I like to add a little bit of a darker brown to a scuff than the actual shoe color to create a "patina like" effect.
Shoe Shine Kit?
- Thread starter lamontqsanford
- Start date
You may be able to piece a kit together cheaper.
I keep everything in a shoe box. A good brush and some soft rags. I think the brushes are horse hair.
I don't know if shoe polish goes bad over time, some of the old ones look kind of cracked. I tried liquid polish but didn't like it; the glass bottle with the red top is 'shinola', I don't know where i got that...
I keep everything in a shoe box. A good brush and some soft rags. I think the brushes are horse hair.
I don't know if shoe polish goes bad over time, some of the old ones look kind of cracked. I tried liquid polish but didn't like it; the glass bottle with the red top is 'shinola', I don't know where i got that...
I would say the following...
1. Kiwi Black
2. Kiwi Neutral
3. a lighter
4. 100% Cotton T-Shirt
5. Spit!
1. Kiwi Black
2. Kiwi Neutral
3. a lighter
4. 100% Cotton T-Shirt
5. Spit!
Let me see if I can make some sense here tonight...
Shoe Shine Kits...
I believe that you need at least to polish Leather Dress shoes..
2 Brushes
1 Detail Brush
2 to 4 Shine cloths
2 to 4 terry cloth towels
2 to 4 polish daubers
Leather conditioner
Polish for each color shoes you have
Water bottler/sprayer
Flat box to put it in....
Thats it...
We have had some great ideas and choices for you here...
First don't get sucked into buying the "shoeshine box" unless you go to a goodwill storre and pick one up for a about 5 to 10 bucks....they don't fit under the bed or stack nicely in the closet...
A flat plastic storage container box is fine...something big enough to hold the above stuff with a little room to grow...you know for SSAD....
if you are creative you may find other solutions that even a wife would love, like a bamboo container (or whatever) As a word of caution here, if you have anything that could possibly leak, but you a plastic container with a lid...it will make your spouse happier.
SHOE SHINE BRUSHES:
You can buy the Star brand anywhere...there are better brushes, if you can find a vintage brush from the 50 or 60's, that is packed in horse hair...buy it....good luck because I have been trying to find the good ones for years...
I understand that the "Diplomat" brand is suppose to be pretty good. I do not have one so I can not talk about it. There are two sizes, too. Regular and Jumbo...(I like the bigger brush..personal choice). I do have Frank's brushes. They are regular size and pretty packed with nice soft horse hair. I really like these but they are the pricest of them all. (30 bucks a brush)
I know there are others out there. I have seen some Fuller brands out there...I have no idea about them.
DETAIL BRUSH
These are getting harder to find, they are now known as car detailing or silver polishes brushes because they will not scratch your items. Buy two if shipping is high. You will use this in the welt of your sole to remove dirt and dust from that area. I have worn out many of these when i was shining shoes, because they are so soft. Plastic toothbrushes can be too hard and put tiny little scratched in the sides of your shoes, so if that is what you have, just be very careful going around the welt.
SHINE CLOTHS
Why up to 4 cloths? one for each...Black, Brown, Cordovan, and Tan...if you have other colors like blue or red, then keep a separate cloth for those too. I don't like to shine a tan shoe with a black cloth..doh !!!
There is a fuzzy side and a smooth side...label them with the color, so you don't forget and your kid doesn't screw up.
Buy the bigger ones..you'll know when you shop around.
TERRY CLOTH TOWELS
Just have some for general wiping off shoes, hands applying conditioner and SPILLS !!! I love white, even though they are going to get destroyed, just buy some cheap ones, or get some hand me downs...
SHOE POLISH DAUBERS
4 ??? Like the above example, one for each main color. Label these too. These are usually made of horse hair and by Star. Some of you want to use a old tee shirt and rub your polish on...go ahead...I will use these...and still put on a very thin coat of polish/wax on the shoe too. I know Saphir makes some daubers, but they have to be a high priced and for what ??? They are shoe daubers, these aren;t shaving brushes...
LEATHER CONDITIONER
Probably the most important item in the box that is the most underused and neglected step in shoe care. Most of us focus on the "shine." But the conditioner will turn your leather investment into leather dividends with long term gains in durability...wow that was rather witty wasn't it?
What brand ??? I don;t care....Fiebings 4 in 1, Saphir, Luxor...these are all good..Saphir is probably the best, but lets stick to what you need and we can debate the "brands" of all these products later...kind of like Trumpers VS Taylors...
POLISH
You need one color of each plus one "nuetral."
Wax or Creme? My opinion...wax...then add cremes.
Brands....I told you we can debate this later...Kiwi, Kellys (made by Fiebings), Saphir...these are all good to great and they offer a wide range of colors and are very available online...they are more than this too...Tarrnago, Angelus, and more....almost like shave soaps/creams...
the statement about the tan shoes are correct...there are a lot of shades, shine tan shoes with a lighter color first...
BTW..I know alot of brands have thier "own" polish alot of these are just repackaged versions of the above. AE gets alot of thier stuff from Fiebings.
WATER BOTTLE WITH SPRAYER
Is this too hard to figure out? this isn't rocket science folks, just shining shoes...actually you spray your face when your wife walks in, so she thinks that you are really working hard...LOL
I will mist some water for a brushing or when I shine with my rag for a higher gloss shine. Or if they are extremely dirty to remove the dirt. If the are that dirty, hold them over the sink, sso the SWMBO doesn't come unglued.
Nuff said.
FLAT BOX
I opened up with a statement about buying a shoe shine box...meh... why ?
A flat box can be so much handier and you don;t have to dig for stuff... I might some day ask one of the guys I know that has a wood working shop to build me a box like the Saphir one...you could too...call the shop teacher at you local high school and let a student make you one, ask the cabinet makers son to build you one...
So there you have it, some ideas on the basic box....but what did I leave out?
SOLE EDGE DRESSING
Black and Brown...I prefer Fiebings with the dauber to make it real easy to apply. (fiebings makes the AE brand...see I told you so)
SHOE SHINE MAT
Where do you shine your shoes??? On your carpet??? OMG, your SWMBO is going to have a cow. When you search on the net, you will find a leather pad for a high dollar price...plus you can get a leather apron....and you thought wetshaving was hard on your pocket...
What about newspapers? Yeah that would work, but we are wetshavers, do you think we could use mere newspapers...huh...I think a nice rubber back mat would be nice. something nice that you could put on the counter or floor..that would work...
WHAT ELSE AM I MISSING ???
CHECK THIS WEBSITE OUT.I am not endorsing this website, because I have never done business with him, but I have spoken with him about his brushes. For a pretty complete array of shoe shine equipment, it is all here but the "detail brushes"...You will find eveything you need to look at here and then shop around if you like online or around your town.
Here is a tip, you see the brushes he offers...do you see the "professional" and the "executive" brushes that he offers....do you want to know the diifferences between them....the color of the handle...that is all, so if you want to pay more for a dark colored handle....go ahead...(these are not the "diplomat" brushes I spoke of earlier...I forgot to ask) I would love to find out about these brushes because, I like the way he saves you a buck or two when you order both colors along with the shoe daubers.
But anyway....like any other AD...I will be filling you in on other stuff that I find and tell you what I think...
Hope this helps...
Mark the Shoeshine Boy
Shoe Shine Kits...
I believe that you need at least to polish Leather Dress shoes..
2 Brushes
1 Detail Brush
2 to 4 Shine cloths
2 to 4 terry cloth towels
2 to 4 polish daubers
Leather conditioner
Polish for each color shoes you have
Water bottler/sprayer
Flat box to put it in....
Thats it...
We have had some great ideas and choices for you here...
First don't get sucked into buying the "shoeshine box" unless you go to a goodwill storre and pick one up for a about 5 to 10 bucks....they don't fit under the bed or stack nicely in the closet...
A flat plastic storage container box is fine...something big enough to hold the above stuff with a little room to grow...you know for SSAD....
if you are creative you may find other solutions that even a wife would love, like a bamboo container (or whatever) As a word of caution here, if you have anything that could possibly leak, but you a plastic container with a lid...it will make your spouse happier.
SHOE SHINE BRUSHES:
You can buy the Star brand anywhere...there are better brushes, if you can find a vintage brush from the 50 or 60's, that is packed in horse hair...buy it....good luck because I have been trying to find the good ones for years...
I understand that the "Diplomat" brand is suppose to be pretty good. I do not have one so I can not talk about it. There are two sizes, too. Regular and Jumbo...(I like the bigger brush..personal choice). I do have Frank's brushes. They are regular size and pretty packed with nice soft horse hair. I really like these but they are the pricest of them all. (30 bucks a brush)
I know there are others out there. I have seen some Fuller brands out there...I have no idea about them.
DETAIL BRUSH
These are getting harder to find, they are now known as car detailing or silver polishes brushes because they will not scratch your items. Buy two if shipping is high. You will use this in the welt of your sole to remove dirt and dust from that area. I have worn out many of these when i was shining shoes, because they are so soft. Plastic toothbrushes can be too hard and put tiny little scratched in the sides of your shoes, so if that is what you have, just be very careful going around the welt.
SHINE CLOTHS
Why up to 4 cloths? one for each...Black, Brown, Cordovan, and Tan...if you have other colors like blue or red, then keep a separate cloth for those too. I don't like to shine a tan shoe with a black cloth..doh !!!
There is a fuzzy side and a smooth side...label them with the color, so you don't forget and your kid doesn't screw up.
Buy the bigger ones..you'll know when you shop around.
TERRY CLOTH TOWELS
Just have some for general wiping off shoes, hands applying conditioner and SPILLS !!! I love white, even though they are going to get destroyed, just buy some cheap ones, or get some hand me downs...
SHOE POLISH DAUBERS
4 ??? Like the above example, one for each main color. Label these too. These are usually made of horse hair and by Star. Some of you want to use a old tee shirt and rub your polish on...go ahead...I will use these...and still put on a very thin coat of polish/wax on the shoe too. I know Saphir makes some daubers, but they have to be a high priced and for what ??? They are shoe daubers, these aren;t shaving brushes...
LEATHER CONDITIONER
Probably the most important item in the box that is the most underused and neglected step in shoe care. Most of us focus on the "shine." But the conditioner will turn your leather investment into leather dividends with long term gains in durability...wow that was rather witty wasn't it?
What brand ??? I don;t care....Fiebings 4 in 1, Saphir, Luxor...these are all good..Saphir is probably the best, but lets stick to what you need and we can debate the "brands" of all these products later...kind of like Trumpers VS Taylors...
POLISH
You need one color of each plus one "nuetral."
Wax or Creme? My opinion...wax...then add cremes.
Brands....I told you we can debate this later...Kiwi, Kellys (made by Fiebings), Saphir...these are all good to great and they offer a wide range of colors and are very available online...they are more than this too...Tarrnago, Angelus, and more....almost like shave soaps/creams...
the statement about the tan shoes are correct...there are a lot of shades, shine tan shoes with a lighter color first...
BTW..I know alot of brands have thier "own" polish alot of these are just repackaged versions of the above. AE gets alot of thier stuff from Fiebings.
WATER BOTTLE WITH SPRAYER
Is this too hard to figure out? this isn't rocket science folks, just shining shoes...actually you spray your face when your wife walks in, so she thinks that you are really working hard...LOL
I will mist some water for a brushing or when I shine with my rag for a higher gloss shine. Or if they are extremely dirty to remove the dirt. If the are that dirty, hold them over the sink, sso the SWMBO doesn't come unglued.
Nuff said.
FLAT BOX
I opened up with a statement about buying a shoe shine box...meh... why ?
A flat box can be so much handier and you don;t have to dig for stuff... I might some day ask one of the guys I know that has a wood working shop to build me a box like the Saphir one...you could too...call the shop teacher at you local high school and let a student make you one, ask the cabinet makers son to build you one...
So there you have it, some ideas on the basic box....but what did I leave out?
SOLE EDGE DRESSING
Black and Brown...I prefer Fiebings with the dauber to make it real easy to apply. (fiebings makes the AE brand...see I told you so)
SHOE SHINE MAT
Where do you shine your shoes??? On your carpet??? OMG, your SWMBO is going to have a cow. When you search on the net, you will find a leather pad for a high dollar price...plus you can get a leather apron....and you thought wetshaving was hard on your pocket...
What about newspapers? Yeah that would work, but we are wetshavers, do you think we could use mere newspapers...huh...I think a nice rubber back mat would be nice. something nice that you could put on the counter or floor..that would work...
WHAT ELSE AM I MISSING ???
CHECK THIS WEBSITE OUT.I am not endorsing this website, because I have never done business with him, but I have spoken with him about his brushes. For a pretty complete array of shoe shine equipment, it is all here but the "detail brushes"...You will find eveything you need to look at here and then shop around if you like online or around your town.
Here is a tip, you see the brushes he offers...do you see the "professional" and the "executive" brushes that he offers....do you want to know the diifferences between them....the color of the handle...that is all, so if you want to pay more for a dark colored handle....go ahead...(these are not the "diplomat" brushes I spoke of earlier...I forgot to ask) I would love to find out about these brushes because, I like the way he saves you a buck or two when you order both colors along with the shoe daubers.
But anyway....like any other AD...I will be filling you in on other stuff that I find and tell you what I think...
Hope this helps...
Mark the Shoeshine Boy
BTW...You know if you wet shave, wear a hat, and shine your shoes, you will be in the upper 10 percentile of the best groomed men in the world...
Wow, that's a great list Mark, and very helpful as I need to rebuild my kit which is largely cluttered with old product that needs replacing. Thanks!
I would like to add one thing that you left out, but I find it very helpful. A tin of saddle soap, and an old shaving brush! Use the brush to apply the saddle soap, then wipe off with a terrycloth rag. I learned this trick from a bootblack, and it works VERY well to prep shoes before shining.
Halfway by gizmometer, on Flickr
I would like to add one thing that you left out, but I find it very helpful. A tin of saddle soap, and an old shaving brush! Use the brush to apply the saddle soap, then wipe off with a terrycloth rag. I learned this trick from a bootblack, and it works VERY well to prep shoes before shining.
Halfway by gizmometer, on Flickr
BTW...You know if you wet shave, wear a hat, and shine your shoes, you will be in the upper 10 percentile of the best groomed men in the world...
Now I've been told . . . I need a hat. I'm not sure how that fits into my life.
Mike
BTW...You know if you wet shave, wear a hat, and shine your shoes, you will be in the upper 10 percentile of the best groomed men in the world...
You know I might agree with that except I think you're leaving out press your shirts, which is one thing I don't do often, and it kinda ruins the whole effect.
Mink Oil is nice to have around as well. Also, toothbrushes as pictured above are good for getting into the stitching.
I think I've been a bit spoiled by Badger and Blade and the loads of tutorials, stickies and links that this site provides. I have been shining my boots for some time, but still unsure as to whther I am doing it properly.
For instance, my job requires me to wear safety shoes, but also requires me to attend office meetings. Therefore I've chosen some black Redwings with a front face that looks sort of like a business shoe, at least the part that shows from under my casual dress pants.
These boots do get beat up, and have cuts along the front and sides. When I shine em up, the polish fills in the grooves and gets smoothed over when I do the shine.
Is this the way I should be doing it? Or is there some other product for this, (like a wax??) ?
For instance, my job requires me to wear safety shoes, but also requires me to attend office meetings. Therefore I've chosen some black Redwings with a front face that looks sort of like a business shoe, at least the part that shows from under my casual dress pants.
These boots do get beat up, and have cuts along the front and sides. When I shine em up, the polish fills in the grooves and gets smoothed over when I do the shine.
Is this the way I should be doing it? Or is there some other product for this, (like a wax??) ?
Nother pic from my friend Toby of his boots in the process of being saddle soaped.
Soapin' by gizmometer, on Flickr
Figgered folks here would appreciate a gratuitous lather shot.
Soapin' by gizmometer, on Flickr
Figgered folks here would appreciate a gratuitous lather shot.
Dude, you rock!
Many thanks, Mark!!
Let me see if I can make some sense here tonight...
... if you can find a vintage brush from the 50 or 60's, that is packed in horse hair...buy it....good luck because I have been trying to find the good ones for years...
My Dad has one that may well have come from HIS father ... given that my Dad doesn't really wear dress shoes anymore, and has a penchant for tossing out old stuff, I've got to remember to ask him to save it for me if he ever decides to toss it.
... Plastic toothbrushes can be too hard and put tiny little scratched in the sides of your shoes, so if that is what you have, just be very careful going around the welt.
LEATHER CONDITIONER Probably the most important item in the box that is the most underused and neglected step in shoe care. Yes yes yes!!!
... Saphir is probably the best, but lets stick to what you need and we can debate the "brands" of all these products later...kind of like Trumpers VS Taylors...
So, does the leather conditioner work better if it has tallow in it?
Many thanks, Mark!!
Thanks Ian and to everyone else...not bad for a one eyed guy...for right now...
I will post more tonight if time permits...
mark
I will post more tonight if time permits...
mark
Those are some nice boots. What brand are they? Are they real Cordovan or dyed in some way?
Fluevog Angel Derby Swirl. The leather is dyed. I have taller ones in black and have also seen blue.
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I picked up a nice tackle box on clearance and added put the pieces from a Kiwi set in there along with a full set of polish, and Mink oil. I mink oil all my Tan or Brown boots. It makes them pretty waterpruff.
