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

[whorishconsumer]

No, Renovatrice is also called renovating cream. This stuff (I think your shoes were black if memory serves) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Saphir-Renovating-cream-tube-25-ml-For-Leather/123743714490?var=424351008484&hash=item1ccfb33cba:g:IcgAAOSw4EJcvfum

Aha! They are in fact museum brown, which adds some complication.

 

[marlinspike]

Aha! They are in fact museum brown, which adds some complication.

Ok, went back and found the pic. I would try tobacco brown and light brown, and paint where needed with a toothpick, and if you have the patience to go over it with many many coats use a cloth that has very little nap wrapped tightly around something flat (like a credit card) to wipe each layer away after you apply it. It shrinks as it dries, so doing it this way that leaves no excess takes a while but in my experience looked best.

That said with them being Lobbs you might first reach out to Lobb and the Elegant Oxford guy to see if they think they could do something especially good with it.

 

[whorishconsumer]

Ok, went back and found the pic. I would try tobacco brown and light brown, and paint where needed with a toothpick, and if you have the patience to go over it with many many coats use a cloth that has very little nap wrapped tightly around something flat (like a credit card) to wipe each layer away after you apply it. It shrinks as it dries, so doing it this way that leaves no excess takes a while but in my experience looked best.

That said with them being Lobbs you might first reach out to Lobb and the Elegant Oxford guy to see if they think they could do something especially good with it.

Spoke with Lobb and they recommended what you all have been - a pigmented cream. The individual I spoke with noted that the incision was not too deep and positioned in a location that shouldn't receive stress, so he did not have concerns for it getting worse.

Thanks again.

 

[Warrant_Buffet]

(Alert: question from an idiot)
Are my shoes destroyed? Here's what went down:
So after a few scuffs ruined the mirror shine, I decided to apply more wax on the wax layer instead of stripping it, but I eventually did - with baking soda and water - after finding the toe box router than usual.
Things went way downhill since. Almond and castor oil, cream and wax, brush and buff - and the shoe wouldn't take the wax (the wax ended up on the cloth when I tried to buff it). Eventually I went with saddle soap a few times and the toe turned... rough, for the lack of a better word.
Think I might've broken through the factory finish too.
Is there anything I can do to salvage it?

 

[fini]

I’ve recently purchased a pair of Trickers Stow boots. They’re shrunken grain and Taupe in colour:

I’d love some advice as to how to care for them.

I wondered whether Saphir Beige cream would be a close enough colour match, though suspect I’d be best off going with neutral?

Given the shrunken grain I assume I should stay away from a hard polish?

If I stuck some Saphir Super Invulner on them would I get away with wearing them in the wet or, given the colour, should I just pull them out on dry days?

 

[JFWR]

(Alert: question from an idiot)
Are my shoes destroyed? Here's what went down:
So after a few scuffs ruined the mirror shine, I decided to apply more wax on the wax layer instead of stripping it, but I eventually did - with baking soda and water - after finding the toe box router than usual.
Things went way downhill since. Almond and castor oil, cream and wax, brush and buff - and the shoe wouldn't take the wax (the wax ended up on the cloth when I tried to buff it). Eventually I went with saddle soap a few times and the toe turned... rough, for the lack of a better word.
Think I might've broken through the factory finish too.
Is there anything I can do to salvage it?View attachment 1536807

A common misconception is that leather shoes made of full grain leather have a finish apart from the dye and waxes. They don't. There's no special layer. It's just dye and polish.

So even if you started messing with this, no big deal. Very worst case, you can redye em.

I'd suggest putting the shoes aside for a bit to dry out. I feel the leather may be wet after all you did. Then use pigmented cream and buff. After that, try the wax again.

 

[JFWR]

I’ve recently purchased a pair of Trickers Stow boots. They’re shrunken grain and Taupe in colour:
View attachment 1537585

I’d love some advice as to how to care for them.

I wondered whether Saphir Beige cream would be a close enough colour match, though suspect I’d be best off going with neutral?

Given the shrunken grain I assume I should stay away from a hard polish?

If I stuck some Saphir Super Invulner on them would I get away with wearing them in the wet or, given the colour, should I just pull them out on dry days?

You can use whatever polish you please. Some WAx would add a nice overall shine.

Once you use the super invulner there'd be no reason not to wear these in the rain.

 

[fini]

I read somewhere, a long time ago, that you should stay away from wax polish with pebble grain due to it building up in the grain and had assumed the same held true for shrunken grain. Sounds like that’s not a consideration and all should be fine?

My question around Saphir Beige was really around colour-matching. I really like the colour at the moment and don’t want to push it in any direction, thus why I’m considering neutral. If the beige, in real life, is a good match then I think that’d make more sense than the neutral, but I’ve not seen Saphir’s beige personally and with lockdown can’t go anywhere to see it.

 

[JFWR]

I read somewhere, a long time ago, that you should stay away from wax polish with pebble grain due to it building up in the grain and had assumed the same held true for shrunken grain. Sounds like that’s not a consideration and all should be fine?

My question around Saphir Beige was really around colour-matching. I really like the colour at the moment and don’t want to push it in any direction, thus why I’m considering neutral. If the beige, in real life, is a good match then I think that’d make more sense than the neutral, but I’ve not seen Saphir’s beige personally and with lockdown can’t go anywhere to see it.

Just don't cake it on. You can always clean it off with a cotton swab and neutral wax used as a cleaning agent if it gets too caked.

If you like that specific colour, use neutral. I couldn't tell you if beige would work.

You may want to get saphir's colour chart.

 

[JFWR]

I just purchased a pair of Allen Edmonds Kenilworth PTB in vegano brown. Is there anything I should keep in mind when polishing vegano? From what I understand, it's a crust leather, and therefore I should avoid renovateur. Any other suggestions, e.g. sticking to neutral creams and waxes?