Leather Boot Stretching Question --

[rongon]

Hey hey telemark peoples, I have a question for you.

I just paid way too much for a pair of Asolo Extreme boots (absolutely like new condition). I destroyed my last pair, which I dearly loved and skied for nearly 20 years. I'm one of those people for whom the pebax ankle cuff works really well. BUT... As new, the boots are too narrow across my forefoot. I need to stretch them out to make them wider across the metatarsal arch. The last pair I had, I gritted my teeth and skied them until they stretched. I don't think I have as high a tolerance for pain as I did 15 years ago.

Does anyone know what's a safe and effective way to stretch the width of the boot right where it flexes across the forefoot?

Is it safe to use any leather stretching solutions, or will that destroy the black coating on the leather and make it crack, leak water, etc?

Any luck with shoe stretchers like you see advertised, from FootFitter or similar?

[turnfarmer]

Shoe repair shops have mechanical stretchers that work really well. Much better than the ones a consumer can buy. If the leather is old an dried out it may be vulnerable to cracking/tearing. I like Obenaufs leather oil to revitalize dried out leather.

[rongon]

Thanks. I'll try rejuvenating the leather and then going to a shoe repair shop that has a good reputation and the right machine for the job.

For leather reconditioning, I have some Limmer Boot Grease left from an earlier boot restoration. Is that much different from Obenauf's leather oil?

[rongon]

Thanks. I'll try rejuvenating the leather and then going to a shoe repair shop that has a good reputation and the right machine for the job.

For leather reconditioning, I have some Limmer Boot Grease left from an earlier boot restoration. Is that much different from Obenauf's leather oil?

[JohnSKepler]

Does anyone know what's a safe and effective way to stretch the width of the boot right where it flexes across the forefoot?

I have never had this work and I've tried it different ways over about 40 years with many sets of boots, cleats, shoes, etc. My conclusion is that leather might stretch a little but the sole, the thing the leather is attached to, isn't going to stretch at all. YMMV.

[rongon]

I guess my mileage has varied.

I was able to stretch the width of my first pair of Asolo Extreme to get them to fit very comfortably. Eventually the leather cracked where it flexes at the forefoot, but that wasn't what did them in. What killed them was when the duckbill cracked straight across on one of the boots. At that point it was no longer worth fixing them anymore.

I have a pair of Alico leathers, lower cut than Asolo Extreme, which I can practice on. They were a fairly cheap eBay buy, so I have nothing to lose by trying.

I'm surprised more people haven't been through this. I guess everybody has nice, normal feet that fit into boots right out of the box. I'm so jealous of you all.

[Capercaillie]

How tall are the shafts? Regular shoe width stretchers fit into ankle-high boots (you might need to fold the back of the shaft down) and I have had success with those. I stretched out my Crispi Nordlands and do not see any difference to other footwear. Never used any kind of shoe stretch cream. The nice thing about having your own width stretchers is you can leave them in for a couple of weeks. There are some really poor quality shoe stretchers being sold now. If you can get a high-quality secondhand one (the older they are, the better made they seem to be) I recommend those. And you don't need a pair, you can stretch shoes one at a time.

lilcliffy had some good advice on leather conditioners in a past thread. I am able to get away with just soapy water and shoe polish.

[rongon]

The boots are Asolo Extreme, which look like this:



For a boot stretcher, I was looking at something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/FootFitter-Premi ... 000PMNS3E/

or this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S421FRC/

or this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0788955W2/

All three cost about $60 each. Made of wood with (they say) stainless steel metal parts.
I hate to ask but... How bad could they be? Hmmm... Well, they get good reviews, but I don't know how many of those are from "guest posters" or paid-for social media reviewers...

You know, it's funny. I asked what I thought was a pretty straightforward question and everyone who's replied has been contradicted by the next person to reply.

'Try an oil-based leather conditioner'
'Don't use an oil-based leather conditioner'

'I've never been able to stretch a ski boot successfully'
'I stretched my ski boots with this...'

I'm not griping. It's more like it's amusing how everyone has such different opinions over these things. It's like asking for a recommendation on 'which ski is best for xyz.' There has to be a joke in there somewhere.

[fisheater]

@rongon Sounds like a solid plan to me. Maybe if the entire boot doesn’t stretch you can use those bunion punches to get the leather stretching.
I’m sure you will figure it out. Nice boots! Good luck.

[Telerock]

Since 1970’s; I have broken in boots by soaking them in water; and wearing them wet. Usually I melted in beeswax ( sno-seal)or neats-foot oil first; so they do not shick and get brittle when they dry.