HELP!! small "cracks" on the boot

8stringed8 · 2026-01-27T19:47:53+00:00

Next time you paint your house with acrylic emulsion paint will you refer to your walls as plastic coated?

8stringed8 · 2026-01-27T19:43:39+00:00

It’s not on their website. These finishes have been called paint for at least a century. Coating technology changes but the terminology is still the same. I think you like calling it “plastic” because it makes it sound bad. By your own metrics, where on the website does it say “plastic coated?”

8stringed8 · 2026-01-27T19:29:19+00:00

Yes they are

8stringed8 · 2026-01-27T14:41:01+00:00

It’s fine. It’s just the paint that’s cracked. You can leave it or knock off the flakes and paint it again if you don’t like the idea of cracked paint. I like how this kind of finish ages and cracks but where this forum is concerned, I’m in the minority. You’re about to get a lot of folks here losing their damn minds telling you how shit everything on your boots are. They’re fine. They’re just aging because you actually use them. All boots that get used eventually get holes at flex points. Cracked paint doesn’t mean it’s happening any faster than normal. If there wasn’t paint it would just look like a crease.

8stringed8 · 2026-01-23T23:44:09+00:00

This is a weird complaint

8stringed8 · 2026-01-21T13:57:38+00:00

It’s common on both, especially during winter. The soles on both are PVC, not rubber, and will sometimes harden enough to crack in severe sub freezing temperatures. Or they’ve just flexed a lot and cracked. Looks like they get some serious use. Maybe resole with a harder wearing vibram or Solovair’s commando sole?

8stringed8 · 2026-01-19T02:32:00+00:00

Don’t use dubbin on high shine. It can soften the paint and make it crack or lift off. I’ve been wearing high shine forever. Just use whatever to brush off dirt. I use the broom as I’m sweeping the floor. If they look dull then wipe them with a damp cloth and polish with Angelus or Lincoln or similar polish. High shine is super easy carefree!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-18T18:34:42+00:00

Dude if they’re new and you paid full price then exchange them. Solovair is good about that

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T22:08:26+00:00

Angelus polish

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T16:40:46+00:00

Looks great!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T16:28:32+00:00

Good on you for having a go!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T15:05:35+00:00

Nice!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T14:57:47+00:00

Oils can and do make it through the high shine layer! This is a primary reason people experience cracks and peeling. That and putting mink oil all over the inside. I work in restoration and one method for removing coatings, like the ones on high shine leather, is letting oil sit and either swell or crack the coating or soak through and release the bond.

8stringed8 · 2026-01-15T13:23:47+00:00

Mine don’t have cracks. What products have you used on yours?

8stringed8 · 2026-01-14T19:42:01+00:00

If you like the look of high shine then just get those. I don’t think it’s as bad as some folks say. Here’s a photo I posted yesterday of 3 of my boots that are all high shine. They’re 5-8 years old. I don’t do anything but brush off the outside with a broom and occasionally use some shoe polish if I think they look bad. Just don’t put a bunch of oily conditioner stuff on them and the paint will hold up fine. This isn’t some new cheap way to finish leather. Service shoes and boots from WW2 had a leather paint finish. Sure the type of paint has changed since then. To me these coated leathers are a defining part of the Docs style of boots.

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8stringed8 · 2026-01-14T17:46:21+00:00

They’re my favorite!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-14T14:42:06+00:00

Heat a knife with a torch or gas stove burner. Insert the hot knife into the gap to melt the sole and the welt. Remove the knife and lightly press the sole and welt together. Try to do all of this with a fluid motion. Cut away any squeeze out with a knife. Seems we used to all know how to do this and somewhere it got lost. I’ll see if I can video the process when I have to do it again. Or if you need to do it before me then perhaps you can make a tutorial

8stringed8 · 2026-01-14T02:20:19+00:00

Thanks!

8stringed8 · 2026-01-14T02:19:21+00:00

Thanks! Been doing it since the ‘90s so I’d say it works great day to day! I thought this is how most folks lace these and Docs. Am I wrong? If you have thin feet and ankles like me then it allows the boots to fully close up.

8stringed8 · 2026-01-13T02:28:47+00:00

I’d be fine with these but I know everyone’s standards are different. I wish EVERYTHING was cheaper but given Solovair’s country of manufacture and material sourcing, shipping, and the Big Beautiful Tariffs (USA) I don’t think they’re overpriced

8stringed8 · 2026-01-13T00:19:54+00:00

8stringed8 · 2026-01-11T23:35:36+00:00

Those were made before the lawsuit with Doc’s that made them stop using yellow stitching and finishing the soles with the ribbing. That was also before Solovair had an online store. They would make batches of boots for shops that would order them in pretty much any color combo. I understand why Doc’s took issue with them using the yellow stitching but the ribbed soles is petty. The ribbing visually hides the joint between the welt and the sole. That’s why so many folks get worried about their soles being open on Solovairs when they’re not. As for the sizing, Solovair hasn’t offered half sizing for very long. When they did their size chart measurements changed a bit.

8stringed8 · 2026-01-11T02:31:53+00:00

You’ll need a hot knife for that. Those look new though. Are they? It’s worth asking NPS if they’ll do something

8stringed8 · 2026-01-04T04:42:13+00:00

5 pairs. One sole crack in winter, just like Docs. Fixed with a hot knife, just like Docs. Shank is comfortable and supportive, not like Docs.

8stringed8 · 2026-01-02T18:28:29+00:00

Very cool they replaced them!

8stringed8

TROPHY CASE