more browning tone and not the pumpkin color...

J Weaver, IA, Dalexs:

Really appreciate the pics and your advice !

Aldens are expensive (!) and I definitely did not want to be unhappy with my decision with regards to treating them.

Brown Picards it is.
Q: BTW, I will do a google but where did y'all get yours at?

Thanks Guys !

-Spooky

Get your Pecards here: http://www.pecard.com/en-us/dept_13.html

And yes I would not dye them, though I understand the need to on that older pumpkin color. I used some brown kiwi and then Pecards...


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If I could mention...leather dye and/or brown polish really won't effect the stitching. Though it might make them darker right after application, after a few days the white will come back.

I would be very, very, very careful with leather dye. Most people (including myself) underestimate how dark the leather will turn out. Also, if you don't apply the dye correctly, you will get crossover markings - where the pass of one stroke overlaps the other. The only way to get rid of those is by overdying, and that's when you will see that your boots are getting too dark.

If you've added any type of dressing to the shoe (whether it be polish, cream, or lotion), absolutely do not try dying. Those products will block out some of the dye and the result will be splotchy.

I haven't tried dying Aldens, but I would be very careful. I would probably find an inconspicuous area (like the bottom of the tongue covered by the laces) and try a bit of dye there, let it dry overnight, and see how it looks. I would also get a lighter brown dye rather than dark. Hope this helps!

There is no need to even consider dyeing your Aldens. I think the current color is very close to the original color. Texas, I partially agree about the stitching. As the brown polish wears off, some of the whiteness will come back through, but nothing like when they were new. IMHO after a coat of brown polish the current Aldens will look pretty darn screen accurate. After some wear, they look even better.

OK, my Aldens just arrived today.
They look incredible - definitely the finest footwear I have ever purchased.
Also, they did indeed arrive darker than the "Great Pumpkin" color in Alden's ad photo.

Summary of Advice:
I've seen several different treatment options so far:
Option 1: To use Brown Kiwi, then clear (or Brown) Picards.
Option 2: To use clear Picards (applying low heat with hair dryer to liquify paste to soak into the leather), then Meltonian Boot Cream.
Option 3: To use Brown Picards & nothing else.

Also - I'm a little confused about some of your references to not "dye." My understanding was that using brown polish or boot cream is a type of dyeing. (What other type of dye is there :)

Anyway, I am leaning towards using Brown Pecards FIRST.
Then, if they still appear a bit too light, I will consider Brown Kiwi.

If you guys have any other thoughts/comments, let me know.
I really appreciate all your advice - you've been a big help. :!:

-Spooky

you should NOT dye ! ...... or maybe you should

I believe that Aldens needs time before being dye or tinted !

congrate for your purchase Spooky !. You're now entering in another dimension !lol !!

I was in a similar predicament. I bought my Alden's in May and it was time for a polish. I used Brown Kiwis and I'm very happy with the result. Originally my Aldens were a very warm brown. Not the dread pumpkin, but definitely on the orange end of brown. After a quick polish with Kiwi brown they are now what I would call chocolate. The polish darkened the leather, shined them up, and toned down the stitching.

I'll try and post pics sometime in the next couple of days to compare the new boots and the post-polish boots.

Spooky, what I mean by not dyeing is not to use an actual leather dye. Although polish and Pecards will change the color of your Aldens somewhat its not like using leather dye.

Really any of those options will take care of your boots just fine. Personally, I just prefer plain old shoe polish. When my boot get dirty and scuffed I just put a coat of polish on them.

I dyed my Aldens, and they turned out great. There are a few old threads, (including mine when I dyed them) that will give you all the tips you need.
To add to what Texas Jones said, just dying the boots without any kind of prep, will definately make them look splotchy and streaky.

You MUST "strip" the boots before dying them. There is a product that Fiebings makes called "Deglazer". It is basically acetone in a little bottle.
You need to strip all polish and wax that has built up on the boots, and if they are new, the top layer of finish that is on them.

Once you strip them, you will be able to dye them with no problem.
I personally applied 4 coats of the dye, because after the first application, it did look a bit blotchy, but I hear that is normal. I used the "Russet Brown" Fiebings dye, because it toned the red down a bit, instead of enhancing it like the regular brown dye would. That was advice from Dalexs, BTW. Thanks Dal.

Also, when I was finished, I sealed the dye with some Brown Pecards, and a coat of "Dusky Brown" Meltonian shoe polish.
After that, they looked incredible, IMHO.

'Blues

Can someone answer this one for me? If you keep applying the brown Pecards, does the darkness keep increasing and is there a necessity to reapply the brown later on i.e. does it wear off after a while?

Whiskey? wrote:Can someone answer this one for me? If you keep applying the brown Pecards, does the darkness keep increasing and is there a necessity to reapply the brown later on i.e. does it wear off after a while?

I think the darkness will increase at first then level off. Unlike dye where it's more permanant, the color from the brown Pecards will fade the same way shoe polish does.

Update:

OK, here are my new Aldens after one coat of Clear Pecards:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/ ... 30c90b.jpg

Next, I put on 2 coats of Brown Kiwi Shoe Polish:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/ ... 48f4c9.jpg

Lastly, I put on Brown Pecards:
Note: Also shown are really nice cedar shoe trees from Aldens.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/ ... 24cc05.jpg

Really happy with the results ... thanks for all your inputs.

-Spooky