Shoe Antiquing

[SuitedDx]



Maybe you are right and just keep using creme with lotsa colour like Meltonian renovating cream.

I mean it is a lighter color so you could dye it, but it is a tricky process. I agree the shoes color already looks great. I don't think there is THAT much dye in shoe creams so it may take time. How much contrast are you look for?

 

[CYstyle]



Anyone think a pair of ivory coloured Bettanins could be antiqued/colour changed? My cobbler seems to think not but what is your view?

Yes, you could pretty much do almost any color. I had a couple pairs of c&j in a similar color, I made one navy and the other like a mahogany

 

[meister]



I mean it is a lighter color so you could dye it, but it is a tricky process. I agree the shoes color already looks great. I don't think there is THAT much dye in shoe creams so it may take time. How much contrast are you look for?

I wanted a more useful colour like a tan/cognac colour. Bettanins new are very expensive and I wanted a pair like this spade style. I will burr off the sharp square fronts to get the look of my vintage spades.

 

[fritzl]



Yes, you could

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

pretty much do almost any color. I had a couple pairs of c&j in a similar color, I made one navy and the other like a mahogany

this ivory is a great colour. wow, amazing. nothing to mess around with, imo.

 

[Gdot]



Anyone think a pair of ivory coloured Bettanins could be antiqued/colour changed? My cobbler seems to think not but what is your view?

Love the color - don't change them.

I'd be happy for you to have the cobbler round off the sole edges on the toes however.

 

[macklondon]

Does anyone know where i can fined Fiebings in Australia (Brisbane)? Or a similar set of materials? Seems to be some customs issues importing the Fiebings stuff.

 

[chogall]

Does anyone know where i can fined Fiebings in Australia (Brisbane)? Or a similar set of materials? Seems to be some customs issues importing the Fiebings stuff.

Why not pay your local cobbler a visit; cobblers usually carry an array of leather dyes and at the very least would have the knowledge to get leather dyes.

 

[macklondon]

We used to have a great guy but he has gone out of business. They have a key cutting guy at the mall who will re-glue the cheap shoes they sell at the mall. Everyone buys plastic shoes these days here.

I might have to go out to the burbs to find a place.

EDIT: found an SF thread about cobblers in my town. Might go see if it still exists

 

[inimitable]

I'm attempting to deglaze a pair of black calf shoes with the intention of applying some navy dye.

Applied several coats of Angelus deglazer but not much colour is coming off, they just appear to be matte. What am I doing wrong?

 

[chogall]

maybe you've only scratched the surface only and took out the wax and part of the finishing. it takes a lot of deglazer or acetone to get rid of any colors.

 

[inimitable]



maybe you've only scratched the surface only and took out the wax and part of the finishing.  it takes a lot of deglazer or acetone to get rid of any colors.

Thanks. I just found the following post in another thread. I'll give the bleach a go tomorrow.

I have tried this technique & as you will see from the photo's it works & I believe that with care, any colour can be achieved.


1...Use Asetone chemical to remove the surface polish. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. (approx 5 mins per shoe) This will leave the died black leather without a shine surface.

2...Use un-diluted hosehold Bleach to remove colour. Rub very hard with a cloth / duster. Where you want an extra light area, pour the bleach on to the shoe being careful to wipe in quickly to ensure an even area..( if not, it will look streaky) (approx 10 mins per shoe)..I left some areas black so to give a patina look.

3...Leave to dry for an hour or so. (The shoes will smell of bleach for a week or so)

4...To Colour...Use Kiwi Renovating polish on the dry leather & then kiwi polish to create the required shine. I did not use shoe cream as I have found that renovating polish is more of a dye & creams tend to wipe off easily.


I would say that I polished these 10 or so times to achieve the shine I wanted.

 

[chogall]

Thanks. I just found the following post in another thread. I'll give the bleach a go tomorrow.

Make sure you condition the shoes after they dry from bleach. Many times. Before you attempt to color and apply finish.

 

[inimitable]

Will renovateur be suitable for conditioning?

 

[chogall]

Will renovateur be suitable for conditioning?

renovateur is the expensive option. i just use lexol. no reason to use saphir stuff when EG themselves are using kiwi.

many times, after bleach breaks down the very top layer of finish/wax, everything comes off very easily even without additional bleach. i found myself using lexol to get rid of excess wax/finish after bleach.

and from my humble experience, nothing gets rid of wax buildup like bleach. even after a lot of neutral wax, saddle soap, and lincoln deglazer/dry cleaner, wax buildup still shoes after a pass of bleach.

btw, how's the results?

 

[mdapht01]

Results of my first antiquing adventure, following Ron's directions as best as I could.

Had a light beige pair of Bally Scribes. They had some scuffs that were very noticeable because of the light color.

Figured I'd make them darker. Look quite nice. They are not spit-shined just let, but I like their matte finish and may keep them that way for now.

The first picture is the BEFORE shot, with the horrible smudge.

About 6 hours of solid work went into this resurrection process. But I feel quite good now. In sunlight the luster may show better than in the current pictures. But outside is dull snowstormy day. So these will have to do.