Please help, shoe shining advice

[Hunter]

I just recived two old pairs of shoes from my parents. I haven't worn them in about seven years and in that time they collected a fair bit of dust. I have never shined shoes before in my life. I have waterproofed work boots before and that is about it. If anyone has some good tutorials or advice to give it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advanced,

 

[itchytag]

I use one of those kits that comes with polish, a horsehair brush and applicators for the polish. Use the applicator, get the shoe covered in polish, let it dry for about 15 minutes and then buff with the brush.

To finish, I fill the top of the shoe polish tin with water, grab a cotton ball and dip in the water. Squeeze to get out the excess, apply some polish and then using small, circular motions apply to the toe until it is nice and shiny. This may take a bit and more than one application depending on the shoe. This is how I do it, anyway

 

[Dusty1]

I was curious about the same topic, is the brush necessary, or can you get a good shine with a clean rag?

 

[itchytag]

I was curious about the same topic, is the brush necessary, or can you get a good shine with a clean rag?

Sure, I used to use a rag. I just find the brush to be a bit quicker and easier. I personally don't go crazy on most of the shoe other than the toe, anyway.

 

[Derdonkderd]

Do you just want to touch up the color, or get em all nice & shined up like patent leather?
First, grab a cheap set of horse brushes (by the shoes anywhere shoes are available) and obviously a matching color of polish, and it never hurts to have some neutral polish too. I prefer the Kiwi Parade Gloss. There should be a cloth, a little round brush, and a longer rectangle-ish brush.

To just touch them up, use the smaller round brush to get some polish (just rub it around the polish in a circular motion), then rub it on the shoe (also in the circular motion). Give it a little bit (it won't take much time) and you will see the polish looks like it is "drying" on the shoe. Then, take the longer rectangle brush, and brush back and forth with just a little pressure to kind of "buff" off the dried polish. That should restore them pretty well. I use a toothbrush to get along the stitching on top of the sole piece with some black polish.

To get em all shined up, do as above but use a little more polish. Once you apply the polish, use a soft cloth (should be one in the brush kit), and wrap it around your finger and wet the tip (water, or spit so you can call it a spit-shine). Massage the polish in a tiny circle- Think karate kid- wax on wax off- wetting periodically and adding a bit of polish to the tip of your cloth laden finger. Once you have it good and polished up, let it dry for a minute, then take the cloth in both hands and buff back in forth, like you would have seen in a zillion movies. Make sure it is a nice smooth cloth, (like the ones in the kit, don't use a washcloth). If you do it a couple times it will eventually get super shined.

I have also seen melt down the polish, but that usually leads to a mess. And, if you have never shined the shoes, they might kind of "suck up" the polish, so it might take a little more at first. Once you have a shine esstablished it will take less. -Thats how I learned to do it in the Navy, and we spent a pretty fair amount of time and attention on shining our shoes... and boots.

 

[Doc4]

I haven't worn them in about seven years and in that time they collected a fair bit of dust.

The leather will be very dry and in need of nourishment.

First, clean off the dust with a clean, dry rag or brush.

Then (optional) wash them with saddle soap.

Next, replenish the leather with a conditioner. Saphir Renovateur is the best. You can also use Obenauf's LP.

Next, apply a cream or wax polish and shine away ... details to be found in various Haberdashery threads ... but I want to stress the need to replenish the leather first.

 

[Jussi]

There isn't a single "right" way to do it. As Doc4 said, the tost important thing is to remember that the leather should be nourished with shoe cream or even heavier stuff to prevent heavy creasing or even breaking. Never walk on shoes that have an overly dry leather. Use renovator, Chelsea Leather Food or an another suitable product to fix it. Create the shiny polish on a well nourished shoe only.


But, my procedure on older, drier shoes:

First, brush the shoes clean. Remove the existing polish - if cracked, especially - with a soft cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. Be careful - don't rub the leather too heavily with it, as it can cause drying or discoloration.

Use either very delicate shoe cream (Kiwi Delicate Cream, for example) or nice hand moisturizer (with a good fat content) to the inside of the shoes - especially if the shoes are old. The leather lining needs care, as well.

Then, apply shoe cream on the shoe. My favourite is Saphir Renovator or The Shoe Snob Renovator. An old sock is a best tool here. Apply by rubbing, evenly and very thinly, leave for an hour. Brush the excess off - this, already, shall give the shoes a supple shine.

Open a tin of hard wax polish. Kiwi, Saphir and many of the shoemakers' own brands are good here. It should match your shoes. Take an another old sock, put your hand inside it and take some polish on the sock. Rub it on and in the leather - let the warmth of your hand to do the job. The polish shouldn't cake on the shoe - if it does, rub it away and along. Leave the shoes for half an hour. After that, use the pantyhose (steal 'em from SWMBO's discard pile) to rub the shine on the shoe (I pretty much never use the brushes in polishing anymore).

If you want your shoes to have some patination or unevenness, take a tin of one or two degrees darker, hard wax polish. Rub it on hard toe part of the shoe (toe cap) and to the hard heel area. Leave a bit thicker layer than before - it cannot break there, as the areas won't flex when you walk, so you can use a thicker layer. You can also rub a thinner layer on the inside curve of the shoe, making the shoe look more curvy. Wait for half an hour, use pantyhose to polish the shoe. You can spritz a bit water on the shoe before the last pantyhose polish.

The result should be rather shiny. If you want to go one step further, apply a layer of clear polish on toe and heel, let it dry for half an hour and polish with pantyhose with water. Extreme results can be achieved by using whiskey or sparkling wine, but that goes to an area of artisan polishing and is a whole new story.

The first shine after nourishing the very dry leather isn't necessarily a perfect one. However, somewhat acceptable results can be achieved. These were dry enough to make a clear "knock" -sound when tapped. Should I have ever taken one step in them, the top leather would have cracked or at least very badly creased. I created some "cloudy" patina effect on toes, there's a total of 4 different polish colours on 'em. After 10 or some polishes, the toes were very "glass-like":

 

[Hunter]

Awesome, thanks guys, I'll see if I can find a kit when I do my after work shopping tonight!

 

[Jussi]

And remember to use the conditioner & polish also on the welt (edge around the shoe) and the outer edge of the sole. There's sole oil or "sohlen tonik" that can be used on the sole, should it be leather.

If the welt or rand (heel area of the welt) breaks due to some reason - dryness may cause it - the shoe is dead and cannot be resoled unless thoroughly recrafted (which, occasionally, costs more than a new pair).

 

[carldamnit]

Just a note, Kiwi stuff may not be expensive or glamorous, it just does the job. They make pretty much everything you need to bring those shoes back to life without breaking the bank.

 

[Jussi]

Just a note, Kiwi stuff may not be expensive or glamorous, it just does the job. They make pretty much everything you need to bring those shoes back to life without breaking the bank.

Sadly, Kiwi has reduced their colour palette dramatically just recently. I planned to get the whole selection available in our shop - and heard, from our national distributor, that they only make 3 colours now. As the product is very, very good (I actually use Kiwi polish rather than Saphir, should I choose from two), I'm actually a bit angry - I have to find a new product that meets my qualifications.

So, stock Kiwi, now, especially in burgundy, blue, green, light tan, tan and dark tan. There'll be only black, brown and neutral soon.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I prefer the Kiwi Parade Gloss.

Me too. I keep it at each office for our officers. A blindfolded monkey could make a pair of boots presentable with this stuff.

 

[justjcez]

+1 on the brushes speeding up the process. You can shine the entire shoe...which you may want to do for the sake of saying you did. After you realize how much work that is, you'll probably stick to just getting a nice toe shine. Use the dauber (small round brush) to apply wax, use the bigger one to bring up a nice shine on the entire shoe.

Then go back for the toe shine if you want it. The brushes will get you a decent shine, but if you want them to look like glass, you'll need to use a soft cloth.

+1 on using a conditioner after the leather has been cleaned and dried. Depending on how old the shoes are, look up "when to resole" in this section as it may be time to get this done as well.

Good luck!
- Just J

 

[Hunter]

Well after an evening shave I did one pair of shoes and they turned out excellent. I'm doing the second pair right now. Thanks for the advice guys. I'm rather impressed that I'm able to take old shoes that I forgot about and make them look awesome again. After this I'm going to congratulate myself with a glass of scotch and pipe packed full of aromatic!

 

[Jussi]

That's how it goes. My SWMBO actually was about to throw away her winter boots (2 years ago) and told me how sad she's about it - after all, they were kind of new but instantly turned shabby. I just gave her a lazy look, grabbed the boots, told her to put on a good movie and proceeded to give them a full shoecare. She didn't believe her eyes on the result - but, nowadays, she can do that same thing by herself. As well as turning the nubuk into a shiny surface, suede into an oiled suede etc. if it's needed due to circumstances. I'm pretty proud about that.

Many people claim that stuff isn't done like it was done back in the days. Well, maybe. But people aren't taking care of their stuff like in the back in the days.

A good house lasts 500 years. A good pair of shoes 100 years (not a joke). A good suit at least 50 years. A good shirt at least 5 years. One just needs to know how to make them last.


Congratulations on the first serious step of un-disposable living. Love the good things you have and make them last forever. Begin to see everything like that. That's why we wet shave, after all.

 

[Hunter]

Congratulations on the first serious step of un-disposable living.

Thanks though I'm on about step 50-52 by now... most of my favourite things are either refurbished or completely remade. I'm a bushman at heart. I have a Remington Model 14 .30 calibre rifle that has been in my family for 3 generations and my hunting knife I found in an abandoned trapping cabin which I removed the rust and rotten wooden handle and replaced it with a really nice cherry one. Being able to bring life back into something really is a point of pride in me.

 

[Doc4]

That's how it goes. My SWMBO actually was about to throw away her winter boots (2 years ago) and told me how sad she's about it - after all, they were kind of new but instantly turned shabby. I just gave her a lazy look, grabbed the boots, told her to put on a good movie and proceeded to give them a full shoecare. She didn't believe her eyes on the result - but, nowadays, she can do that same thing by herself. As well as turning the nubuk into a shiny surface, suede into an oiled suede etc. if it's needed due to circumstances. I'm pretty proud about that.

Well, that story ended up better than I thought it would ... with you being her go-to shoe-shine boy on a weekly basis. Lucky!

 

[ouch]

Where the heck is MTSSB?

 

[Doc4]

Where the heck is MTSSB?

Chattanooga?

 

[Hunter]

Where the heck is MTSSB?

...no idea...