Shoe Re-sole

[Mr JRM]

The leather soles of my english made goodyear welted leather shoes wear the fastest at the tip of the toe (is this normal?). My question is, when is it time to re-sole my shoes (ie. at what point is the wear too much)?

Thanks a lot.

[TVD]

When you look at your shoes, you can see two layers below the upper: the sole and the welt (looks similar to the sole, but it is a narrow strip only linking the upper and the sole proper). When the sole gets completely worn through at the front, you can damage the welt which will make further repairs more costly.

A good cobbler can repair just the tip or you can have sunk in metal plates put on at the tip to reduce wear.

[Mark Seitelman]

To prevent premature wear of the tip I have a local shoemaker place a rubber tip or tap at the toe.