I have a pair of slightly oversized moccasins, that I want to shrink a bit and also take out a few wrinkles. A while back someone said you could boil leather on a form but that may only apply to veg tan- I have chrome tanned. I boiled them on a wood form last night for a couple of minutes but no shrinking. I am thinking about soaking in rubbing alcohol and setting out in the sun but in any event- does anyone have any methods to shrink leather on a wood form? I've stretch leather- no problem, but I never had to shrink it before. Thanks.

rubbing alcohol will allow the leather to stretch not shrink....best bet is to wear thicker socks<grin>..

Red owl! You might get them to shrink but they will just stretch back out.The secret is to make them a little small then stretch them out to fit,I take a brand new pair of boot and soak them in the tub over night,in the morning put on my socks and boots,lace them up the way I wear them and walk in them all day till thier dry.They give and take in all the right places,then put the oil to them till they wont take anymore.Works for me, got that tip from a MGYSGT US Marine Corp RETIRED,he shinned them,I oil them.

Im with Mitch and Walking Crow on this one...I dont think you can shrink them with out ruining them...in fact I think you are lucky the boiling water didnt harden them beyond use as foot wear. Boiling and shrink shaping leather like that was how they made hardened leather armor...

Are they big enough to fit another pair inside of? If not maybe you can make some blanket wool,shearling skin, or felted liners and call them winter mocs. I would have loved to have such a pair tucked away in a dry haversack on several wet and freezing winter camps...would have made the nite hours way more pleasent.

And we did exactly what Walking Crow said to do to the boots when I was in the Corps...only we stomped the tar out of them when they were wet too, to help break them in...I dont know if that or the forced march the next day is what did the trick, but something sure did...they were the best boots ever,and fit like a glove...
T.Albert