Words of wisdom for an edge dressing first-timer? ...

[cmeisenzahl]

About to buy some AE branded edge dressing for my Drydens and Strands. I've read a little about edge dressing but I'm new to it. Any words of wisdom? Or is it as simple as just applying it to the outside edge of the soles, and being careful not to get it on the uppers?

Thanks in advance! ;-)

 

[Bhowie]

Don't **** up.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by cmeisenzahl

...is it as simple as just applying it to the outside edge of the soles, and being careful not to get it on the uppers?

Pretty much. At least it has been for me.

 

[cmeisenzahl]

Thanks to both of you for the concise advice. ;-)

 

[goodall]

If you get it on the uppers just take some warm water and a rag and wipe it off. Edge dressing is water soluble.

 

[Thurston]

Check PM

 

[wetnose]

Go to home depot and get the blue painter's tape. Carefully apply along the edge of where the leather meets the sole - make sure the leather is completely covered and you're good to go.

 

[j]

Don't knock over the bottle.

 

[Renault78law]

I spilled a bottle of dark brown AE edge dressing on the carpet in my bedroom. The little sponge on top was clogged for some reason, so I thought it would be a good idea to take it off, and try to pour a little dressing onto the sponge. I fumbled it and in the end, I ruined a pair of light brown Harris'. Worse (at least from my wife's perspective), it ended up on my cream colored carpet, and the "clean up attempt" ended up only magnifying the size of the stain. I will never live this one down. Later found out that oxiclean does a pretty good job on the carpet. I don't think I've tried to apply edge dressing since.

 

[MiniW]

I am a careful guy so when I used edge dressing it was no problem. I used Q-tips instead of the dabber since it was smaller. It took longer but worth the time IMO.

On a side note I recently had a pair of boots re-heeled and the cobbler who applied edge dressing got it all over the leather. I was really pissed. The boots were black and the color of the edge dressing was brown. Although it was probably not noticeable to most people, it was a disaster to me. I was able to wipe some of it off with a wet paper towel but only because he also put on a thick coat of black wax on the boots which I would not have done. But still a good amount was still visible on the leather. After a fruitless google search, I decided to sand the stain off the leather with some very fine grain sandpaper that I used to use for plastic model airplanes when I was young. This was quite effective and I took the chance since the boots were not dressy at all and I really could not stand the sloppy workmanship.

So my advice would be... before you take in a pair of expensive shoes to a cobbler, perhaps let him work on a trial pair first. (Just don't let him know that it is a trial)

Also applying painter's tape around the leather soles is great for staining or dyeing the color of the upper leather.

 

[Bhowie]

There is a difference between the water soluble and the oil based. I think oil lasts longer and looks better. It will not come off of the leather.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by j

Don't knock over the bottle.

I did this once. It stained a very nice area rug (with the attendant displeasure of Mrs. Vintage Gent). Thank goodness for Oxyclean, which dispatched the stain in short order. The same area rug was ultimately lost in the hurricane. We got only a splash of water in the back office; still, it soaked the rug, and after sitting for a couple of weeks, the rug developed a snow-white patina of mold.

 

[DandySF]

I wish someone had advised me to be very careful when applying edge dressing. On more than one occasion I've managed to get stray dabs on the shoe leather. This is entirely avoidable with a bit of caution and dexterity.

 

[greekgeek]

Just use shoe poilish for the edging....

 

[Thurston]

I think it's a pretty simple operation. I do it over the laundry sink, where I do all of my polishing, and really wring the dauber out first . An almost dry swab will do an entire shoe. A bottle of edge dressing should last even SF shoe hounds a lifetime.