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

[JFWR]

Try cotton balls:

Also great point. Cotton balls work great.

 

[Schweino]

Okay, so the heel block of my Cheaney Ribble boots just fell off yesterday when walking in the snow. How the hell did that happen? I thought these were supposed to be nailed down?

 

[JFWR]

Okay, so the heel block of my Cheaney Ribble boots just fell off yesterday when walking in the snow. How the hell did that happen? I thought these were supposed to be nailed down?

View attachment 1556877

Contact Cheaney. This is clearly defective manufacturing.

 

[marlinspike]

Contact Cheaney. This is clearly defective manufacturing.

Probably not worth the trouble, will take a cobbler 15 minutes to fix. Nails weren't long enough or something.

 

[marlinspike]

For cordovan, is there a safe wax to use if you want to mirror shine the cap? Saphir cordovan cream is without turpentine to be cordovan safe, but then saphir seems to thing you can use the pate de luxe and the mirror gloss waxes, but don't those contain turpentine?

 

[JFWR]

Probably not worth the trouble, will take a cobbler 15 minutes to fix. Nails weren't long enough or something.

Yeah but Cheney should pay for it.

 

[JFWR]

For cordovan, is there a safe wax to use if you want to mirror shine the cap? Saphir cordovan cream is without turpentine to be cordovan safe, but then saphir seems to thing you can use the pate de luxe and the mirror gloss waxes, but don't those contain turpentine?

Turpentine isn't corrosive to cordovan. You just don't want to douse the shoe in it. Once it has a layer of cream, adding some wax won't hurt it. Also, the mirror gloss has very little turpentine.

 

[kevenmee]

Any recommendations for conditioners that don't darken? Using lexol and I find that it darkens up my lighter shoes quite a bit.

FWIW, I usually just condition, and then use VSC/saphir's cordovan cream. Will polish when there's scuff marks.

 

[CWV]

Any recommendations for conditioners that don't darken? Using lexol and I find that it darkens up my lighter shoes quite a bit.

FWIW, I usually just condition, and then use VSC/saphir's cordovan cream. Will polish when there's scuff marks.

The clásico answere is nick 4

 

[BB_Adept]

Dear guys.

I own two pair of Dinkelacker Cordovan shoes and i was wondering about the optimal care.
Both shoes are brushed with a brush on a regular basis (almost daily). One is navy blue, the other one in oxblood.

Sadly, it is hard to find good cordovan shoepolish. I use a bordeaux (as close to oxblood as it gets) polish on the oxblood pair unregularly. The navy blue one only got polish once - colorless due to the lack of navy blue cordovan polish. Can i use any polish that says it can be used on smooth leathers? These are easy to find on Amazon, but they do not specify "cordovan" in the description.

Also, i only have one big horsehair brush. So far i only used in on the oxblood pair because i didnt want bordeaux polish on my navy blue shoes but my other brush is not as soft and i fear i already scraped the navy blue leather with it.
Even though i do a lot of shoe care, i feel like i can do a little more, i just do not know what to do.
Any suggestions on optimal care for shell cordovan are welcome.

This is what i am using for my oxblood shoes, it is not quite a "polish" but more of a creme. I am not quite sure of the differences though.

Burgol Cordovan-Pomade 50 ml: Amazon.de: Schuhe & Handtaschen

Gratis-Versand ab 25€ und Gratis-Retoure für Schuhe und Handtaschen mit Verkauf und Versand durch Amazon

www.amazon.de

 

[JFWR]

Dear guys.

I own two pair of Dinkelacker Cordovan shoes and i was wondering about the optimal care.
Both shoes are brushed with a brush on a regular basis (almost daily). One is navy blue, the other one in oxblood.

Sadly, it is hard to find good cordovan shoepolish. I use a bordeaux (as close to oxblood as it gets) polish on the oxblood pair unregularly. The navy blue one only got polish once - colorless due to the lack of navy blue cordovan polish. Can i use any polish that says it can be used on smooth leathers? These are easy to find on Amazon, but they do not specify "cordovan" in the description.

Also, i only have one big horsehair brush. So far i only used in on the oxblood pair because i didnt want bordeaux polish on my navy blue shoes but my other brush is not as soft and i fear i already scraped the navy blue leather with it.
Even though i do a lot of shoe care, i feel like i can do a little more, i just do not know what to do.
Any suggestions on optimal care for shell cordovan are welcome.

This is what i am using for my oxblood shoes, it is not quite a "polish" but more of a creme. I am not quite sure of the differences though.

Burgol Cordovan-Pomade 50 ml: Amazon.de: Schuhe & Handtaschen

Gratis-Versand ab 25€ und Gratis-Retoure für Schuhe und Handtaschen mit Verkauf und Versand durch Amazon

www.amazon.de

Your cream polish should be cordovan polish. This is because cream polish has a goodly amount of solvents in it and you don't want too much turpentine on shell. Over time, it loosens the natural toughness and impenetrability of the closed poor structure. It isn't an immediate problem, but over the years your shoes will suffer the consequences.

The cordovan cream polish you should get is this:

Saphir Cordovan Cream

Saphir Cordovan Cream. Shoe Care. Price: 10.62 GBP (inc VAT). Saphir Cordovan Cream is designed specifically for use on Cordovan leather which has very tight pores. Preserves, nourishes and protects cordovan leather Contains beeswax and neatsfoot oil 75ml

www.pediwear.co.uk

Or

Saphir Cordovan Shoe Cream

Saphir Cordovan Shoe Cream. Shoe Care. Price: 4.95 GBP (inc VAT). Part of the Beaute du Cuir range from Saphir this nourishing shoe cream is enriched with beeswax and almond oil Nourishes and maintains leather 50ml Colour Chart (Please note all colours can b...

www.pediwear.co.uk

Polish comes in two varieties: cream (for colour/scuffs/moisturizing) and wax (for high shine and water protection). You don't need a special "cordovan wax" - the regular wax has sufficiently little turpentine that, provided you have used the cordovan cream first, you don't really have to worry about it, especially on the caps/heels where you might want a mirror gloss. So pair your cordovan cream with a nice wax polish for some high shine, but don't go too heavy on the whole shoe with it. I suggest Saphir pate de luxe and mirror or amiral gloss.

As for your horse hair dilemma: It is almost impossible to scratch cordovan leather with a brush. Cordovan is more or less self-healing when it comes to superficial scratches. You have to gouge it with a gate or something in order to really mess up your shoes. So don't worry.

I'd also not worry about using the horse hair brush that was used for burgundy provided you don't immediately use it or see that it is leaving marks on your skin. However, if you really want to, just buy another horse hair brush so you can use it on the blue shoes. It's not that expensive and will be useful down the road!

 

[Reiver]

Dear guys.

I own two pair of Dinkelacker Cordovan shoes and i was wondering about the optimal care.
Both shoes are brushed with a brush on a regular basis (almost daily). One is navy blue, the other one in oxblood.

Sadly, it is hard to find good cordovan shoepolish. I use a bordeaux (as close to oxblood as it gets) polish on the oxblood pair unregularly. The navy blue one only got polish once - colorless due to the lack of navy blue cordovan polish. Can i use any polish that says it can be used on smooth leathers? These are easy to find on Amazon, but they do not specify "cordovan" in the description.

Also, i only have one big horsehair brush. So far i only used in on the oxblood pair because i didnt want bordeaux polish on my navy blue shoes but my other brush is not as soft and i fear i already scraped the navy blue leather with it.
Even though i do a lot of shoe care, i feel like i can do a little more, i just do not know what to do.
Any suggestions on optimal care for shell cordovan are welcome.

This is what i am using for my oxblood shoes, it is not quite a "polish" but more of a creme. I am not quite sure of the differences though.

Burgol Cordovan-Pomade 50 ml: Amazon.de: Schuhe & Handtaschen

Gratis-Versand ab 25€ und Gratis-Retoure für Schuhe und Handtaschen mit Verkauf und Versand durch Amazon

www.amazon.de

Congratulations on the shell Dinkelacker's.

shell cordovan needs very little in the way of product application as it has plenty of oils and fats through the long tanning process.

I would recommend Saphir cordovan cream in either neutral or colour matched. Not sure if there is a navy.

I use neutral on my burgundy cordovan as I want the colour to develop naturally, although a coloured cream, can be useful to cover up scratches.

Regular brushing is most important as it helps to redistribute the oils already in the cordovan. I would recommend a good quality, large brush purely for the purpose of brushing them down without any cream.

A little wax polish on the toe cap is optional if you want more of a shine.

As @JFWR mentioned, standard shoe creams are not recommended for shell due to the solvents. I'm sure you haven't done any damage though, shell is quite resilient really.

 

[efta]

I have a pair of brown suede wingtips that I haven't gotten a lot of use out of, and as such has mostly been sitting in my wardrobe. I was contemplating selling them/starting using them, but after pulling them out the suede looks quite tired. The main problem is that it's "pilling" (hairs that aren't brown are sticking out) - and im quite at a loss about what to do. I've read that a heat gun/hairdryer might work, but I thought I'd ask the SF community about advice first. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[Reiver]

I have a pair of brown suede wingtips that I haven't gotten a lot of use out of, and as such has mostly been sitting in my wardrobe. I was contemplating selling them/starting using them, but after pulling them out the suede looks quite tired. The main problem is that it's "pilling" (hairs that aren't brown are sticking out) - and im quite at a loss about what to do. I've read that a heat gun/hairdryer might work, but I thought I'd ask the SF community about advice first. Does anyone have experience with this?

I've heard similar but have not attempted it yet. Steam also can revive sued a bit.

I have used Saphir suede cleaner before with good results but I believe soapy water can be used also.

 

[efta]

I've heard similar but have not attempted it yet. Steam also can revive sued a bit.

I have used Saphir suede cleaner before with good results but I believe soapy water can be used also.

My review of the shoes are that they are in quite good shape and look quite nice - and I have the products to be able to "restore" them. The only thing im unsure about is the pilling, as it makes the shoes look really shoddy and im not able to remove them with a brush.

I think ill wait and see if anyone has had the experience of resolving this and if not, ill just turn them over to the local cobbler.