nikolau
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2020
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I have a pair of shell Alden for BB that are totally kicking ******. As some may remember, they came to me dried out and caked with polish. I've been stripping them and brushing and brushing and stripping for several weeks now. Here's what's going on: I'll brush the shoes to bring out the oils. The texture of the shell goes from smooth and sort of glossy to waxy and tacky. I can then run a fingernail across the surface and accumulate cordovan-colored wax on my nail. So then I'll break out the nail polish remover (acetone) and cotton balls, scrubbing them good and hard. Most of this accumulation is on the toe caps and vamps. Here's what I'm left with:
View attachment 1562647
After the acetone the shoes are again smooth to the touch. But vigorous brushing brings the wax back to the surface. I bet I brushed and stripped 4 times last night.
What gives? Is that wax I'm bringing out or the shell's oils and dye?
I wonder if you might be pulling off whatever varnish Alden bake into their shell. I think they coat (or used to coat) shell in a shellac type substance that does not play well with shoe polish containing solvents.