Step One: Antiquing (DONE!) Step two: Polishing (HOW??)

[sprockett]

So i was following some of these antiquing threads and decided to try it out... So far progress has been slow... I've finally gotten decent results on one shoe... Still have one more to go. And not to mention i ruin 4 pairs of shoes along the way!! THis is not easy............ Anyway, my intention was to recreate this berluti effect: Attachment 59812 So after a lot of trial and error i got this. Left shoe has been completed (but not yet polished), right shoe is the original finish. Attachment 59813 Not perfect, but i guess its better than my first 4 times (haha). I think i might have overdone the gradient effect, i will fix this in my next trial. In a nutshell (as per Rider's thread), deglaze (simple part) and then dye (the hard part)... The most difficult part is getting the gradient effect and minimising splotchiness. It helps if u already have some painting experience. Now my biggest challenge is Step 2: recreating the berluti shine... FOr the life of me i can't seem get the right polish effect. I've done a ton of research, and i just can't seem to get that same high end shoe finish. I deglazed and tried to polish a few other pairs of shoes as practice, but never up to scratch. I think the job i do is decent, but def not as good as berluti!! Any one can recommend: 1. Polish products --> do these really make a difference? I only have used a couple brands (kiwi and colloni) 2. Do i really need an expensive brush? Cobbler i spoke tried to sell me a 60 dollar brush. I didnt buy it. 3. Does alcohol + water technique really work? 4. any other tips? 5. what about quick shine products? Thanks.........

 

[BlackShoes]

I just use water mixed with the polish for a final buffing with a soft, lint free cloth. The shinier you want it, the longer you polish, and add more water with each subsequent layer. With this, you can get almost any shoe as shiny as you like. I believe this technique is referred to as "bulling" in the army.

N.B. Adding water may affect the dyes you have used based on their composition.

 

[sprockett]

There must be somethign wrong with what im doing... i read that u need to wax, and the "speckle" on some water and rub... I tried that, didnt really work well

1. When you say mix water with polish, does that mean u mix the two together before polishing? 2. before the final buffing do u just use polish + brush for the initial coat? Or do u use a cloth all the way? The dyes are non water based so i think water shd be ok... but i'll check first by dabbing the unpolished shoe with water to see the effect first... . Thanks!!