Blog: Frank's Handmade Boots RSS



How To Dry & Treat Your Wet Leather Boots

Working in inclement weather conditions or working in a trade that may leave your boots wet and soggy are sometimes impossible to avoid. So you come home from work, or a hunting trip or playing in the snow and your boots are soaked through. What do you do? Your immediate thought may be to get them dry as fast as possible. However, this isn’t the most ideal or preferred method of drying your boots. Let’s break it down… Here’s How Leather Reacts: When leather gets wet, the water molecules bond to the oils in it and draw them out as the water evaporates. As it absorbs moisture, it can cause the fibers to swell and stretch, which can make the...

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Franks X Heritage Quality Goods - The Maxon Boot Design & Specs

Written by: Dave @ Heritage Quality Goods I am proud to bring the new “Maxon Boot” to market!! This boot design and partnership with the Frank's Boot crew has been a wonderful experience and we are just getting started!  Thanks to Junior and Frank on the fitment.  And an extra special thanks to Michelle as my contact and design partner. The Maxon Boot starts off with Frank’s Boots. If you haven’t heard of Frank’s Boots, they are a Pacific Northwest boot maker that specializes in work boots for forestry, wildfire, and general heavy duty physical work. Their boots also include a heritage lineup that can double as work or casual boots. Either lineup is overbuilt for usage and will last...

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BOOT TERMINOLOGY

Shoe Last The mold on which the leather is stretched and formed to create the shape of the boot. There are many different lasts, and there are different lasts for every size and shape. Vamp The vamp is the lower part of the boot, it goes up over your toe to the instep, and around both sides of your foot. It is ideally cut from one piece of leather. It comes together in a few steps. This process is called lasting. The vamp leather is pulled back over the shoe last and nailed, it’s sculpted and dried, and then slightly turned out at the welt area.   Heel counter The back section of leather covering your heel from the bottom...

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What Purpose Does A Higher Top Boot Serve?

If browsing work boots has left you wondering “Why do people like high tops?” Here are some answers that might interest you, and potentially sway your opinion. Protection: The number one reason people opt for a taller upper is to protect your ankles and shins from a variety of potential issues. Anything over an 8” top will give you more protection if you wear your boots in a forest environment. Wildland Firefighters are required to have boots that are 8” or above, as the threat of branches and brambles can cause serious damage to your ankles and shins. Having a layer of leather covering your shins is important for protection from heat in Wildland firefighting as well. Snowy and slushy...

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Why are high heels so common in handmade work boots?

The number one question that we get: Why is the high heel suggested, or even necessary, on a handmade work boot? Most people will say they don't want a high heel initially in a stylistic sense. Here’s a detailed description of why it’s a lot easier on your body in the long run. In these two examples, we have a heel with a 2 inch lift, and then a lowered heel, which is substantially less supportive. On the lifted sole shown here, we have what we refer to as a Unit Vibram sole. This is a 3-piece system which consists of the sole, the heel base, and the heel cap. With a two inch heel lift present, the body weight...

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