**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.** - Page 11

photo-4 by sinnedk, on Flickr so i've had these shoes since November of 2010 and i dont like how the creases are looking. Any tips? I have mostly conditioned these w/saphir but want the creases too look better

Ideas? Anyone?

Over the years I have done a lot of different things in order to protect and shine my shoes. Some of those things was rather complex in order to keep my leather shoes supple and maintain a brilliant shine. Using much of Lear's (not the ugly one) advice I used to maintain a mirror shine on the top caps and heel quarters, however as my collection has expanded my time for the obsessive art has greatly diminished. I have begun using a ritual that I feel is pretty foolproof, yet yeilds an excellent result.

I start, by just buffing the shoe to get the dust off with an old cotton tee shirt and I Saphir Renovateur, the whole damn thing. I let it sit a few minutes and then I lightly buff with the cotton shirt again. I then use Saphir wax on the toe in repeated small swirls and work back towards the vamp. Doing this puts most of the wax on the toe and only the remnants end up on the vamp. This is crucial so you don't get build up in the creases. I am also aware of some people saying that wax polish dries out leather, but with Saphir I have found that it doesn't ever really dry out like kiwi and some others do, it stays gunky and maliable. I then add some wax to the heel counters and work towards the center of the shoe once again. After the whole shoe has this thin layer of wax let it dry and buff fast, yet lightly with a horsehair brush. Many people stop here, however I feel in order to bring out a really nice glow and remove excess wax it is a good idea to let the shoe dry with its shine for a bit, say 10 minutes, then apply another light coat of Saphir Renovateur, let sit and buff with the same horsehair brush in the same manner. For some reason this last application of renovateur seems to bring out a better glow then if you hadn't used it. I think the renovateur really smoothes out the finish and helps the wax penetrate into the pores more. Anyway, I feel that this ritual is a great alternative to the labor intensive and highly sought after mirror shine.

This finish I feel lasts a long time as well. After each wearing I just give the shoes a good brush with the horsehair and they clean up very well. Every now and again a light coat on renovateur seems to bring out the shine and nourish the leather. It also helps to gradually pick up the old polish while conditioning as to not create any build-up. If I do this I will apply the renovateur right as I take off my shoes and put in the trees. Since the leather is still warm from my feet the reno penetrates better and picks up some of the loosened polish.

Just thought that I would share. Best of luck.

Very useful information. Do you ever strip off your wax with Saphir Renomat or something similar?

Do you guys think these Park Avenues are salvegeable/repairable? I don't own them but if they can be saved, I was thinking about picking them up.

I feel like if you stick to Saphir products and follow what I wrote above you won't really have to.

The finish definitely can be made to look a lot nicer, almost brande new, my only fear would be the lack of shoe trees used. Those creases might be there to stay and have caused lasting damage that might result in premature cracking.

Help! I am trying to polish up a pair of black C&J Hallam's - it seems that on the toe cap, there are two small spots (say 1cm in diameter) that just wont polish up, they just stay mat (I am using Saphir cream).

IMG_0600.JPG 1785k .JPG file

This is what I am starting at (shoes are around 2 weeks old) and with a lot of help from Lear I am going to start going for a mirror shine.

I hope this goes well!!

Question: What do I do to maintain ponyhair?

Just brush it. You will get bald spots eventually.

Does anyone here waterproof their AEs? I just got my first pair of AEs in the walnut strand and was looking at what I should do before first wear (Have never polished shoes in my life...I know sad). From this forum, I picked up that the steps before first wear are:

1) clean with cloth
2) apply conditioner cleaner to cloth and clean again
3) apply AE waltnut polish
4) use a dauber to get out polish in the perforation pores
5) wipe with cloth
6) go over with horsehair brush
7) Wipe again
8) Apply Heel and sole edge dressing (let dry)
9) Spray on waterproof

I think my steps 1-8 are correct...but I am confused about #9. People here say waterproofing is important, but AE's youtube channel says to not waterproof because it hurts the leather: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erpeBe_pN_g

But then AE offers a waterproof spray themselves! http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/product_6524033_1_40000000001_-1?top_category=216

Are my steps 1-8 correct? And is it just better to not apply a waterproof spray?

- confused :-(

I agree with everything Patrick Booth has to say about Renovator. It's the Swiss army knife of shoe care products and useful for: blending previous coats, re-energizing a tired looking surface, softening the leather and imparting a subtle sheen. I use it often, even under the mirror shine. However, unlike Patrick Booth, I always leave overnight to dry. Also, don't try to buff Reno with a fluffy cloth, as bits of lint will grab and stick. Plain old cotton rag works best here.

Lear

I'm no expert, but I believe the general consensus is not to waterproof shoes. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anyone on SF recommend it.

Also, the Strand has a leather soles - wet leather soles will wear out many times faster than dry leather soles. So I try to wear leather soles on dry days and rubber soles (or beaters) on rainy days.

Recently via Twitter Ron Rider twatted that he had dinner with the Saphir director a few nights ago and he "had no idea so much technology went into shoe polishes". I would like to see him elaborate on this statement especially since he has revealed so much about Saphir products already. I am curious what new info he got out of him. Below are a few quotes from Ron's website regarding different Saphir products, which is an addition to the years old shoe care write-up that he did that appears in this thread already, (which I also nominate to go into the "Articles - Instructional section on this forum along with Lear's "Way of the Mirror"):

On Saphir en generale: " I get alot of questions regarding the make-up of the Medaille D’Or products and why they are better than others on the market. I’ll leave the question of ‘better’ for others to decide, but the main difference between Saphir MDO and XXXX is the lack of additives, resins and silicone which can be harmful to leather. They help get a ‘fast’ shine….but are generally not ideal, in our opinion. More importantly, however, is what we add – not subtract. The use of natural ingredients including turpentine, beeswax, carnuba wax, vegetable oils, ox-foot oil, lanolin and mink oil makes for superior conditioning and glossing products that enhance, not cover, the best leathers."

On Saphir wax polish: "Formulated for ‘glacage’ finishing, this wax is beeswax and turpentine based, with 7 different additional nutrient waxes, including carnuba. The pigments have been selected for their brilliance, tranparency, and clarity. Can be combined to develop a unique patina on high quality leathers."

On Saphir cream polishes: "The original product of Saphir, this ‘Gold Medal’ cream is turpentine and beeswax based with a complex formula that includes numerous vegetable oils, oxfoot oils, and penetrating pigment that will clean, seal, color and re-nourish fine leathers."

On Saphir Renovateur: "This is the product that sold me on Saphir MDO in the first place, and continues to be a product that we have a hard time keeping in stock. I started using this in my re-finishing shop and found it to be exceptional for cleaning, conditioning, smoothing, removing loose pigment, polishing…..everything I was looking for in a simple, single product to finish off my work. Have never looked for another – it’s fantastic. As far as I can tell, it takes the same formula as the Creme 1925, removes the pigment and adds a good deal of Mink Oil. A little goes a LONG way and I suggest it to be used alone as a routine maintenance product as well as between coats of cream/wax as a cleaner and conditioner. They won’t give me the formula – as they shouldn’t – but nevermind….it’s the best all-purpose product I have ever used. Also, as I was told just this morning, there is one ingredient that is very difficult to find and production was stopped in France on the Renovateur until this ingredient (the oxfoot oil?? Arnault??)"