Kirby Allison: Affiliate thread

[robbrechter]

Does anyone have any experience with Allen Edmonds Bourbon color and Saphir cream polishes? I tried mixing some Cognac with Mahogany and it just came out orange-ish on the shoe. And the Mahogany on its own just seems too dark. Want to be able to complement the burnishing on the shoe without just coloring over it, which seems to be all I'm doing when I apply polish.

 

[kirbya]



Does anyone have any experience with Allen Edmonds Bourbon color and Saphir cream polishes? I tried mixing some Cognac with Mahogany and it just came out orange-ish on the shoe. And the Mahogany on its own just seems too dark. Want to be able to complement the burnishing on the shoe without just coloring over it, which seems to be all I'm doing when I apply polish.

Have you tried a Medium Brown? It might not be a perfect match, but it would be enough pigment to fill in the background and darken any scuffs.

 

[robbrechter]

Thanks Kirby!

I'll give that a shot. I bought the AE recommended Walnut, but I feel like that's just a cop out they tell people so they don't feel rushed to put out a new Bourbon color premium polish. Their official solution matched way worse than the one I went with using the Saphir that I had available, which I think says a lot to their phoning Bourbon in, so to speak.

 

[brentm]

I just wanted to throw in my shoe shine Sunday pics. I spent the dreary afternoon shining my Grenson Ellerys and my Allen Edmonds Cliftons.

I'm new so I'm not sure if shoe shine Sunday is every Sunday or what, but it's Sunday and I'm shining my shoes so here's a picture. ^_^

 

[kirbya]



I just wanted to throw in my shoe shine Sunday pics. I spent the dreary afternoon shining my Grenson Ellerys and my Allen Edmonds Cliftons.

I'm new so I'm not sure if shoe shine Sunday is every Sunday or what, but it's Sunday and I'm shining my shoes so here's a picture. ^_^

Nice work. I appreciate you keeping Shoe Shine Sunday alive! I've fallen off the band wagon the last several weeks. Set of 3 Suit Hangers for you! I'll be in touch via PM for the details.

Cheers,
Kirby

 

[brentm]



Nice work. I appreciate you keeping Shoe Shine Sunday alive! I've fallen off the band wagon the last several weeks. Set of 3 Suit Hangers for you! I'll be in touch via PM for the details.

Cheers,
Kirby

Wow, that's awesome. Thanks!

 

[ianbratton]

Very good to hear about the suede care products! I have already ordered the appropriate supplies.

 

[TKCSA]

So I have a question about your recommended 'Presidential Shine'.

I have just bought a couple of pairs of brand new RM Williams boots and have the products on hand to ensure that no shoe care product other than Saphir ever touches them (hey, why not). Keep in mind I've never actually used any of these products before (or anything other than a simple wax polish and a brush).

So, because they may be a bit dried out from storage, the first thing I did was to apply the Dubbin Graisse, because I figured that there would be no particular need to use the Reno'Mat on brand new shoes. They're currently in the drying out phase.

However, based on looking at some pictures in this thread, I'm now second guessing myself. The shoes came straight from factory storage, however they had a reasonable shine on them out of the box. Looking at freshly Reno'Mat-ed shoes in this thread, they look quite dull. Is it standard practice for the factory to spruce up shoes with a shine of their own - and therefore should I have used the Reno'Mat after all? I did notice when applying it that some black pigment transferred itself onto the chamois (not a lot, but...).

If that is the case, what should I do now? Ignore it and forge ahead with the Renovateur? Reno'Mat, re-Graisse and then proceed? Reno'Mat and then skip the Graisse and go straight to the Renovateur? To my completely novice eyes, the leather did look a little dry when they arrived, so I don't want to do any damage to them by wearing them in a state that could cause excessive cracking or other wear.

Supplemental question: Because they are a Chelsea boot, I made the call on my own to apply the dubbin higher up on the vamp than your diagram recommends, with the reasoning being that those areas are subject to a fair amount of stretching and creasing (unlike a normal shoe). Was that a good idea, or a mistake?

Sorry for the wall of text, I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly.

 

[kirbya]

I think you would be safe to continue ahead without applying the Reno'Mat. Not at this point. The Reno'Mat dulls shoes because it removes all wax -- shoes straight from the factory have been shined, so they would never appear this dull. The purpose of the Reno'Mat in the Presidential Shine is to remove any accumulation or gunking of polish that occurs over time; you definitely would not have this problem on a new pair of shoes (further reason to skip the step).

I think you're good - let me know how they look at the Dubbin. That stuff is intense! Apply lightly and allow two to three days for it to dry.

Post some pictures when you're done!

P.S. Looks like we'll be out of Reno'Mat for the next two months... Supply issues. Still trying to work through this. Think after July we'll have it settled for the rest of the year.

 

[Flyswatter]

Any update on when size medium Epic shoe trees will be back in stock? I ordered 2 pairs back in mid March and hoping they'll be in soon!

 

[kirbya]

The Epics has been a super annoying problem. Woodlore has been backordered for about two months now. We put in an extra-large PO mid-April so that when they receive their mid-May shipment, we have a large allocation. Until mid-May, though, there is nothing we can do about it.

Also backordered on the Saphir Gommadin Suede Eraser and Saphir Reno'Mat Cleaner because of U.S. supply issues...

 

[brentm]



The Epics has been a super annoying problem. Woodlore has been backordered for about two months now. We put in an extra-large PO mid-April so that when they receive their mid-May shipment, we have a large allocation. Until mid-May, though, there is nothing we can do about it.

Also backordered on the Saphir Gommadin Suede Eraser and Saphir Reno'Mat Cleaner because of U.S. supply issues...

Wow! That's a pain. I'm lucky I just got a bottle of Reno'Mat then. I hope the supply issues clear up soon. ^_^

 

[Kai]

Made my first order from Hangar Project.

Not impressed.

Items shown as in stock on the web site are actually not available and are backordered.

Customer service is unable to give me any sort of time frame for when backordered items will be available.

I expected better.

 

[kirbya]

Hi Kai - sorry for your experience. We try our best. As a small business, we just can't keep everything up-to-date on the website as in-stock vs. out-of-stock. We do try to notify customers as soon as possible to let them know what the ETA is of receiving additional products and then give them the option of cancelling their order or keeping it open. Because we deal with a lot of smaller producers, our supply can be rather inconsistent. On one order there may be a two-week lead time. On our next order an 8-week lead time. Makes it incredibly difficult.

 

[Don L]

Made my first order from Hangar Project.

Not impressed.

Items shown as in stock on the web site are actually not available and are backordered.

Customer service is unable to give me any sort of time frame for when backordered items will be available.

I expected better.

He isn't Wal-Mart Kai. Small business here. Cut him some slack. He is a stand-up guy and I have found their customer service to be top notch!