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

[Lear]



My tin of  Polished Yellow' Saphir wax came this morning and I am about to use it on some shoes!  Does life get any more exciting than this?

I can tell you now in all seriousness... it doesn't.

I'd be interested to hear what you think. Although it looks yellow in the tin, it never seems to turn the shoe yellow. As I mentioned earlier, just gives it a lift and some sparkle. Now that I think about it, I can't remember when I last saw a pair of yellow shoes. No doubt some smarty-pants will now post a picture of yellow shoes

Patrickbooth has reminded me, I must investigate that Glenkaren stuff one day.

 

[Munky]

Yes, I want to try the Glenkaren polish; I just worry about the costs of sending it across the pond. It does sound good from what you say PB.

The yellow polish from Saphir is very interesting! I agree, it doesn't turn your shoes yellow (which is probably just as well). It does give a bit of sparkle, though. I have polished two pairs of brogues with it. The results are a bit different with each pair. I think it could easily be used on brown/tan shoes that normally take a neutral polish. It adds a bit of depth that neutral polish can take out.

I suspect that, in the end, I will just get the polish out and polish the bleedin' things I put on my feet. In the meantime, it's interesting to explore.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Another great thing about Glenkaren is that it tastes so good.

 

[wurger]

You can't change the colour of a darker pair with a lighter polish, the difference shouldn't be that noticeable.

 

[Burzan]

Should I be concerned about this creasing on my new Bayfields?

Anything specific you guys recommend as far as treating the problematic side to avoid cracking as that is my main concern. One side of the right shoe is very creased/wrinkled (since day one before wearing) yet on the other side it is perfectly fine. Maybe just lesser quality leather on the bad side, got them from Lands End and I would say these probably should have been Seconds imo.

Heavily creased side:



The other side with no issues:

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Probably just a different part of the hide was used, or a different animal all together. I wouldn't be worried about it as in the end it probably just comes down to cosmetics. I would just dose it with some Lexol to keep it conditioned so the creasing doesn't get dry and brittle.

 

[Burzan]

Probably just a different part of the hide was used, or a different animal all together. I wouldn't be worried about it as in the end it probably just comes down to cosmetics. I would just dose it with some Lexol to keep it conditioned so the creasing doesn't get dry and brittle.

Thanks for the advice, so far I have Allen Edmonds Cleaner/Conditioner and Renovatour. Would those be just as good or should I get a specific conditioner for my shoes like the Lexol?

 

[mstone]

I'm relatively new to shoe care and have been using Saphir exclusively over the past year with good to great results. I decided to give GlenKaren I try. Do I need to remove the Saphir waxes and polishes before applying the GlenKaren. If so, how?

Booth? You seem to have some experience with it.

Thanks

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Thanks for the advice, so far I have Allen Edmonds Cleaner/Conditioner and Renovatour. Would those be just as good or should I get a specific conditioner for my shoes like the Lexol?

I personally like Lexol solely for conditioning. The others are too solvent heavy. I essentially use renovateur (half a pea sized) on the toe and heels of a mirror finish to bring it back to life a bit in better bulling sessions.

I'm relatively new to shoe care and have been using Saphir exclusively over the past year with good to great results. I decided to give GlenKaren I try. Do I need to remove the Saphir waxes and polishes before applying the GlenKaren. If so, how?

Booth? You seem to have some experience with it.

Thanks

I have not removed the Saphir first, just polish as I normally would. I would heed the advice about polishing on Glen's website though. You have to let these sit a bit longer before buffing in my experience. Good luck!

 

[Lear]



You can't change the colour of a darker pair with a lighter polish, the difference shouldn't be that noticeable.

Absolutely. I was trying to emphasize that it won't happen, not that I was surprised it didn't. Sorry, my poor wording . Yep, to do that would first involve some heavy duty stripping.

I came, I saw, I buffed

 

[jacob6221]

To the person who was having issues shining the shell boots: I think with most shoes it isn't wise to keep the vamps overly shiny to begin with because of buildup that can make them wear prematurely. Where leather creases will be hard to maintain a shine because the fibers are raising and compressing over and over again. Some people have had good experiences working these areas with a bone after the rain, but I just use some Glenkaren cream polish in all areas except the toe and heel quarters whereas I use wax. Then again, I don't' subscribe to the whole "just brush shell" mentality. I think it works well if you like a subtle dull glow as it will still stay shinier than calf without polish, but it will never be more than just a glow unless you polish it up. Also to complicate things I have found shell to be very inconsistent. For example on one piece (shell) the surface can go from looking like glass to very rough and fibrous, the later being harder to keep shiny and even look even in color. I think those areas are the ones that might benefit from working it with a bone, or spoon to compress the fibers a bit.

Thanks for the tips. For the most part, the shell is pretty consistent on these boots. I recently found the "Mac Method" and will be doing that. I've purchased some Alden Paste Wax in No. 8, some Sahpir Renovateur, and a deer bone. I have good shoe trees and some nice AE brushes. It will be hard, but I'm going to try to not sweat the small stuff knowing that I'm already taking better care of my shoes than 99.99% of the population. Of course, most people who own shell are a little anal retentive about their shoes......myself included......

 

[DWFII]



Probably just a different part of the hide was used, or a different animal all together. I wouldn't be worried about it as in the end it probably just comes down to cosmetics. I would just dose it with some Lexol to keep it conditioned so the creasing doesn't get dry and brittle.

I think that's right.

The best pieces--the firmest and the densest and the most consistent, come off the animal right near the backbone and over the kidney more or less. There's variability in every hide but behind the ribcage, not too near the belly and not too near the rump.

Unfortunately the quarters on the boots in question look like they might have been cut from a really poor part of the hide...near the belly or up in the shoulder near the legs.

How is it going to affect wear and longevity? Maybe not significantly esp if kept conditioned and cleaned as pB suggests. But it's not going to get better and there is a reason why firmer,denser leathers are preferred.

That said, you have to understand that like most manufactured shoe and boots, the pieces are cut for economy (best usage/least scrap), not for quality. Such issues are commonplace even if to be deplored but there it is....esp. at the lower end.

The ironic thing is that in some sense if the whole boot were like that (and the mate as well), it would be far less problematic, visually, and raise fewer questions esp. in the mind of the customer.

 

[mstone]

Thank you Booth! I will heed Glen's instructions.

 

[othertravel]

hey guys,

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but i'm not sure where in the thread I could find it.

Just got my first pair of Terburys:

1. Will regular woodlore shoes trees suffice? Or will these work with the last?

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Cedar...?dwvar_438H_Color=NATL&contentpos=4&cgid=0522

2. What do you use to treat the boots? Do you apply a layer of protector before applying saphir products?

3. I have saphir black shoe cream, saphir polish and saphir wax. Should I use all 3 for the boots?

 

[kentyman]

The ironic thing is that in some sense if the whole boot were like that (and the mate as well), it would be far less problematic, visually, and raise fewer questions esp. in the mind of the customer.

Good points. What's more, there's a fine chance the less aesthetic leather is actually more comfortable because may conform better to the ankle.

While symmetry is understandably desirable, I don't think there's anything technically wrong with these unless they visually bother you too much. That said, I completely understand where you're coming from, and quite possibly may have the same reaction in (ahem) your shoes.