Shoes that go wild in the fire.

[DanskoJoe]

I am sure that most of us who burn shoes know that some leather and some shoes just don't burn all that well. I can't remember what shoes don't burn well, but I do know the ones that do. Most leather boots burn ok, and many men's dress shoes burn do too. Once at a thrift store, I found a pair of Clark's Wallabees in brown waxed leather. I felt of the leather and I knew immediately that they would burn great. I have felt this texture before on a pair of logger boots. Those boots burned rapidly and the leather moved and folded violently. I took the Wallabees out onto the patio and set them into the BBQ pit. I squirted some charcoal starter into the Wallabees. The leather darkened in several places and turned shiny. I took a match and struck it. I touched the flame to the toe of one shoe. I held it there for a minute or so and the fluid the leather was saturated in began to burn. The toe of the other shoe began to burn as well. seam around the edge of the toes began to split open. The fire rushed into the opening and into the shoes. As the flames grew they emerged out of the openings where your feet go in. From there on , the leather itself began to burn. The leather burned fast and caused the crepe soles to burn. These Wallabees were completely engulfed within five minutes and completely consumed in fifteen.

Sperry Topsiders are another pair that burns fast and puts on a good show of leather moving and shoe curling. For me the ultimate shoe fuel is Bass leather sandals. The soles catch easily and the leather moves wildly.