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

[willyto]

Thanks for the quick reply, guys.
You know, I didn't think of this of a possibility at all, but I think you might be right about the flexing point. I just went back, tried on the shoes again and noticed that the flexing point does indeed seem to be just around the broguing of the cap.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, as the shoe seems to otherwise fit me fine. But the flexing point with all my other shoes has always been higher up, between the vamp and the broguing and not on the broguing itself...

Has happened to me before on new shoes to be precise. I recommend to polish them but not do a mirror shine until you've worn them a few times and can see where the shoe flexes, creases,etc. Then you know where you're safe to put a mirror shine, otherwise it cracks, starts breaking and requires extra work to pull it off and do it again.

The wax cracks where it flexes then everything will break because of that, it's not that your whole cap toe is getting flexed though.

 

[lullemans72]

Has happened to me before on new shoes to be precise. I recommend to polish them but not do a mirror shine until you've worn them a few times and can see where the shoe flexes, creases,etc. Then you know where you're safe to put a mirror shine, otherwise it cracks, starts breaking and requires extra work to pull it off and do it again.

The wax cracks where it flexes then everything will break because of that, it's not that your whole cap toe is getting flexed though.

Good point. Should have done this instead of wanting the shoe to look perfect before regular wear. Lesson learned. I do feel that the cap will look a bit odd with no shine in only that area though.

 

[Betelgeuse]

I recommend to polish them but not do a mirror shine until you've worn them a few times and can see where the shoe flexes, creases,etc.

This.

@lullemans72 you can try to just take the mirror shine off of the cap-toe where it creases and you're good to go.

 

[1up]

When the heel of a shoe starts looking like this, is it because the heel topy has worn down too much and needs to be replaced?

 

[willyto]

When the heel of a shoe starts looking like this, is it because the heel topy has worn down too much and needs to be replaced?

View attachment 1268447
View attachment 1268448
View attachment 1268449

Yes. Those heels need to be replacesd, otherwise you'll dig into the heel layers and they will have to be replaced at extra cost too.

You must really hit the heels hard when you walk.

 

[1up]

Yeah - I think I do, pretty flat feet so there's not much flex in my step. Just clompin' up and down the streets!

Hopefully I haven't done too much damage to the heel before catching the need for a heel topy replacement - still salvageable?

 

[unprocessed]

For those who use mirror gloss regularly on their shoes: how often do you recommend stripping all the waxes to renourish the leather with cream/Renovateur? I’m concerned about the waxes building up and the toes drying up.

Also, are there better (and safer) options than using Reno’Mat to remove the mirror gloss and waxes?

 

[DapperAndy]

For those who use mirror gloss regularly on their shoes: how often do you recommend stripping all the waxes to renourish the leather with cream/Renovateur? I’m concerned about the waxes building up and the toes drying up.

Also, are there better (and safer) options than using Reno’Mat to remove the mirror gloss and waxes?

I use pure D-Limonene (orange oil) to strip the waxes from my leather. It’s non-toxic and has a sweet orange aroma.

As for how frequently, I do it every three months or so of regular use. I then re-condition (or apply cream), protect with paste/wax on toes and heels, and shine with High Shine.

 

[lullemans72]

Hi guys, I have another question I would like to ask for some opinions on.

I was doing some maintenance on another pair of dress shoes yday when I noticed a kind of streak or blotch across the toe cap of one of the shoes. I applied several coats of Saphir light brown shoe polish already in the hopes it would disappear, but it's still quite visible.

Any advice on how to fix it? Perhaps a darker polish like medium or dark brown?

For the record, these shoes had a mirror shine on them with pate de luxe, but I went on top with renovateur and then the coats of cream polish.

 

[darhol]

Hi all, newbie here who has just gotten into attempting to take care of his leather shoes. I've been scouring the internet and watching youtube videos, and I still can't seem to get a clear direction on the following questions which relate to some Saphir products. I'm trying to see what are the starting products to get to begin with.

1. Between Saphir Renovateur and Pommadier, what's the difference in usage? From the threads I've looked at, I've seen some accounts where it looks like people are using them interchangeably, and in other cases, it sounds like it should be used as Renovateur followed by Pommadier, and in other cases, it sounds like they have their specific uses where Pommadier might be used for regular maintenance/shines (with or without wax like Pate de Luxe) while Renovateur might be used in certain cases less frequently.

2. In terms of the cream/waxes colors, at a minimum, would it be recommended to get a colored cream (e.g. Pommadier) for my black shoes and brown shoes instead of just one neutral? My understanding is that the colored cream will help cover scuffs which the neutral won't. The follow-up question to this is, if I am going with a maintenance regime of conditioner followed by wax, could I get by with a neutral wax (e.g. Pate de Luxe)? I guess I'm just trying to see if I can get by with buying 3 items instead of 4, and wondering what the trade-off would be.

3. For horse hair brushes, I've read that the general recommendation is to have a different brush for different tones (e.g. 1 for black, 1 for browns). For the initial cleaning or daily cleaning of the shoe, do people have a separate brush to cover all these shoes? Or do you use your black brush, for example, for both cleaning and buffing?

 

[lullemans72]

Hi all, newbie here who has just gotten into attempting to take care of his leather shoes. I've been scouring the internet and watching youtube videos, and I still can't seem to get a clear direction on the following questions which relate to some Saphir products. I'm trying to see what are the starting products to get to begin with.

1. Between Saphir Renovateur and Pommadier, what's the difference in usage? From the threads I've looked at, I've seen some accounts where it looks like people are using them interchangeably, and in other cases, it sounds like it should be used as Renovateur followed by Pommadier, and in other cases, it sounds like they have their specific uses where Pommadier might be used for regular maintenance/shines (with or without wax like Pate de Luxe) while Renovateur might be used in certain cases less frequently.

For more info on these polishes and how they're used, feel free to check out the Youtube channel of Kirby Allison. I've learned a ton of stuff from watching his videos, ranging from the questions you just had, to creating amazing mirror shines:



2. In terms of the cream/waxes colors, at a minimum, would it be recommended to get a colored cream (e.g. Pommadier) for my black shoes and brown shoes instead of just one neutral? My understanding is that the colored cream will help cover scuffs which the neutral won't. The follow-up question to this is, if I am going with a maintenance regime of conditioner followed by wax, could I get by with a neutral wax (e.g. Pate de Luxe)? I guess I'm just trying to see if I can get by with buying 3 items instead of 4, and wondering what the trade-off would be.

3. For horse hair brushes, I've read that the general recommendation is to have a different brush for different tones (e.g. 1 for black, 1 for browns). For the initial cleaning or daily cleaning of the shoe, do people have a separate brush to cover all these shoes? Or do you use your black brush, for example, for both cleaning and buffing?

Hey man, welcome to Styleforum. I'm not nearly as veteran as some of the other esteemed members on here, but allow me to share what I know about shoe shining based on my own research, experience, and consulting with other members on this forum.

For point 1. You're basically right. Renovateur is used mainly as a leather lotion, i.e. to soften, moisturize and provide the leather with nutrients. It does not contain any pigmentation, meaning that it won't change the color of the shoe. The cream polishes on the other hand, do contain pigment. They also serve to provide the leather with a bit of nourishment, but not to the same degree as the renovateur. Their main purpose is to cover up small scuffs and recolor the leather.

So because of the nature of the renovateur, you indeed don't need to use it as frequently as cream polish. It's there to provide nourishment to the leather while also doing some gentle cleaning.

For point 2. I would recommend getting a colored cream polish, but a neutral wax polish. The cream polish will do a much better job a recoloring the leather. I personally haven't used colored wax polishes yet, as they provide much less pigmentation to the leather when you're applying it to your shoes. Wax should be seen more as a protective layer you add on top of the shoe after applying cream polish first. I would therefore not recommend using only conditioner and wax, but conditioner + cream polish + wax.
In terms of regular Saphir wax and Pate de luxe wax, I have both products. Quality wise, they are both good, but I think the shine with pate de luxe is slightly better, and lasts longer than the standard wax. I also found it much easier to create a mirror shine with PDL as opposed to the standard version.

For point 3., unless you want to wash your only brush every single time depending on which shoe color you are working on, I highly recommend getting one brush per shoe color. I personally don't know of anyone who uses a separate brush for cleaning or buffing. I use the same one for different purposes. I just make sure I use them on the same shoe color.

 

[gianm]

For those who have used the Saphir mirror gloss, do you get the neutral or a specific colour? I'm assuming when you use it you clean, cream polish then wax? Or do you need to layer it with the regular wax before applying the mirror gloss?

 

[EmmerdaleFarm]

New member here with a first post.

I have neglected by RM Williams boots over the last couple of years and I think it's time to give them some love and try and bring them back to their former glory, assuming it's not too late. I am thinking Saphir Reneveteur on these in the first instance, does anybody have any suggestions on how best to go about this please?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[DapperAndy]

New member here with a first post.

I have neglected by RM Williams boots over the last couple of years and I think it's time to give them some love and try and bring them back to their former glory, assuming it's not too late. I am thinking Saphir Reneveteur on these in the first instance, does anybody have any suggestions on how best to go about this please?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Definitely not too late!
Do you use shoe trees and brush already? Those are steps 1 & 2. Then, you can use a fingertip amount of conditioner and see if the leather drinks it up. Assuming it does, you can then brush and let it sit for a bit to allow the oils to soak in and the waxes to adhere properly to the pores. Then you can add some cream and/or paste/wax if for additional protection or color. But yes, they could probably use some conditioning, if it's been a year or two.

 

[EmmerdaleFarm]

Thanks for the reply, it's appreciated. The boots have been worn and then placed in the wardrobe without shoe trees, I've purchased some that are due soon, they have had no care taken of them apart from when they were a month old or so, they're now 3-4 years old but lightly used. I've not worn them much and sort of forgotton about them but I'm going to start wearing them again but this time taking care of them too.

I've had a good luck in my shoe polish tin and this is what I have! I'll get on Amazon for a few more bits if needed, would neutral or coloured products be recommended? What would people say are my essentials please?

thanks again.