Shoe Shining Disorder. What Have I Done!

[beginish]

I’m suitably inspired to give the shoes a good clean and polish. I have not worn my shoes more than 10x in the last nearly 4 years, and being a fully remote worker at this point, I don’t see that changing much. We don’t wear street shoes in the house.

Still, the shoes could all use a good leather treatment and polish before going into the flannel bags. My Alden shell PTB’s in color 8 are probably the most amenable to regular wear with jeans, and they need to be resoled. Maybe I’ll get that done while I’m at it since I’m not in a hurry to get them back if I send them in to Alden.

 

[johnniegold]

@YHWH

I see you found your way here.

 

[johnniegold]

Using a deer bone and a sleeking bone, I wanted to try and remove the dreaded water spots from a pair of Alden cigar shell Cordovan PTBs.

First, they were brushed off, then some Renovateur is applied and then I use the deer bone in circular motions to really try and get the leather conditioned. I also use the sleeking bone (and the deer bone) to smooth out the creases.

After brushing them off, they get a light application of wax, brushed off and then another light application of polish.

I go over them with a linen cloth to remove any excess polish and then a once over with a chamois.

A final brush with a goat hair brush and shoe trees back in and all done.

Shoe on the left is done.

Finished.

The LHS loafers got the same treatment yesterday to remove some watermarks.

 

[Dogrescuer]

We should list the shoes we are polishing and the music we are listening to.

Shoe: J&M Captoe from the Estate Collection
Music: Nefertiti - Miles Davis
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We should list the shoes we are polishing and the music we are listening to.

Perhaps the whiskey we're sipping?

 

[johnniegold]

Perhaps the whiskey we're sipping?

Fine by me.

 

[Dogrescuer]

What's everyone's go to polish/ wax? I just recently discovered Saphir products ( newbie)

 

[AimlessWanderer]

What's everyone's go to polish/ wax? I just recently discovered Saphir products ( newbie)

Honestly... I have no idea without digging the box out, which shows just how much I value individual brands

 

[Dogrescuer]

 

[Dogrescuer]

ladies hose work well) to bring out a high luster
I heard this a while ago.

 

[johnniegold]

Worked on both of these again today just using the bones and chamois.

I literally sit there for hours while watching some college hoops going over them with the bones and just wiping them over and over with the chamois while Mrs. Gold just gives me “the look”.

Mrs. Gold:

Johnniegold: “What? Would you rather I took drugs?”

She’s still adorable.

 

[Dogrescuer]

going over them with the bones

What are these?

just wiping them over and over with the chamois

So you feel that one of these is superior to using just a old t-shirt?

 

[johnniegold]

What are these?

So you feel that one of these is superior to using just a old t-shirt?

The deer bone and the sleeking bone can be used on shell cordovan leather to smooth the creases while the sleeking bone is good for removing small scratches or nicks in the leather.

The chamois, imo, will yield a higher shine than an old t-shirt.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Potter and Sons has a sale on Saphir products, but I am not sure how long it is going on, or if it has ended.

 

[johnniegold]

To allow these shoes…

to be in this condition…

Is clearly…

To make amends, every night, I’ve been going over these shoes with a fine chamois.

 

[m949]

This is a shoe polishing box and some brushes and polishing cloths I bought over the years.

At the moment I only use the Tapir leather balm. I would start with the large black goat hair brush to dust any debris off. After that, I use a small brush to load the Tapir leather balm; both shoes get a coat of the stuff; it's quite sticky though. The shoes then rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime I prepare a bowl of water with a dash of white vinegar in it. I use the white goat hair brush dipped in the vinegar water to apply to the shoes. I do that with a small corner of the brush.

The shoes rest another 15 minutes to dry. Once dry, the same brush (only the dry part of it) is used to polish them to a nice shine.
The SELVYT polishing cloth doesn't work here, because the shoes are still sticky from the leather balm and small fibers would attach to the shoes.

It takes about 45 minutes to polish a pair of shoes this way; no other polishing product is required. The shoes will hold their shine several weeks; they only need to be dusted from time to time.
The Tapir leather balm will last for years, because only small amounts are needed. The above procedure is according to the recommendations by Tapir on how to use this product.

 

[Rudy Vey]

View attachment 1766275
This is a shoe polishing box and some brushes and polishing cloths I bought over the years.

At the moment I only use the Tapir leather balm. I would start with the large black goat hair brush to dust any debris off. After that, I use a small brush to load the Tapir leather balm; both shoes get a coat of the stuff; it's quite sticky though. The shoes then rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime I prepare a bowl of water with a dash of white vinegar in it. I use the white goat hair brush dipped in the vinegar water to apply to the shoes. I do that with a small corner of the brush.

The shoes rest another 15 minutes to dry. Once dry, the same brush (only the dry part of it) is used to polish them to a nice shine.
The SELVYT polishing cloth doesn't work here, because the shoes are still sticky from the leather balm and small fibers would attach to the shoes.

It takes about 45 minutes to polish a pair of shoes this way; no other polishing product is required. The shoes will hold their shine several weeks; they only need to be dusted from time to time.
The Tapir leather balm will last for years, because only small amounts are needed. The above procedure is according to the recommendations by Tapir on how to use this product.

Interesting, never heard about Tapir Lederbalsam, I use Effax Lederbalsam, but not on shoes.

 

[m949]

Interesting, never heard about Tapir Lederbalsam, I use Effax Lederbalsam, but not on shoes.

Tapir Leather balm is like a triple milled hard shaving soap puck; it lasts a very long time, and a little goes a long way.

It is specifically formulated for leather shoes and provides some water repellence. It takes a bit more work than with a traditional polish but the long lasting shine makes up for it. The ingredients are all natural waxes including bees wax, shellac wax and sugar cane wax.
I can highly recommend this balm; it's a good investment at a fair price point and a can of this stuff will last years. If you can find it at your location give it a try, your leather shoes will thank you for it.

 

[Dogrescuer]

This is a shoe polishing box and some brushes and polishing cloths I bought over the years.

Beautiful, where might a amateur shine addict purchase a box like this?

polishing cloths

What material for you makes the best polishing cloth?

black goat hair brush

So you prefer goat over horse hair, why?

I only use the Tapir leather balm

I just graduated up to the Saphir line, and content " for now ". Again I'm a beginner compared to some of you .

 

[m949]

Beautiful, where might a amateur shine addict purchase a box like this?

What material for you makes the best polishing cloth?

So you prefer goat over horse hair, why?

I just graduated up to the Saphir line, and content " for now ". Again I'm a beginner compared to some of you .

I purchased the box in China, it was available with print or without and I took without print on the cover. You can find beautiful shoeshine boxes made of cedar wood on your trusted e-commerce platform.

I purchased the brushes and cloths in Germany. The brushes are made in Sweden by Iris Hantverk; I do like their softness. They are quite suitable for polishing. The two small application brushes you see at the bottom are actually from Saphir; I believe they are horse hair as they are quite coarse. I believe goat hair is milder to the leather for polishing whereas application brushes can be a bit coarser, especially if you need to apply something sticky like this Tapir balm.

I think that Saphir are outstanding products and you won't need much more.I may give them a whirl once I have finished the Tapir.

The polishing clothes are made in England by Selvynt. They are textile cloths but produce similar results as Chamois. They are washable in the washing machine. I have one pair of shoes where my procedure won't work as they are made of Yak leather. For this pair I use the Selvynt cloth and colorless shoe polish.

 

[Dogrescuer]