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cbfn

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Patrick_b: Awesome shine on those R.M.'s, but how are they when you actually start walking in them - they must crease like hell? I would love to make a mirro shine like that, but I know that if I do they will never be used.
 

alexSF

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My products:

IMG_2477-1.jpg
 
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patrick_b

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God damn, son. Thats without a buffing? Just horsehair?


I found that the microfiber cloths found in the auto parts section of walmart or kmart work wonders for buffing. I posted this earlier in the thread for reference:

I got to thinking about Gdot's comment and wondered if there may be something I'm doing differently than the tutorials I see online. The RMW boots took 2-3 coats of wax.
When I originally started polishing my shoes, I would simply apply a coat of wax until it hazed up and let it dry for a few minutes before brushing and buffing with a clean, dry cloth. The difference today is that I continue rubbing in the polish for several minutes before brushing. The polishing cloth will dry up and the toe starts to develop a shine before brushing & buffing.
To start, I apply a drop or two of water onto a clean section of cloth (strip of old cotton undershirt), dip the damp section of polishing cloth into the tin of kiwi wax then apply the polish to the shoe in small circles. I continue to apply the small circles with the same section of cloth for several (5+) minutes without adding more wax. By the 3-4 minute mark, the cloth is no longer damp and there's very little wax polish left on the cloth. Again, the leather starts to develop a dull shine.
I'll then take a clean section of cloth and start the process again (before brushing), i.e., dampen with a drop or two of water and apply a second coat of wax and continue polishing in small circles until there's virtually no moisture or wax left on the cloth. Note, I still have not brushed or buffed yet. I probably get 3 coats after 15-20 minutes (before touching a brush to the shoe). At that point, I let the polish dry for a minute or two (if necessary), then brush with horsehair brush and buff & polish with the microfiber cloth. Depending on how it looks at that point, I may start applying more layers or leave it as is.
I found this youtube video referring to "bulling" a shoe which is pretty close to what I'm doing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDF18Ob8bhc
 

patrick_b

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Patrick_b: Awesome shine on those R.M.'s, but how are they when you actually start walking in them - they must crease like hell? I would love to make a mirro shine like that, but I know that if I do they will never be used.


They certainly do crease but if you are careful when applying the polish to the toe, you can avoid getting excess polish into the creases so it doesn't look bad. The worst part is getting small scuffs on the toes...they stand out flashing red beacon.
 

Liquidus

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They certainly do crease but if you are careful when applying the polish to the toe, you can avoid getting excess polish into the creases so it doesn't look bad. The worst part is getting small scuffs on the toes...they stand out flashing red beacon.


I thought polish was supposed to protect the shoe against scuffs to some degree.
 

Naka

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They certainly do crease but if you are careful when applying the polish to the toe, you can avoid getting excess polish into the creases so it doesn't look bad. The worst part is getting small scuffs on the toes...they stand out flashing red beacon.


I thought polish was supposed to protect the shoe against scuffs to some degree.


The wax's protective property is that it gets scuffed instead of the leather, it's simply a layer over the top.
 

swiego

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I could use some help with upkeep of the below boots, which I had posted a month or two ago in the shoe Appreciation thread.

They are RLPL boots, made in Italy, leather upper and insole, rubber bottoms. The uppers have quite a shine to them. As you can see from the almost-new photos, there is some significant darkening/antique look at the toes. The buckle and edges of the uppers also tend to be darker. The rest is a rather attractive wood color.

So far I've only worn them a few times in good weather, indoors or light outdoors only, because I don't know how to care for them. I am afraid to use a color cream, polish or wax for fear of changing the color, particularly since different bits have different colors. I am unsure whether there is such a thing as clear/transparent nourishments and protectants for leather shoes. These shoes were not cheap, so I'd like to do what I can to keep them looking good for years to come.

Thoughts?

Feel free to click the pictures for much higher resolution shots.





Edit - the forum viewer only enlarges to the size of the monitor, argh! Here are direct links:
one
two
three
 
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guyver00

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Awesome, after reading through this thread, I'm starting to wax my JL Russell with Kiwi wax. Definitely getting more compliments than usual.

One question though, how do you apply conditioner in the toe region? The wax forms a barrier so it doesn't seem like the conditioner can reach the leather, and at the same time the toe box isn't going to be bend or flexed, so getting the leather soft isn't a big issue, unlike the vamp.
 

patrickBOOTH

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Awesome, after reading through this thread, I'm starting to wax my JL Russell with Kiwi wax. Definitely getting more compliments than usual.
One question though, how do you apply conditioner in the toe region? The wax forms a barrier so it doesn't seem like the conditioner can reach the leather, and at the same time the toe box isn't going to be bend or flexed, so getting the leather soft isn't a big issue, unlike the vamp.


:crazy: Why would you do such a thing!!!!

You'd be surprised at how much conditioner actually does penatrate the wax and make it into the leather.

There was a pair of shoes that I refinished with dye and polished up with a mirror and to this day when I condition even over the wax I still bring up traces of the dye.
 

chogall

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crazy.gif
Why would you do such a thing!!!!
You'd be surprised at how much conditioner actually does penatrate the wax and make it into the leather.
There was a pair of shoes that I refinished with dye and polished up with a mirror and to this day when I condition even over the wax I still bring up traces of the dye.

At least its not Parade Gloss. Kiwi wax is not that bad.
 

Liquidus

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If I don't need to fix any scuff marks on the shoe, is using both a "cleaner/conditioner" like Saphir Renovateur or Crema Nubiana AND a Saphir cream redundant? If so, does that mean that creams should be reserved for fixing scuffs and restoring color, while cleaner/conditioners should be used as part of the normal maintenance regimen?


Quoting my old post in hopes of an answer.
 

Lear

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Reading Patrick Booth's post got me thinking. It's clear that Lear has motivated many of us to up the ante on their polishing techniques.
I wonder if Lear's father uttered to himself when he was just a lad, "My son could be Prime Minister one day...or...one day my son may achieve a true mirror shine on a pair of whole cut Australian dress boots thereby inspiring hundreds...nay, thousands of Style Forum shoe enthusiasts from Birmingham to Boston (or London to Los Angeles) to do the same... :)
And this is how far I've come...


:D

I was motivated by good suits let down by poorly kept shoes. The 'voice' came to me some two years ago now - rather like Field of Dreams, but without the cornfields or baseball - while sitting outside Costa Coffee, Victoria station. What I saw that day can never be erased from my mind. I still have flashbacks.

I've forgotten, are those RM's veal of yearling? They really do look great.

I have to remember that this thread isn't exclusively about mirror polishing - my favourite part of shoe care. Strangely, I'm now beginning to appreciate the understated luxury of suede :nodding:

Also, I see shoe care tips and questions spread all over the forum, with new threads being started daily. Keeping everything under this one roof makes more sense. Maybe the Mods could shift everything here. Makes searching so much easier, on what is after all a very specific topic.

Lear
 

coffeecupman

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It strikes me that if a boot was to be mirror shined, even though, as PatrickBooth says, conditioner will still penetrate the wax barrier...

...wouldn't the conditioner enter the leather more effectively from the inside of the shoe?

Assuming of course there wasn't any lining creating a barrier against this, and the inside surface of the leather was smooth enough to allow spreading of a renovating cream.

Anybody tried this?

ccm
 

patrickBOOTH

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Most good quality shoes are lined, unless it is in their design not to be as in some venetian loafers and such. Some are linen lined. In any event, I do once in a blue moon condition the lining of my shoes. I remember DWFII saying once upon a time in regards to the question of conditioning the inside of shoes, "Now and then all leather could use conditioning". I did have a pair of Loake chelsea boots in college that were only lined in the heel for some reason. I didn't know anything about shoe care then and used plastic trees. Whenever I would pull them out they would have moisture droplets on them. The plastic trees were just trapping foot moisture against the inside of the vamp, which had no lining. Sure enough they began cracking from the inside out and rotted right through. I am sure conditioner would have helped, but also wooden trees.

Tell this story to anybody who says cedar trees don't absorb moisture.
 
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