"I'm telling the story! So, what the Captain did, he strapped a cannon to Bootstraps, bootstraps." ~ Pintel

"Bootstraps, bootstraps..." ~ Ragetti

 

Tutorial by Mojo from brethrencourt.net

In 1922 James Joyce wrote in his novel Ulysses, "There were others who had forced their way to the top from the lowest rung by the aid of their bootstraps." And ever since then, people have been "puling themselves up by their bootstraps." A modern bootstrap is simply a leather loop found at the top of your Dr. Martins and it usually aids in pulling your boots on. A boot strap can also be found on taller "calf high" boots, where a leather strap circles the shaft of the boot underneath the cuff (hidden from view) and is then pulled taught to keep the boots from slouching and falling down.

Some Jack Sparrows have noticed that over time their boots begin to loose rigidity and become victims of gravity, an easy deterrent is of course proper boot storage, but always a good idea is to wear your boots with boot straps - even if you are not experiencing "the slump."

First let me say, I am no expert on the subject. There are many Jack's who are more experienced and knowledgeable than me. I can only offer my own path and hope that it helps you in some way.

Fabricating Bootstraps

Knowing full well that the straps won't be seen by anyone but you - they neither have to match or be pretty. There are of course no pictures of what Johnny Depp wears in his costume, so the sky is the limit on what you pick for your particular look.

Go to the thrift store and walk over to the women's section and simply purchase 2 leather belts that are as thin, and as cheap as you can buy. I got two that had ordinary buckles and were not ornate in any way and I think both were around $2.

Obviously you could go to a leather craft store and buy thin straps and matching buckles and hardware, but this is going to cost you way more AND you will still have to soften the leather. Plus cheap belts like this are typically very thin - and that's more what you want, a belt that is going to hug your leg and remain inconspicuous when buckled under your cuff.

Now just measure the belts around your calf and cut to size. Re-punch new holes where you need be, and viola! Cheap bootstraps.

 

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