**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.** - Page 246

Quote:

Originally Posted by glenjay 


I have used Lexol leather cleaner for a lot of years and have never had a problem with it for general cleaning. If you really want to strip all the wax off of your shoes (in the future) I would suggest RenoMat, which does not require a lot of rubbing. The chemicals in RenoMat also tend to pull some of the oils out of the leather as well, so you will want to add some leather conditioner to the shoes after using the RenoMat.

I would use Lexol leather cleaner when you want to clean your shoes and remove a few layers of wax (use before you polish the shoes for the fourth time in a row, or so). I would only strip all the way down to the finish every year or two (depending on how often you add polish to your shoes).

The damage done does not look too major, and you should be able to hid it with shoe polish. If you did in fact remove some of the factory finish, that area will tend to absorb water and oil a little more than the surrounding area, so it might darken more in that area when you apply polish, but will lighten back up as the oil soaks deeper and the excess is wiped off (and the water - if any- evaporates).

In regard to which polish is better to use to cover damage, either cream or paste work fine for slightly different reasons. Cream typically have a higher pigment ratio than paste, mainly due to the inverse wax ratio. When you polish your shoes with colored shoe polish you are just putting colored wax over the leather, the color does not go into the leather itself. Therefore the more wax you have the more color you have (think of trying to look through a number of lightly tinted windows stacked back to back). Cream polish makes up for this by using a higher pigment concentration in the mix, since it has a lower wax ratio.

I can also vouch for the effectiveness of RenoMat.  Recently used it to strip down a pair of AEs that had some weird coloring going on on the toe box (probably my first attempt at burnishing).  The RenoMat took it down to the bare leather and I was able to use Renovateur, cream and wax to make them look brand new.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucidream 

In response to the above, I would also suggest a round of brushing after the conditioning and creaming stage to remove any excess. This should be a different brush than the first that was used to remove dust and dirt.

how many different brushes does one normal use for one round of polishing? 

1) Brush to clean dirt & dust

2) Applicator brush to apply cream polish (or cloth)

3) Brush after conditioning/creaming stage

I assume brush #1 in interchangeable between shoe colors?  Brush #2 & 3 should have a specialized color?

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by niklasnordin 

If you understand swedish I can really recommend shoegazing's latest blog about shoecare.

http://shoegazingpunktse.blogspot.se/

Unfortunately, I do not understand swedish, but thanks!  I will check out the hanger project guide mention previously.

I'm still a novice, so just posting what I've learned. I would hope that you could use the same dirty brush to do the initial clean of all shoes - but there is still an innate risk that black pigment could transfer to a light brown shoe, so be aware. I would use the same brush for the rest of the process (same brush post conditioner as post cream), and have two separate brushes for black and brown. Perhaps others can comment on the overall need for two cleaning brushes to separate black and brown.

Just a heads up, I recently found Saphir shoe polish in Vancouver at a place called FortKnight.  It's in Gastown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvc44 

Does anyone have any experience with getting a good shine on BB peal cordovan cap toe boots ? Do they ever get better? Thank-you

In my experience, cordovan does not shine as well as calf.  I have seen some pictures of a nice shine on cordovan shoes, but I have not been able to replicate that using the same method I use on my calf shoes.

There is so much stuff in this thread, I don't know what to do for my shoes. I just purchased these Allen Edmonds loafers, and want to know the best way to maintain the new look and how to care for them. What are some products that I should buy? Would a cloth, AE condition, and AE polish be enough or what else should I get? Should I purchase a shoe tree, if so what is a good cheap one? How often should I be cleaning them? They are expensive so I just want to make sure I take care of them right and preserve the new look.
 

If the Saphir Reno Matt was too strong, what do you think if I would use the Saphir Saddle Soap as an alternative, or the Saphir Cleaning Soap (which is more mild than the Reno Matt)?

And how to use the Nappa leather Balm on Box calf leather shoes? Should I use it before applying Saphir Renovateur and Saphir Polish Cream?

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodlensboy 

Sorry guys, forgot that also applied wax once, High Gloss Saphir Medaille D'or

Do you mean Saphir Pate de Luxe Wax Polish?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvc44 

Does anyone have any experience with getting a good shine on BB peal cordovan cap toe boots ? Do they ever get better? Thank-you

Look up the macarthur method for shell

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvc44 

I've tried it, doesn't work with these boots. I am wondering if wax will work!thanjs

It absolutely will work, but it takes a lot of time and elbow grease.

Adding a bit of Venetian Cream or Renovateur can bring up a bit more shine, but the main thing is brushing, brushing, brushing. I also like to use the deer bone on my shell to keep the creases from setting in too much.