Kirby Allison: Affiliate thread

[mktitsworth]

If you can get a mirror shine on the deco black I would love to see it. My experience with it has been that maintaining the subtle variations in color are extremely difficult since so much of it is a combination of polish and finishing rather than in the leather itself. I'd be especially curious to see how the bleaching plays out.

 

[eddiemczee]

Link to social media!

 

[brillopad]

On this lovely San Francisco day I took my shoe shining outside. I gave my C&J for BB loafers a well-earned polish, since they'll be getting a lot of use in the coming weeks.

Tools:
Lexol leather cleaner
Saphir Reno
Saphir creme polish
Saphir wax polish
AE edge dressing (didn't end up using this since it was the wrong color)
Hanger Project water dispenser thing
brush, rags, etc.

Before - in decent shape, but in need of some care.



Below: after a Lexol scrub, Reno, cream and wax polish. I'd usually stop here, but since I have this new water dispenser toy I decided to give them a slight higher shine. Nothing too crazy since they're loafers, but just a little bit of gloss.



This thing is pretty great. Perfect for dispensing tiny amounts of water. Certainly not necessary, but makes life a little easier.



After a bit of water/wax polishing on the heel:



And the final product. Ready for some action.

 

[ezlau]

How useful are those Edoya lamb hair brush for finishing a mirror shine?

 

[BrockB]

Today I thought I would work on my boots a bit. Being former military I couldn't resist putting a little shine to the captoe...
Before

After

Didn't do anything special besides use my nice Saphir products from Kirby

 

[GothamRed]

How useful are those Edoya lamb hair brush for finishing a mirror shine?

Depends on which technique you use for the mirroring (e.g., chamois or cotton pad). I use the Edoya more for finishing the rest of the shoe than for the mirror cap/heel.

 

[bkotsko]

I decided to go with a pair of boots today. Natural CXL is so forgiving. I have heard people being afraid of it.
Honestly most scuffs come out with brushing only.
Before, After and Full shot below.

 

[rusty18]

I love the brush in question; I keep meaning to do a bit more research on yak hair brushes and then acquire one (or vice versa, because as long as it exists, I must at least try it). I have not diligently searched for previous posts on the topic--I confess in advance. Just curious if anyone has a strong opinion on yak hair brushes one way or the other stemming from personal use?

Anyway, I have a couple of contributions.

1) I am quite proud of this as it was my very first attempt at achieving an antiqued effect with colored polishes. Here I used our very own Glenjay's GlenKaren Care colored cream polishes to achieve the effect (quite a fleeting one once the owner steps outside, I know).
I was given the shoes in this condition:

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And the owner swore that they were once Bontoni oxfords with a finish not unlike that of the following shoe:


Incredibly, it seemed that someone had put as much "product" (for lack of a more precise word to describe the collection of gunk) as possible on all possible flex points, while leaving the rest of the shoe bare.

Using pure Orange oil diluted with distilled water, I held my breath to see what I would find beneath the scaly surface of the vamp. I was quite excited to see that the leather beneath was fairly healthy, the the antique effect that the shoe had come with was largely turned to a splotchy mess (that's how it had already become, as you can see from the above pics--at first I worried that I had taken a wrong turn and ruined a work of art). Image the following morning, after some brushing and conditioning:


I then went to work slowly but surely, leaving plenty of time between coats (15 minutes at least to dry and then a couple of hours before another coat). I worked my way in from the toe box and the heel from black to dark brown to brown and finally, to 1 very thin coat of walnut applied to the creases. I used my fingers to directly apply the cream polish throughout, then buffed with a horsehair brush of only 3 inches, as my 'coats' were not covering more than a couple of inches of the toe and forward from the heel until I reached the lighter colors.
I applied Glen's High Shine Wax in the thinnest layer imaginable across the entire shoe, but barely kissing the previously hideous areas. I brushed, buffed and went to bed. The next morning, I applied a bit higher gloss shines to the toe and heel, and here's what I ended up with:


I would really appreciate critiques and advice for improvement! Starting with this question: what's up with the paler lines running diagonally from the toe of the shoe on the right (the left foot)? They were there during every step of the process and I couldn't brush/buff or wish them away no matter what.

Oh yes--and anything good that I did should be attributed to Glen's products and patrick_booth's instruction. anything terrible was all me. or maybe the lighting?

 

[macjedi]

Happy Shoe Shine Shunday!!!

Here is my contribution for today. Spring is coming, so it time to bring on the tan. These aren't in too bad shape, but could use some condition and shine…

FIRST STEP:
I feel it's important to have a libation for a task as important as this … especially on a Sunday

Today, my Sweet Chinchilla made Hendrick's & Tonics with Juniper Berries, Fever Tree Tonic and the most most important … The Tivolo Ice Ball … available at The Hanger Project.

^ Next, I wipe the shoes down with a soft, damp cloth. Then, apply a thin layer of Saphir Renovateur (also available at The Hanger Project) to cleanse and moisturize. I let this sit a few minutes to let it do its work… and enjoy my drink.

^ I always use a stipple and detail brush to make sure the product is evenly applied around the brogueing and welt of the shoe.

Then, I wipe the shoe vigorously. Followed by a good brushing with a horsehair brush.

^ Then comes the polish and/or wax. I think this pair has a good amount of color, so the wax will help to protect the leather and increase the shine.

^ I'm using a High-Shine Water Dispenser (courtesy of The Hanger Project) to displace the wax a bit and create a high gloss shine. I simply tap the dispenser with my finger and apply the droplet to the area that I'm going to apply the wax.

^ I then take a very small amount of wax to my finger, and rub over the droplet with a circular motion. I repeat this a few times around the shoe, letting the shoe rest about 15 minutes between applications … and, brushing and buffing between as well. I also focus most on the toe and heel area as these are the areas that get the most abuse.

And here is the finished product… ready for Spring (of course, I don't know what I'm waiting for as it's close to 90 here in the O.C.)

If done correctly, this process should take at least two cocktails. Thankfully, the Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds come in a set of 2 . However, I suggest you get yourself at least two sets if your significant other will be having a cocktail as well … more if you're expecting company. We have 4 sets, don't wanna be without a proper ice ball

Thanks!

 

[macjedi]

Cross-posted to FB … but I'm old and not sure how to do the linky thingy on the Forum thingy (I'm working on it), but I tried … so at least I got that goin' for me … really want some hangers.

 

[BillP]



Happy Shoe Shine Shunday!!!

Here is my contribution for today. Spring is coming, so it time to bring on the tan. These aren't in too bad shape, but could use some condition and shine…

[/VIDEO]ALT=""]http://www.styleforum.net/content/type/61/id/1207142/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]

FIRST STEP:
I feel it's important to have a libation for a task as important as this … especially on a Sunday

Today, my Sweet Chinchilla made Hendrick's & Tonics with Juniper Berries, Fever Tree Tonic and the most most important … The Tivolo Ice Ball … available at The Hanger Project.

^ Next, I wipe the shoes down with a soft, damp cloth. Then, apply a thin layer of Saphir Renovateur (also available at The Hanger Project) to cleanse and moisturize. I let this sit a few minutes to let it do its work… and enjoy my drink.

^ I always use a stipple and detail brush to make sure the product is evenly applied around the brogueing and welt of the shoe.


Then, I wipe the shoe vigorously. Followed by a good brushing with a horsehair brush.

^ Then comes the polish and/or wax. I think this pair has a good amount of color, so the wax will help to protect the leather and increase the shine.

^ I'm using a High-Shine Water Dispenser (courtesy of The Hanger Project) to displace the wax a bit and create a high gloss shine. I simply tap the dispenser with my finger and apply the droplet to the area that I'm going to apply the wax.

^ I then take a very small amount of wax to my finger, and rub over the droplet with a circular motion. I repeat this a few times around the shoe, letting the shoe rest about 15 minutes between applications … and, brushing and buffing between as well. I also focus most on the toe and heel area as these are the areas that get the most abuse.

And here is the finished product… ready for Spring (of course, I don't know what I'm waiting for as it's close to 90 here in the O.C.)

If done correctly, this process should take at least two cocktails. Thankfully, the Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds come in a set of 2 . However, I suggest you get yourself at least two sets if your significant other will be having a cocktail as well … more if you're expecting company. We have 4 sets, don't wanna be without a proper ice ball

Thanks!

The shoes look nice but the libations make this a notch above the rest

 

[GothamRed]

Looking good, everyone! I'm checking out for the night, so I'll leave you with this:

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[IronStyle]

Received these snazzy socks as part of last week's shoe shine Sunday and look forward to giving them a try (they are dark grey). They are pretty light and sheer so will see how they feel after a good day's work. Thanks Kirby and team for the wonderful gift!

 

[Maverick972]

Any new colors for the 920L socks this season?

 

[GothamRed]

For @mktitsworth :

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