Shoe tree

Shoe tree (also called shoe executor or clamping bars ) are the shoe front fills fittings that are inserted after wearing shoes in this. They are used for shoe care.

Function

Shoe trees provide an optical shape retention and fit preservation of low shoes and boots, especially with uppers of leather. Creases ( folds in the shaft above the metatarsophalangeal joints, caused by the compression of the material while walking ) are compensated by shoe stretcher. When sewn shoes they relieve the bottom seams. Due to the successful end at wearing the shoes after drying the always slightly moist by Fußausdünstungen leather is a risk that the shoe bottom is arched by the puckering during drying shank up over time. This leads to a shortening of the shoes so that they will eventually no longer fit. Shoe stretcher with folding handle and screw to prevent this effect. When the clamping bars are made of a natural wood, they allow for faster drying of the moistened by Fußausdünstungen shoe.

Materials

The traditional material for shoe tree is wood. Normally Buchholz will be used. For higher-quality shoe trees, the wood of the North American giant tree of life is used, better known under the trade name " cedar ". Rare shoe trees are made ​​of poplar wood ( very light and suitable for travel shoe trees ) and from tropical wood species.

Low -priced shoe trees are made ​​of hard plastic (polypropylene, PP). The coated with viscose foam so-called half- tensioner ( see below) is made of polyurethane (PU).

Sizes, shapes, types,

Shoe trees are available to match the shoe size. Usually, shoe trees of three parts. Front the front leaf, which fills in the shoe front, behind the heel piece that fills the background Lappe and between them a third part, providing for the right to shoe length of the tensioner so that the shoe stretcher is a slight tension in the shoe. Make sure either one or two telescopic springs between the vamp and heel piece, or a length-adjustable screw, or a coil spring. Rare wooden shoe stretcher are offered, similar to a bar have a wedge-shaped wooden section that generates the desired tension during insertion between the front part and heel part.

The vamps are offered by some manufacturers in various widths and shapes. For very wide shoes, there are shoe trees with two-piece and by means of spring tension pushed apart front leaves.

For boots, there are shoe stretcher with a longer and raised vamp. Shoe stretcher for boots consist of a foot and a leg part. The foot is largely a normal shoe stretcher. The leg section is adjustable in the calf region.

To ensure good ventilation of the shoe, most shoe stretcher are just at the edge of the insole and their vamps have slit-shaped or round holes.

Mainly for light ladies shoes also half clamps are available that consist only of a front sheet and loosely inserted into the shoe front.

Boot shaper and shank shaper

For boots, there are boot stretchers. They ensure on the one hand for the fold -minimizing shape retention of tube and foot part of the boot, as well as for air circulation inside the shoe, because the shaft tube so it can not tilt sideways.

Boot Shaper consist of a made ​​of plastic or wood foot and leg pieces. These are either contiguous or with inexpensive versions of two separate pieces. The leg piece consists of two main parts, the fill by a manually shifting intervening elongated wedge the shaft tube and bring to light tension.

Instead of special boot clamps meet normal shoe trees in the foot part of the boot in conjunction with Schaftformern in the shaft tube the same purpose and also allow better access of air into the boots inside. Shank shaper ( short form of bootleg shaper ) consist of two lightweight, interconnected under resilient tension, elongated shells of plastic or wood. In the boots tube inserted, they keep it open and maintained under slight tension. A hanger at the top of Schaftformers allows both the hanging storage of boots.

Boot Shaper shaper and shank are available in various sizes that fit to different calf sizes and boots tube lengths.

Tips for selecting and using

The most important criterion of a shoe-tree is its fit. Optimal fit is given when the front blade in the form corresponding to the shoe front and fills it in the best possible in terms of volume. This shoe is not tensioned excessively, a conforming to the size length of the shoe stretcher is important. Is the heel piece too small, too edgy or too narrow, the heel counter of the shoe being deformed and unnecessarily stressed. Width, softly rounded heel cushions protect the shoes.

To a sagging soft, thin shafts and lighter shoes to avoid (eg moccasin ), (shoe stretcher without heel piece ) can be placed in this half- tensioner.

Coil spring tensioner shoes can unnecessarily burden if they also exercise at the small heel piece too strong a train / pressure.

Shoe trees are inserted directly after wearing in the still warm shoes, so that the expanded while wearing leather retracts back into the original socket shape during drying. To realize this, the shoe stretcher in your shoes must remain at least a whole day.