Care of color corrected (polished bookbinder Church's) shoes

[DrZRM]

OK, I know, I risk having my ISP blocked for admitting this, but after trying on a pair Church's Graftons at Nordstroms (and having the salesman incorrectly telling me they were Shell Cordovan) I kind of came to like the look of the Polished Sandlewood bookbinder, and when I came across a great deal on them, I picked up a pair.

So, having admitted my shameful truth, owning corrected grain shoes, what do I do to take care of them. I know they are not going to patina over time, but does conditioner help at all? Anyone have any experience with this finish. Do I color match them with creme, or wax...what do you think?

 

[mystal]

just wondering, how much did you get them for? i got a pair at the saks sale for $185 or so but not sure if I should keep them, after reading about them on this forum.

 

[DrZRM]

I got them for about that price, and frankly, I think Church gets more crap than they deserve here. I like their shoes a lot, and will likely get more when the chance presents itself. I'll probably not get more polished binder, but I don't think the shoes took such a hit following the Prada purchase, and I'm not alone in those feelings. I'd still like any advice for care anyone has.

 

[Tarmac]

Just wipe with damp cloth. Use a brush if you prefer.

I wouldn't polish or condition them at all. I don't think they absorb much of anything. Most of any lotion you rub on it will kind of "sit" on the surface until something else touches it. Conditioner might help them look marginally better when they are 20 years old, but that's only a slight possibility.

The great advantage of corrected grain is that there is little or no maintenance involved. Kick back and bask in that glory.

 

[voxsartoria]

I have one pair of Church's left (when I was younger, all my dress shoes were Church's), a pair of Shannon's from the late 1980s:

At that time, the Bookbinder Church's were positioned higher than the "Custom Grade" line...astonishing, I know. According to unhealthy Bondaholics, Daniel Craig sports Shannons in some scences in the recent movie.

As for care: I've had them shined like any other shoe, and they are approaching two decades without a resole. I wear them maybe two or three times a year, though...


- B

 

[Leather man]

Church's do recommend you polish them just like any other shoe. It is true they don't absorb the polish but it gives a protective coating and keeps them looking nice.

The repair department assured me that PB shoes that have not been polished come in to them in a worse state than ones that have. I can't think of the reason to be truthful but I am taking their word for it and have polished mine for the years I've had Church's PB shoes.

 

[thecentennial]

Resurrecting an old thread - my searches have proven fruitless.

Does anyone know if the Church's recrafting service would repair scuffs in polished binder?

I have a pair with quite bad scuffs to the binder surface, they are not "gouges" but the surface has been removed. Polish will not cover these scuffs due to the nature of binder.

Will Church's re-apply the binder coating to cover the scuffs?

I've sent Churchs an email to ask the same question, was wondering if anyone here has any experience.

 

[meister]

Churchs bookbinder is the only acceptable corrected grain on SF if that helps and then only some....

 

[MyOtherLife]



Churchs bookbinder is the only acceptable corrected grain on SF if that helps and then only some....

Would you be so kind as to specifically state why you believe this to be so? Also please provide a detailed analysis of the properties of the corrected grain used by Church's compared against at least 3 other manufacturers of corrected grain, thay all may understand your claim.

 

[Nick V.]

Try some Venetian cream. Works great on bookbinder and cordovan finishes/leathers.

 

[martinottawa]

In case anyone is still curious, I recently sent my PB Shannons in for the Church's repair service, and specifically asked them to something (if they could) about a couple of scuffs that had gone through the binder. They didn't do anything, and they also didn't do a very good job with repairing the linings either. That's the last time I blow £90 + shipping on their service...

I was wondering though (maybe Nick V could answer) - Is there some kind of dye that could be used to at least colour in any scuffs? I know it wouldn't look good as new, but at least maybe the colour could be made to match?

 

[Leather man]

My experience results from owning several pairs of Church's Polished Binder leather shoes. The "scuffs" are more like a bruising of the finish - they seem permanent - at least I have never been able to remove them.

What I cannot understand is why even on SF pre -Prada Bookbinder goes uncriticised but post Prada Bookbinder ( then renamed Polished Binder - same stuff) is held up as a sign that Church's are going down hill. You see many examples of corrected grain Bookbinder Church's dating fromt he '50s onwards and occassionally the pictures are posted on here to rapturous applause. Totally illogical!

 

[meister]



My experience results from owning several pairs of Church's Polished Binder leather shoes. The "scuffs" are more like a bruising of the finish - they seem permanent - at least I have never been able to remove them.
What I cannot understand is why even on SF pre -Prada Bookbinder goes uncriticised but post Prada Bookbinder ( then renamed Polished Binder - same stuff) is held up as a sign that Church's are going down hill. You see many examples of corrected grain Bookbinder Church's dating fromt he '50s onwards and occassionally the pictures are posted on here to rapturous applause. Totally illogical!

I have seen polished binder on McCanns from the 40s on the heel counters that is in near perfect condition. But Church shoes with serious binder scuffs from whatever era are kaput as far as removing the scuff. Yet even a lot of top Italian shoes like de Tomasso are using binder.

 

[bengal-stripe]



My experience......

Your experience has been missed. - Welcome back, Leather man!

 

[ijustknow]

Try some Venetian cream. Works great on bookbinder and cordovan finishes/leathers.

Oh dear, that is new.
Are you suggesting Venetian Shoe Cream has great cosmetic function?