Caring for pre-made patina-leather

[Shube]

I did a search, and there doesn't seem to be a lot on this forum regarding store-bought patina leather care. To be specific... I'm NOT looking to talk about 'antiquing' a solid-colour pair of shoes. No, I'm referring strictly to those shoes that have been professionally dyed/painted (as opposed to antique polished), and how to go about caring for them.

If my goal is to maintain the original, store-bought patina texture/appearance over time, is it possible? Hearing from 2 different shoe maker 'support' departments... it sounds like it's not really possible, per say.

My understanding is...

If I use a clear/neutral polish and/or wax... the original patina colours will slowly fade over time.

If I use coloured polish and/or wax, I'll slowly be altering the original patina (and probably losing the brush-stroke effect, if present). Using just one colour time and again will eventually flatten out the shoe's colour. Using a main colour polish and then creatively using a bit of additional black polish to add shadow areas... I'd be slowly making my own patina design, covering up what was originally there.

So, I pay an extra bit of money for a patina out-of-the-box, but I shouldn't expect to be able to keep it as is for too long, and will have to learn a DIY technique in making my own cover-up patina - is that about accurate? Thoughts?

 

[Caustic Man]

You have uncovered the not-so-secret problem with those kinds of shoes. Namely, shoes get scuffs and change with repeated polishing, conditioning, and even just regular wear. Far better to create your own patina over time that will look more natural and will even look better with some scuffs and re-applications of polish. Ah, but that would take time and patience. So yeah, there is no hope of keeping your shoes looking like new. Your only defense is to get shoes that will look better with wear.

 

[notdos]

Bick 4 is what seems to be preferred. It doesn’t appear to take anything away from the Patina while acting as something of a highlighter, imho.

 

[EZB]

What is the type of leather? Is it full grain? Is it corrected? That can greatly affect how polish will take or paint will break

 

[Shube]

Well, one shoe I'm considering is full-grain... the other, it doesn't explicitly say - from Altan ParisBottier, their Gumlite wholecut oxford.

In any case, my question is a general one for current and future reference... so perhaps, EZB, you might so kind as to compare for us the likely situation between both full-grain and top-grain and/or corrected leather uppers with pre-made patinas?

 

[EZB]

Well, one shoe I'm considering is full-grain... the other, it doesn't explicitly say - from Altan ParisBottier, their Gumlite wholecut oxford.

In any case, my question is a general one for current and future reference... so perhaps, EZB, you might so kind as to compare for us the likely situation between both full-grain and top-grain and/or corrected leather uppers with pre-made patinas?

Corrected grain won’t take polish as well. I’d expcect less fade, but
aging that looks worse.

 

[Shube]

Bick 4 is what seems to be preferred. It doesn’t appear to take anything away from the Patina while acting as something of a highlighter, imho.

Bick 4 leather conditioner, eh? Seeing as I'm still new to quality shoes, that too is new to me. So word on the street is, Bick 4 does a good job of preventing a patina from fading... as a leather conditioner, it doesn't need to be applied as often as a polish - I should still use a clear polish most of the time, and then once in awhile use Bick 4 to bring back or saturate the various patina shades?