Gentleman's Essentials - Shoe Care and Polishing Technique

[Mickdaman]

Great post, Doc.

One thing I'd say about Kiwi is that their 'Parade Gloss' is much better, if you can find it.

 

[GarageBoy]

What about kiwi Parade Gloss?

 

[royalcrown]

What about kiwi Parade Gloss?

Its pretty much kiwi with a bit of silicone. Its different than regular Kiwi, it gives a greasier shine (not in a bad way). Given the choice between the two I would go with the parade gloss, but really do your self a favor and find Lincoln.

 

[crazycliff200843]

I got the newer boots (brown nubuck) when I was a boot and they wouldn't let us wear the black ones anymore. I do have black leather shoes now that I wear to work. I find the parade gloss gives a better shine than the regular kiwi. I use a little sponge applicator to apply. I find that taking a lighter to the polish after you apply it to the shoe works well enough for me and keeps me from running out of polish as fast. This also keeps the IPs down, but you have to be careful if you don't take the laces off. I also have pretty big feet, so the lighter gets real hot and I find myself taking breaks to let it cool off. Kiwi's deluxe is a little creamier and I use that or mink oil every so often to condition the leather. I started out using some kind of ultrashine stuff (real thin liquid). It gave an excellent shine, but after a while it started chipping and cracking off and looked uneven. There's a bunch of videos on youtube on the way the original poster described.

 

[Dustinl]

I'd like to add to this. If your shoes or boots are leather sole, I can't emphasize this enough: at least once a week, treat the bottoms with a conditioner of some kind. It will make your soles last longer and prolong time between half soling. Also, be sure to condition the welts at the same time (the shoe/boot repair guy will appreciate it. It is a hassle to re-welt). There are two products that I use, Bick 4 or Leather Balm. Any brand of saddle soap will work also.



DL

 

[knlgskr]

Lincoln, Kelly/Lynn, DeAngelis polishes, Meltonian/Proppert's creams have always worked well for me. Leather Balm, Neatsfoot Oil for conditioning leather, Fiebings/Proppert's Saddle Soaps for cleaning leather, Mink Oil and others for water repellency. Do not forget leather soles and heels. Just a damp cotton or piece of nylon for me. I have shoes/boots that are about 50 and still going strong. Buy the best footwear you can find, take care of it and your feet and bank account will thank you. I think I can polish footwear as well as anyone I have met and that isn't just my opinion and yes when I was a lad I did it professionally. "I can see my face in mine; can you see yours in yours?"

 

[Doc4]

The importance of a well-shined pair of shoes cannot be over-stated. Beyond helping you look professional, women notice this sort of stuff.

Poorly taken care of shoes are quite noticable esp. if the Gent is in a suit.

*cough*













I'm shinin' some shoes tonight. (Never heard of the run-them-under-the-tap-first thing, though! )

 

[modern man]

"Never heard of the run-them-under-the-tap-first thing, though! "

Trust me on this, you will notice a difference.

 

[BarbeForte]

When I was in the army, I used a trick to spit shine my shoes. Instead of using water, I'd wet the cloth on a block of ice, it worked faster I don't know why (I used the classic Kiwi stuff).

For the combat boots, only a good brush did the trick.

 

[Doc4]

My shoes are looking shinier than ever! Thanks guys, I needed a kick in the ampersand to get the ol' polish kit out again. A bit of water & cloth-rubbing at the end really makes an improvement!

 

[Anton von Tripp]

Although this post is about polishing shoes, might I add that it is perfectly acceptable for brown brogues, walking boots etc. simply to have that warm glow of well buffed oiled leather.

Cordially, AvT.

 

[Roman414]

I was taught in the Navy to never bring a brush anyone near a shoe. Way we did it, we would apply Kiwi wax to the welts and side of the soles and heel with a toothbrush. Put a little water in the lid of the polish tin, twist a bit of cotton tee shirt around your finger, moisten it in the water, pick up some polish on it and apply it to the shoe with a circular motion, covering only a small area at a time. Re-moisten and pick up more polish as necessary. Rub and rub until you have a mirror-like gloss. Some guys, instead of using water in the lid, would keep spitting on the shoe. Hence, "spit shine". I never found that saliva offered any advantage over water.

 

[knlgskr]

I watched a retired British SAS Warrant Officer shine his shoes and he used Kiwi polish the following way: a coating of black spit shined followed by a coating of brown also spit shined and a coating of black spit shined. I had not seen this done before and it made an outstanding shine; perhaps better than I could do using only black polish. His name is Ian Welch/Welsh from Glasgow, Scotland The things you learn in your travels.

Richard

 

[DocMustang]

Dont know if its still even available but my father and grandfather, both Virginia Military Institute engineering graduates swore by drafting vellum as a polishing cloth. Drafting vellum had this very finely woven cotton cloth impregnated with some kind of wax. They would cut a small section and soak it in hot water until the wax melted out. You were left with a fine cloth perfect for polishing shoes.

 

[SRock]

Excellent post Will, looks like our approach to this is nearly identical! I also prefer Lincoln over Kiwi. Although, now the only shoes I shine are civilian. We no longer wear black boots in the AF. Our boots are suede. We wear patent leather shoes with our service dress uniform.

 

[SILVERBACK]

when i first got some decent shopes i did research on correct ways to clean them.(video jug link to follow)after applying the wax i leave the shoes for 24hours before buffing the wax off.i also remove the laces and put shoe trees back into the shoe whilst cleaning and waxing.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-polish-leather-shoes

 

[Poulin]

What I used when I was in the army.... (and I actually got in trouble from the School SGT Major of the Canadian Forces Medical Services School for having my boots too shiny)


Kiwi cloth
Kiwi Parade Gloss
bowl of spring water
ice cubes

patience, and teeny-tiny circular motions...

 

[neilxvx]

This might have been added already, but I think it's important to use those shoe blocks that you stuff insdie your shoe. They help your shoes last longer, and some of them are made from aromatic cedar which keeps them smelling good.

Does anybody shine their shoes with the shoes off their feet?

 

[Houndawg]

I've found that a new brush doesn't work very well. The brush has to be broken in. Once the bristles are black the brush works a lot better. I have one tha'ts 20 years old that works better than any new brush.

You can spit shine the Navy way without brush shining first, but it takes a lot longer. You need to get a good base of wax in the leather before a spit shine will take. Keep brush shining them for a while then once they take a shine really easy with a brush you can start spit shining them.

New shoes or combat boots made with stiff leather won't keep a shine well. I've had new combat boots that I shined up and as soon as I walked in them the wax powdered right off. You need to break the leather in and soften it up before it will keep a shine.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Nothing much more to be said, but I'll add my own preferences. Brushes, etc. are OK for cleaning off a boot or shoe, and saddle soap is invaluable. I've tried stockings too, but I'm not convinced they are necessary. For shining, all you need is a soft cotton cloth (like an old t-shirt), cold water and your polish. Kiwi is serviceable, but Lincoln has a nicer shine.

I would add that it's an excellent idea to keep extra shoe and boot laces on hand. Nothing more irritating than a broken lace when you're on the way out the door and nothing sadder than reknotted broken laces.

Also, find a good cobbler. They're much scarcer than they used to be, but they can add years of life to a shoe. Keep an eye on the wear of your shoe and take it in before things get out of hand. Spend your savings on a good single malt.