ALLEN EDMONDS APPRECIATION THREAD 2021: News, pictures, clothing, accessories, etc.

[polojock615]

@polojock615 is Blue Dainite King. Actually, he's a king of many things AE. If some of you knew his collection, your eyes would widen.

LOL. Probably true.

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

I have tried the water and wax dab thing. I’ve not tried letting it set for 30 minutes before. I’ll give it a shot.

How long does it take to build a high shine? Is it something you do over several applications like across days or weeks?

Hi,
I can see from your pictures that the surface looks really dull and matte black, and, perhaps more importantly, that all the brogue holes are being filled. This tells me that you are using way too much wax. How are you currently applying wax from the tin to the shoe? I typically use my fingers directly, as that gives me the most tactile sensation and control. Just a small wipe with two fingers (index + middle) onto the surface of the wax in the tin and then gently gliding the fingers over the shoe. The warmth of your fingers will help soften it a bit and allow you to put down a thin uniform layer. From there, I wrap the cloth tightly around two fingers and buff with very light pressure. Buff until the surface feels uniformly smooth against this light pressure. The first few layers will feel a bit draggy or squeaky, since you're rubbing mostly against the leather itself, but each subsequent layer should feel easier. The time it takes to do one shoe is enough for the other one to dry. No need to drag this out for weeks and weeks. (After a while you can go from new shoe to a mirror shine in 45-60 minutes) Avoid using any liquid for the first few layers since you don't have enough wax to work with anyway. Plus, the water will end up seeping into the leather itself and possibly delaminate your wax from underneath, which is a huge pain because you'll probably have to start over..

After several layers of this you will notice a soft shine, which means that the leather itself is uniformly covered with wax. It's now time to essentially polish the wax itself with more wax until the mirror effect appears. For this step, keep doing what you've been doing, except you will now use a bit of water too. The purpose of the water is to lubricate the cloth as it buffs the wax and reduce friction, which will smudge your mirror shine. The water is NOT to soak the wax, so use juuuuust enough to reduce the drag of the cloth. A solution of 30% alcohol in water will work even better, as this will soften the wax slightly and help you buff it to a shine.

At this point you can also make life easier for yourself by using the Saphir mirror gloss. Saphir is overpriced in general (like you said, "all these expensive products" haha) but the mirror gloss is worth every penny as it is almost like cheating. Once you have a close to mirror shine, switch to the mirror gloss (again, small amounts and applied with your warm fingertips, buffed with cloth + drop of alcohol/water), and you will be done shortly.

TLDR: The logic behind what you are doing is:

1. Covering the leather, which is inherently dull due to microscopic pores, with wax and making sure each layer is thin. Too much and it will cake/crumble on you.
2. Polish the wax until you get the mirror effect.
3. For the first stage, avoid using water. Just put down thin layers of wax with your fingers and then buff gently with cloth.
4. For the second stage, you are polishing the wax itself. Put down increasingly thin layers of wax, buff gently until you feel the cloth drag, and then use a bit of water to lubricate the cloth until all the wax is evenly buffed.

In your currrent situation, your shoes are covered in a lot of wax, and possibly dried too. It's a bit off a mess. I'd suggest using a cloth + a bit of alcohol/water to try to smooth it all out, and ideally transfer some from the shoe to your cloth. See how it looks when it's no longer caked together and take it from there at step 2 or so.

Hope this is clear? Let me know if anything doesn't make sense. Mirror shining is like meditation to me, and I thoroughly enjoy discussing it.

 

[Adhazem]

Hi,
I can see from your pictures that the surface looks really dull and matte black, and, perhaps more importantly, that all the brogue holes are being filled. This tells me that you are using way too much wax. How are you currently applying wax from the tin to the shoe? I typically use my fingers directly, as that gives me the most tactile sensation and control. Just a small wipe with two fingers (index + middle) onto the surface of the wax in the tin and then gently gliding the fingers over the shoe. The warmth of your fingers will help soften it a bit and allow you to put down a thin uniform layer. From there, I wrap the cloth tightly around two fingers and buff with very light pressure. Buff until the surface feels uniformly smooth against this light pressure. The first few layers will feel a bit draggy or squeaky, since you're rubbing mostly against the leather itself, but each subsequent layer should feel easier. The time it takes to do one shoe is enough for the other one to dry. No need to drag this out for weeks and weeks. (After a while you can go from new shoe to a mirror shine in 45-60 minutes) Avoid using any liquid for the first few layers since you don't have enough wax to work with anyway. Plus, the water will end up seeping into the leather itself and possibly delaminate your wax from underneath, which is a huge pain because you'll probably have to start over..

After several layers of this you will notice a soft shine, which means that the leather itself is uniformly covered with wax. It's now time to essentially polish the wax itself with more wax until the mirror effect appears. For this step, keep doing what you've been doing, except you will now use a bit of water too. The purpose of the water is to lubricate the cloth as it buffs the wax and reduce friction, which will smudge your mirror shine. The water is NOT to soak the wax, so use juuuuust enough to reduce the drag of the cloth. A solution of 30% alcohol in water will work even better, as this will soften the wax slightly and help you buff it to a shine.

At this point you can also make life easier for yourself by using the Saphir mirror gloss. Saphir is overpriced in general (like you said, "all these expensive products" haha) but the mirror gloss is worth every penny as it is almost like cheating. Once you have a close to mirror shine, switch to the mirror gloss (again, small amounts and applied with your warm fingertips, buffed with cloth + drop of alcohol/water), and you will be done shortly.

TLDR: The logic behind what you are doing is:

1. Covering the leather, which is inherently dull due to microscopic pores, with wax and making sure each layer is thin. Too much and it will cake/crumble on you.
2. Polish the wax until you get the mirror effect.
3. For the first stage, avoid using water. Just put down thin layers of wax with your fingers and then buff gently with cloth.
4. For the second stage, you are polishing the wax itself. Put down increasingly thin layers of wax, buff gently until you feel the cloth drag, and then use a bit of water to lubricate the cloth until all the wax is evenly buffed.

In your currrent situation, your shoes are covered in a lot of wax, and possibly dried too. It's a bit off a mess. I'd suggest using a cloth + a bit of alcohol/water to try to smooth it all out, and ideally transfer some from the shoe to your cloth. See how it looks when it's no longer caked together and take it from there at step 2 or so.

Hope this is clear? Let me know if anything doesn't make sense. Mirror shining is like meditation to me, and I thoroughly enjoy discussing it.

Ok your diagnosis is absolutely right. And I really appreciate the detailed guide. I’ve watched so many tutorials and tried different application methods and still having issues. I think I will practice on plain toes vs medallions. This one shoe you saw keeps accumulating dull wax around the medallion punches on the center particularly and I end up with a literal bump on the surface.

The shoe has been cleaned up and is now shined with shoe cream only. Next day off I have I’ll take a plain toe and give it a whirl.

Any tips on the Saphir pate wax vs the mirror gloss products? I have both. I’m not sure how to use the gloss which is supposed to be amazing but it’a very hard and crumbly. I think that’s normal but it’s also throwing me off.

 

[munchau]

Fifth St. today.

Spoiler: DB suit

I’m also wearing my first DB suit I absolutely love this cloth from VBC.

 

[Shoenut]

No rain but the Suede BB MacNeil was ready.

 

[mreams99]

Bourbon HMs.

 

[donkeyhoatie]

Realized I was kind of being an a-hole last week with some comments about people who were way too serious about the rules around footwear. So, as penance, instead of AEs, today I'm wearing a pair of shoes that filled my other "A-hole [company]" for American-made footwear and cracking the whip on some long overdue tasks I've had kicking around at work.

Spoiler: Avert Your Eyes!

Some day I can see getting a couple different pairs of the Indy boot. For now, these will suffice.

 

[AEfaninTampa]

Two days of wearing the shell Randolph’s making sure I want a natty pair.
Black circa 2008 yesterday

And burgundy circa 2018 today

The black pair is certainly a tad tighter in the toe box than the newer pair. My fat feet are grateful for the extra room!

 

[ptfly]

I just wanted brown/snuff suede HMs, not these mangy hides. If the website had accurate descriptions instead of the Kudu, then the Premium Repello weatherproof suede (still on the site) I would have ordered something else on deal day.
I do have this exact leather in a pair of liverpools but I knew what I was getting.

 

[bluejazzmonkey]

Two days of wearing the shell Randolph’s making sure I want a natty pair.
Black circa 2008 yesterday
View attachment 1692347
And burgundy circa 2018 today
View attachment 1692348
The black pair is certainly a tad tighter in the toe box than the newer pair. My fat feet are grateful for the extra room!

I 100% Love my Randolph, but my daughter will not allow me to wear them on date night.
She said that they look like "old man" shoes.
The natural shell Randolph woukd be amazing!×

 

[mdubs]

Wearing my good ole’ 2011 Walnut Shell Cordovan Webgem Strand.

-Mike

 

[JFWR]

Wearing my good ole’ 2011 Walnut Shell Cordovan Webgem Strand.

View attachment 1692432

View attachment 1692433

View attachment 1692434

-Mike

Those are in fantastic condition. Have you not worn them?

 

[manowar]

Both of these AE boots list the same leather on the description. Premium Repello weatherproof suede . Is the freeport waxed as well?
I see these two options from the Stead site.

I just wanted brown/snuff suede HMs, not these mangy hides. If the website had accurate descriptions instead of the Kudu, then the Premium Repello weatherproof suede (still on the site) I would have ordered something else on deal day.
I do have this exact leather in a pair of liverpools but I knew what I was getting.

Was waiting for your followup post, thanks. Dang, so would you say they are indeed lightly waxed? I had my doubts

I've yet to see the light brown suede HM's pictured but I'll have a pair in hand soon. It was perhaps foolish of me to order the custom sole that disallows potentially returning the boots that are sight unseen. Fortunately I'm looking to fill a more casual role with this pair and sized up by a width to accomodate thick socks, so I don't mind a messy suede.

I have a feeling these are RDA-only boots they introduced to take some of the heat away from their "better" CXL models, and will be fast-tracked to clearance in January... The standard sole option all but confirms this in my mind.

p.s. So what leather is it actually?

 

[mdubs]

Those are in fantastic condition. Have you not worn them?

I have quite a few pairs and so I haven’t worn them as much as others may would by this point, but I would estimate that they have 60 wears on them. I actually probably need to send them in to get the heel stack taken care of.

I am very rigorous in brushing and treeing between every wear.

-Mike

 

[ptfly]

Was waiting for your followup post, thanks. Dang, so would you say they are indeed lightly waxed? I had my doubts

I've yet to see the light brown suede HM's pictured but I'll have a pair in hand soon. It was perhaps foolish of me to order the custom sole that disallows potentially returning the boots that are sight unseen. Fortunately I'm looking to fill a more casual role with this pair and sized up by a width to accomodate thick socks, so I don't mind a messy suede.

I have a feeling these are RDA-only boots they introduced to take some of the heat away from their "better" CXL models, and will be fast-tracked to clearance in January... The standard sole option all but confirms this in my mind.

p.s. So what leather is it actually?

They are waxed. No idea if it is Stead or not. I just wanted a plain pair of suede. Maybe the olive pair is but I am not going to play the wait and see game. The landons come in plain snuff suede but it would be another 3 weeks to get my size plus I don't love the toe cap and back trim in regular leather.
Returning today. Still shaking my head on this one