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

[Stirling]



After a simple cleaning with white vinegar/water and conditioner/polish:
.

It shows that you don't need expensive products to remove the salt. Although I'm sure there are a few gents here who'll need to know what type of vinegar, where the water came from, precisely which conditioner and the brand of polish. After all these will become the grail products that we will all need to buy, otherwise our shoes will crumble into dust.

 

[dannyg1000]

They're APC's fyi.

Hi. Just picked up a pair of these bad boys nearly brand new from a resale place in my city. My question is, how should I store them? I'm not sure if I should use a shoe tree since they have that zipper and those boot shapers also don't seem ideal since I would like to have something that also maintains the shape of the toe. Any thoughts?

 

[BootSpell]

They're APC's fyi.

Hi. Just picked up a pair of these bad boys nearly brand new from a resale place in my city. My question is, how should I store them? I'm not sure if I should use a shoe tree since they have that zipper and those boot shapers also don't seem ideal since I would like to have something that also maintains the shape of the toe. Any thoughts?

I think I remember someone commented back awhile ago that they believed boots that did not have laces (like cowboy boots, Chelsea boots, pull on boots, or ones like these) should not be treed. Something about that these boots develop a "curl" as they break in and as such lessen the heel slip that one encounters when first wearing these types of boots. Using trees would straighten them out and possibly cause more heel slip than if one didn't use trees.

Please don't accept what I've written as an endorsement to not use trees in your boots. Try searching this thread. Sorry, can't remember who it was.

 

[PCK1]

I use a tree in my chelsea boots...and I was look at some Corthay chelsea boots in NYC this past weekend and they had trees in them.

I'd say if Pierre Corthay uses trees in his chelsea boots...thats an endorsement for using them in chelsea boots.

 

[dannyg1000]

You don't think the zipper on my boots will get stressed from shoe tree?

 

[BootSpell]

You don't think the zipper on my boots will get stressed from shoe tree?

Why not get trees that are a bit smaller than one would normally get so at least you get the wood absorbing in the toe box but without the pressure against the heel.

 

[dannyg1000]



Why not get trees that are a bit smaller than one would normally get so at least you get the wood absorbing in the toe box but without the pressure against the heel.

that's a good idea

 

[PCK1]

Trees shouldn't be so large that they really stretch the shoe...if they fit properly I don't think you will have to worry about your zipper.

 

[namdaemun]

Hey

I simply can't polish shoes as well or as nicely as my cobbler does. I typically use saddle soap to clean, then use conditioner (AE's), then I'll add polish or sometimes crème (what are the adv's of use one over the other?), and then brush

Am I doing something wrong? I don't use Saphir or anything of that quality. It's simple Melatonin cream or AE's polish.

Anyone? Thanks

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Don't use Saddle Soap. You shouldn't really be needing to "clean" your shoes past a brushing unless they get seriously dirty. Use cream polish for the whole shoe and work some wax on the toe and heel, buffing, or bulling.

 

[DWFII]

Some saddlesoap is tallow based. It will leave a greasy residue on the surface. Some saddle soaps are glycerin based, they will leave a sticky and slightly slippery residue. If saddle soap is used at all it should be regarded as a soap and thoroughly rinsed off and the shoes allowed to dry before further treatment....(on edit) such as polishing.

--

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Some saddlesoap is tallow based. It will leave a greasy residue on the surface. Some saddle soaps are glycerin based, they will leave a sticky and slightly slippery residue. If saddle soap is used at all it should be regarded as a soap and thoroughly rinsed off and the shoes allowed to dry before further treatment.

DW, would you mind expounding upon your definition of thoroughly rinsed in this context? I'm wondering if you are hinting at using running water. I don't use saddle soap very often (with the exception of one belt that I use it on fairly regularly), but generally, I just use a moist cloth to rub off the excess after it's dry, then follow up with a horsehair brush. Do you think it needs more rinsing that that? The same question for shoes on the very rare chance that I do use it.

Thanks!

 

[DWFII]



DW, would you mind expounding upon your definition of thoroughly rinsed in this context?  I'm wondering if you are hinting at using running water.  I don't use saddle soap very often (with the exception of one belt that I use it on fairly regularly), but generally, I just use a moist cloth to rub off the excess after it's dry, then follow up with a horsehair brush.  Do you think it needs more rinsing that that?  The same question for shoes on the very rare chance that I do use it.

Thanks!

IIRC, regular old fashioned soap is made from fats mixed with lye. Saddlesoap like Properts is compounded much like regular soap--it's supposed to be used with water...at least enough to work up a lather. And that means a very wet sponge or running water. The glycerin bars are intended to work up a lather as well. Lexol-ph is formulated very much like ph-balanced baby shampoo (which makes a fine leather cleaner, BTW). Again lathering and rinsing is indicated.

It is not automatically harmful to rinse leather with running water...lots of processes in making shoes or working leather are entirely dependent on getting the leather wet. Shoes, however, tend to have inconsistent areas of absorption after they have been worn awhile simply because of all the polish (wax) build-up. The water will not by itself have any deleterious effects esp. if the shoes are conditioned immediately after washing/rinsing--while the leather is still wet. The real problem is water stains that may result from heavy absorption in one area and less in another...again conditioning can go a long way towards preventing that.

If you're concerned, again using a very wet sponge is a good solution.

But the bottom line is that leaving the tallow or glycerin residues on shoes is not good. If nothing else, it will collect dust and grit and accelerate cracking.

And you can't get either a high or a long lasting shine over grease.

When you get right down to it, it's worth remembering that saddlesoap was formulated for saddles.

 

[anrobit]

The water will not by itself have any deleterious effects esp. if the shoes are conditioned immediately after washing/rinsing--while the leather is still wet.

Why must the shoe be conditioned while still wet?

 

[DWFII]



Why must the shoe be conditioned while still wet?

Conditioner doesn't have to be applied to wet leather. The advice was only in the context of washing (and rinsing) shoes.

The conditioner will slow the evaporation rate and allow the water to spread out through the fibers of the leather more evenly. It helps to prevent water stains.

Water stains are the result of salts and other chemicals dissolving in the water and being transported to the interface between wet and dry. One such interface is the grain surface of the leather. Another is the edge of the wet area. If water evaporates too quickly, the stain occurs just at that interface. Such stains can be difficult, sometimes impossible, to remove.

Casual washing and rinsing may not create water stains but it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. Hence the conditioner.

In any case, applying the conditioner while the leather is wet won't hurt anything. In fact, when the pores are open and cleansed of residual oils and waxes the conditioner will enter the leather more easily.