**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.** - Page 261

^ I may be wrong, but those were probably part of the original construction, so it should not be a problem.

 

I wouldn't go that far.  If you didn't see the tread, here is the link.  It's worth reading through and is very informative.  The take-away that I ended up with is just that they may slow things down slightly, but in the end it is better to just wear, take good care, don't despair, and repair.

 

http://www.styleforum.net/t/329378/brass-nails-used-to-impede-shoe-wear

 

Part of the original construction, yes.  But the same effect will happen regardless of when they are installed.  Regardless of when they are installed, they are still potentially punching through the welt stitching and weakening the sole attachment (or worse, damaging the inseam). 

I'd hope that the people constructing such high-end shoes would not be so daft as to just blindly nail.

 

With the example of the shoes that were posted, it is most likely that the nails are just not long enough to damage the inseam.  However, since the entire toe area is coated with nails, I wouldn't be surprised of a couple of them punched the welt stitching.  That may not be any big deal though...  Any length of wear will grind off the bottom of the thread anyway (hopefully leaving the lock-stitch in tact).  With so many stitches per inch, one or two nails punching the thread isn't likely to cause any long term problems (even if the nail went into the actual needle hole and destroyed the lock stitch).  DWFII is a fantastic resource, but I have learned that he errs on the side of extreme caution with any possible "weak links" in shoe construction.  In other words, he definitely builds his shoes without ANY weak links in them, even though many of those "weak links" will rarely actually come to fruition.   

Edited by MoneyWellSpent - 2/13/13 at 8:37am

Thanks for the link. Great thread. I guess the topic (brass nails) has been discussed thoroughly

 

Nice job. Are they Loake Kemptons?

Thanks. Yes.

 

Cheers, great colour and the dainite sole is a nice feature. One more to add to collection I think.

Hi, theres alot of posts and I have read about almost 50 pages and still continuing. I have a few questions though which I hope someone can answer.

 

1) I understand that most, well alot of people purchase a horse hair brush to begin the shoe polish process. Is it necessary to have a separate brush for different colours of shoes? I guess theres nothing wrong, but what is the preference of having a separate brush for different colour shoes?

 

2) buffing and polishing brush. I think some people perform some buffing with a brush once the cream / wax has been laid. I am assuming that this is a different brush used to buff than the horsehair brush? and if so what kinda brush is used? goat hair? Is it correct to assume that the preference is to have a separate brush for each colour of polish / cream / shoe?

 

3) Does anyone know where to get saphire products in London? or is the best place to get them on the link here - hanger project? if anyone one could shout where a good stockist for shoe care products are besides to shoe company establishments themselves as they arguably charge a premium.

 

4) my final question I hope. Say you complete the process - rejuvenation, cream, wax and polish... how do you get rid of all that or do you just keep touching up the wax / polish, but over time I assume this builds up and you would need to start afresh? lso, how often / frequent do you guys do this process?

 

Thank you in advance.

Hi there, I have a few questions which I would appreciate if anyone could advise on;

1) alot of people tend to use horse hair brushes to clean to shoe. Is it common practice to have one cleaning brush for each type of coloured shoe? Or is a single brush ok?

2) some people like to buff / shine the shoe once the cream / polish has been applied? What type of brush do you use? Is it the same horse hair one that you would use to clean tw shoe in 1)?

3) where would I be able to get sapphire products in London? Or is the best place online here (hanger project ) ?

4) how often / frequent to you remove all the polish / wax and restart again? I assume that once you are happy with the polish you can just maintain it for a few weeks / month? But ultimately one would need a complete overhaul?

Thanks

To question 3: A fine pair of shoes stock saphir products. If you buy multiples of an item from Valmour you'll get a discounted rate

Nice job with the suede NOBD, they look great.

I think the problem most people have with suede is when it gets partially wet and leaves a large water mark, they think that more water will only make it worse. When really it is more like the old hangover remedy "Hair of the dog that bit you".

1) A lot of people use horsehair brushes to knock the dust off of their shoes, and perhaps bring up a shine. A soft cotton cloth (and perhaps a tooth brush or dauber brush) is typically used for actual cleaning. For knocking the dust off, a single brush is fine.

2) Yes, a standard horsehair brush would be used to brush shine your shoes (this is sometimes referred to as buffing, but I think of buffing as using a chamois or flannel cloth to raise a shine). I would not use the same brush I use to knock the dust off, but that is not critical. I would also use one brush for brown and one for black when polishing, but again not critical. Brushes do not pick up a lot of pigment from the polish, and when they do (over time) they are easy to wash out with dish soap and warm water.

3) I'm a Yank so I can't help you with sources in London.

4) How often you care for your shoes, and to what degree, is directly related to how you wear them. If you wear the same pair of shoes often, and in bad weather, then your care regiment will be more frequent. If you have a large collection of shoes, and you spend more time on your butt than on your feet (like me), then it will be less frequent.

My recommendation is to brush your shoes before and after you wear them each time. Polish your shoes with cream polish about the fourth of fifth time you wear them. Clean your shoes with a leather cleaner whenever they actually get dirty, not just dust. I usually clean my shoes whenever I get back from a trip, just because I know they have been exposed to any number of things.

As far as stripping (removing all the polish/wax): Some people think it is bad for the shoe to do it at all, others do it now and then as they feel the need. I think it is good for the shoe leather to strip all the junk off every once in a while. I would not recommend stripping a pair of shoes more often than every six months or so, but again not critical. I have shoes that I have never stripped down, and they are doing just fine. They are just shoes after all.