Club Obi Wan

I've read in several threads about people having their Aldens dyed brown instead of the brick-red color that the shoe currently comes in.

Have you had much success and, if so, what kind and color of dye was used on them.

Did you just have it done at a shoe store?

Jaydoc

I did mine myself with Fiebing's medium brown dye, white threads and all. Turned out pretty well; not dressy, perhaps, but acceptable for Indy boots. I know Minnesota Jones did the same.

I did the same thing, as many of us have. I used Russett Fiebings.
The left shows when they were first done. The right shows after MUCH yard work & wear.

Dalexs

So was there any trick to dyeing them? Did you have to pretreat the shoes to take off any sealant on them? Then did you seal them with anything after you dyed them?

Jaydoc

Yeah, I did mine as well.
Fiebing's Light Brown. Used the whole bottle (about 3 coats). You'll need their Deglazer as well. That will take the scheen, wax, etc off the boots first. Then let that dry. Maybe 1/2 hour or less. Then use the dauber they give you, just soak it in the bottle and rub all over the shoes. I took the laces out, but covered all the leather, stitching too, trying to keep it off the soles and cork thou. Then let it dry between coats. When its all done, they looked uneven in coloration, but WAIT, don't fret, just Pecard them and WHAM! They look incredible. Here's a link showing my colored Aldens (colored back in July and worn daily since) next to Austin Powers' uncolored ones from our Wisconsin Summit a week ago....

http://members.tripod.com/~midwest-summ ... mmit11.jpg

Where can you purchase this miracle elixir?

No miracles, just regular ol' leather dye. You can get Fiebings at your local shoe shop. Same place you'd take your shoes for new heels. Call them to find out before you make your trip. Should have Russet, or Light Brown, or Medium Brown in stock I think between those three colors. Also the Deglazer should be there. If not, they should be able to order it. Or you always have the internet. But I wouldn't pay more than $8-$10 for both one bottle of dye and the Deglazer. One bottle of dye is more than enought for one pair of shoes. Good luck!

It isn't all that hard. And should take only an hour or so at the most, including Pecarding them when you're done.

What I noticed about out of the box Aldens is that the leather is soft and had depth and texture within the color. Meaning that after some wear, there is natural motling of light colors within the leather. If you dye the boots with Fiebings, how does the leather feel and look? Has it lost that subtle motling and it is as soft? My worry is that once you dye the leather it looks and feels like painted plastic and does not have any of the depth of color and texture of the original leather.

By the way, Minnesota-Jones, your link is not working or at least not on my computer. Can you actually post the picture of your boots? Thanks.

Gotta love Tripod.... if the link does not work, just go to my "Website" which is a link to our Midwest Summit pages. Go to the Wisconsin St Croix Falls pages, the shot of my shoes (with Austin undyed ones) is on the second page. I'd post the picture if I knew how.... I've never posted a picture before...

It looks like from these pictures that the threads were dyed too? For people who have dyed their shoes, is that what you found? Is there any way to keep the stitches white?

Wow, the undyed ones look kind-of, well, PREPPY don't they. I love the look of the dyed ones. Ok, that does it. I'd been holding out on buying the Alden's because of the color complaints but now, after seeing these pics, I'm taking the plunge. They look fantastic dyed.

Jaydoc

And as far as I can tell, they feel the same way they did before. Dye did not "harden" them or anything. These shoes just keep looking better and better with time and age since they've been dyed.