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

[dlind]

Allen Edmond got a bit scratched up. Not sure how I can alleviate the situation. Attached are the photos. Are these marks permanent?

looks more like a gauge then a scratch, few layers of paste and wax should probably fill/hide it but doubt there is any way of fixing it permanently unless you wanna dye it but I wouldn't recommend that. Tbh it's in a place where no one will ever notice it if you just put on a few layers of paste and maybe some wax if you want.

 

[mtc2000]

Regarding the glossy finish on most Alden Cordovan shoes. I did an experiment a few weeks ago.

I intentionally stripped off the glossy overcoat of a new pair of Alden #8 Cordovan with plenty of chlorobenzene. Similar to Mr. Rider's demonstration. What is left is bare Cordovan.

As a comparison, brand new "glazed" wingtip shoe on the left, deglazed boot on the right.

I put on a coat of Renovateur and brushed for about one minute.

Without the glossy overcoat, I am able to remove/burnish scuffs and scratches easily. Instead of "brushing for hours", I was able to remove the following fingernail scratches by brushing vigorously for just one minute.

Application of some Renovateur on the "damaged area".

Brushed for a minute.

Later, I deglazed the boots once again. This time, I tried to duplicate what the factory did.
With an application of acrylic finisher. I was able to simulate that factory "wet" glossy finish.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Acrylic peels and flakes off. Not the best finishing

 

[JezeC]

deleted

 

[Tim Whatley]

I know wax polish should be applied sparingly, but is it possible to use too much cream polish? It just gets absorbed into the leather, right? I have been lathering it on pretty thick as I try to darken some shoes.

 

[P Hudson]



As Ron Rider mentioned, shell is tricky. You'll never get the same type of shine on your Leeds that you do on your calf shoes. Calf needs the layer of wax atop the leather to achieve its shine. Shell has an innate shine due to the oils and waxes stuffed into it during the tanning and finishing process. That's not to say you can't bull the toe of your shell shoes to get a mirror shine, I simply think that the beauty of shell is its inherent shine, not a wax shine like calf. Alden adds something during their finishing process that makes them look nicer out of the box than their AE counterparts.

Those are my Leeds in your 1st image. Products like Renovateur and Venetian Shoe cream will add a bit of life to your Leeds but nothing looks better than shell with some wear on them. That's when they get the depth that looks so nice (IMO of course).

For reference, I achieved a decent shine on these shell boots using Saphir Cordovan polish and a bit of kiwi wax. Note, I haven't used that much product on shell since that experiment.

These were treated with Renovatur or VSC just prior to the picture. Shell looks its best like this, IMO. Broken in, some wear, dings, dents, etc., just a small amount of product and a lot of brushing.

First of all, thank you to both you and Ron Rider for the response. Very helpful. I agree with the original comment that my shoes look pretty good. I was going to write back to that and say, "yes, but they have an almost matte finish". Then I saw your pictures. They almost make me want to give up!! I was originally comparing my Leeds to yours from a post where you said yours were only a month old. Mine are well over a year old, but haven't developed any of the character that yours had at the outset. The only reason mine look at all shiny is because of the flash/sun.

That middle PTB in the row of three is about as beautiful as i've ever seen.

 

[dlind]

I know wax polish should be applied sparingly, but is it possible to use too much cream polish? It just gets absorbed into the leather, right? I have been lathering it on pretty thick as I try to darken some shoes.

YES you can use to much and no you should be using many thin layers to create the effect you are looking for. Thick layers can have many adverse effects such as depositing visibly in creases and clogging the pores of the leather.

 

[DWFII]



Acrylic peels and flakes off. Not the best finishing

I purely hate to be defending acrylic...but that's not really or always true.

As I said, acrylic comes in a number of different formulations. Some...many...of those formulations are specific to leather applications and the requirement of being as flexible as the leather.

I used acrylics on boots for over 30 years. On a variety of leathers. Many of those boots came back to me repeatedly over the years. Gradually...on some leathers...the acrylic would seem to disappear or sublimate but never was that evident in a time span short enough to be noticeable as flaking and there was never any peeling.

Again, many leathers...high end leathers...come with an acrylic finish. Direct from the tanner / currier. When is that finish flaking or peeling off? If it flaked or peeled, the end user--the shoemaker--from smallest to largest, would squeal to high heaven (I would) and refuse to buy these leathers. I've never seen peeling or flaking on finished hides.

If you want to see real flaking, bull / spit-shine an entire shoe...as is so common nowadays in small upscale workshops...and watch what happens to the wax when you wear them for the first time.

PS...it is hard to know what any individual shoe manufacturer will do after the fact but I don't think shell comes from the tanner with an acrylic top coat. And, IMO, adding an acrylic top coat to shell is not a good idea. Using an acrylic top coat on any leather that has been hot stuffed with oils or conditioners and / or which might have residual oils on the grain surface is going to be counter-productive.

--

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Yeah, I was referring to those kiwi shine in a sponge dyes that paint a shiny acrylic layer on your shoes. I have seen those flake off. Unfortunately I saw in first hand before I knew any better. As with anything, I'm sure there's the right way to finish using acrylic and the wrong way.

 

[DWFII]



Yeah, I was referring to those kiwi shine in a sponge dyes that paint a shiny acrylic layer on your shoes. I have seen those flake off. Unfortunately I saw in first hand before I knew any better. As with anything, I'm sure there's the right way to finish using acrylic and the wrong way.

[shudder]

 

[patrickBOOTH]



First of all, thank you to both you and Ron Rider for the response. Very helpful. I agree with the original comment that my shoes look pretty good. I was going to write back to that and say, "yes, but they have an almost matte finish". Then I saw your pictures. They almost make me want to give up!! I was originally comparing my Leeds to yours from a post where you said yours were only a month old. Mine are well over a year old, but haven't developed any of the character that yours had at the outset. The only reason mine look at all shiny is because of the flash/sun.

That middle PTB in the row of three is about as beautiful as i've ever seen.

I don't really understand the angst people have over taking care of shell. I just treat mine like calf and don't have any problems:

 

[mtc2000]



PS...it is hard to know what any individual shoe manufacturer will do after the fact but I don't think shell comes from the tanner with an acrylic top coat. And, IMO, adding an acrylic top coat to shell is not a good idea. Using an acrylic top coat on any leather that has been hot stuffed with oils or conditioners and / or which might have residual oils on the grain surface is going to be counter-productive.

--

DWFII

Yes, I really don't get it with that thick acrylic overcoat on shell Cordovan. I suspect it was mostly done out of convenience. Sure the shoes have that out-of-the-box instant glossy shine, but some of the good attributes of shell are no longer there.

For instance, scuff marks, except for the most superficial kind, are now difficult to deal with. It is often the overcoat that is scuffed. Then, we have that famed "brush-till-your-arms-fall-off" regimen. All that does is removing the overcoat, isn't it??

 

[RogerP]

I don't know.....look pretty damned good to me! Shell is a tricky material to work with but here is my normal method:

http://riderboot.com/2012/03/24/shell-cordovan-clean-up/

In addition, I sometimes add a final wipe (very light) of Neats Foot Oil.

Very helpful - thanks.

 

[Feryll]

I bought some Loake shoes and I want to buy shoe trees for them.
I couldn't find anything else but the cheapest "spring with a knob at the end" type trees in my country... Of course VASS sells good trees but only to their customers.
Do you think these will do ?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Schuhspanner...leidungs_Schuhpflege&var=&hash=item27d9174f93

 

[BootSpell]

I bought some Loake shoes and I want to buy shoe trees for them.
I couldn't find anything else but the cheapest "spring with a knob at the end" type trees in my country... Of course VASS sells good trees but only to their customers.
Do you think these will do ?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Schuhspanner...leidungs_Schuhpflege&var=&hash=item27d9174f93

These look very much like the Woodlore Epic trees that you can get here in the US for $25-30. They are my favorite "cheap" trees and work well in my boots/shoes.