I polished a pair of my newly-purchased Allen Edmonds with some of their shoe cream the other day. I applied the shoe cream with an old undershirt, rubbed it into the leather, let it dry, brushed over the shoe with a horsehair brush, applied some Allen Edmond's carnauba wax polish, let it dry, and then finished with the horsehair brush. I noticed that while applying the carnauba wax polish some of the shoe cream came off. I could tell this because I was using colorless (natural) carnauba wax polish and had used black shoe cream. Then today I wiped some water off my shoes and noticed the paper towel I used had some shoe cream on it. Did I apply too much shoe cream? What did I do wrong?
Polishing shoes
- Thread starter mretzloff
- Start date
That is normal. The best way to apply the thinnest layer of shoe polish is as follows: wrap a cloth around your index finger, dip into water then polish, and rub shoe using small circles. Keep the cloth well moistened. Let the polish dry for 10-15 minutes before buffing it off. It should come off easily. An old t-shirt can also be used to buff any remaining polish.
Were these cowhide or cordovan? Don't use cream on cordovan, use paste wax. One of the nice things about cordovan is you don't have to polish it very often, I do mine about once a year (I wear them about once a week).
- Thread starter
- #4
My experience is that there's no need to use both shoe cream and wax shoe polish together. The shoe cream will give a softer luster; wax-based polish will give a higher shine.
Heed the advice to use very small quantities and rub the cream or polish in thoroughly before buffing.
Heed the advice to use very small quantities and rub the cream or polish in thoroughly before buffing.
I tend to get the best results by using either cream or wax polish, not both during the same polishing session. If you like using both, it's generally advisable to give some time after applying cream polish before hitting your shoes with wax. Also, in this case I'd also suggest using a smaller amount of cream than you'd usually use when polishing with cream only.
When polishing with wax I like to use it on its own because in my experience it bonds a bit better with the leather if it doesn't have a layer of something else underneath it.
When polishing with wax I like to use it on its own because in my experience it bonds a bit better with the leather if it doesn't have a layer of something else underneath it.
Just use shoe cream.
IMHO it seems to work better for dress and casual shoes.
For work shoes I go with shoe polish as the wax give it a layer of protection.
Just join the Army, they will show you hows its done. LOL
All you need is some Lincoln, steal one of your wife's nylons, old t shirt and a lot of patience for the first polish.
Asmark, you beat me to the nylons!
Be sure to grab an old (stress old) pair of your wife/girlfriend's nylons for the final buff.
To anwer your original question, you may have used a bit too much cream; but, more importantly you didn't get enough off. The key is to apply multiple thin coats (keep it moist--I'll let someone else argue over hot or cold), then hit it with the horsehair brush, and then a cloth. Repeat 4-5x's to get good layers of polish on (remember the shine comes from the polished wax, not the leather). On your last application after you buff with the cloth, mist a little water (not spit) on the shoe and hit it with the nylon.
If you are wearing more casual shoes and you don't want them to shine, use a cream and don't hit it with the water and nylon. Just buff it with the cloth.
Over time, if you religously polish your shoes, it will take less applications (maybe 2 or 3) to get the same shine that used to take 4-5 applications.
Sorry if you already knew that; but, I figured somebody out there might like to know.
Amen to this. Lincoln is the best stuff. I have used both Kiwi and Lincoln when I was in the military. Lincoln is so much better.
