Jim has been my only cobbler for 25 years. I know he's a craftsman but I have even more respect for him after watching this video.

@thatxonexguy5438

2 жыл бұрын

Does he have a website?

Jim McFarland is not only a master cobbler and ortho, he is a caring business man and community member.

Jim McFarland is a Champ and role model to many cobblers ! Humble and has great craftsmanship!

@jimmcfarland579

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Sunny. Your on your way buddy

Keeps telling its the kirby allison repair programm, while the other dude is doing all the job..Well done, my man!!

@workaccount1478

2 жыл бұрын

by the end even the cobber thinks he's kirby allison

I have a new found respect for the work Jim does at Kirby Allison and The Hanger Project. I can never look at my new dress shoes the same ever again. Now I have the opportunity to make it right from the start to care for my new leather dress shoes the right way, from the instructions of your great videos and the products you support. Thank you for sharing your passion about leather shoes and for me to be the best a man can get.

New drinking game, take a shot every time Kirby Allison says Kirby Allison in the video.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Champagne or Scotch?

@icedcoldkilla

5 жыл бұрын

I died of Alcohol Poisoning after playing! XD

@MrEmahony

5 жыл бұрын

haha

@iamnitrox

5 жыл бұрын

"Al and edmonds"

@mattb1011

5 жыл бұрын

Scotch

How wonderful is to watch a Master Cobbler at work, and Mr Allison is also a master at asking the right questions and guiding us thru this visual tour of beautiful craftmanship...the style of this channel is perfect and on the leven of the themes treated, no rush, no fancy edits or beauty shots, just a detailed look into the luxury of high end shoes...the thing that i couldnt agree more with Jim is the way that self taught cobblers here on yt take apart soles, brutal!

Dear Mr. Allison, thank you again for taking the risks to create a brand of which you are proud and for ushering us through the information you know will bolster our own purchases or maintenance of fine attire. Your alliance/partnering with Mr. McFarland strengthens your brand with deep services and promotes his beyond his current audience. Your collaborations are laudable. Frankly, your presence in the video greatly enhances the listener's understanding of the processes and the resources you and Mr. McFarland have compiled. Certainly there will be viewers whose minds are self-absorbed with their own inner noise-making story and miss the context you create and some of the subtleties you share with Mr. McFarland. Of course I hope your brand flourishes and that your name and services are known for the extraordinary quality you bring. Hopefully your success and services will make the name Kirby Allison as renowned as Colt, Ford, Hershey, DuPont, Versace, etc.

Just got back my Cheaney- Church's from Kirby Allison's re-crafting. Jim McFarland did an amazing job. Wow , Thanks Jim Thanks Kirby

Jim McFarland is truly a great and professional craftsman and i have no doubt in my mind that your shoes will be in excellent care. I pretty sure i saw that he's won a few world shoe repair competitions.

@jimmcfarland579

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Daniel

Great video, Kirby. Thanks for your advice on my top coat lining! Your customer service is impeccable. Absolutely above and beyond.

Thank you Kirby and Jim for an excellently relaxing and informative video. At some point several pairs of my vintage shoes will make my way into your care.

I love this shoe cobbler explaining the process. Love the finishes on it as well, thank you.

Jim McFarland it was a pleasure to watch you work. Absolutely stunning work! Cheers

WOW ! Mr. McFarland is a true craftsman beautiful work. Thank you Kirby

This would have been better with less Kirby Allison interruptions .

@AllFormsElectronic

4 жыл бұрын

camaro Carl i actually didn’t think he was that bad...and you have to realize, this is as much a promotional commercial about his business/brand as it is an informational video.

@naegleriafowleri2230

4 жыл бұрын

@@AllFormsElectronic there is a point where he becomes really annoying, this video is it lol he basically didn't do anything in this video yet is wearing apron lmao

@astrafalustre8259

4 жыл бұрын

I read in the Kirby Allison newsletter that he actually got a Kirby Allison award for this nice work.

Tape more videos of Jim restoring shoes. I could watch this all day.

@samuelpjc

4 жыл бұрын

Check out Bedos channel, pure excellence!

@SuperBullyone

4 жыл бұрын

more Jim less Kirby

@brandongautier

4 жыл бұрын

Check out Trenton & Heath channel

@daxshell242

4 жыл бұрын

best i can do is more kerby telling jim how to do his job.

What an awesome collaboration between a master cobbler and a respected business man. My AE shoes sure will find their way to Lakeland when they need new outsoles.

Questions or comments that got to be the best cobbler I ever seen and he's absolutely right about it being therapeutic that's one of the reasons I shine shoes. This guy is definitely the leonitis of shoe repair and restoration

Absolutely gorgeous. Fantastic job!!

Watching to Jim McFarland's work to me is as great as to listen to some great musician! Great respect to him! So as to Kirby Allison who finds this Master. Sincerely, Alexander

@jimmcfarland579

5 жыл бұрын

Wow thank you so much for the wonderful words. We at the Hanger project will treat every pair with lots of love :-)

Great vid. Makes me appreciate high-end shoe crafting and repair.

How many times the word Kirby Allison program we’re mentioned in this video😂

@vladimirlopez7840

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah pretty annoying

@se7515

2 жыл бұрын

Makes for a good drinking game. 🍸

This is actually a great ASMR video Kirby.

@max917

3 жыл бұрын

Watch Bedo's Leather Works, you won't regret it.

@zacharygraham5266

3 жыл бұрын

@@max917 Bedo does great work. Seen his stuff.

I admire the love, respect and passion you have for your items Kirby! I always wondered how one would resole a Blake stitched shoe, would you upload it? P.S, this video is art

Is it weird that now I'm actually looking forward to blowing out my soles so I can use this resole service? Seriously, this looks awesome!

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

hahaha. Thanks! You' don't have to wait until they're blown out to send them into us!

I can't believe I've watched the whole video. It gives me so much knowledge and how to take care of my shoes.

Jim has worked on my boots and shoes,and I’m very satisfied with his work .

Mr McFarland is an ABSOLUTE MASTER of his craft and a wonderful person to work with, very knowledgeable and helpful , always with sounded advice when it comes to caring for your shoes based on his vast experience on the field. We're very blessed to have him in Lakeland Fl, definitively an asset to our community. Mr Allison, thank you for all the useful information that we get for free on these videos. It was a pleasure sharing with you and Jim during your visit to the shop this summer. Keep the good work guys!

Lol at Kirby trying to hype the service and Jim just patiently waiting and waiting for him to be quiet to continue.

Outstanding work👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Wonderful craftsmanship and when one considers the steps take and the quality the cost is actually really reasonable.

@7atabak

5 жыл бұрын

ianmedium what are the cost? Or How much for the whole shebang?

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

@@7atabak $165 for the Certified Restoration and $225 for the Sovereign Grade. The biggest difference between the two is that the Invisible Channel Stitching is included standard in the Sovereign Grade Recraft.

If only Allen Edmonds quality control hadn't gone down with the new owner making the same facility ramp up production without additional workers according to people I spoke to at AE. Basically they rush the shoe production at the cost of quality. Please do a video buying a few samples to compare them. Some shoes I have seen with improper coloring, mismatched hole sizes and more. I just sent back a pair of Park Avenues that were supposed to be 1st but were scratched, the holes for the shoes were not uniform and even the end of the stitch at the rear was still hanging off and uncut.

@connormxy

5 жыл бұрын

It is a real shame. I had a few pairs in the mail on their way to Allen Edmonds to get recrafted when the service was announced. They took much longer than the Kirby Allison program claims, and they came back in some pretty sad shape. The outsole stitching density was all over the place, and it was not even in the channel, huge nuts of thread sticking out of the bottom of the sole, they sanded through their own stitching when shaving the edge down, they stained the upper with the edge dressing, heels at bizarre angles, and I fell for the re-lasting gimmick and ended up with very tight shoes. Just when I learned of this resoling program (for not much more expensive, honestly), I hesitated and considered asking them to send 'em back before they did any work, so I could instead purchase the Kirby Allison plan, but figured I had already sent them off and may as well trust, and I was pretty sure I wanted the factory redying for one of my pairs. Maybe if I had sent them even a few months earlier last spring or something... I have a few pairs from a few years ago (which are now, above, all screwed up) and got a few new pairs from the most recent summer and fall. The new pairs, though they are seconds and have reasonable second-quality issues, have globally clear corner-cutting in the details and quality of construction that wasn't present before. The label in the lining and the ornamentation on the sole were never really necessary, but their absence, and things like the discontinuation of shoe bags, indicate a focus on lower costs and higher speed that is consistent with what you're seeing. The new branding focuses on their heritage and recent resurgence in popularity as high quality shoes, but seems to be targeting new customers who may not know better what they are missing out on compared to even a year ago. I couldn't help but notice the timing of their sponsoring a series overviews with this channel, perhaps trying to capture that audience trying to start learning about quality. Starting with the cordovan Parks was the safe move, as I suspect that may be the last line that suffers less from the drop in quality, just due to their price and the consistent high quality materials needed. Or there is leftover stock to show off on camera...

@MBisFrenchy

5 жыл бұрын

Connor Moseley I spoke to a few reps. People were crazy and complained they didn't want shoe bags and would prefer a discount so that's the reason they removed it according to management. But the call center person said he got hundreds of complaints and we both agreed the old bags were great and some consumers are crazy.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Yes, sadly, you are correct. The quality of AE's today vs. 10-15 years ago is totally different. They were just resold again to a company that owns several shoe brands. Hopefully they will refocus on quality.

@tyyppis7

5 жыл бұрын

@@kirbyallison Their prices also seem to have gone up from before and whereas the seconds sales used to occur only a few times a year, now there's a seconds sale section on their website permanently. In short, hike in production numbers with major QC issues all the while they increased the prices and got rid of the shoe bags. I own about a dozen pairs of AE's and having just found out about your recrafting programme I've decided to solely (pun intended) use your program instead of the AE's. Thank you for providing us with what seems like an amazing alternative!

@nowornever2504

5 жыл бұрын

Kirby Allison Are you saving Caleres has sold AE? They just acquired the company two years ago. I didn’t hear any announcement on that.

This was a fantastic watch. A master of his craft!

great video Kirby. I like all the tips you point out to make shoes last longer.

Spent a lifetime teaching all sorts of crafts ( UK vocational courses) in further education and over the years the colleges/centres where I worked were closed or demolished and not replaced. Can I say what an absolute pleasure and delight it has been to watch a true craftsman at work. But where can today's youngsters be trained if they are not 'born' into the profession? So sad such courses are not readily available - are we really in danger of losing these wonderful skills. Well done on a most informative and entertaining video. Thank you.

@kirbyallison

3 жыл бұрын

You are right. It is a real shame that a lot of these skills and crafts are being lost and replaced by mechanized, lower quality versions. One of the passions I have always had and which we certainly try to bring out on this channel, is a desire to shine the spotlight on these incredible craftspeople and the skills that they have often learned by being shown one-to-one with the previous generation. Many of the crafts will be lost unless a new generation step in and learn. There are young people out there though, passionate to learn. The important part is showing people the value of the craft, so that there is a desire to continue buying their products and keep the traditions alive.

Dear Mr Allison, even your videos are gentlemanly. They are so quiet and peaceful. M.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@peterhamlinhamlin8908

3 жыл бұрын

Very nice artistry. This craftmanship when....completed,as a mona lisa,should be hung on a wall. It is not a shoe for walking on pavement, dancing at a ball or even gliding across the stage. Perhaps seated on audiovisual interviews. Wonderful footwear masterpiece. Not walking.

Happy to see you have programs like this. WTG Kirby.

Absolutely beautiful work! Really well done and something the customer can be super proud to own! Better than néw! Rick

Those look amazing!

Hope Kirby Allison offers the refurbishment program again soon. Great job!

nice...keep up the good work...we enjoy your work...both of you

When I was in the Marine Corps, we employed much the same effort into the toes and heels of our combat boots, as well as our parade shoes We called it "spit shine." You could shave in the reflection of your face in the shoes. I am pleasantly surprised to see a cobbler doing this. The only difference I see is we put a bit of water in the lid for the wax and dipped it to keep the application cloth moist. Also used neutral after the color wax. Then brushed and buffed with a cloth. Beautiful results

Great video Kirby, very informative. i do not have bad soles on my Allen Edmonds, they are still like new but would love to have them replaced with theses soles and heels. Very nice materials.

What brand of glue you using?

Amazing job, really learned from that job.

Great video!!!

Very interesting and informative.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Just happened upon this after buying some new Goodyear welt boots. Jim M. is a new hero for me.

So this is an example of the Kirby Allison certified recrafting correct? And not the Sovereign Grade? Since he didn't do an invisible channel stitch on the welt stitching?

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

We have some photographs on the website.

Love the videos. Have helped me tremendously with my AE's. I use all of the products that you recommend, but I have to be honest and state that I am not a fan of using Mink Oil on my shoes. I did purchase Saphir Renovateur and agree it does wonders on the leather. What are other options for obtaining the same leather nutrition? Thank you

Jim is awesome, seems to really love his craft.

Amazing video

Thanks for the vids. Do you have experience with EMU (Moneysworth & Best) leather soles? How do they compare to JR?

Kirby, you are the Mr. Rogers of shoe care.

When I need my shoes repaired in a few years I'll be sure to send them to you, Kirby.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jay!

This guy is outstanding!

Your Video is amazing , I try too look after my shoes in similar manner , the tradition of shoe repairs in Ireland has almost Died out ,

No one in the world gets off on watching shoemaking like Kirby. The man knows what he likes.

This is awesome! Im starting a company soon (Debonair Grooming) and I'l have a shoe shine shop featured within. I will surely be using Kirby Allison's videos and products to make my company and services one of a kind!

@peterhamlinhamlin8908

3 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately it's not a good idea to start any business in the shoe industry now. Shoes are plastic, mass manufactured Internationally, consequently less expensive. A leather shoe,cork insole,expert cobbler craftmanship for 1/2 ,day will cost hundreds of dollars! You'll feel the quality in your foot and entire body,but in this 21st century, faced with international price competition 99% of the customer base will not absorb the "pain" in their pocket.

Really loved the vibe 🙆of entire video & I do like to clean my shoes often😍 & its like you said that you can't have any garbage thoughts when you are cleaning your shoes 🤗

@AmritanshuBanerjee

5 жыл бұрын

@J C 😆

Kirby, what a wonderful and delightful presentation. Has got me wondering, maybe still life left in a pair of boots with sentimental value. Can the upper back of the heal be replaced? Thank you!

Beautiful!!!

I want a series of Jim just resoling shoes and talking about it, man I didn’t even realize that was a 42 minute video

@ethan6864

5 жыл бұрын

Same here

@jeffhampton7405

5 жыл бұрын

Same. Not sure why, but I could watch this for hours.

@RM-fz8ej

4 жыл бұрын

What the heck, I just noticed the same thing.

@Horizon301.

4 жыл бұрын

Watch bedo leatherworks

Mr. Allison, Thank you so much for such an informative and instructional tour of the materials, workmanship and value adding decision making that is applied to resoling a pair of AE shoes. The shoe undergoes a transformation on par with a bespoken pair of shoes. The shoes, in the hands of a master Cobbler of the caliber of Mr Jim McFarland has certainly brought out the aesthetic beauty of the shoe. I'm certain the owner will enjoy wearing the shoes for many years to come. Beautifully done Gentlemen!

Great explanation - I will for certain use this program on my next shoe repair. The local guy here would only put vibrams on them to cover up the soles, which were close to needing to be replaced (To Boot New York Blake Stitched). I did not are for the vibram after using them for a week, and it made the silhouette too tall. If I send them in, the vibrams would be removed at no additional cost?

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

The Vibrams can be pulled off at no cost. For sure.

Good info, thanks

Fantastic video, thank you to you both.ill keep you guys in mind on my next resolve, I haven’t been happy with my local guy on his last two jobs

Are the cork pieces inserted different than using the "hot cork" used in the factory redrafting? Closed channel stitching is normally done by folding the sole back to stitch, rather than pressing the seams closed. Stitching is still visible with the pressing method.

Hey Kirby! Here is a German shoe lover ;) Watch out for Langer & Messmer German Brand with closed channel stitch and overall best price ratio I ever see. You gan get them around 180-240$ high end cedar wood shoe trees included, as well as second laces and a shoe horn. I have 6 pairs from them and really like them. They get manufactured in Italy.

Kirby - I have a pair of Allen Edmonds Strands which have developed a squeak. From my reading, I gathered that it may be a loose shank causing the noise when I walk. A local cobbler told me that Allen Edmonds do not use shanks in their shoes and could not accurately diagnose what the problem was. Would your program be able to fix this minor annoyance with my shoes?

this is the only cobbler ive seen that works on the shoes like a surgeon works on a patient. I would trust this guy with my shoes.

@kirbyallison

4 жыл бұрын

Jim does amazing work... and he does all of our work himself!

Fantastic old school tradesman doing what he loves. I would really like to see an unveiling with the customer so see their response to Mr McFarlands dedicated work.

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

That would be great! If anyone does the program, please film. I must say, I am really proud of our delivery collateral. We had boxes, shoe bags, and delivery cards created just for this program.

One of my Hanger Project favorite videos!!

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! We finally got this one done. Feels like to took forever. We'll probably head back to do some additional videos with Jim.

@roskes

5 жыл бұрын

@@kirbyallison look forward to watching them!! And in a few years will send a pair for the treatment.

AMAZING!!!!

Hello Mr. Allison, Great video, very informative. A couple of questions: 1) Out of curiosity is blake stitching available? 2) And does your resoling process include a rubber sole option?

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Yes and yes! We can do blake stitching, even with the invisible channel (which is very difficult). And we are able to resole with Dainite / Vibram soles. Once the order is placed and we receive the shoes, we are able to send various options.

So I have a pair of all Allen Edmonds and I then used but they seem like they have been through the ringer and have some wrinkles? Is there a way to ride the wrinkles??

Love watching this, may i know the adhesive brand?

I use a 1/4 inch shoe lift on my right foot. Is there any way to add a 1/4 inch of stiff leather during repair program to the shoe? Tired of tearing out bottom of the shoe lining on each pair of shoes and moving the lift from shoe to shoe to shoe. Any ideas would be welcome! Thanks!

I had a pair of walnut Allen Edmonds refurbed recently but they came back with rubber heels and the shoe was a darker color. Do you know of someone that could redo the color to walnut and put quality leather heels?

I have two questions: (1) Is the adhesive stage something that your process uniquely uses, or is this a standard practice with redrafting, and (2) Does this adhesive make redrafting the shoe another time more difficult?

@connormxy

5 жыл бұрын

Adhesive is standard resoling practice and how they come from the factory. You may find other videos on KZread of cobblers using some solveny like turpentine on the old soles to prep them to be removed, in order to loosen the adhesive to make it easier to peel off after cutting the stitching. Since the cork has to be removed and replaced anyway it all gets removed and replaced. Just sounds like this adhesive is of a particularly high quality!

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

The adhesives are standard and even used at all factories. It helps hold the outsole in place for the welt stitching and further secure it to the shoe bed. During the recrafting process, it can pull out some of the cork, but this traditionally needs to be replaced anyway.

Does this method differ from Allen Edmond's CustomCork in any specific way?

How long does the programme take for a typical pair of shoes??

Nice video!

Hi there , my first time im watching your channel ,i am Wynand from South africa , I love the way you explain detail . I am not a cobler I use to be be a handyman I am a landlord now in my older age .It inspires me to see a job done realy well , keep the bright side of the coin up greetings from South afrika.👍

I have a question: Where can someone become an apprentice for becoming a shoe cobbler? Do you offer this at all? Thank you for your time. I enjoy your informative videos, I ask that you continue with this rare art.

Great craftsman! His personality seems down to earth

Hey Kirby! I am thinking about sending my Allen Edmonds in for a complete Recrafting but I had a few questions for you first. 1) I purchased the shoes on eBay, will they accept them or not? 2) Do I need to have an Allen Edmonds store near me to do so? There isn’t one anywhere close to me. Hopefully there is a way around that if that’s the case, I would love to get my Chesters restored. Thank you, Kirby!

Very impressive!

Hi, what cleaner could you recommend to remove wax polish buildup from metal bits on AE loafers? Ty

I have a few questions for you. What is the real difference between the toe taps you have, brass vs stainless? I have some AE with double oak soles, do you resolve those? Or maybe, is it worth it to have the double soles? And if the JR soles are naturally water resistant should you still be using the Saphir Sole Guard? I suppose it doesn’t hurt, but would it get you any additional protection?

@kirbyallison

5 жыл бұрын

Both the brass and stainless steel toe taps that we use are the styles preferred by most the spoke shoemakers. Really boils down to preference of shape, honestly.

Trenton and health do that, they peel the outsoul stich n then glue it back again.. that looks more premium..

okay you're talking about the glue what kind of glue is it what's the name of it??

@theoldbigmoose

4 жыл бұрын

Got me searching too. I found a series of youtube videos of Jim McFarland in the Renia factory assessing their various glues. I suspect the adhesive may be a Renia Aquilim product... but have no direct knowledge. It fits most of the parameters Jim mentioned, from Germany, no volitales as water based... couldn't find data on latex content.

i have a pair of Allen Edmonds simular to those and what will a process like that cost

Awesome

If a person wanted to become a cobbler or learn to repair shoes, how would you suggest to start or where to learn?

Great video! Liked and subbed.

"How do we do the Kirby Allison Restoration Program again?" (Kirby Allison) 😂😂😂

Can you do a double leather sole for something like a Tricker's Stow?

I had a accident I shattered my heal and broke two bones to my ankle.can you make a shoe with extra cushion in the heal and a good arch support to bring my foot back up on that side?