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Restoring Shell Cordovan Shoes

rebel222

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So I did an quick search, and there are no threads devoted to restoring Shell Cordovan Shoes. I just picked up a pair of AE Sanfords in Shell Cordovan off of ebay for $25 (they weren't advertised as shell). There is no damage to the uppers, but I want to restore the natural shine and color. Right now they are a dull maroon color. What can you use to clean, moisturize (if you even do this to shell), and revive these shoes?

I have a few pairs of Shell shoes, and my normal Kiwi leather conditioner does not seem to even penetrate the surface. Is there a specific cleaner/conditioner for shell?
 

soaped

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Clean the dirt off with a damp cloth and then with a brush.

You can try buffing with silk or felt without conditioner or wax, usually gets the job done for me.
 

JayJay

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Conditioner does not work well on shell cordovan, in fact companies advise using only paste wax.
 

Tarmac

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Dull maroon is what shell looks like. You can basically wipe off the dirt, wipe off the excess polish, and wipe off the white creases, if any. That's about it.
 

grimslade

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I know some people don't like the stuff, but I find the cordovan cream that Woly and AE sell make my shell shoes pretty happy. I'd grab some.
 

greekgeek

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My best results have come from using Meltonian cream (at times neutral, other times colored) followed by a wax polish.

Both are used extremely sparingly, cannot stress that enough.
 

speedster.8

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I believe Alden@LL Posted somewhere that Shell was best brushed vigorously to release the inherent natural oils in the shell cordovan.


So a good slightly stiff brush and some elbow grease might give better results ...
 

rebel222

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Yeah. I have read the above. I also found the tips given by searching. My problem is as such:
One portion of the shoes have a deep burgandy and looks very nice. The other side has a very dark maroon, brown black look. I cant seem to get the reds to come out. I have scrubbed hard with a damp cloth, and I cannot get to a maroon. Am I missing anything?
 

AlanC

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After wiping down with a damp cloth you need to turn to brushing with a horsehair brush--a lot. Do it while you're watching tv over a few different nights. Also try a (very, very light) coat of Kiwi cordovan color wax polish (check your local grocery store).

Keep in mind that some actually like to have variation in color on the shoe. When I sent my shell AE MacNeils in for a factory refurbishment I specifically requested not to have the uppers refinished.
 

Tarmac

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many shell shoes are like this even when new, and it becomes more apparent with time. Sounds like your situation.
 

Henry Boogers

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Ok, so I've made thousands of dollars by purchasing old shell shoes on Ebay, restoring quickly and flipping. Here is my very quick method:

1. Water and a horsehair brush, maybe a little soap if needed. Go to town, scrub away...they can take it.
2. Rinse and let dry
3. Polish....typically the enemy on shell but we need to fight fire with fire!! Apply polish and begin to work it onto the surface, then you are going to use all of the elbow grease you can muster to work that polish back OUT of the shoe and take any old polish/gunk that may be on that cordovan.
4. Repeat step 3 until the removal of new polish is a snap and it's starting to feel like a mirror underneath that rag.
5. Your last step is to really buff the shoe and make sure that you've removed not only the dirt but all of the old polish that may have been applied and all of the polish that you've used to clean the shoe!
6. Dress the edges and put on some new laces.

If I have time I will put up some before and afters....I have this down to a science and I've not met a pair of shell shoes yet that I couldn't restore to 90% of their original condition in under 15 minutes unless there were rips or tears.
 

Henry Boogers

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Originally Posted by rebel222
Yeah. I have read the above. I also found the tips given by searching. My problem is as such:
One portion of the shoes have a deep burgandy and looks very nice. The other side has a very dark maroon, brown black look. I cant seem to get the reds to come out. I have scrubbed hard with a damp cloth, and I cannot get to a maroon. Am I missing anything?


Shell will fade and take on dyes from polishes that should never have been used. I've not been sucessful in removing dark spots but I have evened out shoes using Kiwi wax, which I've found will darken light shell. I should mention that for pure cleaning outlined in my prior post I use the less dye-laden AE polish.
 

mr chorizo

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Ok, so I've made thousands of dollars by purchasing old shell shoes on Ebay, restoring quickly and flipping. Here is my very quick method:

1. Water and a horsehair brush, maybe a little soap if needed. Go to town, scrub away...they can take it.
2. Rinse and let dry
3. Polish....typically the enemy on shell but we need to fight fire with fire!! Apply polish and begin to work it onto the surface, then you are going to use all of the elbow grease you can muster to work that polish back OUT of the shoe and take any old polish/gunk that may be on that cordovan.
4. Repeat step 3 until the removal of new polish is a snap and it's starting to feel like a mirror underneath that rag.
5. Your last step is to really buff the shoe and make sure that you've removed not only the dirt but all of the old polish that may have been applied and all of the polish that you've used to clean the shoe!
6. Dress the edges and put on some new laces.

If I have time I will put up some before and afters....I have this down to a science and I've not met a pair of shell shoes yet that I couldn't restore to 90% of their original condition in under 15 minutes unless there were rips or tears.

before and afters pls!
 

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