Shoe polish questions

[Rusty Blade]

I enjoy polishing my dress shoes. It's one of those things that I have done since I was a kid. I enjoyed watching my father as he polished his dress shoes. The smell of the polish is a scent that is very comforting. I have been using Kiwi shoe polish since I was a kid. It is part of my Sunday evening ritual. Clean with cloth, remove laces, dab polish and apply, buff. And buff some more. Replace laces. Admire outcome.

Do you polish your dress shoes on a regular basis? Do you use coloured polish or cream or do you use neutral conditioner? Do you touch up with one of those quick shine things? Sometimes I do a light polish with conditioner even when I haven't worn my shoes that week. Call me crazy but wearing shoes that are not polished and shined is like going to work unshaven...heaven forbid.

 

[D1dad]

I use a neutral polish once in awhile but mainly just use nokona glove conditioner. It's made for high end $400 baseball gloves that are usually made of horween leather so I figure it's good enough for my $200-$300 dress shoes. It keeps them soft and imo is some of the best stuff you can use.

 

[BSAGuy]

Do you polish your dress shoes on a regular basis? - Yes. Not as regularly as you, Rusty, but every month or so.

Do you use coloured polish or cream or do you use neutral conditioner? - Colored. Black for black, oxblood for oxblood, etc.

Do you touch up with one of those quick shine things? - Never.

 

[matwho]

I polish my all of my shoes and boots on a regular basis. I use black and brown polish and mink oil at least once a year for the boots.

 

[Lmarkow]

I polish and/or condition as needed, and for seasonal shoes and boots at the start and end of the seasons worn. I use pastes and creams, with no discernible rhyme or reason, and various conditioners.

 

[malocchio]

I polish mine after 3 to 4 wears , hitting them with a brush and shine rag as needed in between polishings , and do a deep cleaning , then re-polish every couple of months. Kiwi is not what it used to be , there are much better American made polishes out there : Angelus Products | Shoe Shine | Boot Polish | Acrylic Paint

 

[cleanshaved]

I polish my dress shoes about once a month.
Kiwi is what I used till a few years ago now it's Saphir, Warpoo or Woly.
I always apply some Saphir Renovateur, then either a cream polish or wax polish.

 

[Rotflmao]

This just came in the mail so I think that I'll be doing some extra polishing.

 

[Rusty Blade]

View attachment 800553 This just came in the mail so I think that I'll be doing some extra polishing.

Nice...I can almost smell the polish....

 

[Rotflmao]

View attachment 800553 This just came in the mail so I think that I'll be doing some extra polishing.

I put a post up in the shopping and deals forum about the place I bought the polish from. (Hint - the website is on the bag in the picture). The price was by far the best that I found and they threw in the drawstring bag and handwritten thank you note. First class all the way.

 

[John Rose]

It's one of those things that I have done since I was a kid. I enjoyed watching my father as he polished his dress shoes. The smell of the polish is a scent that is very comforting.

Same here. The smell of Kiwi reminds me of my dad's army boots.
That and Brasso, for his uniform buttons.

 

[Merle]

When I worked, it was part of my weekly routine to touch up and deepen the polish and I used Kiwi. Daily I'd dust off the shoes before wearing them, and after a good day's use burnish the shine already there removing the scrapes and digs.

Now that I've retired my wear and tear on high quality leathers is much much reduced. I've moved onto Woly products and my leathers and cordovan take far less use/damage thus need of repair. I still enjoy the magics of great dress shoes and leather clothing; I just need to move some place where I'm willing to travel about a bit more than I have the past seven years. (Oh, I didn't note I'd broke my back, had my parents and half brother pass while in my care and am going down that path one more time with the Lady who helped me work while all the before mentioned occurred. If I survive I'm fully intending to walk a lot of miles again just for the pure joy of it!)

 

[ironthinker]

I remember my days in a college dorm when shoes came before studying. In those days Kiwi wax was our only choice.

Today I use Bickmore Leather conditioner every year or as needed. I didn't use conditioner for many years and only had one pair that cracked. If they need more cleaning I use a liquid leather soap, never a saddle soap in a wax form that's hard to work with. I like creams over waxes with Saphir as my favorite.
The last hand polishing I use is a woman's nylon stocking, for the final shine.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Why do some of you say Kiwi isn't what it used to be?

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Rusty:
Since my Army days (and beyond), it's always been Blk & Brn Kiwi ('Parade Gloss')!

Since retiring...I probably shine my dress shoes (blk & brn), Bavarian loafers (from Germany by Canda), and one set of Docker boots (mink oil approx every 6mos), once a week.

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy [shoe] polish...and that's kind of the same thing". Author Unknown

 

[ironthinker]

Kiwi was great and still is great. I used it in my college days, my Army days and years after. I do now like creams better than waxes because of the wax build-up. I do like Saphir and Meltonian brands better, but I would never bad mouth Kiwi.

 

[August West]

I will inquire with my valet and get back.

 

[Doraemon]

Polishing shoes was something I learned in the Army. Before then, I never owned a pair of dress shoes or nice boots.

I would sit with my friends on the steps to the barracks, shooting the breeze while getting our boots and shoes polished up for the next day, it was one of the few times we could relax. Doing the job properly meant cleaning off the boots or shoes so you had a good surface to polish. A coat of polish is applied and brushed off, then tiny amounts of polish are applied with a damp cotton cloth, slowly building up a glassy shine. To get the best shine, you needed just the right amount of moisture, and just the right amount of polish, and a lot of time. The old Army-issue t-shirts made of pure cotton worked best, the newer synthetic material would not give a shine.

One day as we were polishing our shoes, a private used a lighter to heat up the polish so it would wipe on easier. The polish caught on fire, and he immediate spilled the flaming polish onto his crotch (we were wearing PT shorts at the time). With no music to listen to, and no tv to watch, it was the most entertainment we had had in weeks. Of all the ways to get hurt in the Army, getting second degree burns on your penis from flaming shoe polish is among the least likely.

I still polish my shoes the same way, and polishing them still relaxes me. I can still get a glassy shine. I use inexpensive Kiwi polish, nothing shines better.

 

[Rotflmao]

Polishing shoes was something I learned in the Army. Before then, I never owned a pair of dress shoes or nice boots.

I would sit with my friends on the steps to the barracks, shooting the breeze while getting our boots and shoes polished up for the next day, it was one of the few times we could relax. Doing the job properly meant cleaning off the boots or shoes so you had a good surface to polish. A coat of polish is applied and brushed off, then tiny amounts of polish are applied with a damp cotton cloth, slowly building up a glassy shine. To get the best shine, you needed just the right amount of moisture, and just the right amount of polish, and a lot of time. The old Army-issue t-shirts made of pure cotton worked best, the newer synthetic material would not give a shine.

One day as we were polishing our shoes, a private used a lighter to heat up the polish so it would wipe on easier. The polish caught on fire, and he immediate spilled the flaming polish onto his crotch (we were wearing PT shorts at the time). With no music to listen to, and no tv to watch, it was the most entertainment we had had in weeks. Of all the ways to get hurt in the Army, getting second degree burns on your penis from flaming shoe polish is among the least likely.

I still polish my shoes the same way, and polishing them still relaxes me. I can still get a glassy shine. I use inexpensive Kiwi polish, nothing shines better.

Is it wrong that I chuckled at this. I feel bad for the guy but....

 

[August West]

Is it wrong that I chuckled at this. I feel bad for the guy but....

I wonder what nickname his comrades bestowed upon him.