1950s ENGINEER BOOTS

Brand: Unknown
Circa: 1950's
Color: Black
Size: 7 1/2
Measurements:
Length: 11 1/4"
Soles / Heels: O'Sullivan Half Sole and Heels
Leather: Oil-Tanned Cowhide (Sorry to burst your bubble, folks -- 99% of vintage boots were NOT Horsehide) Unless boots are clearly marked with the word "Horsehide" be careful when descriptions read:
- "I'm not sure, but these could be Horsehide."

- "Made with Horsehide"
- "They feel like Horsehide" Really??
- "I'm positive these are Horsehide"
- "The original owner said they were Horsehide"
- "Steerhide"
- "Horsehide"
Hardware: Brass
Sold For: $125 Buy it Now

It's clear these aren't in the best condition, but at $125 plus repair costs (resole, patching) they're worth the time. Don't fall for overpriced repair costs -- There are plenty of talented folks out there charging the  appropriate amount. When all is said and done, they should end up costing Way under four bills. 

*These could absolutely be worn as is. 

www.vintageengineerboots.com

Early 1960s Chippewa Engineer Boots

Brand: Chippewa
Circa: 1960s
Color: Black
Size: 10
Measurements:
Length: 11"

Width: 4 1/4"

Soles: Full Composition 
Leather: Cowhide
Hardware: Nickel
Sold For: $850 / 2 Bids

Since the vintage (online) market has been absent of anything really worth mentioning, it's easy to understand why someone would be willing to pay so much for these. Aside from the the flattened toe box, there's truly nothing to write home about. And it's worth noting that unless these are a half size larger than  the buyer's foot size, the toe box will more than likely lose its profile making them just an expensive pair of 1960's Vintage Engineer Boots. 

I'd sooner drop some hard-earned scratch on a pair of modern heritage boots. Congrats to the seller. 

www.vintageengineerboots.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

I'm super stoked to be a vendor again at re.findoffmain. This event marks their 3-year anniversary!

Stop by if you're in the area. 

 
Who: VEB Leather and 40+ other vendors
What: Anniversary Makers Market
Where: 146 Eucalyptus Ave, Vista, CA 92084
When: 12 March / 10am - 3pm

www.vintageengineerboots.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022!!

www.vintageengineerboots.com

Mister Freedom Road Champ Boots

THE “RANDALL” JACKET BY MISTER FREEDOM

One thing to know up front when you purchase a natural vegetable tanned leather Randall or Campus is that it beckons to be worn. And worn hard.

Vegetable tanned leather can be very tricky to work with. It’s an absolute dirt and smear magnet, so the process of keeping it clean can add so much more time to a project.

It’s the challenge, though, that makes me love working with this type of leather.

www.vintageengineerboots.com24 December 2021 — Freshly conditioned
• Resist all temptation to introduce any products to the leather until you’ve reached maximum sun tanning levels. Since the leather is treated (protected) at the tannery, conditioner in this type of application serves only to add a deeper color tone — the hide will be fine even after prolonged exposure to the rays when tanning. 
• Put it out under the sun whenever you’re not wearing it.
• The leather WILL attract water and leave (harmless) spots. Resist wiping down certain areas. If you get food spots like me, use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the entire jacket, to include seams, creases and folds. Let air dry. The leather will darken following each wipe down session.
• Ready to condition? My personal favorite it Pecard Antique Leather Conditioner (you “might can” — my English teacher used to say that — use other products, but since I can’t guarantee the same killer level of outcome). No need for a rag. I get the best results using just my hand (see mg Instagram post here for the video).

3 November 2021 — The new “Randall” jacket with its older cousin, the man around Campus.

“Randall” Ranch Blouse 

Less than a few hours old it’s clear stacked sleeves are calling to be the star of the show. 

His big bro, the Ranch Jacket

I was forced to give it two wipe downs — early on for pasta splatter — same thing that happened to my natty Campus back in the day — and then juice from an orange just a couple weeks later.  This worked in my favor, though, as it taught me how this particular leather reacts to certain conditions. 

22 November 2021 — Sun and one wipe down 

19 December 2021 — The jacket has seen 75 hours of sun and two wipe downs at this point.

24 December 2021 — Just completed the full conditioning, making sure all the folds, creases and seams get equal attention. 

27 December 2021 — 2.5 days post

conditioning. After applying the conditioner by hand, I let the leather soak up what it needs. I’ll buff away any excess product with a horse hair brush. 

Age: 1 month and twenty-four days

Tanning: 2 weeks (approximately 75 hours) under the SoCal sun

Microfiber Wipes: 2

Conditioning: 1

NEW VEB LEATHER WEBSITE! (20% off Small Business Saturday Sale!)

Hello, Friends! The VEB Leather site is officially up and running! I'll be offering 20% off all stock for Small Business Saturday (27 Nov 21) just in time for the holiday.
www.VEBLeather.com
www.vintageengineerboots.com

VEB LEATHER AT THE HOLIDAY MAKERS MARKET

What a thrill it was to show my VEB Leather for the first time at the local Holiday Makers Market hosted by re•find off main! I had just about two weeks notice to create inventory for the event and when all was said and done I had built a stock of close to one hundred pieces.

www.vintageengineerboots.com

I've been to a ton of events, but I never thought I'd be a vendor at one. What an experience!

I wanted to create a ton of hand-stitched pieces, but Jillian reminded me this "smalls" are best for these types of events. Not to mention ... two weeks. A single trucker wallet can take a full day. 

I brought out a bunch of denim and vintage, which I'll be posting up on my new website!

I completed a Chimayo zip pouch during the show

On my Mister Freedom-gifted stitching pony. 

I picked up this great handcrafted wooden valet by Kenny Wood Mfg.

That's a wrap! The stitching pony breaks down and fits perfectly in the Mister Freedom Tripper Denim Type III bag. 

THIS JUST IN ...

Custom studded belt made with Horween Natural CXL strap. 

Custom work? info@VEBLeather.com

www.vintageengineerboots.com

PIONEER COLLECTION BY DR. SOLE ORIGINALS

Dr. Sole Original has proven to be a dominant force in the custom shoe repair industry and in case you didn’t know they’ve dipped their toe box (see what I did there) into the clothing arena under their Pioneer Collection.  Perfect tee for workwear trousers and jeans … and dare I say a Horween CXL VEBLeather “The Strabler” belt with Horsehide Horween CXL lacing

www.vintageengineerboots.com

This mid-weight, tightly woven “Gondolier Shirt” is easily one of the coolest henleys I’ve seen on the market with its wide neckline, off-center placket, ribbed cuff, and blue stripes.

www.DrSole2011.com

How Mister Freedom® Measures Their Garments

I'm often asked about measurements of my Mister Freedom pieces and I always find myself referring readers to the website sizing charts since both raw and rinsed measurements match what I come up with.

Christophe and his team have put together visual representations to avoid the gues work.

I'm always happy to help, so please don't hesitate to reach out. Cheers!

www.vintageengineerboots.com

All photos from www.ChristopheLoiron.com

More measurement info at www.ChristopheLoiron.com

MONTGOMERY WARD BLUE BAND ENGINEER BOOTS

Brand: Montgomery Ward
Circa: 1940s / 1950s
Color: Black
Size: "10"
Soles: Leather with composition half sole
Leather: Oil Tanned Cowhide (not horsehide)
Hardware: Nickel
Sold For: $400 BIN
Seller: wfaa8

Montgomery Ward led the charge in the mail order business beginning in 1872 (pre-Sears catalog) and became one of the biggest national mail order and brick and mortar retailers, so it's safe to say that goods sold by Wards were quite abundant -- I've seen midcentury Wards boots pop up at auction with missing/worn tags, so they're more prevelant than we might know.

I'd say the $400 ending price tag on them is spot on. On a good day, I might be compelled to pay about six bills for them -- anything more than that, then we're talking about modern heritage boot territory.

www.vintageengineerboots.com

All photos: wfaa8

From 1946 Spring/Summer Montgomery Ward catalog. These particular boots are the regular "Best Blue Band"