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

[glenjay]



Generally agree with all of this with the exception of oil soaking through the leather via osmosis - this is not correct.

You are right NN, a better term probably would have been absorption.

 

[glenjay]



Around 6:10.

The brushing, in regard to bringing out the oils already in the boot, has very little relevance to what is actually happening. The oils that he is adding liberally to the boot to condition it can also reactivate some of the existing oxidized oils in the leather through the process of "reduction" (the inverse of oxidation). Raising the tempature of the leather through the friction of brushing may help slightly in the process, but is not the reason it happens.

 

[glenjay]



1. True. If we're talking brushing only after you've polished the shoe. Many contributors profess that you should regularly brush your shoe in between polishings, at which point any residual wax would be long gone. Although, any wax liberate by creasing would be available for disposal, but this would elicit only a toe brushing and not the entire shoe.
2. Many people disagree with this and insist on waiting until the polish has been liberated of all evaporative agents.
3. Very true. Don't brush the spit, ruins it.
4. Obviously!

Thanks for not taking my comments personally BrizzleCizzle, but I try to post when my experence differs from what what has been posted.

In response to your bulleted reply:

1. Any shoe that has been polished will have residual wax (and not just in the creases) unless it has been purposely stripped off with something like Reno Mat.

2. Whether people disagree or not, there is still no reason to wait. What is the downside?

3.

4. I could be wrong on this one. It seems that there is not a direct correlation between understanding shoe care and Astrophysics.:tounge:

 

[hendrix]

re: The brushing thing to raise the oils:

That will only be true on pull-up leather - think shell cordovan, chromexcel, etc etc.

After tanning, leather needs to have its oils replaced to stop it drying out and to lubricate the fibres and maintain structure.

This is typically done by fat liquoring - which is a chemical process that fixes oils into the fibre structure of the leather. When it is done this way, the oils are not fugitive and will basically stay there forever unless you use a lot of solvent. Most shoe leathers use fat licquoring. This means that they don't feel oily, but they have just as much as much lubricating oils in them as other leathers.

The other way of doing it is physically stuffing oils into the leather e.g. shell and chromexcel. This way the oils aren't chemically stuck in the leather and thus can move about and are fugitive. That's why they feel oilier and patina a lot easier.

IMO, contrary to popular belief, shell is more likely to dry out than calf because the oils can move out of the leather (although still not that likely to cause worry). I believe this is why dedicated shell creams do not contain turps or any solvent.

 

[BrizzleCizzle]

re: The brushing thing to raise the oils:
That will only be true on pull-up leather - think shell cordovan, chromexcel, etc etc.
After tanning, leather needs to have its oils replaced to stop it drying out and to lubricate the fibres and maintain structure.
This is typically done by fat liquoring - which is a chemical process that fixes oils into the fibre structure of the leather. When it is done this way, the oils are not fugitive and will basically stay there forever unless you use a lot of solvent. Most shoe leathers use fat licquoring. This means that they don't feel oily, but they have just as much as much lubricating oils in them as other leathers.
The other way of doing it is physically stuffing oils into the leather e.g. shell and chromexcel. This way the oils aren't chemically stuck in the leather and thus can move about and are fugitive. That's why they feel oilier and patina a lot easier.
IMO, contrary to popular belief, shell is more likely to dry out than calf because the oils can move out of the leather. I believe this is why dedicated shell creams do not contain turps or any solvent.

Well there we go. Yes on some, no on some. I'm not concerned at any rate since I use Obenauf LP on my boots and Saphir on the shoes, but that's incredibly informative (as always, hendrix).

 

[hendrix]

Disclaimer is that I'm not a tannery chemist and I'm only spreading what I've understood doing a little research. The experts will have a much better understanding and may be able to correct me.

 

[max_r]

hi guys, I was referred here from the ask a question thread...

Is there anything that can be done about this? small crack in the leather of my shoe.

kind of hard to photograph... click for big

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I guess theres probably no patching a crack in shoes, but are there any specific things I can do to prevent it from getting bigger or deeper? I am guessing it may have something to do with me not polishing them often (its like an every 6 months thing for me) and they're not really high quality by SF standards (some Loake Design shoes that cost like £120 or so). They get worn alot... 4 to 5 days per week for the last 2 years, which includes snow/salt in the winter.

thanks!

 

[benhour]

hi guys, I was referred here from the ask a question thread...
Is there anything that can be done about this? small crack in the leather of my shoe.
kind of hard to photograph... click for big


I guess theres probably no patching a crack in shoes, but are there any specific things I can do to prevent it from getting bigger or deeper? I am guessing it may have something to do with me not polishing them often (its like an every 6 months thing for me) and they're not really high quality by SF standards (some Loake Design shoes that cost like £120 or so). They get worn alot... 4 to 5 days per week for the last 2 years, which includes snow/salt in the winter.
thanks!

first of all lets start with the mistakes i have seen from my side of view!!
1) the shoes look really dry to me!! the non polishing for 6 months with the help of salt absorbed all the leather oils!! an advice from me is polish them every 2-3wears or once a weak!! i do it every sunday
2) to maintaine shoes in good shape and condition use shoe trees and never wear the same pear 2 days in a raw!specialy in winter!

it can be covered but i am not sure if this can be fixed! the thing i can recomend is to use a cleaner to clean this area ,use then a moistorize-conditioner cream ,and a colored cream to cover it!(specially the white cracking lines)! hope i helped!

 

[dddrees]

I think it's amazing how many articles I've read which either state you should put the shoes trees in immediately or wait until the next day. It seems the imediate believers out numbers those who would recomend waiting.


However when would you recomend putting them in their shoe bags? Would you recomend waiting a day or so? I mean keeping the dust off is something you want to do, but a bit of airing out would be good as well wouldn't it?

 

[mcbrown]

I highly doubt that a flannel bag does much to trap moisture within itself, so keeping the dust off easily outweighs that concern for me.

I vacillate between wanting to put trees in right away or waiting a while. In practice I have plenty of immediate distractions when I walk in the door, so I never put the trees in immediately anyway - I take them off, go about my business, and then get to them when I get to them. No matter how many times I explain it to him, my dog just refuses to understand the importance of proper shoe care!

Despite my dog's selfishness, I have yet to notice any ill effects from variations in the timing of tree placement and bagging.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



hi guys, I was referred here from the ask a question thread...
Is there anything that can be done about this? small crack in the leather of my shoe.
kind of hard to photograph... click for big

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I guess theres probably no patching a crack in shoes, but are there any specific things I can do to prevent it from getting bigger or deeper? I am guessing it may have something to do with me not polishing them often (its like an every 6 months thing for me) and they're not really high quality by SF standards (some Loake Design shoes that cost like £120 or so). They get worn alot... 4 to 5 days per week for the last 2 years, which includes snow/salt in the winter.
thanks!

I would try to get some lexol, or renovateur or even obaneufs in there to slow down the process. When this starts it will get worse, but they could remain in this condition for a good long while before a hole develops so don't freak out!

first of all lets start with the mistakes i have seen from my side of view!!
1) the shoes look really dry to me!! the non polishing for 6 months  with the help of salt absorbed all the leather oils!! an advice from me is polish them  every 2-3wears  or once a weak!! i  do it every sunday
2) to maintaine  shoes in good shape and condition use shoe trees and never wear the same pear 2 days in a raw!specialy in winter!

it can be covered but i am not sure if this can be fixed! the thing i can recomend  is to use  a cleaner to clean this area ,use then a moistorize-conditioner cream ,and a colored cream to cover it!(specially the white cracking lines)! hope  i helped!

Even if you do all of this there is so much randomness with leather. It was a living thing you know? I take care of all of my shoes the same way as most everybody here, some crack and some don't. Just the way the cookie crumbles.

Also, what looks best on shoes is not always what is best for shoes. Just because they are shiny doesn't mean they are healthy. I have found that the best thing probably for shoes is dubbin, or montana pitch blend or obaneaufs which gives shoes tons of oils and keeps them supple, but at the same time gives them a matte, and even oily finish. I think with dress shoes you have to ride that fine line if you really want your shoes to last.

Of course fit is also a concern. If a shoe doesn't fit correctly it will bend and crease in ways that can be too hard on areas of the shoes making those points suspect.

Also, all of this talk about brushing raising oils is nuts. When brushing your are moving the oils around that are already on the shoe, not raising more. With pull-up leather the reason why this is pronounced is because you are moving and raising the microfibers of the leather kind of like teasing your hair, or petting a cat in the wrong direction

 

[BrizzleCizzle]

I would try to get some lexol, or renovateur or even obaneufs in there to slow down the process. When this starts it will get worse, but they could remain in this condition for a good long while before a hole develops so don't freak out!
Even if you do all of this there is so much randomness with leather. It was a living thing you know? I take care of all of my shoes the same way as most everybody here, some crack and some don't. Just the way the cookie crumbles.
Also, what looks best on shoes is not always what is best for shoes. Just because they are shiny doesn't mean they are healthy. I have found that the best thing probably for shoes is dubbin, or montana pitch blend or obaneaufs which gives shoes tons of oils and keeps them supple, but at the same time gives them a matte, and even oily finish. I think with dress shoes you have to ride that fine line if you really want your shoes to last.
Of course fit is also a concern. If a shoe doesn't fit correctly it will bend and crease in ways that can be too hard on areas of the shoes making those points suspect.
Also, all of this talk about brushing raising oils is nuts. When brushing your are moving the oils around that are already on the shoe, not raising more. With pull-up leather the reason why this is pronounced is because you are moving and raising the microfibers of the leather kind of like teasing your hair, or petting a cat in the wrong direction

A lot of good info here. The one question I have, and I am NOT a shoe expert, is: why does Wolverine think the oppositive of this? I doubt they'd misinform their VP on what brushing does, and I further doubt they'd publish it if it were wrong. I'm not arguing one way or the other, I just find it very confusing to think that Wolverine has it wrong (again, limiting this discussion to pull-up leather).

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I'm no expert either, but I really think brushing is just rejuevinating the finish, which has oils on it. For example you open up a tin of wax polish and it looks dry and cakey, but as soon as you dip a cloth it there you can see the gloss. It is just moving around the finish.

 

[max_r]

cool, thanks for the help guys! They're my only pair of dress shoes at the moment so I can't really rotate them with anything and I don't have a few hundred £ spare to buy a few new pairs to rotate just yet.

I have this beeswax shoe cream, will this help moisturize the shoes at all?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

or am I better off with some lexol or ssaphir renovateur?

 

[mcbrown]



Also, what looks best on shoes is not always what is best for shoes. Just because they are shiny doesn't mean they are healthy.

One of the best things said on this thread so far.