By Alan Shepard
I must make it clear, this is not an article on how to make a stretcher out of boots. Some people!
Sometimes the boots, that fitted perfectly in the shop, don’t feel quite so comfy after skating 15k in them. If they are tight in places, it is possible to stretch them a bit with a boot stretcher.
You can buy these for £20 and more. I haven’t tried them, but looking at the pictures from the sellers on the web, I wasn’t sure they would do the job I needed anyway.
Alternatively, you can make your own for about £1. Firefox, is a link to a site by William Fox. Here you can find out how to make your own boot stretchers, in great detail.
I have made my own boot stretchers, following his simple instructions and had success in fitting boots that were a bit narrow for me. I didn't buy wood however. I used a bit of old chipboard that was left over from some other job. I imagine that a look in a skip may well be worth while, but remember that you should ask the owner’s permission before taking their cast offs.
Place the stretchers in a soft plastic bag before pressing them into your boots. This allows them to slide in and be removed much more easily. The plastic bags that supermarkets provide for use with loose tomatoes (or other veg/fruit) are perfect for the job.
I found that my boots needed to be stretched for days at a time before I was happy with the result.