Help Shell Cordovan

[jjgold]

I know this have been covered here before but.... cordovan does not need be polished right? But how do you guys clean it? I have a pair of Brown Shell Vass that really need a cleaning. Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[ephemeralcoherence]

I think cordovan should be polished, just not as often or heavily as calf. I've tried a couple methods--Alden of Carmel's site instructions as well as SF member Shoe's detailed step-by-step from a while back--and both have worked well for me. I believe both address the issue of cleaning before polishing.

 

[well-kept]

Neutral wax has a solvent effect on surface dirt. I use it, rarely, on shell when it has gone through rain or mud. A tiny amount, rubbed off as soon as it's applied. Then brush. Works well for me.

 

[thinman]

I clean off salt and grime with a damp cloth and then spot-polish with a very small amount of wax. More recently, Ron Rider sent me some Saphir shoe creams with several pairs of MTO Martegani shell cordovan shoes. The Saphir cream has given new life to some tired-looking shell cordovan shoes that wouldn't shine well otherwise.

 

[Roger]

Thinman, that's interesting. My impression had been that creams aren't recommended for shell cordovan--probably because of its relative (to calf) impermeability. Instead, the recommendations I've seen concentrate on wax polishes--and, has been noted, in very small quantities. Your damp cloth treatment first makes complete sense.

 

[yachtie]

Polish no more often than once every dozen wearings or so,use a dry brush otherwise. Use much less polish than you would on calf. Creams are not recommended.

 

[paper clip]

I like my cordo shoes to have a warm, rich luster, rather than a hard "shine".

Every couple of months (shoes worn to work/church 1-2x weekly) I first clean 'em with baby wipes (I figure if its gentle enough for a baby's a$$, it can't hurt tough horse shoes). I let dry and then wipe with a clean cotton t-shirt. I then apply a small amount of polish applied with an old cotton t-shirt (real soft). I then brush off all polish with a horsehair brush and then a final wipe-down/buffing with clean t-shirt.

I finish with black edge dressing applied with a black foam paintbrush cut to 1/2 inch to complete the transformation back to like-new shoes.

 

[thinman]

Originally Posted by Roger

Thinman, that's interesting. My impression had been that creams aren't recommended for shell cordovan--probably because of its relative (to calf) impermeability. Instead, the recommendations I've seen concentrate on wax polishes--and, has been noted, in very small quantities. Your damp cloth treatment first makes complete sense.
That's the lore I've read too, but I'd tried wax on my Polo Darlton wingtips and MacCallum chukka boots and the creased area on the vamps just refused to take a shine. So I spread on a very thin layer of Saphir cream, using one finger, polished it off with a cotton cloth followed by a vigorous shine with a Bemberg cloth, and got a nice shine. The procedure works even better on calfskin shoes (and I love the beeswax smell of the Saphir creams). Edit: I won't try the cream treatment again until after many wearings, since I believe there's some truth to the conventional wisdom. I'm going back to spot-polishing with wax for the foreseeable future.

 

[JayJay]

I wipe with damp cloth followed by brushing and buffing. I use wax about once a year.