What to do with a squeaky shoe
I am a man and I love shoes. I judge another man by the shoes he wears without hesitation. I expect others to judge me by mine. Ok, I will refrain from Forest Gump quotes and starting too many sentences with the letter "I".
I am frugal but when it comes to shoes I will not go too low. My poison is the Allen Edmond product line. I have found that an 11.5 D will fit me perfectly out of the box and have collect 5 pairs over about 6 years. The first pair I bought look better today than the day I purchased them. Yes, better, because that is what good shoes made of all leather do over time. I sometime catch my self standing in my closet simply admiring my shoes - all 5 pairs. Well, I have more than 5 pairs but only 5 that are deemed perfect.
This is where the theme of this post comes from. I often have another pair or two of shoes for everyday use like working in the yard, garage work, or exercise. Over the years, the discovery of Ecco shoes has proven a good one for most of these purchases. Three years ago I purchased a nice boat loafer with all leather except a full rubber sole. For the first year or so they where very useful to slide on and just use for the quick trip to the store or jeans Friday at work.
Then one day, a squeak started. Only on the right shoe. It was very pronounced and rather deep in pitch. At times it could even be confused with body sounds if you know what I mean. I slowly started to wear the shoes less and less for going out and more for just around the house. On occasion, I still ended up wearing the shoes. The most annoying of times would be at book stores and other quiet places where I would end up deer walking (toe, heal, toe, heal) to avoid the unsettling noise.
About three months ago I noted to my wife that I was going to take the shoe out to my bandsaw (part of my well appointed garage/workshop that will be surely covered in future post) and saw it in half. I refrained numerous times from doing this because the shoes served a purpose. It was decided then, when a replacement pair was introduced these would go to the saw.
Christmas morning brought the newest addition to my 5 pairs of Allen Edmond shoes: the Cascade boot. Very lovely, and rugged. Perfect for all things non-business. Well, yesterday I happened to be at the bandsaw working on a project for a closet organizer and was wearing the shoes. At this point I broke every rule Norm Abrams ever had about footwear and woodworking. I simply reached down and pulled the shoe off and set it on the cold, cast iron table of my bandsaw. Without hesitation I lined it up toe first and started slicing it down the middle lengthwise. The rubber sole made a smell similar to that which is most likely experienced at NASCAR races. Not that I have ever been to one, but the burning rubber just reminded me of driving in circles by small men that are too large to be jockeys yet too small to play other sports professionally.
I thought this would be educational and that I would discover why the shoe squeaked. I did but that was not nearly as satisfying as just seeing the cutaway view of a well-worn shoe. The culprit was a hollow cell within the rubber which was designed for cushioning but slightly misplaced so as to cause the foul noise.
I wonder how my wife will feel about me displaying it on my desk as a trophy to the years of frustration???
I am frugal but when it comes to shoes I will not go too low. My poison is the Allen Edmond product line. I have found that an 11.5 D will fit me perfectly out of the box and have collect 5 pairs over about 6 years. The first pair I bought look better today than the day I purchased them. Yes, better, because that is what good shoes made of all leather do over time. I sometime catch my self standing in my closet simply admiring my shoes - all 5 pairs. Well, I have more than 5 pairs but only 5 that are deemed perfect.
This is where the theme of this post comes from. I often have another pair or two of shoes for everyday use like working in the yard, garage work, or exercise. Over the years, the discovery of Ecco shoes has proven a good one for most of these purchases. Three years ago I purchased a nice boat loafer with all leather except a full rubber sole. For the first year or so they where very useful to slide on and just use for the quick trip to the store or jeans Friday at work.
Then one day, a squeak started. Only on the right shoe. It was very pronounced and rather deep in pitch. At times it could even be confused with body sounds if you know what I mean. I slowly started to wear the shoes less and less for going out and more for just around the house. On occasion, I still ended up wearing the shoes. The most annoying of times would be at book stores and other quiet places where I would end up deer walking (toe, heal, toe, heal) to avoid the unsettling noise.
About three months ago I noted to my wife that I was going to take the shoe out to my bandsaw (part of my well appointed garage/workshop that will be surely covered in future post) and saw it in half. I refrained numerous times from doing this because the shoes served a purpose. It was decided then, when a replacement pair was introduced these would go to the saw.
Christmas morning brought the newest addition to my 5 pairs of Allen Edmond shoes: the Cascade boot. Very lovely, and rugged. Perfect for all things non-business. Well, yesterday I happened to be at the bandsaw working on a project for a closet organizer and was wearing the shoes. At this point I broke every rule Norm Abrams ever had about footwear and woodworking. I simply reached down and pulled the shoe off and set it on the cold, cast iron table of my bandsaw. Without hesitation I lined it up toe first and started slicing it down the middle lengthwise. The rubber sole made a smell similar to that which is most likely experienced at NASCAR races. Not that I have ever been to one, but the burning rubber just reminded me of driving in circles by small men that are too large to be jockeys yet too small to play other sports professionally.
I thought this would be educational and that I would discover why the shoe squeaked. I did but that was not nearly as satisfying as just seeing the cutaway view of a well-worn shoe. The culprit was a hollow cell within the rubber which was designed for cushioning but slightly misplaced so as to cause the foul noise.
I wonder how my wife will feel about me displaying it on my desk as a trophy to the years of frustration???
posted by StatMike @ 10:09 PM
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