**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.** - Page 169

 

Wax on toes, cream everywhere else!

 

6 words?

I use polish in all my shoes and never get a mirror shine and I don't have one pair of dried shoes

yeah i think it's fine I was just saying that the degree to which soldiers shine their boots - mirror shine all over which means layers upon layers, every single day - might be a factor in why they seem to dry out and crack.

Noone cares because they're not paying for them anyway.

I understood your point, I use wax but very little and not too often so it's a very different thing.

When I was living in the Dominican Republic, the police and the military used patent shoes and boots and they were always shiny (not for combat or military exercises I guess) so I guess they were easier to shine

I have a source in a local butchers market that makes pure neatsfoot as a by product - I buy now and again for my chromexcel.

I'm sure this is not the only source, but I would agree that production of pure neatsfoot has no doubt decreased, whilst production of neatsfoot compound (i.e. neatsfoot and mineral oils) has increased.

Yeah I was definitely under the impression that the pure grade stuff was 100% animal oil (whether from the foot or not) while the compounds contained mineral oils etc.

Sometimes I use cream, sometimes polish, sometimes both, sometimes I polish the whole shoe, sometimes I just polish the toes and heals.

What can I say, I'm just wild that way.

Life on the edge being the only one worth living and all that.

NAMOR, I believe you once recommended this brush:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-PROS-USE-100-Horsehair-Shoe-Boot-Repair-Shine-Polish-Brush-Black-BRISTLES-/190618157546?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c61ba41ea#ht_2337wt_1159

Would this be enough to buff out some smudges on my shoe that I accidentally kick an object (door?) and or stubbed my toe on the ground. Very minor, essentially a small matte mark finish on an otherwise smooth finish shoe (toe).

^ yeah go for it. Ive been using mine for 2 years now without issue

 

Well I'm not sure I have the time or the inclination to produce what will resemble a compendium of your mistakes, misunderstandings & misinformation.

 

As per my previous post I do believe you have always posted in good faith, but that unfortunately you don't know as much as you think.

 

Discussion is absolutely part of learning and that's exactly what this is - hope you learn something.

 

Commercial production has diminished, but of course with a little research anyone can produce or reproduce the things of old, so long as it's legal and the raw materials are readily available.

 

The issue with mineral oils is that over time they compromise the shoe.

this is a good point of departure, imo.

pretty sure to be responsible for the one or another undeliberate misinformation hence we're hear to learn.

Just tried spit shining two of my shoes. Used an old t-shirt, coloured wax and good old spit. Spend 15 minutes on each shoe - hour total for two pairs - and I am amazed at how shiny leather can get. As pointed out in this thread earlier, be very "tight" on the spit/ water. It shouldn't take too long to get our shoes nice and shiny.

I just wanted to ask again for a definitive answer on the use of saddle soap. Is it necessary?

for what?

not my strategy.