In
footwear, a hobnail is a short nail with a thick head used to increase the durability of
boot soles.
Uses
Hobnailed boots (in Scotland "tackety boots") are boots with hobnails (nails inserted into the soles of the boots), usually installed in a regular pattern, over the sole. They usually have an iron
horseshoe-shaped
Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...
insert, called a heel iron, to strengthen the heel, and an iron toe-piece. They may also have
steel toecaps. The hobnails project below the sole and provide traction on soft or rocky terrain and snow, but they tend to slide on smooth, hard surfaces.
They have been used since antiquity for inexpensive durable footwear, often by workmen and the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Examples include the ''
caligae
Caligae ( Latin; singular ) are heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots that were worn as standard issue by Roman legionary foot-soldiers and auxiliaries, including cavalry.
History
Caligae (singular ') are heavy-duty, thick-soled o ...
'' of the Roman military, and the
trench boot
The trench boot, sometimes known as the "Pershing boot," was an American combat boot used in the latter stages of World War I, made for the cold mud of trench warfare. For the WWI British Army trench boots, see Ammunition boot.
Introduction
The ...
s of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Important design work for the modern hobnailed boot was done during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, e.g. the "
Pershing boot" in the United States.
Problems experienced in designing WWI US Army boots were:
*Tearing at the backstay: solved by securing the backstay with three rows of stitching each side.
*Letting water in: solved by
dubbin
Dubbin (also known as “dubbing” in the USA) is a traditional product used to soften, condition and waterproof leather. It consists of natural wax, oil and tallow. Dubbin has been used since medieval times to waterproof and soften leather ...
.
*Rotting in foul conditions in trenches: solved by
chrome tanning
Tanning is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed.
Tanning hide into leather involves a process which permanently alters the protein structure of skin, makin ...
rather than using vegetable tanning.
*Cold conducting through hobnails into the feet: that, and need for strength, solved by three thicknesses of leather in the soles.
*Sole wear: toe and heel irons in addition to hobnails.
Hobnailed boots were formerly used for
mountaineering to grip on sloping rock surfaces. Mountaineering hobnailed boots tended to have large pointed hobnails on the extreme edges of the soles and heels to grip small roughness on steeply sloping rock and on snow, particularly before
crampons
A crampon is a traction device that is attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and ice ...
were used.
See also
*
Caulk boots
Caulk boots or calk boots (also called cork boots, timber boots, logger boots, logging boots, or corks)"Caulk Boots"
...
(spike-soled boots worn by loggers and tree planters in many places)
*
Ammunition boot
Ammunition boots are a form of military footwear. They were the standard combat boot for the British Army and other forces around the British Empire and Commonwealth from at least the mid-1860s until their replacement a century later in the 196 ...
, the hobnail-studded boots used by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
from 1880 to 1958.
References
External links
*Chambers, William (1904)
"Hobnail".''Chambers's
Etymological Dictionary
An etymological dictionary discusses the etymology of the words listed. Often, large dictionaries, such as the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' and ''Webster's'', will contain some etymological information, without aspiring to focus on etymology.
E ...
of the English Language'',
W. & R. Chambers, p. 231. Archived at
Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...
.
*Chambers, William (1904)
"Stud" ''Chambers's Etymological Dictionary of the English Language'', W. & R. Chambers, p. 497. Archived at Google Books.
Footwear components
Shoemaking
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