Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CLOTHING 155part of beeswax to six of the cocoanut butter. Warmthe shoe as thoroughly as possible to open the pores ofthe leather, and rub your melted waterproofing on whilehot. Repeated warming of the shoe and application ofthe preparation will thoroughly fill the pores of theleather and also the stitching. The cocoanut butterwhen cold hardens somewhat like paraffine but not sufficientlyto seal the stitching. The beeswax gets in itswork there. A mixture of tallow or neatsfoot oil appliedhot and with melted rubber mixed in, is also good. Tomelt the rubber, first chip it as small as possible. Rubbercuts easiest when wet. Apply to stitching with a stifibrush.— Recreation, April, 191 1.Hobnails.— If one is not traveling bv canoe oton horseback, a few cone-headed Hungarian naikshould be driven into the shoe soles in the patternhere shown (Fig. 98). The ''natives" may studtheir soles thickly, but that is only to save shoeleather. Too many nails hurt the feet, make theshoe stiff (whereas it can scarcely be too springy),cause the shoe to ball up in snow, and do not gripso well as a few nails well placed. I am not speakinghere of mountaineering above snow-line, but ofordinary climbing, especially where leaves or pineneedles may be thick, and of following the beds oftrout streams. The nails under the instep are invaluablefor crossing streams on fallen trees or poles.The sharp points of cone-headed nails soon wearoff, but edges are left that " bite " well. Broadhobnails with corrugated faces are good at first, butthey quickly wear smooth, and then slip worse onthe rocks than small ones. They also pull outsooner.Many recommend short screw caulks.These, ifsharp pointed, pick up trash at every step when j^ouare in the woods; if blunt, they are treacherous onthe " slick rocks," as they are m.ade of hard steel.Some prefer ^-inch round head blued screws insteadof hobnails or caulks. They claim that these" bite " better, and that they are easy to insert orremove.Rubber heels save much jarring on a long hike,