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

[Phoenician]

go

Saddle soap definitely works for a deep clean, but be sure to condition afterwards.

You can also use neutral polish to remove old polish if you use it, effectively, to wipe away the old polish.

Rubbing alcohol works really well, too.

Renomat is used for HUGE wax build up and when you really want to strip the shoes and don't mind, or even want, to remove the finish. Renomat is great for the thick layers of wax needed to build up a mirror gloss that has become irreparable.

Good info, thanks! Starting to get the hang of this now, and will pick up some Renomat too for another shoe project that I’m working on. Appreciate your time on this

 

[Phoenician]

Okay, just curious here of what the result may be. I have an old pair of shoes I’ll likely thrift at some point, and have been in my closet far too long, but want to try something first. What would be the likely outcome if I use Fiebings Deglazer first on these brown shoes, and then applied gray Saphir creme polish. Would it be some mottled blend of brown-gray, turn the shoes all gray, or maybe not do much at all?

 

[JFWR]

Okay, just curious here of what the result may be. I have an old pair of shoes I’ll likely thrift at some point, and have been in my closet far too long, but want to try something first. What would be the likely outcome if I use Fiebings Deglazer first on these brown shoes, and then applied gray Saphir creme polish. Would it be some mottled blend of brown-gray, turn the shoes all gray, or maybe not do much at all?

The deglazer works precisely like renomat, in that it is meant to strip down the finish entirely off the shoe if used enough to do it. It isn't like it eats through the stuff like acid, but it will wipe off most of the finish if you keep on it.

To dye a shoe grey with just cream polish you'll basically need to strip anything darker than it (which would include the original colour in this case) off. You can't dye a shoe a lighter shade with just cream polish, as the cream polish really can only darken what's there.

Like if I were to lather on some cognac cream on a pair of black shoes, it'd be like I had applied a neutral shine. The colour wouldn't change a damn. Contrariwise, if I were to apply black on a brown pair of shoes, I'd antique them.

Dyes are more permanent than cream and penetrate deeper, so the antiquing doesn't need repeating like the cream does.

If you want to dye these shoes, I'd suggest leather dye.

 

[Munky]

Call me old and stupid (and you might be right on both counts) but I really don't understand the need to strip older shoes. What they have on them is part of their history, part of their character, part of what makes them the shoes that they are. If you want a pair of shoes that look like new, buy a new pair. There is a lot to be said for the patination of older shoes.

I would propose a practical version of Occam's Razor. Start simply. Wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth and allow to dry. Brush them well. Use some Renovateur on them and finish with a coat of self coloured cream. If you like, add some wax polish. The brush well again. If you don't like the result, move on to the heavy directions, above and proceed with caution. If you do this, you can judge the efforts of your work gradually. You sure can't pull back from what you have achieved with all that stripping back once you have done it. Start slowly and build up if you must. 'Tis a gift to be simple. With fond regards, Munky.

 

[JFWR]

Call me old and stupid (and you might be right on both counts) but I really don't understand the need to strip older shoes. What they have on them is part of their history, part of their character, part of what makes them the shoes that they are. If you want a pair of shoes that look like new, buy a new pair. There is a lot to be said for the patination of older shoes.

I would propose a practical version of Occam's Razor. Start simply. Wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth and allow to dry. Brush them well. Use some Renovateur on them and finish with a coat of self coloured cream. If you like, add some wax polish. The brush well again. If you don't like the result, move on to the heavy directions, above and proceed with caution. If you do this, you can judge the efforts of your work gradually. You sure can't pull back from what you have achieved with all that stripping back once you have done it. Start slowly and build up if you must. 'Tis a gift to be simple. With fond regards, Munky.

I very much agree with this sentiment, but I believe Phoenician here is just trying to think of ways to use a pair of shoes for something else than collecting dust, with an aim perhaps to see them sold eventually.

 

[Reiver]

Call me old and stupid (and you might be right on both counts) but I really don't understand the need to strip older shoes. What they have on them is part of their history, part of their character, part of what makes them the shoes that they are. If you want a pair of shoes that look like new, buy a new pair. There is a lot to be said for the patination of older shoes.

I would propose a practical version of Occam's Razor. Start simply. Wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth and allow to dry. Brush them well. Use some Renovateur on them and finish with a coat of self coloured cream. If you like, add some wax polish. The brush well again. If you don't like the result, move on to the heavy directions, above and proceed with caution. If you do this, you can judge the efforts of your work gradually. You sure can't pull back from what you have achieved with all that stripping back once you have done it. Start slowly and build up if you must. 'Tis a gift to be simple. With fond regards, Munky.

Yes I agree with you in many cases however I have done it a couple of times with vintage shoes where copious amounts of wax had been applied and they looked ugly in my opinion.

One was a pair of Tecnic veldtschoen shoes that had so much black wax applied that they looked like black patent rather than brown zug. Military shoes hence the bulling. They still had plenty of age related character after I stripped the excess wax.

But in many cases I absolutely agree, where a shoe has been well cared for over many years then the patina is part of the appeal.

 

[Reiver]

Oh and as ever I always agree with @Munky to keep it simple

 

[AlonsoMerino]

hello,

I was wondering is all white leather by default chrome tanned or is it possible to produce white leather with vegetable tanning?

to my understanding vegetable tanning only produced a dark borwn coloured leather

 

[troika]

hello,

I was wondering is all white leather by default chrome tanned or is it possible to produce white leather with vegetable tanning?

to my understanding vegetable tanning only produced a dark borwn coloured leather

Yep, you can. Here is an example from this video where someone cuts chrome tanned common projects in half and then explains about the different types of leather

 

[vim147]

When polishing a black oxford shoes to a high shine, Do you use Saphir polish, Pate de lux then Saphir mirror gloss ?
Or would you just achieve the final shine with pate de lux ?

 

[nevaeh]

When polishing a black oxford shoes to a high shine, Do you use Saphir polish, Pate de lux then Saphir mirror gloss ?
Or would you just achieve the final shine with pate de lux ?

The routine I’ve had most success with is as follows:

1. Standard shoe care: brush, remove of old wax when necessary, condition, cream polish

2. Brush off excess cream polish and any dust

3. Add 2–3 layers of mirror gloss

4. Start with light layers of pate de mix (or MDO) and a tiny, tiny amount of cold water. Extremely light pressure

5. Repeat step 4 till mirror gloss is achieved. Maybe a tiny, tiny bit of mirror gloss again in between

Also. I’ve been using navy polish (but still black cream) for black shoes and the results are decent.

 

[JFWR]

When polishing a black oxford shoes to a high shine, Do you use Saphir polish, Pate de lux then Saphir mirror gloss ?
Or would you just achieve the final shine with pate de lux ?

I personally build up the base with pate de luxe then end with the mirror gloss. If I do it the other way around, I find the mirror gloss tends to be much more fragile.

I also use navy blue polish to get extra deep black. It looks especially good at night.

 

[duffyfluffy123]

Hey im back,
I purchased most of the products i bought from patine.pl i asked them about recommendations aswell and i ended up with SAPHIR BDC Creme Renovateur, SAPHIR BDC Etalon Noir Soap,
SAPHIR BDC Creme Pommadier, SAPHIR MDOR Creme Pommadier 75ml, SAPHIR MDOR Pate de Lux.
Now i am still looking to buy brushes. I wanted to ask would i need to buy two regular horsehair (one for black other brown) or should i have one regular brush and one polishing brush ?

 

[JFWR]

Two regulars. You don't really need a polishing brush - your chamois will do just fine for that.

 

[ZePrez]

HI All!

New here and believe I am at a point where I actually enjoy taking care of my shoes. I find it soothing ... Recently have gone into Vintage, mostly American shoes.
I started on YouTube to learn how. I , now, can get my shoes to look pretty decent. I also am able to get a decent higher shine on my cap toes but not the mirror shine, I see on the videos in spite of hours of trial ... Any decent video to how to achieve such mirror shine will be welcome.
My comment:

Any search on YouTube brings me Kirby Allison and Saphir I don't mind ( I owned a few Saphir product) but...
Is Saphir the only game in town? Any other less pricey or even better and inexpensive brands and/or products.

Shoes are :
Allen Edmonds (10 pairs, 2 Shell Cordovan models)
Alden (2 Pairs)
Magnani (1 Pair)
Carmina (1 Pair)
Meermin (Shell Cordovan)

My next shoe purchases will likely be Vintage American Shell Cordovan. I love the feel of Shell Cordovan.
Waiting for your answers.