shoe question - what would happen if . . .?

[dirk diggler]

ok, I purchased the RL polo tellmans in chestnut from GVH. Gorgeous shoe. I am somewhat new to the shoe quest, so I have a simple question. What would happen if I slowly polished said chestnut-colored shoes with brown shoe polish. Would the polish "hold" and add a darker patina to them or will it come off. I don't want to destroy the shoe or experiment with them, but I would like them a hair darker.

thanks.

 

[lee_44106]

Talk to Diorshoe,

He had posted an earlier thread about antiquing his Tellman. It is now a nice brown color.

I'm doing the same to mine, if I get the time

 

[lasbar]

Polish or wax is only affecting the top layer of the leather and will not change (or very little) the colour of the leather....
If you do want to modify it ,you will have to apply some chemicals such as terebenthine or acetone and apply a cream which will give a different tone to the shoe...
For a profesional finish ,try to find a shoe colorist because the know-how involved is the key to a good patina...
You can also learn from a very specialized website but as said earlier these procedures are requiring some experience and the famous trial and error process is not acceptable when we're talking very good quality shoes...

 

[DocHolliday]

If you use darker polish, the shoes will darken over time. Similarly, using a lighter polish on a darker shoe will lighten them, gradually, and bring out the lighter highlights. I did this on a pair of Mantellassi boots to nice effect.

If you want a slight color adjustment, this is the way to go. The effect over time is very pleasing. You need to resort to the more drastic steps only if you're looking for a dramatic change.

 

[Nantucket Red]

I've also wanted to do this with my Tellmans acquired from the same source.

I recall several good antiquing threads showing some very nice results. So far I have yet to see anybody post any antiquing disasters, so I take it antiquing is not beyond the abilities of the average SF shoe-lover.

We're overdue for a pinned Ultimate Shoe-Antiquing thread.