help me!
I got new custom klingbeils about 6 weeks ago, and am pretty happy with them. i'm having issues with the tongues slipping down, but i know thats easily fixed with a hook (i just have to get my skates to willy's, a shoe repair place that specializes in skates as well). i do, however, have one, major, issue. I'M ALLERGIC TO THE TONGUES!

seriously. whatever is used to attach the lambs wool center to the rest of the tongue is giving me a really bad allergic reaction. i have a huge, itchy, bumpy rash on my foot in the shape of the lamb's wool center. and it's been there for weeks. what do i do? I'm having hip surgery in the end of December, should i just suck it up til then and send my skates back to have the tongue's re-done? do you think Don will charge me to redo the tongues (without the lambswool i suppose) since i'm ALLERGIC to them? has ANYONE had this problem or am i just a total freak of nature?

HELP MEEEEEEEE

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I take it you skate bare-footed or in very thin nylon socks?

Ring up Klingbeils just as soon as they open tomorrow morning and explain your problem - I'm sure they'll have met people with this problem before, and know exactly what to do about it. Don't panic! There's bound to be something they can recommend to keep the wool away from your feet until you go for surgery and can have them relined.

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Mrs Redboots
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Depending on how big the area is, maybe you can find some thin bandage or something....eg leucosilk and cover that area before you put your skates on. Same idea (leukosilk/bandaids/etc) applies for part of feet or toes that gets blisters etc.

Just call Klingbeils, or send an email. They'll take care of the lambswool and put on the hooks as well. Why go to two different places, right? You might need to pay for shipping, but I've never been charged for repairs/upgrades.

I had the hooks put on a short time ago and Klingbeil's also made cuts down near the bottom of the tongue, to thread the laces through. No more slipping - yay! (If you don't want the passthroughs, let them know.)

I'm curious: why did you order the lambswool tongues? Don Klingbeil and I discussed them, but he suggested the rubber-backed tongues since I was doing freestyle in these boots .

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i ordered the lambswool center tongues because i had them in my harlicks and loved them. it helped with lacebite, and it just felt nice (i skate barefoot). i wonder why having rubber/vs. lambs wool makes a difference for fs...

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You should think about buying some thick tights and maybe that will help protect your feet from the tongues.

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Could you have possibly become allergic to wool? You could be allergic to the shearling but not wool processed to be used in fabric. Try anything with lanolin in it and see if you react. Lanolin is sheep sweat, and might be the problem. I believe Eucerin lotion has it.

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I don't think Don would charge you to replace the tongues. He is great to deal with. Maybe try bunga pads (ankle sleeve) until you can get to him. I don't think you should wait till after surgery. Your feet will be so irritated.

Give them a call. Lorraine usually answers the phone and she is a doll.

Perhaps Don suggested the rubber for me because I always have problems with the tongues slipping? (This are my third pair)

I was whining about my skates being cut and beat up. I think he gave me a compliment: he said my boots looked like a skater's. LOL

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Interesting. I've had two pairs of Klingbeils and I always got a full lambswool tongue. I had lambswool in my first pair of skates (Rose's), then switched to rubber when I got Harlicks (I don't know why, they made me feel like a "real" skater or something). I HATED the rubber. It was smelly, stayed wet with persperation, slippery and sticky. Lambswool all the way!

I recently had my skates rebuilt and tongues replaced, which cost me $120 (rebuild $50, new tongues $30, shipping $40). But, I wasn't having an allergic reaction. He may not charge you if you had a reaction.

Second the recommendation on thick tights. Maybe it's more irritation than reaction?

I second using a Bunga sleeve -- you can get the lace-bite sleeve, which only has the silicone in the front, thus protecting you from the tongue but adding no padding anywhere else.

I just ordered Klingbeils and got the lace-bite tongue, which is the spongey rubber. My boots just arrived so I haven't seen/tried them yet, but if you have had lace-bite issues in the past, which I have, you might consider switching from the wool to the lace-bite tongue, rather than the regular rubber tongue.

Good luck!

Reactions to wool are very common.

You can be truly allergic (i.e., have an imune system response), or just have a physical reaction to the scratchiness or maybe even the static electricity (my theory for myself), or you might even have a tendency to scratch from one of the other effects. (Don't scratch.)

I have a bad response to long-term skin exposure to wool too. If I wear a wool sweater much, I get acne-like symptoms on my back. But not to wearing a wool suit, so something about the open weeve (like in your tongue) has an effect on me.

When it comes to sweaters and jackets, I just wear synthetic pile, which is lighter and more comfortable. But I doubt that is available from KB.

Is it practical to carefully wash the tongue enough to remove all chemicals? Many chemicals used to process the leather or the wool might affect you. I also abruptly became allergic to a laundry detergent I had been using for decades. (I'm not sure what the long term effect will be on the wool, and water is bad for leather.)

One last idea: the tongue might be shifting as you move, due to loose fit or very fluffy wool, and you are just seeing the effects of abrasion or the heat it may produce. Though I'm not sure that is possible, assuming you lace reasonably tight.

thanks to all for the advice.

i do wear ankle sleeves, but the rash is actually on my foot (like where the bottom of the lambswool meets the rubber. i will definitely give Don a call. I've never dealt with him directly (I live out in Los Angeles), but he seems like a very nice guy.

i'll update after i call

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