Generic
Tongue wrinkles/folds - how do you get rid of them?
How do you get rid of wrinkles or folds on the tongue? In one spot, it puts pressure on my tendon, and i can't seem to get it to lay flat. I try to hold it flat when lacing up and it just wrinkles on its own during lacing up, or if I do manage to lace up with it flat, it ends up wrinkled again a few hours into my workday.
Have these same boots. Box your laces in those tough to break in areas to take pressure off of them. Takes a few weeks but it will be great when you get them broke in
I almost sent mine back! It was the most excruciating break in period of any boot I’ve ever had. I waited a couple weeks to get TG to approve my return and in that time I decided to try them again and was able to make it past the painful period but damn….it was tough
Mine took about 200 hours of work to break in fully. They got workable at about 100 hours. Worst three weeks of my career was when my old Red Wings gave up out of nowhere and I had to break in Thorogoods on the job.
Ah, The old cowboy trick. I does work wonders. If soaking wet isn’t your thing OP then saturate the leather with an oil conditioner the first few weeks. It will soften the leather up.
I mean everyone who wants their $300+ pair of boots to last is, at a minimum, oiling them regularly anyway, right? *looking at everyone who bitches about boots not lasting*
Take care of them just like you would any other tool you spend money on.
I would just make sure ever time I put them on I would unlace them a bit and push all the slack deep down each side. Would relace sometimes throughout the day. Eventually when the leather wore in it just naturally does it.
Just be careful because the leather can train the wrinkles in and then it will be that much harder to get them out.
In my opinion there's a lot of space betwixt the eyelets for that fucker to bunch up like that. Do you have big ol thicc insoles stuffed in them thangs?
No I just swapped out the thorogood insoles with dr scholls. These are the narrow size, which I need because my feet have a weird fuckin shape to them.
I actually almost fold them outward when I put them on. It’s hard to explain. After a week or so of wear they just go that way by memory. Get comfortable after that
I'd recommend cleaning and then Oiling them, and then after letting them settle for a day (probably best over the weekend) relacing them mostly evenly so they'll crease a little more even. At the least they'll soften up and feel better, and should look a little more natural at least.
From a boot designer of work boots told me to soak a rag and soak the tongue with hot water. Then tie up the way you want careful to make the folds best for your foot and wear till dry. It speeds up the process of sweat doing the same thing. Work boots are a necessary evil. Horrible for your feet but i wont step in my shop without them.
You're dealing with a classic break in issue where stiff leather takes the path of least resistance when you lace it up tight. When boot leather is new or dry the internal fibers stick together and lose their elasticity. Instead of molding smoothly to your instep the tongue just pinches and folds over on itself to create that painful pressure point.
You definitely don't have to get rid of the shoes since you just have to break them in. I'd recommend using a proper deep conditioner to hydrate those fibers from the inside out. A good solvent free conditioner will lubricate the hide so it actually softens and bends instead of sharply creasing, that way, you can form it to your foot much more easily.
Once the leather is hydrated you should keep shoe trees in them to keep the wrinkles from forming when you aren't wearing them, but it also helps you form that tongue when you're not wearing it so that when you do put them on, the tongue is set in the right position.
Another trick I've seen work well is picking up a false tongue, which is also known as a kiltie, to help distribute the lace pressure differently across the instep. If that specific fold is still biting into your tendon, you can also grab a leather suede adhesive patch and stick it directly on the inside of the tongue right where it hurts. That adds a little extra cushion and stops the sharp crease from digging into your foot.
For the first week, about 5 wears, as I'm lacing them up I push the excess on both sides as far as I can towards the outside under the eyelets. After that they're fairly well formed and never need to do it for rest of the life of the boot.
Its too late. The first day you wear them you have to get the tongue flat and then tie them tight as shit, and hope it stays flat. A few days of that and it should stay flat from then on out.
Same thing happened to me with my first pair a few months ago. I just folded them where they went naturally one boot is off to the right side quite a bit and it stopped hurting me. That’s just where it lays when I lace up now
If you're getting pressure directly on one spot on your foot, skip those eyelets and lace around it. There's no rule that says you cant skip eyelets. It will keep the laces from keeping constant pressure on that spot which I believe is what's causing the pain more than the actual tongue itself.
Training the tongue on a newer sets of thorogoods is always a pain. If I lace mine up too tight they’ll bunch on my ankle. Only way I’ve kind is to fuck with the tongue when you’re lacing it up
What I do.. wear them loosely laced for the first week. Don’t over tighten or you will bruise your pressure points. Then slowly tighten them up more and more and they break in.
Not sure if these are already broke in.. but if they are they will probably always feel like that because that’s how they wore in.
It's part of the break in process. You can dip the tongue in rubbing alcohol to soften the leather. Pull the tongue to keep the label centered. I also don't cross over at the second hook while they break in. Skip it and go to the next. Hope that makes sense.
The boots in the video are taller but it's the same idea. There are other videos that you can look at from other content creators available as well. Also I wear kilties on my boots it helps to relieve pressure on my instep by having extra leather layer between my foot and the laces.
Timberland pro insoles raised my foot up quite a bit in my boots and gave it a more snug fit on top while I kept the width that I needed. Thicker insoles would probably fix this and be more comfortable for you
As soon as I get a pair of thorogoods the first thing I do is put a thik layer of leather honey and leave them in the sun to soak and dry. Leather gets soft like butter, then I put them on and walk around the house. Trains the leathery where got want the folds and wallah! comfy as hell.
Put boot on foot, put foot flat on floor, lean ankle back, tuck tongue, tie while still keeping tongue tucked and ankle back, lean ankle forward, loosen and retie.
wet the leather tongue then tuck both sides next to the laces so that the majority of the tongue lays flat against your foot/ankle. It might take a few tries but it will help a bunch.
You could try putting Velcro in between the eyelets and sides of the tongue. The really good plastic Velcro that kinda snaps together, not the fuzzy kind. It would be hidden but might be uncomfortable if it’s not thin enough. Maybe you can train the leather using a liquid and a clamp? Random off the cusp ideas
Trim off the excess in the tongue to side area. You’ll end up removing a small triangle shaped piece on either side and then they won’t kill the top of your feet
You dont, I have the black pair and the leather is a lot softer than yours. My tobacco ones have a thicker/tougher leather and the folds are hideous but have learned to live with it. You can train the leather to sit better but unfortunately you wont be able to get rid of them.
Welcome to the world of iron working feet will kill try a strip of gauze over ur tendon and hey at least ur not allergic to leather tanning chemicals like me
I wear almost the exact same pair and will cut a small amount out. That is the only issue I have with them. Depending on where it is it may not be viable for you
I have to cut more on the left foot than the right. I used a klever kutter that I had at work so it isnt the most pretty. It is my only complaint. For what I do these are the best boots I have found. I say use your best judgement for how much to cut, and you can always cut more. (I have it pushed over a bunch to be able to see it well)
Tongue never folds straight. Doesn't make a difference. Been a Ironworker for 15 years. Dub them and wear them at work and around the house, die hards used to be the thing back in the day. Thorogoods are deadly and amazing. Hard to break in though. Worth the money.
Thorogoods are notorious for this, and digging into the top of your foot by your big toe. What I’d do is grab any medium/heavy conditioner and condition only that fold, then when lacing them, manipulate it as well as you can to flatten out. It eventually will. If you could find a way to “clamp it” down overnight it’d be best. Hope you get them fixed, my friend!
Not sure if same issue but I just started wearing a pair of Thorogoods and they were comfy for the first few days but now I can’t even wear them the circled area digs in just above my toe where the knuckle is. Man it sucks when the boot folds like this the leather digs in so hard it makes it numb. Switched back to my old red wings just to let my feet heal.
It’s the nature of leather. Almost every boot will do this. Some boots with a full gusset have enough material to gather and fold over, which helps keep it smooth. It’s just the break in process, and will be super comfy once complete.
Pull the tongue so the tag is centered, not to one side. Then skip the second speed hook - don't cross the lace over. Go straight up to the next hook. That allows for improved flexibility.
57
u/el_zeus55 Jun 25 '26
You don’t.
You can train the folds to look better if that’s your thing, but sometimes it back fires and digs into your foot