Hot water treatment on boots?

[Mr Badger]

Another update on the 'killer boots' (in both aspects!)... they have marine ply insoles (!) so are hard on the feet, consequently, I bought some padded insoles that just served to make them too 'shallow' for my feet, causing even more pinching - wore 'em to work again the other week (3 mile round trip) and they still made me lame, so I had to take the insoles out again... if I wuz a horse, at the end of that day, I woulda been carted off to the glue factory!

Since then, I've been wearing 'em round the house / down the local pub & back again / up to our nearby high street and they're very gradually easing, but jeez are they ever still tuff! I also disliked the black-edged sole/heel so I sanded 'em down and stained 'em brown with boot polish, and they now look even sweeter...

Here's a couple dodgy pics, snapped on a pal's camera: