The Red Wing Traction Tred Sole is one of the most recognisable soles in the Red Wing range. Made from blown crepe it is a comfortable and moderately hard-wearing cushion sole that provides uniform support all the way along the foot. Being a registered Red Wing repairer means we can take the best care of your boots and use the correct soling products. When we resole, we recork and replace the midsole, which we then welt stitch on. This means no edge separation issues and the added comfort of your footbed being cushioned by refreshed cork.

Because of its lightweight properties this an excellent sole for anyone who stands a lot.

The Baxter & Black process

1. We start by fitting a last into the boot. Even though there is no way we can change the shape of the boot or the footbed. In this case, we feel this is the best practice and helps us hold onto the boot.
2. We fit our blade into the gap between the midsole and welt. We go right around the boot cutting off the midsole and old sole. Pulling this gently away we then expose the worn cork and we scoop all the old cork out.
3. We then unpick the old welt stitching from the welt. Importantly, we do this so we can restitch into the existing welt holes.
4. After this, we put the new spreadable cork into the void where the old cork was. We use spreadable cork so we don’t hammer the footbed and it follows the existing contours of the footbed.
5. While the cork dries, we apply two coats of glue to the midsole. It is on the side we are going to bond to the cork and welt edge.
6. We wait for the cork to dry before applying two coats to the cork and welt edge. Again, we then set aside to dry.
7. Once both have dried we then heat activate them and push them together by hand and set aside to cure.
8. We roughly sand the bonding surface on the Red Wing Traction Tred sole. To remove any dust, we wash it with acetone. We set them set aside to dry.
9. We trim the midsole edge to the welt edge. Furthermore, we roughly sand the exposed midsole surface and clean with acetone.
10. We then welt stitch the midsole to the welt, matching the stitches per inch so we stitch into the existing welt stitch holes. Along with this, we use waxed right twist linen thread which will sit perfectly in place in the welt holes.
11. We apply two layers of glue with special emphasis on even coverage of glue along the edges.
12. Once dry, we heat to activate the glued surface of the Red Wing Traction Tred sole and the midsole. We hand-press them together and leave them to cure.
13. Once cured, we trim the Traction Tred sole to the welt edge. Then finely sanded the edges. We apply sealing waxes and conditioning agents to the welt edge. This ensures a good seal and a crisp looking edge.
14. Finally, we use Saphir Crème 1925 Shoe Polish to give a good going over.