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Ingredients in Venetian Shoe Cream

post #1 of 61
1/28/13 at 7:09am
Thread Starter 
What's in this stuff? I have some of this stuff, it is insanely cheap. It says it is a cleaner and it polishes. It works well to build a shine, but is it a conditioner, or mostly solvents? It seems to take up a lot of finish.
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post #2 of 61
1/29/13 at 10:47am
Thread Starter 
Really? Nothing?
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post #3 of 61
3/24/13 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 
Bump.
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post #4 of 61
3/24/13 at 3:16pm
son, I think its about time that you learned the difference between shit and shinola.
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post #5 of 61
3/24/13 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
frown.gif
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post #6 of 61
3/24/13 at 3:53pm

Pat, honestly I thought it was a valid question.  It's a shame you didn't get any helpful responses...perhaps your question would find a more receptive and knowledgeable audience at this thread:

 

http://www.styleforum.net/t/228153/the-official-shoe-care-thread-tutorials-photos-etc/4300_100#post_6232753

 

Seems to be a lot of useful information passed around on that thread and I've seen VSC mentioned enough times that I'm sure someone could give you a straightforward answer.

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post #7 of 61
3/24/13 at 4:02pm
It's not that it's not a valid question, rather the answer may simply be that no one knows. I don't and I have been in the business for many years.

The companies who make these products simply don't want us to know what they put in them. I've called and talked to the makers of Lexol and Bick4 and several others and they are just not very forthcoming. Someone said in an earlier thread that most mink oil contained significant quantities of pig fat and not much mink oil. Do the companies want us to know that? Lard on our shoes? Really? How about turpentine? Benzene? Toluene? MEK? Petroleum jelly? I suspect they're all there in one product or another.

That said, I've used a lot of products over the years and even though Nick at Horween recommended Venetian Cream for cordovan, I was not overly impressed with it.

Right now I like Bick4...and for somewhat more rugged leathers, R,M. Williams.
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post #8 of 61
3/24/13 at 4:54pm

Askin the ingredients in shoe cream is akin to asking for the ingredients in coca cola.

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post #9 of 61
3/25/13 at 5:29am
Thread Starter 
It seems that this stuff is much more of a polish than a conditioner. Many people think this stuff is conditioning for leather, but I am not sold on that. If you get a small amount on a cloth and start applying in small circles it almost starts to "bull" the leather to create a mirror finish. This leads me to believe there are some solvents in there which are melting the wax into the leather more. I don't know if such a product is good for applying to heavily stressed areas of a shoe such as the vamp.
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post #10 of 61
3/25/13 at 5:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWFII View Post

It's not that it's not a valid question, rather the answer may simply be that no one knows. I don't and I have been in the business for many years.

The companies who make these products simply don't want us to know what they put in them. I've called and talked to the makers of Lexol and Bick4 and several others and they are just not very forthcoming. Someone said in an earlier thread that most mink oil contained significant quantities of pig fat and not much mink oil. Do the companies want us to know that? Lard on our shoes? Really? How about turpentine? Benzene? Toluene? MEK? Petroleum jelly? I suspect they're all there in one product or another.

That said, I've used a lot of products over the years and even though Nick at Horween recommended Venetian Cream for cordovan, I was not overly impressed with it.

Right now I like Bick4...and for somewhat more rugged leathers, R,M. Williams.

What is your opinion of Obenauf's?
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post #11 of 61
3/25/13 at 7:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH View Post

What is your opinion of Obenauf's?

Well, years ago, I never liked it...I thought it was compounded with petroleum greases. I wasn't sure of that then, I'm not sure of it now. And I may be confusing it with Hubbards, now that I think of it...seems like everyone was using Hubbards or Obenaufs on logger boots back in the day. But the upshot is that I haven't used it or given it a trial in well over 20 (30?) years.
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post #12 of 61
3/28/13 at 6:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWFII View Post

Well, years ago, I never liked it...I thought it was compounded with petroleum greases. I wasn't sure of that then, I'm not sure of it now. And I may be confusing it with Hubbards, now that I think of it...seems like everyone was using Hubbards or Obenaufs on logger boots back in the day. But the upshot is that I haven't used it or given it a trial in well over 20 (30?) years.

I remember in the past you have said you like montana pitch blend. Would you recommend this lightly on calf leather on the vamp now and again?

Also, do you recommend using any kind of conditioner on the soles, even if they are oak bark tanned, say before and after a good rain?
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post #13 of 61
3/28/13 at 7:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH View Post

I remember in the past you have said you like montana pitch blend. Would you recommend this lightly on calf leather on the vamp now and again?

Montana pitch blend for oil stuffed leathers only. I would not recommend it for dress shoes or dress leathers including calf.
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH View Post

Also, do you recommend using any kind of conditioner on the soles, even if they are oak bark tanned, say before and after a good rain?

I don't use anything on outsoles but I have heard of people using silcone. Perhaps this would be a good place to use a light application of Pitch Blend. With outsoles you're caught between a rock and a hard place--anything that softens the leather will cause it to wear faster, but rain water itself will soften the leather. So use of a water repellant such as Pitch Blend might be beneficial, it should also be judicious.
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post #14 of 61
3/28/13 at 7:29am
Thread Starter 
What kind of conditioner would you recommend for the vamp of a dress shoe? Lexol? It doesn't seem to condition very well. Mind you, I wouldn't mind a slightly matte vamp if it means no cracking.

I'm at the point now where I am fed up with shoes. I have a lot of shoes, none that I consider cheap $600 and up, yet they all crack except for shell. I am at the point where I am considering only getting shell shoes, but this seems ridiculous. Even though I take care of my stuff, don't wear it in bad weather it still leads to cracked uppers. Could it be poor fit that puts stress on the uppers? I'm kind of fed-up with shoes and I ask why I pay so much for something that is so short lived.
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post #15 of 61
3/28/13 at 7:38am
I use my wife's La Mer to condition my shoes.
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