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danadd94

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That’s going to look awesome. Mine are 532 long wing bluchers on Oscar, flat welt, double JR sole, blind eyelets, medallion 1 (standard long wing medallion).
That reminds me I opted for a stormwelt on mine.

Ooo that is also going to be a fantastic make up. I can't wait to see the pictures once you get them in if you take some!
 

serbarristan

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That reminds me I opted for a stormwelt on mine.

Ooo that is also going to be a fantastic make up. I can't wait to see the pictures once you get them in if you take some!
I’ll be sure to post some. I forgot to include I opted for natural edge.
 

adrs1157

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20200117_155454.jpg


Armagnac cordovan Frankenstitch jumpers. Going on 2.5 years now.
 

Neville Southall

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Beautiful shine - what's your routine? I've tried the Mac method on a pair of black wholecuts and I haven't been able to raise such a nice shine.

Yeah. I’m not sure about that Mac method stuff. I have my own method of shining cordovan and it’s literally the same as calf. Always works.
 

stook1

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Beautiful shine - what's your routine? I've tried the Mac method on a pair of black wholecuts and I haven't been able to raise such a nice shine.

That shine (on the toe, at least) is almost certainly wax polish. Certainly nothing wrong with doing that --- I've done it myself on a couple of occasions mainly to smooth out some rough patches on shell that were, as a result, kind of dull. Everyone has their own way and there isn't one "right" way. It's pretty difficult to screw up shell so if you want to try a higher shine, give it a crack and see if you like it.

After trying various methods, I've come the conclusion that I like the mild shine that I get from using VSC. I also, by the way, really like whatever Carmina uses in the factory. It seems to be pretty resistant to spotting and quite long lasting. I'd be very interested to know what they use if anyone has figured it out.
 

Rodolphe

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Yeah. I’m not sure about that Mac method stuff. I have my own method of shining cordovan and it’s literally the same as calf. Always works.
You said that you were using Yak sponge after each wear. Is it to protect your shoes from water or/and to make them shine ?
I had given up Yak because it is silicone but if you use renomat before each shoe pamper to withdraw it and making the cordovan cream penetrate, it become, in fact, a good idea for maintaining a good water repellency every day !
 

adrs1157

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1320053


1320054


Caught in the snowstorm :(
Hope everyone is doing okay. 20cm was just dumped in Toronto in about 5 hours.
 

Rodolphe

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View attachment 1320053

View attachment 1320054

Caught in the snowstorm :(
Hope everyone is doing okay. 20cm was just dumped in Toronto in about 5 hours.
Oh ! You customised the tongue yourself. Is it to add more ankle support because of a half size bigger choice that is perfect for your toes but too much for your ankle ?
That's my problem... I wanted to add a leather band on the tongue to fill the void around the ankle, but a wool band could be more adequate.
 

dave_rawitat

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Beautiful shine - what's your routine? I've tried the Mac method on a pair of black wholecuts and I haven't been able to raise such a nice shine.

Thank you for the compliment. I use Saphir Cordovan cream once in a long while, and a lot of brushing every now and then, quick & light brushing every after wear.

Obviously mirror shining the toe areas (this, of course, require waxes, which I use Saphir's Pate de Luxe with little Mirror Gloss up top).

Note: There are many who oppose using wax on shell altogether, and I won't be arguing against them as their thoughts also have merit. So let's not go there. In the end, it's just choice and I made mine.
 

DL120

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View attachment 1318334 View attachment 1318336

So this is my issue with Carmina:

After about ~10 wears I noticed 3/4 sides of the tongues are tearing. They’re not willing to take the shoes back for even a partial refund with restocking fees etc.

They finally responded that they will be reinforcing the area. Does anyone know what reinforcing looks like? Is it more holes in the cordovan? Is it a clean fix or will it look sloppy?

What is making me angry in addition to the response time of like three months to get this sorted is that they are saying it’s not a correct fit and that’s why it tore not at all the fault of the design or craftsmanship.

So if it’s wrong - make the customer happy and let them refund or exchange for something that works but nope gotta pour more resources into a pair that is 99% likely to tear again.

Cordovan tears, and when cordovan tears it will just get worst. I’m pretty convinced that no fix short of replacing the upper will prevent the tongue area from ripping down the line.

So now I will be stuck with a pair I will be in fear of wearing and will never be able to enjoy and i will hate it. If I wear it and it tears again in another ten wears, will Carmina still support their craftsmanship and repair again and again? These ~$800 shoes are supposed to last longer than this.

This post turned out longer than expected but I just had to vent. This is ridiculous.

hey there, so I definitely empathize with you and understand the disappointment when a pair like this has a flaw. I wasn’t able to quite see the extent, but I get it. I have a wholecut color 4 shell loafer from Zeb, a similar issue came about, but it was before I had worn them. I’m not concerned or worried about it as I’ve worn the shoes 10 times already, put a lot of miles on them and no further weakness points identified.
Zeb explained it as:
“At these places of stress there is a special material that you put between upper leather and lining for example on Oxford shoes where all the leather connects in the middle or on slippers at the sides.”

so I understand the frustration but from a functional and whether the shoe is compromised from a sound structural perspective, more than likely it’s good. But just sharing my own experience.
1320214
 

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