First wear polish

[Arethusa]

When polishing before wear, how do you apply cream? How much are you supposed to use and are you supposed to let it dry before waxing or not?

 

[DocHolliday]

Apply shoe cream the same way you do polish. But don't let it dry for more than a few minutes. If you leave it overnight, say, it forms a hard shell that's hard to remove.

 

[Arethusa]

I'm a little lost as to how cream functions (and why it needs to be applied, why it needs to dry a bit, and why I can't let it dry more). I really wish the Wiki had more content on this stuff.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

I'm a little lost as to how cream functions (and why it needs to be applied, why it needs to dry a bit, and why I can't let it dry more). I really wish the Wiki had more content on this stuff.

Cream moisturizes more than polish does but provides less luster. It penetrates the leather, while wax polish forms a protective coating that can be buffed to a high gloss.

You don't really need to use cream before polish. Personally, I skip the cream and apply leather conditioner first, then polish. But some folks don't see the point in the conditioner and skip that too.

 

[LabelKing]

Cream is used for leather protection and preservation and polish is more a finishing aspect.

 

[Arethusa]

Why the issue with letting it dry, then?

Also, do I need to go get some leather conditioner too? What's the difference between cream and conditioner?

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Why the issue with letting it dry, then? Also, do I need to go get some leather conditioner too? What's the difference between cream and conditioner?
It needs to dry so it can "penetrate" the leather, sort of like a skin lotion. I don't use conditioner since I have the impression it's more for leather clothing.

 

[j]

The thing with the cream is that you don't want to let an excessive amount dry on there, since it will form a hard layer you'll have to scrub off somehow. Polish does take off cream, so that is one way, but it's extra work. Basically with cream you want to rub it into the leather and not let it build up. I use an old washcloth maybe 30 seconds or so after applying it to rub off the surface. Then you wait a while to let it dry out before applying polish over it.

 

[Charley]

When using either cream or polish, you should use very, very light coats. Don't try to get any of it "heavier' for more protection. That won't work. It will simply flake off.

First, Use a wet cloth to wipe off any mud and dirt. Leaving the shoes a bit damp is good.
Then use a cleaner / conditioner such as Allen Eedmonds or Lexoil. Do not rub hard - just let it work in it's own way, Apply in a sloppy manner with fingers. Apply to one shoe, then the next, go back to the first shoe and wipe and brush as that is enough drying / absorption. The clean up time on the first shoe will give the second enough time to absorb.

Then apply the shoe cream in the desired color. The water and the conditioner will have caused the pores of the leather to expand a bit - making them better able to accept the slightly liquid shoe cream. And giving you a bit better color penetration. Apply to the first shoe in a very light coat. Set that one aside while you apply the cream to the second shoe. Address the color of the sole - apply the sole dressing or the shoe cream of choice to polish that edge.

After doing the work on the second shoe and the soles - there has been enough elapsed time for the first application to dry sufficiently for buffing. Hit it with the brush. Make sure you get the channels and brouging cbrushed out. After getting the first shoe properly buffed, the second should have dried enough to buff that one.

Do not apply large and heavy quantities of polish to the shoes and let dry over night. The idea is to put some on and brush it off fairly quickly - before it can create an amalgam that will be a mess on your shoes.

 

[alflauren]

Charley, apart from the 'being sloppy' part, you've nailed my first wear routine. I can vouch for those results.

 

[Charley]

Originally Posted by alflauren

Charley, apart from the 'being sloppy' part, you've nailed my first wear routine. I can vouch for those results.

The real message in "sloppy" was to try to convey that you should apply a good quantity of the conditioner, but not rub on it. Rubbing will change your colors of the antiquing. Use your bare fingers. Just let it absorb where necessary - let the shoe leather decide - don't try to force it. Juicy conditioner.

However, I would only use a thin application of polish - either in cream or wax. None of them is really doing anything special to "protect" your shoes. And most all of them will give some color. The "Setting time" for the polish should be fairly quick - a few minutes. I am not one of the spit shine folks. I'm looking for a good mellow glow from the leather. There will eventually be a buildup over the stiff parts of the shoe - toe box - that will finally seem to have a spitshine. Except that it is not the same at all.

 

[Arethusa]

Is the conditioner really necessary?

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Is the conditioner really necessary?

In short, no. Lots of shoes have served long lives without ever getting a dose. But I think it helps, and it's a small investment. I have a pair of very thin, unlined leather shoes that benefit enormously. That's enough empirical evidence to make me stick with it.

 

[Arethusa]

Is Kiwi's leather lotion a conditioner? It's the only thing even close that I could find around here.

 

[thinman]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Is Kiwi's leather lotion a conditioner? It's the only thing even close that I could find around here.

I use Obenauf's Leather Preservative on my new shoes, then a layer of shoe cream, then wax polish. You can find Obenauf's here:

http://www.obenaufs.com/index.php?cP...b8ddaa89888ee3

Be forewarned that the semi-solid Leather Preservative will significantly darken brown shoes, so I use only the Leather Oil if I want to retain the existing color.

Since I only began using the stuff a year ago, I can't provide any testimony regarding its effectiveness. I can only say that light scuffs wipe right off.