Highly durable and offers utmost protection, the steel toe boots are considered one of the safest footwear that a person can wear. Be that as it may, there are times that you will find them having a fit that is too small, thus the need of knowing how to widen steel toe boots.
This task can seem intimidating and can only be done by a professional, but there are ways that you can learn and do on your own to complete this job.
I have kept an amount of footwear, and steel toe boots just happen to be one of them. Faced with the same dilemma of a smaller fit, I have discovered ways on how to effectively widen steel toe boots.
These methods I am about to share with you are cheap and can be done from anywhere you may be. In addition, I will include some useful tips as I go along.
What You Will Need
Completing the task of how to widen steel toe boots will require a few essential things. Each method uses different materials that are easily available to you. These are the things you will need for the following procedures.
Method 1: Using the stick treatment
- Broom or mop stick – used to stretch the leather of your steel toe boots.
Method 2: Using the ice treatment
- Ziploc Bag – this will be used as a container for the water needed for this process.
- Water – will freeze overnight while in a Ziploc bag placed inside the steel toe boots.
Method 3: Using the heat treatment
- A thick pair of socks – wear this during the process of applying heat on your steel toe boots.
- Blow dryer – this will serve as your heat source for this process.
Method 4: Using the oil treatment
- Mink oil or Leather conditioner – used for softening any leather material.
- Cloth – use this to apply mink oil or leather conditioner on your steel toe boots.
Method 5: Using a steel toe boot stretcher
- Shoe stretcher – used to stretch footwear and comes in different types to target areas the needs resizing.
How To Widen Steel Toe Boots
If you are ready and equipped with the materials you need, let us now go through the simple guide as follows. Here are the different methods on how to widen steel toe boots and the step-by-step procedure for doing it.
- Method 1: Using the stick treatment
This method is one of the easiest to follow and makes use of a tool that can be found around the house.
1. Take a broom or mop stick and insert it into your steel toe boots.
2. Position the end of the stick on the area of your steel toe boot that is tight or pinching when worn.
3. Gently pull your steel toe boots down in a way that the end of the stick is visually protruding. Repeat this as many times as you can until you noticed that the leather had loosened up a bit.
To help you visualize this process, see this video:
- Method 2: Using the ice treatment
Another simple method to follow and apply is using frozen water of ice to widen your steel toe boots. It is inexpensive, and any can complete the process easily.
1. Prepare a Ziploc bag and water.
2. Pour the water into the Ziploc bag, make sure to remove any excess air before sealing it off.
3. Place the Ziploc bag with water inside your steel toe boots. Position it to the area where it pinches or too narrow, this will typically be the heel or toe area.
4. Place your steel toe boots inside a freezer. Let the water freeze overnight. As water freezes, it expands, thus, expanding the steel toe boots from the inside as well.
5. Take out your steel toe boots from the freezer and let it thaw until the frozen water or ice melts.
6. Take the Ziploc bag with water out of your steel toe boots.
To see how this is done, check this video out:
- Method 3: Using the heat treatment
Aside from using frozen water or ice, you can also use heat to widen steel toe boots.
1. Before beginning the process and as a safety precaution, be sure to wear the thickest pair of socks you have. If in case you do not have a thick pair of socks, you can wear layers of thin pairs of socks for this procedure.
2. Once you have your thick pair of socks on, slip on your steel toe boots. In this way, you can easily determine the specific area that needs stretching or widening.
3. Using a blow dryer that is set in high heat, point it towards that area that is tight and allow it to receive heat for about 30 seconds. Flex and move your feet while applying heat on the tight area. You will notice that the leather will eventually loosen up.
4. Apply the same procedure on other areas that need stretching or widening.
- Method 4: Using the oil treatment
It is known that mink oil or leather conditioners are used to soften leather. This method is also an effective way to help widen your steel toe boots. Here is how it’s done.
1. Use mink oil or leather conditioner and apply a generous amount on the part of your steel toe boots where it pinches.
2. Allow it to absorb for around 24 hours. After which, use a cloth to wipe off any excess oil the next day.
(Tip: Mink oil or leather conditioners are effective ways to soften any leather material. Applying a generous amount of these substances will allow the leather to soften as much as it can to allow it to easily widen when in use.)
- Method 5: Using a steel toe boot stretcher
Using a steel toe boot stretcher may be a bit costly, however, this method is one of the most effective ways to widen steel toe boots.
1. Start off by inserting the stretcher into your steel toe boots. Make sure that it is positioned snuggly inside your steel toe boots.
2. Next, it to set up the size that you want to achieve for your steel toe boots. You can set the desired size in order for your steel toe boots to stretch both lengthwise and breadthwise.
(Tip: Some stretchers can only stretch in one direction, be sure to get one that can do both directions.)
3. Once the desired size is set, you can start turning the lever which will usher in the stretching process.
4. Leave for about a day to make sure that the leather will not easily go back to its original size.
To get a better idea on how this is done, watch this short video:
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are several effective methods that you can try to widen steel toe boots. These methods can come in handy and best of all they are easy to learn and execute. Plus, they are also inexpensive since they make use of materials that are easily available.
Learning these methods will not give you the opportunity to deal with any footwear problems that you might encounter in the future.
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