2019 shoe revival challenge - the legend continues

[wasmisterfu]

I really look forward to your entry. Just remember to wear a gas mask, and haz mat suit. And make sure your life insurance is topped off.

I actually think I might really need a respirator for this years activities.

 

[JohnAAG]

I actually think I might really need a respirator for this years activities.

I live very, very far away from you. And I still live in fear of the gas cloud that's going to appear over your house ...

 

[wasmisterfu]

Maybe I’ll give it a shot this time... if I can find a good pair.

Note: you’re not actually looking for a good pair. You’re looking for the worst pair that hasn’t been eaten by a dog, set on fire or covered in raw sewage.

Actually, scratch that, if you can restore a poop covered, burnt and half-eaten pair of shoes, you’ll probably place 1st. Just make sure you use plenty of isopropyl.

 

[suitforcourt]

Prizes: (This section will be expanding)

1st place
a) $100 voucher for Ealdwine store:
https://www.ealdwineraleigh.com/?fb...1ZywSOC_KGB2lbAGXhMiJ_cZYjFZIxuVKvwJ3YyxDeTFE

b) From Pure Polish: “One of Each” package: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Color Paste Wax (of choosing), 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Water Resistant (of choosing), 1 Color Cream (of choosing), 1 Cleaner Conditioner ($90 Value);

Natural Shoe Polish and Premium Leather Care Made in USA – Pure Polish

Natural, non-toxic shoe polish and leather care products from natural waxes, fruit and nut oils, earth pigments, and clays. Handmade in Bend, Oregon, USA. Trusted by bespoke makers, shoe brands, leather craftsmen, and cobblers. Smell the sweet orange aroma difference, and make your leather last...

www.purepolishproducts.com

2nd place
a) $75 voucher for Ealdwine store;

b) From Pure Polish: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Color Paste Wax (of choosing), 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Color Cream ($50 Value);

3rd place
a) $50 voucher for Ealdwine store;

b) From Pure Polish: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Color Cream ($37.50 Value);

Prizes: (This section will be expanding)

1st place
a) $100 voucher for Ealdwine store:
https://www.ealdwineraleigh.com/?fb...1ZywSOC_KGB2lbAGXhMiJ_cZYjFZIxuVKvwJ3YyxDeTFE

b) From Pure Polish: “One of Each” package: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Color Paste Wax (of choosing), 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Water Resistant (of choosing), 1 Color Cream (of choosing), 1 Cleaner Conditioner ($90 Value);

Natural Shoe Polish and Premium Leather Care Made in USA – Pure Polish

Natural, non-toxic shoe polish and leather care products from natural waxes, fruit and nut oils, earth pigments, and clays. Handmade in Bend, Oregon, USA. Trusted by bespoke makers, shoe brands, leather craftsmen, and cobblers. Smell the sweet orange aroma difference, and make your leather last...

www.purepolishproducts.com

c) Full JR leather sole recraft package from Coakleys in London Ontario. Recipient must cover postage both ways. $150+ value. Gary Coakley will do full JR recraft, and winner picks heels (JR dove tails, cat paws, full rubber etc);

HOME | Coakleys

www.coakleys.ca

Coakleys

www.facebook.com

2nd place
a) $75 voucher for Ealdwine store;

b) From Pure Polish: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Color Paste Wax (of choosing), 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Color Cream ($50 Value);

3rd place
a) $50 voucher for Ealdwine store;

b) From Pure Polish: 1 High Shine Paste Wax, 1 Neutral Cream, 1 Color Cream ($37.50 Value);

 

[ghdvfddzgzdzg]

Whoa, excited about Ealdwine being in Raleigh. First I'm hearing about it. Which SF users are the founders?

 

[Monkeyshines]

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. Thanks to all of the SF members who have unknowingly helped me in various fashion-y ways, and in particular to the people who participated in last year's Challenge. I was actually referencing the 2018 Challenge thread because I'd recently bought some cheap shoes to restore, and I saw the post about the 2019 Challenge, so I figured this was a great opportunity to move from bystander to active member. While several of the pairs with which I'm playing were purchased prior to the official start date and are disqualified from entry, I may post info here about the restoration process for them anyway if I feel the process I go through with them might benefit others. If that's discouraged, and there's a better thread to which I should post those pairs, please let me know. FWIW, I recall seeing Corfam dares in the 2018 thread, and in fact (unbeknownst to me) one of the disqualified pairs I have ended up being Corfam, or so I think.

In the meanwhile, the pair of shoes I plan(ned) to use as my official entry just showed up and I will say that while I have no expectations of doing well in the challenge or even getting a result that pleases me, I feel confident in saying that the mid-reno hideousness of my shoes will never be exceeded.

Here are various "before" pics - maybe someone more knowledgeable than I can describe the style. I assume they're intended for formal wear since they're patent leather but I haven't seen this style before (not that I'm a shoe expert by any stretch). I noticed a very faint "Morgan" on the insole in a Gothic font....poking around online I see they are "Morgan Cort" shoes...there were one or two listed here on SF but I can't find any info about the brand other than the fact that it's Irish. My intent was (is?) to convert them from black patent to a light/medium brown via various noxious chemicals.

 

[Monkeyshines]

...and here are some of the mid-reno pics and a description of the process. I first attempted lacquer thinner, which I had used on my other project shoes previously, and it did literally nothing other than polish off some gunk. Since I've learned that patent leather has a heavy coating applied, I naturally went to my go-to for heavy coating removal - namely Citristrip. The results were...spectacular. I've dubbed these things the "Toxic Avenger shoes" for obvious reasons. After putting on the Citristrip, nothing appeared to be happening and then after about 10 minutes all hell broke loose. I could literally see the finish blowing up into horrible necrotic pillows. The astute observer will note in the last pic the toe of the right shoe has a decidedly green cast. That will lead to the next post....

 

[Monkeyshines]

...which shows, after removal of the glossy top-coat, a black layer of finish, but with what is clearly a green layer below it.

So, I applied a second round of Citristrip. Again, things got ugly, but in a more colorful way.

The result after removing the stripper/next layer was this:

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

You'll note the toe of the right shoe is black in the pic above. That is not an area that still has the previous black finish layer, it is another layer of black below the green. The green layer seemed soft-ish, so while I'm sure a hideous 1980s Eagles Green shoe would be well received here in Philly, I kept going. This time, I switched to the lacquer thinner and it did the job on the green layer. Here, you can see my artistic removal of the green layer in progress:

And, finally, after removal of that layer, some cleanup, and some conditioning with Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil (it's what I have now...I will be purchasing various recommended polishes, creams, etc. shortly), this is what they look like. The first pic is with the flash to highlight the green that still needed some attention around the seams/stitching. It's not readily apparent in these pics, but the current color is actually more of a midnight blue rather than true black. It's kind of cool, and the depth of color is concerning to me after doing another pair that was burgundy-colored and having the leather substantially bleached after using lacquer thinner on it. I'm afraid that even with, say, Oxalic acid, I might just lighten them to an ugly grey and just end up having to re-dye them black rather than being able to do the brown I was aiming for. I will say the leather is actually very supple now, and without even attempting to address the creases in the "before" pics, they've improved dramatically.

So, that's where I am now.

 

[woofmang]

...which shows, after removal of the glossy top-coat, a black layer of finish, but with what is clearly a green layer below it.

View attachment 1224802


So, I applied a second round of Citristrip. Again, things got ugly, but in a more colorful way. View attachment 1224804

The result after removing the stripper/next layer was this:

View attachment 1224806

View attachment 1224807


BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

You'll note the toe of the right shoe is black in the pic above. That is not an area that still has the previous black finish layer, it is another layer of black below the green. The green layer seemed soft-ish, so while I'm sure a hideous 1980s Eagles Green shoe would be well received here in Philly, I kept going. This time, I switched to the lacquer thinner and it did the job on the green layer. Here, you can see my artistic removal of the green layer in progress:
View attachment 1224809


And, finally, after removal of that layer, some cleanup, and some conditioning with Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil (it's what I have now...I will be purchasing various recommended polishes, creams, etc. shortly), this is what they look like. The first pic is with the flash to highlight the green that still needed some attention around the seams/stitching. It's not readily apparent in these pics, but the current color is actually more of a midnight blue rather than true black. It's kind of cool, and the depth of color is concerning to me after doing another pair that was burgundy-colored and having the leather substantially bleached after using lacquer thinner on it. I'm afraid that even with, say, Oxalic acid, I might just lighten them to an ugly grey and just end up having to re-dye them black rather than being able to do the brown I was aiming for. I will say the leather is actually very supple now, and without even attempting to address the creases in the "before" pics, they've improved dramatically.

View attachment 1224810 View attachment 1224811

So, that's where I am now.

Welcome! And thanks for the enjoyable description of your process! I really liked the "Toxic Avenger" stage. In fact, I was waiting for you to describe the super-weird-looking second pair of shoes that crept in in the middle of the process (obviously, I started by scrolling through your gallery of pics before reading your posts)... Looking forward to seeing how these turn out!

 

[Oshare]

...and here are some of the mid-reno pics and a description of the process. I first attempted lacquer thinner, which I had used on my other project shoes previously, and it did literally nothing other than polish off some gunk. Since I've learned that patent leather has a heavy coating applied, I naturally went to my go-to for heavy coating removal - namely Citristrip. The results were...spectacular. I've dubbed these things the "Toxic Avenger shoes" for obvious reasons. After putting on the Citristrip, nothing appeared to be happening and then after about 10 minutes all hell broke loose. I could literally see the finish blowing up into horrible necrotic pillows. The astute observer will note in the last pic the toe of the right shoe has a decidedly green cast. That will lead to the next post....

I almost lost the peach I was munching on when I saw these photos.

 

[florent]

So it seems I found myself a pair for this year's contest
I hope I'll be able to finish this in time...

 

[Monkeyshines]

I almost lost the peach I was munching on when I saw these photos.

Welcome! And thanks for the enjoyable description of your process! I really liked the "Toxic Avenger" stage. In fact, I was waiting for you to describe the super-weird-looking second pair of shoes that crept in in the middle of the process (obviously, I started by scrolling through your gallery of pics before reading your posts)... Looking forward to seeing how these turn out!

Thanks! Yes...I showed the pics to my 6yo son and he exclaimed "THEY'RE ZOMBIE SHOES!"

 

[DapperAndy]

...which shows, after removal of the glossy top-coat, a black layer of finish, but with what is clearly a green layer below it.

View attachment 1224802


So, I applied a second round of Citristrip. Again, things got ugly, but in a more colorful way. View attachment 1224804

The result after removing the stripper/next layer was this:

View attachment 1224806

View attachment 1224807


BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

You'll note the toe of the right shoe is black in the pic above. That is not an area that still has the previous black finish layer, it is another layer of black below the green. The green layer seemed soft-ish, so while I'm sure a hideous 1980s Eagles Green shoe would be well received here in Philly, I kept going. This time, I switched to the lacquer thinner and it did the job on the green layer. Here, you can see my artistic removal of the green layer in progress:
View attachment 1224809


And, finally, after removal of that layer, some cleanup, and some conditioning with Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil (it's what I have now...I will be purchasing various recommended polishes, creams, etc. shortly), this is what they look like. The first pic is with the flash to highlight the green that still needed some attention around the seams/stitching. It's not readily apparent in these pics, but the current color is actually more of a midnight blue rather than true black. It's kind of cool, and the depth of color is concerning to me after doing another pair that was burgundy-colored and having the leather substantially bleached after using lacquer thinner on it. I'm afraid that even with, say, Oxalic acid, I might just lighten them to an ugly grey and just end up having to re-dye them black rather than being able to do the brown I was aiming for. I will say the leather is actually very supple now, and without even attempting to address the creases in the "before" pics, they've improved dramatically.

View attachment 1224810 View attachment 1224811

So, that's where I am now.

Dude! Where are your gloves ??! That’s wild, and I like where you’re headed. But I really hope you did it all outside, with a full mask, and please gloves!

 

[Monkeyshines]

Yes, well...I'd like to say "Of course I did take the appropriate safety precautions", but I try to be honest so...the best I can do is say it was a big room with a return nearby. I've used plenty of citristrip in the past on wood items and it's pretty mild both in terms of fumes and if you get it on your skin. Methylene chloride based strippers, on the other hand, are vicious, and I wear gloves and goggles.

But yes - kids, don't try this at home!

 

[suitforcourt]

Thanks to Pure Polish and @DapperAndy for sponsoring the top 3 contenders in this year's challenge.

"Pure Polish is an all natural premium leather care company from Bend, Oregon, USA. The story of how Pure Polish Products came from GlenKaren Care, and @DapperAndy and @glenjay finding each other in Bend Oregon, is too long for here. But it's been an amazing and rewarding leap of faith.

One of the first things we did upon opening up Pure Polish to the world last year is sponsor the 2018 Styleforum Shoe Revival Challenge. We were blown away by the entries, and wanted to give our thanks to all those who share their knowledge of shoe care and bring their leather back to life (or adding completely new life, in the case of some).

The vintage threads, shoe care thread, and all the fan forums were such a driver to Pure Polish and GlenKaren becoming what it is, that we want to give back to the community. So, keep asking, answering, and sharing, we love it – shine on, and shine together! "