Whisky water shoe polish - the Mizuwari technique

[daizawaguy]

I discovered a way to finish off the glacage finish by using a 1/3 Whisky to 2/3 water mixture. The idea came up with a conversation with the resident Tokyu Hands glacage polisher - anyone who has passed through the Shinjuku Branch in the Takashimaya complex will have seen the superb examples on display. I also picked up their water dispenser you will see in the photos below.

For this to work best, you will need to have built up some base wax, but it does work too if you wet your cloth with the mixture and gradually build up a glacage finish.

 

[manowar]

The results are stunning.

How do we know this is advantageous over plain water.

You do not spray the leather directly with the mixture, do you?

 

[daizawaguy]

I believe the advantage over plain water are two fold - the first is that the water drops or even moisture drops are substituted by alcohol that smooths out the wax are gives it a higher shine; secondly, it it a much quicker technique as the alcohol assists in the shining process. I would add though that the first layer of wax is best made by the traditional technique, and that touch ups are best performed by the whisky/water.

Don't waste your Macallan 25 years please - any cheap whisky can be used

But what better way to place a small amount of your whisky while you are enjoying it while polishing!

 

[daizawaguy]

Professional's secret! How to revive your favorite leather shoes and bring out their best look - Hint Magazine - Hands

The more you polish, the shine of the leather makes you even more attached to your shoes. Nowadays,…

www.tokyu-hands.co.jp

 

[BXpress]

Alcohol itself is a solvent, plus that particular bottle is a Cask Strength Whisky, which means it is most probably non chill filtered (it doesn't say so on the label but at 51.4% ABV it makes no sense to chill filter it) still containing the oils from distillation and the cask hence the oily gloss on the shoes i would assume. When you add a drop of water to cask strength whisky you can see it turn cloudy in a couple of minutes.