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

[ZePrez]

I got some Saphir products and shined my shoes "properly" for the 1st time.
Not sure if I was doing it correctly. I've watched Prestons and Kirbys Youtube tutorials.
I polished a cheap pair of black casual brogues. Didn't go for a completely mirror shine. The thing that stopped me to keep on shining was that my shoulder started to hurt with all the circular rubbing motion.

I used Renomat, Renovateur, Black Pommadier, Neutral MDO wax. Maybe i had to put in extra effort as i used Renomat to strip off old wax ?

Also how do i know many layers Renovateur and Pommadier i need to apply ?

Hi
I posted here earlier, there is, for me, something cathartic about cleaning my shoes... This said, I am far from an expert, I have however learned a bit watching a lot of videos asking questions and I have come here to learn and to share...
A few things. Don't overdo the Renomat part. It strips the finish of your shoes, removing to a good extent polish, wax and pigments ... It is for removing things not for cleaning per se... You do it once in a wjile if your shoes has built=up of wax or polish but not something to do regularly.

My routine for cleaning has come to be:

1. Lexol Leather Cleaner. It seems to be more gentle than Saddle Soap. In my estimation a good, mild, innocuous leather cleaner. If something is recommended by Nick Horween, VP of Horween Corp, maker of the best Shell Cordovan in the World…
2. Then I apply the conditioner. On black shoes or Cordovan, I go with Lexol leather conditioner, again if Nick says so .. then … It does darken the Leather a bit but if its black, it doesn’t matter ?
3. For lighter shoes Bick #4
4. Then I apply Saphir BDC Cream of a color that goes with the shoe, lighter if possible.
5. Then finish it with Collonil 1909 Creme Deluxe. This one is in my opinion the best. After brushing you are left with a supple and shiny leather. The combination of a Saphir BDC polish followed by Neutral Collonil 1909 Crème Deluxe is IMO superb. The Collonil product is not that well known but deserves to be. As a finishing cream for hydrating and shining among the best around.

Now for the glazing. Good glazing requires patience and a bit of experience, after having posted here that I could not get decent results, I found online this procedure from a French video blog:

Apply 4 to 5 thin layers of Wax Polish, say 2 minutes between the applications, really thin layers, not polish. I use Saphir Amiral Gloss for black shoes and a Kiwi for Brown shoes.
Drop one or two drops (small drop) of water on the toe… Start the circular motions. No pressure, light touch. A dab of wax, no water, circular motions then one small drop of water, circular motions, a dab of wax, circular motion, a drop of water no water, circular motions .. a dab of wax, a dab and a drop, circular motion, very light touch, repeating, don’t apply any force, you are barely touching it, not rubbing it. The idea is to create heat through friction, the heat helps crystallizing the wax to create the glaze. In about 5 to 10 minutes of this drab and drop, dab and drop…you should see a decent glaze... You can go on for longer, I stopped then ... With Saphir Amiral Gloss, a very good to excellent glaze. I managed to get 3 shoes with glazed toes
Getting to the level of YouTube videos will take practice… I am far from there
It is important to understand that when it comes to glazing, the polish/wax is at best 15%, the rest is technique. Those who have the knowledge and experience will get that glaze with any wax, even Kiwi, although one gets there more quickly by using something like the Saphir Admiral Gloss or better…

 

[ZePrez]

Hi

I have also taken an interest in DIY products, in my searches I found this:

Boot polish history | Blanco and Bull

The website is a repository ... Very Interesting.

 

[Munky]

Hi

I have also taken an interest in DIY products, in my searches I found this:

Boot polish history | Blanco and Bull

The website is a repository ... Very Interesting.

This is very interesting. Thank you for posting it. Regards, Munky

 

[vim147]

Is this normal ?
I bought Saphir Renomat and had it on my table overnight and it seems to have gone clear on the bottom of the bottle. When i shake it it goes white like the top. have i been sold a contaminated bottle or is it ok ?

 

[florent]

Is this normal ?

This is normal, just shake it before use

 

[vim147]

This is normal, just shake it before use

I Renomat and conditioned a pair of brown brogues. I like the colour of them as it is even without using polish.
If I just use a neutral MDO wax and then later decide that i want to add colour to them, will i need to remove the wax in order to put colour polish on them ?

 

[florent]

I Renomat and conditioned a pair of brown brogues. I like the colour of them as it is even without using polish.
If I just use a neutral MDO wax and then later decide that i want to add colour to them, will i need to remove the wax in order to put colour polish on them ?

You don't need to remove the wax to use color polish, unless you've built up an excessively thick layer of wax.

 

[JFWR]

Hey guys, I just bought a pair of vegetable tanned leather boots with dainite soles. Given they have dainite soles, I wanted to make them somewhat waterproof to take advantage of the fact that these soles are less liable to slip on wet surfaces.

What would be my best bet? They're black, so I am not at all worried about darkening them.

Should I get dubbin for this? Neetsfoot oil? Mink oil? What can I do to make these more resistant to rain without losing the advantages of the veg-tanned process?

Also, should I polish the shoes -before- waterproofing them with the agent or -after-?

 

[Munky]

Hey guys, I just bought a pair of vegetable tanned leather boots with dainite soles. Given they have dainite soles, I wanted to make them somewhat waterproof to take advantage of the fact that these soles are less liable to slip on wet surfaces.

What would be my best bet? They're black, so I am not at all worried about darkening them.

Should I get dubbin for this? Neetsfoot oil? Mink oil? What can I do to make these more resistant to rain without losing the advantages of the veg-tanned process?

Also, should I polish the shoes -before- waterproofing them with the agent or -after-?

The advice I was given by Horween, who make some excellent veg tanned leather, was to wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth occasionally and use a small amount of neutral shoe cream, very occasionally. Quite why you would want to use dubbin, neatsfoot oil or mink oil is beyond me. If you want a pair of water resistant boots, why not buy ones for that purpose? It would be a shame to lose the look and feel of veg tanned leather by smothering them with oil and grease. Veg tanned leather quickly develops a beautiful patina if you leave it alone. Yours, Munky PS. Be careful with Dainite soles on very shiny flooring. They can be very slippery.

 

[Munky]

The advice I was given by Horween, who make some excellent veg tanned leather, was to wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth occasionally and use a small amount of neutral shoe cream, very occasionally. Quite why you would want to use dubbin, neatsfoot oil or mink oil is beyond me. If you want a pair of water resistant boots, why not buy ones for that purpose? It would be a shame to lose the look and feel of veg tanned leather by smothering them with oil and grease. Veg tanned leather quickly develops a beautiful patina if you leave it alone. Yours, Munky PS. Be careful with Dainite soles on very shiny flooring. They can be very slippery.

Retrospectively, I'm sorry if I sounded a bit sharp there. With apologies, Munky.

 

[Reiver]

Hey guys, I just bought a pair of vegetable tanned leather boots with dainite soles. Given they have dainite soles, I wanted to make them somewhat waterproof to take advantage of the fact that these soles are less liable to slip on wet surfaces.

What would be my best bet? They're black, so I am not at all worried about darkening them.

Should I get dubbin for this? Neetsfoot oil? Mink oil? What can I do to make these more resistant to rain without losing the advantages of the veg-tanned process?

Also, should I polish the shoes -before- waterproofing them with the agent or -after-?

I agree with @Munky on this, I wouldn’t add any heavy waterproofing product as it will likely remove any of the character of the leather.

Are they pure vegetable tanned? The leather itself should be relatively water resistant, definitely enough to complement the dainite sole.

if they are chromexcel which is combination veg and chrome tanned then this is quite a waxy, oily leather and relatively water resistant.

I sometimes apply dubbin to my walking boots but they are purely to take a beating and regularly get soaked. I used to apply to zug too but felt it was unnecessary.

 

[bsarosi]

Hoping folks in this thread can help me. I’ve owned a pair of StC U-wingtips for a couple years now and decided to remove the polish on the toes that had built up with Saphir Renomat. I went over the shoes the first time with Renomat and it seemed to work well except now there is a scuff-like mark on each toe (see photos). For those who are experts in shoe care and polishing, how should I go about removing the scuffs and polishing the shoes correctly? Did I make a major mistake using Renomat and now stuck with the shoes as-is? Many thanks

 

[JFWR]

The advice I was given by Horween, who make some excellent veg tanned leather, was to wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth occasionally and use a small amount of neutral shoe cream, very occasionally. Quite why you would want to use dubbin, neatsfoot oil or mink oil is beyond me. If you want a pair of water resistant boots, why not buy ones for that purpose? It would be a shame to lose the look and feel of veg tanned leather by smothering them with oil and grease. Veg tanned leather quickly develops a beautiful patina if you leave it alone. Yours, Munky PS. Be careful with Dainite soles on very shiny flooring. They can be very slippery.

Thanks Munky! You always give good advice.

You weren't too snippy with me at all. I appreciated the frank advice that gave me more to think of.

Is there anything I can do to waterproof them even marginally then besides the polish?

 

[JFWR]

Hoping folks in this thread can help me. I’ve owned a pair of StC U-wingtips for a couple years now and decided to remove the polish on the toes that had built up with Saphir Renomat. I went over the shoes the first time with Renomat and it seemed to work well except now there is a scuff-like mark on each toe (see photos). For those who are experts in shoe care and polishing, how should I go about removing the scuffs and polishing the shoes correctly? Did I make a major mistake using Renomat and now stuck with the shoes as-is? Many thanks

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Looks like you removed some of the finish by my reckoning.

Your best bet is to apply some matching colour shoe cream (not neutral) to the toe and see if it recolours the discolouration. Let it soak in over night. If that doesn't work, then try one more coat. If THAT doesn't work, then you might need to dye it.

The damage is not irreparable by any means. The leather itself seems just fine, just stripped.

 

[JFWR]

I agree with @Munky on this, I wouldn’t add any heavy waterproofing product as it will likely remove any of the character of the leather.

Are they pure vegetable tanned? The leather itself should be relatively water resistant, definitely enough to complement the dainite sole.

if they are chromexcel which is combination veg and chrome tanned then this is quite a waxy, oily leather and relatively water resistant.

I sometimes apply dubbin to my walking boots but they are purely to take a beating and regularly get soaked. I used to apply to zug too but felt it was unnecessary.

Pure vegetable tanned, not chromexcel.

I'll leave them without too much waterproofing then and just rely on the polish to provide that unless there is something I can do that wouldn't cause damage to the nice character of the leather.

My main concern is causing damage to the leather from water, that is why I wanted to protect it. Plus, given the dainite soles, I don't want to be -too- dainty with them, as the dainite sole is specifically better for water than leather.