**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[SchachMundialECapital]

I concur, toss those in the bin. Beyond repair and they look hideous to boot.

 

[troika]

FWIW "bookbinder" leather is also corrected grain, but I've found it be not terrible when Trickers or Churchs use it. They can be worn in a cool way, if you don't hate that look of course.

 

[Poshak Man]

I started using Bick 4 conditioner a while back based on DFWII's recommendation a while back. Bick 4 does the job of renourishing the leather without any adverse side effects. I really like the Saphir Renovaetor too but you never know what it might do to the finish of the shoes. I have had a really bad experience with reno on a pair of hand antiqued / painted Santoni Goodyear welted shoes. Reno totally stripped out the color and I had to send in the shoes for refinishing. However, in my experience the results of using Bick 4 conditioner can be somewhat unpredictable too.

Sorry in the last sentence my reference should have been to Bick 4 Cleaner. have seen no adverse side effects from Bick 4 conditioner.

 

[keeno]

Hello. I have some Carmina shoes in museum calf (brown and dark brown, respectively) and am wondering the best way to polish them. I have been using the Saphir Renovateur, but not sure the best polish to use. My first thought was to use neutral polish but I have read things advising otherwise. If I use a colored polish, will it negatively impact the colors from the museum effect? The dark brown museum has an almost burgundy marbling look to it so I am not sure what to do. The brown museum is sort of a mix of brown and tan, so it doesn’t seem like using a brown would be as bad. At any rate, just wondering the best way to manage it. Thanks in advance!

 

[johantota]

Hello all. I have a problem and I'm looking for some advice. I mirror shined a brand new pair of Alden’s with saphir mirror gloss and light brown pate de luxe. Because of some cracking of the wax after a couple wears i removed the polish using saphir renomat. When attempting to re-mirror shine the toe caps I noticed than the light brown polish was creating a really dark spot on one of the toe caps as though it was penetrating the leather. The spot did not go away when I buffed it with a horse hair brush. I let it sit for a couple hours and the spot was still there. I used the renomat again to attempt to remove the polish resulting in the attached pic. There is a noticeable light spot on the toe cap. Is there any way to salvage this? Picture of the spot below.

 

[Zeke90]

Anyone apply anything to the sole of the shoe? Ive tried the saphir one and it does not really waterguard/protect it in anyway

 

[ShoeWho]

Hello all. I have a problem and I'm looking for some advice. I mirror shined a brand new pair of Alden’s with saphir mirror gloss and light brown pate de luxe. Because of some cracking of the wax after a couple wears i removed the polish using saphir renomat. When attempting to re-mirror shine the toe caps I noticed than the light brown polish was creating a really dark spot on one of the toe caps as though it was penetrating the leather. The spot did not go away when I buffed it with a horse hair brush. I let it sit for a couple hours and the spot was still there. I used the renomat again to attempt to remove the polish resulting in the attached pic. There is a noticeable light spot on the toe cap. Is there any way to salvage this? Picture of the spot below. View attachment 1148913

Oh ****. Renomat can wreck new shoes. It removes the finish. I reckon you're going to have to dye the shoes to match the dark spot.

 

[johantota]

Oh ****. Renomat can wreck new shoes. It removes the finish. I reckon you're going to have to dye the shoes to match the dark spot.

Thanks. That's what it though. The way the polish was going deep into the leather made it seem like the top coat was missing. Kinda frustrating. These guys weren't cheap.

 

[benhour]

There is a noticeable light spot on the toe cap. Is there any way to salvage this? Picture of the spot below. View attachment 1148913

In the first place when you have used Renomat you striped off some of the factory finish ( I think mostly the water proofing sealant ) and oppened up the pores of the leather leading to over saturation ! Then by using it again the Renomat diluted the dye and made it consentrate at the edge of the saturated part leading to the lighter spot ( some dye came off also by rubbing)! The easiest fix is to leave it dry for a couple of days then use a darker polish to cover both toes and cover the lighter spot ! Dyeing is an option but take the shoes to someone with experience!

Oh ****. Renomat can wreck new shoes. It removes the finish. I reckon you're going to have to dye the shoes to match the dark spot.

I have said it numerous times that it is a very harsh cleaner and it needs to be used very carefully and sparingly!

I hope I helped a little bit

 

[ShoeWho]

Thanks. That's what it though. The way the polish was going deep into the leather made it seem like the top coat was missing. Kinda frustrating. These guys weren't cheap.

Perhaps you could go for a two tone patina. Some people really like it. Unfortunately Trump's sons like it, but if you can overcome your revulsion you can see some stunning examples on J.Fitzpatrick's blog https://www.theshoesnobblog.com/ He is a small scale expert shoe maker - there are lots of how-to-do-it pages in the blog.

Here's one of his patinated(?) pairs:

Eta: Oops, I attributed those shoes to the wrong person. The photo is from JP's blog but the shoes are the work of "Samuel Norsworthy, England. If Villette is a patina veteran, Sam is a rookie. He started working at Gaziano & Girling just a couple of years ago, where he has been extremely dedicated and learned closing uppers, clicking, painting patina and shining shoes, from the masters working at the company. This single monk has beautiful, living transitions from the light brown in the middle of the shoe up to the dark toe." From https://www.theshoesnobblog.com/201...a-finalists-london-super-trunk-show-2019.html

 

[jctune]

Anyone apply anything to the sole of the shoe? Ive tried the saphir one and it does not really waterguard/protect it in anyway

You’ll see different opinions, but I’m in the “leave the soles alone” camp.

 

[johantota]

In the first place when you have used Renomat you striped off some of the factory finish ( I think mostly the water proofing sealant ) and oppened up the pores of the leather leading to over saturation ! Then by using it again the Renomat diluted the dye and made it consentrate at the edge of the saturated part leading to the lighter spot ( some dye came off also by rubbing)! The easiest fix is to leave it dry for a couple of days then use a darker polish to cover both toes and cover the lighter spot ! Dyeing is an option but take the shoes to someone with experience!


I have said it numerous times that it is a very harsh cleaner and it needs to be used very carefully and sparingly!

I hope I helped a little bit

Thanks that really explains it. I will go the darker polish route.

 

[SchachMundialECapital]

@ShoeWho Trump's sons and what they wear is relevant to this thread in which way...? Assuming that people exhibit revulsion to antique patinated toes due to what the President's children like to wear is inane and irrelevant. Let's stick to the topic, which is: do NOT use Renomat if you're a novice. You'll ruin your shoes.

 

[johantota]

Did as @benhour recommended. Think they look pretty decent given what I put them through. Thanks all.

 

[keeno]

Hello. I have some Carmina shoes in museum calf (brown and dark brown, respectively) and am wondering the best way to polish them. I have been using the Saphir Renovateur, but not sure the best polish to use. My first thought was to use neutral polish but I have read things advising otherwise. If I use a colored polish, will it negatively impact the colors from the museum effect? The dark brown museum has an almost burgundy marbling look to it so I am not sure what to do. The brown museum is sort of a mix of brown and tan, so it doesn’t seem like using a brown would be as bad. At any rate, just wondering the best way to manage it. Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to follow up on this and see what you all recommend.
Also, there are some small scuffs on the toe and was interested in knowing how to clean that up. Will polish work? If so, I guess that leads me back to my original question. Thanks