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

[traverscao]

You might not be the next Dave Copeland but you do have a potential to be Mafoo. Make sure you get your 15 pair rotation of shell wholecuts

Why thank you I am trying hard to not be as famous as Dave Copeland.

Whoever Mafoo is, I would hope not to be him either. And, as of shell wholecuts, I'm having an even bigger plan than just 15 pairs.

 

[Munky]

Mimo, Thank you for the tip about Renopur. It's very useful.

Traverscao, I don't mean to be rude but sometimes I'm not clear about what you mean to convey in your posts. E.g.

"Shoe care can be simple, but under different circumstances, things can be tough. We are, nowadays, creatures of creativity, therefore we come up with all kinds of solution we can think of to save things. Often times they all ended up catastrophically, how unfortunate".

 

[glenjay]



...
GlenKaren's high shine paste is the absolute best thing for bulling shoes. I don't even think it is arguable.

Thank you pB (and the others that agreed), I put a lot of work into making what I think is the best high shine polish on the market, I'm very glad to see other agree.

Along those lines I have recently decided to make an all natural, non-toxic, water resistant shoe polish for dress/business shoes. It does not use heavy oils, heavy waxes, silicone, or other toxic smelling chemicals.

I just wrote an article on my blog about what it is made of and how it works, and I would be happy to answer any questions about it that come up in this thread.

 

[cbfn]

Read your blog post; amazing!

 

[Fred G. Unn]



Thank you pB (and the others that agreed), I put a lot of work into making what I think is the best high shine polish on the market, I'm very glad to see other agree.

I agree too. Used it again yesterday as part of my Sunday shoe care routine. Great stuff!

 

[patrickBOOTH]



I guess there is a point investing so much money into shell cordovan. They are so simple to care for, I bet that's the main emphasizing benefits you get from them. Hell, I might as well wear a mirror polished shell wholecut to a ball one day. 

I strongly disagree. Shell is finicky as hell. It spots up like crazy when wet.


Oh and btw, I own some mirror shined shell whole cuts...

 

[DWFII]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

you are overly dramatic.

my point was sarcastic. obviously if you have nice things you should care for them.

but people in this thread take it to too far of an extreme...and there are so many posts in this thread where people have tried to care for their shoes and don't know what they are doing or are overdoing it...and in turn damage their shoes permanently. 

shoe care is very simple.

1. use shoe trees.
2. brush your shoes immediately after wear.
3. on occassion, and certainly not frequently, apply a very small amount of polish, preferably wax. 

they do not need any more.

all of these other products that are sold are just that...products to be sold in an industry where things havent changed for a long long time...and there is very little room for growth except for the creation of all of these new products that you supposedly need to maintain your shoes. 

I agree in almost every respect.

My rules for shoe care are simple:

• Keep clean...wipe down and brush often, daily if in frequent use
• Condition occasionally...once or twice a year.
• Don't put anything occlusive or destructive of structure on or in a good leather shoe...this includes but is not limited to, rubber outsoles or sole guards, petro-chemically based dressings, foam insole/inserts, toe plates.

 

[RogerP]

I strongly disagree. Shell is finicky as hell. It spots up like crazy when wet.

Quite correct - I always scratch my head when people proclaim shell to be an easy care material. I guess they don't wear them in the rain. I find both calf and suede to be much easier to care for.

And on that point, my much-worn AE shell Townleys were buffed up yesterday for wear today on Canadian Thanksgiving:

 

[traverscao]

I strongly disagree. Shell is finicky as hell. It spots up like crazy when wet.


Oh and btw, I own some mirror shined shell whole cuts...

Somehow I've never get spots with shell... Luck, perhaps?

 

[traverscao]

Quite correct - I always scratch my head when people proclaim shell to be an easy care material. I guess they don't wear them in the rain. I find both calf and suede to be much easier to care for.

And on that point, my much-worn AE shell Townleys were buffed up yesterday for wear today on Canadian Thanksgiving:

I somehow don't understand the problem of people and shell. Shell was made for cold, weather, and now you're all babying the stuff like it's a ball pump. Weird. I never get spotting on my shells, however, I do get cold feet with calfskin.

 

[traverscao]

I strongly disagree. Shell is finicky as hell. It spots up like crazy when wet.


Oh and btw, I own some mirror shined shell whole cuts...

BTW, Pat, those shells are million bucks worth. Great shine.

 

[traverscao]

I agree in almost every respect.

My rules for shoe care are simple:

• Keep clean...wipe down and brush often, daily if in frequent use
• Condition occasionally...once or twice a year.
• Don't put anything occlusive or destructive of structure on or in a good leather shoe...this includes but is not limited to, rubber outsoles or sole guards, petro-chemically based dressings, foam insole/inserts, toe plates.

Somehow toe taps and toe plates are my best friends, DW. I just cannot walk without them. It's not the click, but the fore-toe of the sole wear out too fast for me. With double sole that only delays it for a certain amount of time, however with single sole the toe deteriorates within 6 months.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



I somehow don't understand the problem of people and shell. Shell was made for cold, weather, and now you're all babying the stuff like it's a ball pump. Weird. I never get spotting on my shells, however, I do get cold feet with calfskin.

No, shell was made for blade sharpening strops. If you're used to Alden shell they put this shellack over it, which makes it more water resistant. Also, AE puts some weird finish on theirs with this spray gun, which even on their calf makes for a weird finish that is more difficult to get a good shine on. Shell on any other brand of shoes is mostly naked and has issues. Is it durable? Yes, but durability and aesthetics are not the same thing.

 

[DWFII]



Somehow toe taps and toe plates are my best friends, DW. I just cannot walk without them. It's not the click, but the fore-toe of the sole wear out too fast for me. With double sole that only delays it for a certain amount of time, however with single sole the toe deteriorates within 6 months.

Did you ever ask yourself where the screws go?

Do you put Heinz 57 on a prime rib-eye, too?

 

[traverscao]

Did you ever ask yourself where the screws go?

Do you put Heinz 57 on a prime rib-eye, too?

DW, I don't know about the screws, because I only prefer the nailed ones. I'm not familiar with the screw taps.

And no, I don't put anything on my steak but seasonings only.