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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 17, 2018 - 10:37am PT
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I have a new pair...the left one fits great but the right one needs to be stretched a bit in the toe box. They are laced, synthetic shoes. Any ideas out there?
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 11:07am PT
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Jim,
Try the regular shoe repair maybe - they have "expanders" to put in shoes to stretch them. You can also try anything you may have around the house (a broom handle or dowel for example) - apply weight to it in the necessary spots. This might be better in terms of reaching a small specific area vs. stretching out the whole forefoot which the shoe repair may do.
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Robb
Social climber
Cat Box
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Sep 17, 2018 - 11:56am PT
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What Cosmic said.
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 12:06pm PT
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What Cosmic said works for authentic suede or leather. Not as much for synthetic materials.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 17, 2018 - 01:36pm PT
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polished round-end steel bar, working the material around the pinch point.
I think they used to call them "Cobbler's bar" - but I may be mis remembering it. We had one at REI back in the 80s, and made many a purchaser happier with a little tender thrashing of the shoe interior.
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 17, 2018 - 01:41pm PT
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polished round-end steel bar, working the material around the pinch point.
‘Life Hack’ that I’ve been using, since I didn’t have a rubbing bar:
The blunt-end of the round-bar knife sharpener outta my knife set block; works great. Just remember to do a wee-bit at a time.
 ec
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 17, 2018 - 01:52pm PT
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Moose, the rubbing-bar is more specific and works better than the device in the link with corn stretchers...thx tho
ec
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SuperSpud
Trad climber
Cayucos, CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 01:56pm PT
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I've used wooden "shoe trees" for stretching out shoes.
I also store all my climbing shoes with trees in them -- makes them hold their shape and keeps them from curling.
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Vlada
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 02:02pm PT
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Do the stretching methods work at all for the rubber parts of the shoes? I think they work well for leather shoes, but I am not sure about the rubber toe box or heel cup. I tried to stretch the rubber heel cup on my TC Pros, but with no success.
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ec
climber
ca
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Sep 17, 2018 - 02:07pm PT
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Good point on the rubber rands/heel cups. To relieve heel cup pressure, which was for me just rubbing too much and causing pain, I’d use a Mylar wrapper, like for a Power Bar and slip it between my skin and the shoe. I remember those La Sportiva slingshot rands, we’d actually punch holes in them to reduce the elasticity.
ec
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2018 - 02:13pm PT
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It is a rubber rand around the toe box that needs stretching. There is pressure on the top of my toes...right foot only.
Admittedly, my toe nails are composed of fungus that can get thick but I’ve dremeled them down to an acceptable thickness.
Got your link moose.
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Sep 17, 2018 - 02:25pm PT
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Warm water and them put a sock on and wear them for a while.
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cintune
climber
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Sep 17, 2018 - 02:26pm PT
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X-acto knife and Stealth patch kit on the toe rand worked for me. Cut away the pinch points, peeled the rand and then infilled over the leather with the patch. Made otherwise unbearably painful into the best-fitting shoes ever.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2018 - 02:47pm PT
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I still bivy in porcupine skin sleeping bags...quill side in.
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cintune
climber
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Sep 17, 2018 - 03:16pm PT
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Moose, thanks, I just don't spend as much time in front of the keyboard anymore, but can't help checking in from time to time.
Matters of importance like this will prompt me to post, though.
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Sep 17, 2018 - 03:44pm PT
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Moose, the expandable shoe tree is too general, and Jim needs toe box height, which the shoe tree will not stretch for.
Ok Jim,
First do not take the shoe to a cobbler unless you already know them, they will try to do in 5 minutes, what should take 5 days. What stretching you do should take time, then you will not break stitching in seams or tear fabric, the cobbler could do either or both.
sounds like you have compression from the top, rather than a peripheral dimension need, so bars or broomsticks are not the best as they push and area out but not up unless the diameter is large enough to do so.
The hope is to slightly expand toe box height, the seams and fabric limiting that height need to be loaded progressively and you need to monitor progress. You also need to be accurate about where the pressure point is, with your foot out of the shoe, apply pressure to your nail, toe, side of toe, blah blah, see what each location feels like, sometimes climbers report pressure in one place, but after "educating" the foot, the realization comes that a slightly different contact point was the source..
Getting a shoe wet, could shrink some materials, and expand others, such as midsoles not much different that cardboard.. not a good idea.
ok to the point, use a piece of wood higher than the toe box to stretch upward and expand the volume of the toe area.. and put some weight on it.. at Art of Climbing i had a 30 lb log tapering to 1 1/4" i used for this same purpose.. load the shoe on, stand it in the corner ballerina style, check it 12 hours.
another possibility, depending on the construct of the tongue, is cut out some of the stitches that hold the upper to the tongue at it's base, this allows expansion of the whole toe area.. but this is drastic, maybe post a pic of the forefoot of the shoe??
last, are you left handed? most righties have a larger left foot
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11worth
Trad climber
Leavenworth & Greenwater WA
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Sep 17, 2018 - 06:31pm PT
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Moose, I just order a stretcher that you posted.
Jim
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Sep 28, 2018 - 06:54pm PT
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Jim?
the shoe tree will expand width, which will increase toe box total volume, with the expense of stretching the wrong seams and further sacrificing even lateral pressure, and hence control around the periphery of the shoe... maybe Jim still wants the shoe to edge!
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Sep 28, 2018 - 07:25pm PT
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I don’t understand. Why would you buy shoes that don’t fit?
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