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

[Munky]

Having moaned about shoe scuffs, I can tell you that what I have found useful for the edges of shoes. SAPHIR RENOVATING CREAM - EDGE DRESSING, has enabled me to repair various bits and pieces on the edges of my Loake's Chester brogues. Use it carefully, though and don't get it onto the rest of your shoes (although the advert for it suggests that, if you do, you can get it off with Renomat). It's something to use with a steady hand, but it works.

 

[Burzan]

I just got these RL Lindricks and it is my first pair of cordovan. I have noticed some white bloom in the details in the broguing, anyone care to suggest the best way to clean it out?



Also, I have Reno but I am looking at either GlenKaren polish or maybe Saphir Cordovan Cream polish to use on them. Should I just get neutral polish or get dark brown?

Thanks in advnace for the help guys.

 

[dlind]

Figured I would give Lexol a try after using renovateur for a while. Was browsing Amazon and saw a few different packagings, was wondering if anyone could advise as to which is the appropriate one or if they are the same with different packing.

This is pack with the conditioner and cleaner, pretty handy if it's the right one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lexol-Leath...542&sr=8-2&keywords=lexol+leather+conditioner

This is another packaging of the conditioner, now is this the same as the one that's in the package above or is it different?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summit-Industry-Incorp-1008-Conditioner/dp/B007I6F4QY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1

If anyone could help me out with this it would be great!

Thanks!

 

[dddrees]

I just got these RL Lindricks and it is my first pair of cordovan. I have noticed some white bloom in the details in the broguing, anyone care to suggest the best way to clean it out?



Also, I have Reno but I am looking at either GlenKaren polish or maybe Saphir Cordovan Cream polish to use on them. Should I just get neutral polish or get dark brown?

Thanks in advnace for the help guys.

Just give them a quick brushing.

Saphir neutral Cordovan cream is the only thing I've used so far. Lindricks tend to be dry and the Saphir Cordovan cream tends to provide the necessary moisture. Since they are blooming, you shouldn't need anything but your brush for now.

 

[DWFII]



Figured I would give Lexol a try after using renovateur for a while. Was browsing Amazon and saw a few different packagings, was wondering if anyone could advise as to which is the appropriate one or if they are the same with different packing. 

This is pack with the conditioner and cleaner, pretty handy if it's the right one: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lexol-Leather-Care-Kit-8oz/dp/B005H7DRQA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390596542&sr=8-2&keywords=lexol+leather+conditioner

This is another packaging of the conditioner, now is this the same as the one that's in the package above or is it different?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summit-Industry-Incorp-1008-Conditioner/dp/B007I6F4QY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1

If anyone could help me out with this it would be great! 

Thanks!

The orange bottle is a cleaner. It is a ph neutral soap, essentially and should not be left on the shoe but rinsed off like any other soap.

The brown bottle is the lightest conditioner that Lexol makes. It is good for almost any leather except sueded leather and will not darken leathers, Fine for your dress shoes.

The ivory coloured bottle with green print...not shown as far as I can tell...is Lexol-nf and is a highly homogenized neatsfoot oil . Use sparingly on dress leathers after testing on a small usually unseen corner. Use unstintingly on oil-stuffed work leathers.

The white bottle does not say Lexol-nf on it and i don't know what the heck it is.

 

[Isolation]

Hey guys, I've got some basic questions that I've looked around but the exact answers are hard to find, hoping if you can help me here. I've only recently starting getting proper shoes and trying to care for them properly so I'm pretty clueless. I've recently bought several Loakes 1880s and using Saphir Renovateur, Cream, and Wax.

What's the main difference between using the cream and wax? So far I gather that the wax is used to achieve a mirror shine, should I assume then the cream is for when you don't want that? Or are there other advantages to the cream?

As I said I've little experience with shoe care, is it a good idea to go to a cobbler to get them to do a mirror shine?

Once a mirror shine is done, how should I generally treat the shoes after wear? Should I use the wax or the cream? Or maybe a neutral/renovateur?

I gather the idea is to use the renovateur every 5-10 polishes, is this right? I've been polishing my shoes with the cream after every wear, is this also correct, or could this potentially leave too much stuff on the shoe in the long run?

Thanks for your help.

 

[anrobit]

Hey guys, I've got some basic questions that I've looked around but the exact answers are hard to find, hoping if you can help me here. I've only recently starting getting proper shoes and trying to care for them properly so I'm pretty clueless. I've recently bought several Loakes 1880s and using Saphir Renovateur, Cream, and Wax.

What's the main difference between using the cream and wax? So far I gather that the wax is used to achieve a mirror shine, should I assume then the cream is for when you don't want that? Or are there other advantages to the cream?

As I said I've little experience with shoe care, is it a good idea to go to a cobbler to get them to do a mirror shine?

Once a mirror shine is done, how should I generally treat the shoes after wear? Should I use the wax or the cream? Or maybe a neutral/renovateur?

I gather the idea is to use the renovateur every 5-10 polishes, is this right? I've been polishing my shoes with the cream after every wear, is this also correct, or could this potentially leave too much stuff on the shoe in the long run?

Thanks for your help.

Cream is essentially a tinted conditioner, and wax is used to create a shine. I use both sparingly; cream only for tinting areas with surface scratches or mild discoloration and wax for shining and deeper cuts. For conditioning, I always use an untinted conditioner (I personally do not use renovateur and do not believe it to be a good conditioner)

Do the shoe shine yourself. There's an art to it, and a pleasure in learning how to do it yourself. Once you achieve your mirror shine, you can leave it as is for a while until it starts to dull, in which case renovateur can rejuvenate it and help it get the shine back.

Every so often, I strip all the wax off, condition, and reshine. You're using way too much cream if you're doing it after every wear.

 

[Isolation]

Ah I see, so what is your general regiment after every wear? I've been using a brush then a damp cloth to wipe it, then a layer of cream. I was told to polish my shoes after every wear, is that not necessary, and I should only do that if the shine wears off? Or is this just personal preference?

What conditioner do you personally recommend if you do not like the renovateur?

So are you saying that with a mirror shine unless significant damage has been done, I should just wipe it clean and use a condition/renovateur when necessary?

Thanks a lot, btw, very helpful.

 

[anrobit]

Ah I see, so what is your general regiment after every wear? I've been using a brush then a damp cloth to wipe it, then a layer of cream. I was told to polish my shoes after every wear, is that not necessary, and I should only do that if the shine wears off? Or is this just personal preference?

What conditioner do you personally recommend if you do not like the renovateur?

So are you saying that with a mirror shine unless significant damage has been done, I should just wipe it clean and use a condition/renovateur when necessary?

Thanks a lot, btw, very helpful.

I just brush lightly after every wear, and wipe if I need it. Polishing is your own preference, and you'll figure out your own system over time. Figure out what works and what's needed.

GlenKaren is probably the best conditioner on the market, although I haven't had a chance to use it myself. Lexol leather conditioner is very good.

 

[BootSpell]

Quote:
+100

 

[dlind]

The orange bottle is a cleaner. It is a ph neutral soap, essentially and should not be left on the shoe but rinsed off like any other soap.

The brown bottle is the lightest conditioner that Lexol makes. It is good for almost any leather except sueded leather and will not darken leathers, Fine for your dress shoes.

The ivory coloured bottle with green print...not shown as far as I can tell...is Lexol-nf and is a highly homogenized neatsfoot oil . Use sparingly on dress leathers after testing on a small usually unseen corner. Use unstintingly on oil-stuffed work leathers.

The white bottle does not say Lexol-nf on it and i don't know what the heck it is.

Ok thanks! Seems like i need the orange and brown bottle then. How often should Lexol leather conditioner be used in comparison to renovateur? Every time you polish the shoe if you polish it every 7-10 wears?

 

[anrobit]

Ok thanks! Seems like i need the orange and brown bottle then. How often should Lexol leather conditioner be used in comparison to renovateur? Every time you polish the shoe if you polish it every 7-10 wears?

It's best to develop a feel for it. With dress shoes, conditioning doesn't need to occur very often.

 

[DWFII]



Ok thanks! Seems like i need the orange and brown bottle then. How often should Lexol leather conditioner be used in comparison to renovateur? Every time you polish the shoe if you polish it every 7-10 wears? 

I don't use reno very much. don't have any comment there. I'd use the Lexol whenever the leather is looking a little dry and after using the cleaner.

 

[Isolation]

Alright, thanks.

I know this is kind of dumb, but would you say the level of glossiness/general look of my shoes is about standard of how a well maintained pair of shoes is supposed to look? It's just half a year ago, it never occured to me that I should try to polish my shoes unless they are literally falling apart so I don't know if what I'm doing is enough or too much or what. I mean I think it's okay, I like that it's somewhat glossy and looks nice/neat etc even if it's not an actual mirror shine (which I'd like to try get to see if I like it).

Flash and no flash.






Speaking of which on my boots (light tan on the right) the sides of it are somewhat creased, and I've applied some conditioner, is that the way to go about it? Is it normal that the shoes just... has creases? I find that parts of it just creases either when I am wearing it or not wearing it no matter what, especially on the boot shaft, and it doesn't stand out ridiculously or anything, but I noticed it once when inspecting them and I can't unsee it whenever I look down. Is that just how shoes/boots are? I sound dumber by the minute but yeah.

 

[YRR92]

A) Maybe? Those pics are totally unclear. Nothing jarringly bad, but you could probably get more detailed feedback (from a more knowledgeable member) if you had more detailed images.

B) Shoes crease. You're using trees? Then you're doing all you can to mitigate it. The parts of boots that the trees don't fill are relatively more likely to crease.