Issue Shoe Laces

[33rdfoot]

Hi all,
This is a pretty basic question, but I cannot find convenient answers, so I'll ask here :)
Were Federal issued shoes supplied with dyed laces or not? If un-dyed, do we think they would have blacked them with the rest of the shoe?
Many thanks!
Scott Douglas

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Issue Shoe Laces

Scott, if I'm not mistaken I believe that the laces were cut from the scraps left over from making the shoes. One might assume that the sides were already dyed prior to assembly, so I believe that they might have been iron dyed.
However, if they were made from scraps and they had pieces of sides that were undyed, they might have used them as well.
So I believe the answer might be that either would be correct.
I wish I could give you a better answer. I would recommend contacting Robert Serio of Missouri Boot and Shoe as well.