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

[RIDER]



Thanks for the response, it was that in part your post that lead me to ask my question.
For further clarification.You pointed out that in theory, saddle soap's oils would balance out the sulfides and lubricate the shoes, and is probably safe to use on thicker leather (like that of the McTavish). Also, that it would be a quicker and cheaper way to keep shoes clean. I would like to know, if you where to use C/C anyways, would you not get the cleaning and lubricating effect anyways?
AE recomends using first C/C and then SS. Is it necessary to use the SS? And what did you mean by quick and cheap?

Another question, AE doesn't say to use polish on McTav's. I have a black pair, and it has contrast stitching, should I be using any polish?

It's generally recommended to NOT use saddle soap on finished calfskin......it is far too alkaline. Besides, technology has rendered traditional saddle soap almost useless even in the tack business. There are far better options with a much higher glycerin content. Saddle soap has history on it's side, but most pro's avoid it.......and most brands have turned to a formula that is mostly rendered pig fat now. Anyway, the ph of saddle soap is usually around 9-10, and that is far too high for any productive results. Actually, when you use products that are that far off on the ph scale from the leather tanned for footwear (ph usually around 4-5, or acidic) it has a degrading effect over time.

Besides, ignoring all of that, there is a reason we all put horses on the tins - saddle soap is for tack, not shoes.

 

[Munky]

I wrote to Woly, in Germany. They confirm that both their shoe cream and their wax polish are turpentine free. That's a first, I think, for wax polish.

Although this theme is important to me, I am even beginning to bore myself...ZZzzzzz

 

[David Copeland]

It's generally recommended to NOT use saddle soap on finished calfskin.

What would you recommend for one of my leather briefcases:

 

[patrickBOOTH]

 

[OzzyJones]



Now that's just mean! (I like it tho!)

 

[laufer]



What would you recommend for one of my leather briefcases:

Well how about one of these. maybe you can do it and then post before and after pictures. It would be nice to see the effectiveness of this cream. It claims that is good for cleaning and recoloring. I have no experience with this product. http://www.hangerproject.com/saphir-canadian-restorative-cream.html#.UcCXSJwcOt8

 

[RIDER]

ok...I'll play:

http://www.riderbootshop.com/saphir-creme-universal-150ml/

 

[David Copeland]

ok...I'll play:

http://www.riderbootshop.com/saphir-creme-universal-150ml/

The Saphir Creme Universelle details include shoes and all sorts of leather goods. Would the other Saphir products not be good candidates for the briefcase - even though the details for Universelle include shoes?

David

 

[jd13jd13]



That part of their recommendation confuses me as well.  It sure doesn't seem like both products would be warranted.  I wonder who comes up with some of these care regimens that they publish on their website?  I'm not sure about their Black McTavish, but I know that the Natural and Cognac McTavishes are made from Horween Dublin.  I wonder if it is Horween that is recommending this care method, or just some AE "in-house" leather care specialist?

I would very much like to hear a line of reasoning that calls for c/c then saddle soap. I doubt that doing this once a year would cause any harm to a heavy waxy leather but then again why??? If had McTavs. I would wipe w/ damp towel then brush /buff then occasionally rub in a little lexol cond

I would have to agree with the consensus here that there would be no reason to use both saddle soap and an additional cleaner/conditioner.

In regard to saddle soap being quicker and cheaper, I would say the a tin of saddle soap costs less than most cleaner/conditioner products. Quicker is probably more relevant to whatever cleaning process you are used to. That being said, saddle soap will not destroy your shoes, but there are better solutions for cleaning your shoes. I would also concur that shoes should not need to be cleaned with a cleaner very often (exposure to public floor level urinals excluded).

As far as polish: You could use a neutral polish if you like. A colored polish may tint the contrast stitching, but it would not hide it, so that is still an option.

So I emailed AE, asking them what the rational is there in using both, and they answered me that you'd only need to use one or the other. This contradicts what's written on their webpage

Use Allen Edmonds Conditioner Cleaner to remove surface residue and to keep leather soft and pliable. Follow by applying Allen Edmonds Saddle Soap which cleans all smooth leather shoes while restoring the leather's natural oils. Further details and videos are available on our Caring for Your Shoes page.

but seems to agree with the general consensus here.

I also emailed Horween about how they would recommend caring for the Dublin leather ( assuming the Black McTavish is also made from Dublin, I emailed AE about that but did not get an answer) and will post as soon as they respond.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

So I emailed AE, asking them what the rational is there in using both, and they answered me that you'd only need to use one or the other. This contradicts whats written on their webpage
but seems to agree with the general consensus here.

I also emailed Horween about how they would recommend caring for the Dublin leather ( assuming the Black McTavish is also made from Dublin, I emailed AE about that but did not get an answer) and will post as soon as they respond.

Thanks for being so proactive! I look forward to hearing what Horween has to say. As for AE's webpage having some contradictory information regarding shoe care, I'm sorry to say that this is not the first case of that.

 

[docka]

Hi,

I'm new to shoe cleaning. From what I've gathered, this is simple and easy solution for shoe maintenance.

So basically:

1) Brush excess dirt with cloth
2) Apply Saphir Reno
3) Rub around the reno with cloth
4) Apply corresponding AE premium polish color (walnut for walnut shoes, black for black shoes)
5) Rub around the premium polish
6) Use horse hair dauber for a finish touch and shine


By the way, where can I buy Saphir Reno? Didn't see any on amazon.

 

[jd13jd13]



Thanks for being so proactive!  I look forward to hearing what Horween has to say.  As for AE's webpage having some contradictory information regarding shoe care, I'm sorry to say that this is not the first case of that.

No problem. By the way, you mentioned that the Natural and Cognac McTavish's are made from Dublin. Just wanted to know how did you find this out (not doubting you, just interested)?
AE's page says this:

The rich colors of autumn are reflected in the new cognac genuine Horween

leather - creating a sturdy twist on this soon-to-be-classic style.

But doesn't give anymore information besides for the fact that the cognac uses some sort of Horween leather.
And while we are on the topic (which is a bit off topic for this thread, sorry), besides for the Shell, which I know is Horween, where does AE source their leathers?

 

[David Copeland]

By the way, where can I buy Saphir Reno? Didn't see any on amazon.

CLICK HERE

ALSO: CLICK HERE

 

[docka]

CLICK HERE

ALSO: CLICK HERE

I presume stores in NYC carry it? Shipping is like 15 bucks for a 20 dollar product.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

No problem. By the way, you mentioned that the Natural and Cognac McTavish's are made from Dublin. Just wanted to know how did you find this out (not doubting you, just interested)?
AE's page says this:
But doesn't give anymore information besides for the fact that the cognac uses some sort of Horween leather.
And while we are on the topic (which is a bit off topic for this thread, sorry), besides for the Shell, which I know is Horween, where does AE source their leathers?

There is some deductive reasoning going on there. Horween's blog post on their Essex and Dublin leathers from 2011: http://horween.com/leathers/essex-and-dublin/ specifically says that the AE Rough Collection uses it, and the McTavish is part of the original line-up of the Rough Collection. In other words, I don't know what a lot of their current models in the collection are made of, and they actually won't divulge that information generally speaking. As for the Cognac Dublin, the Rapid City is made from the same leather, and they actually do say in the description for that shoe that it is Dublin: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF6051_1_40000000001_-1

As I said above, they don't really divulge the source for most of their leathers, though you can make some educated guesses and use some deductive reasoning for a lot of it. The CEO did say over in the AE Appreciation Thread a while back that their main calfskin suppliers are from France and Germany, and their main leather sole provider is from Turkey, but that's not very specific. They also use JR Redenbach soles (mainly for their shell offerings) which is of course from Germany.