Gentleman's Essentials - Shoe Care and Polishing Technique

[Jeffc]

Sorry - another question - How do you rate Saphir polish against Lincoln.

By the way, I use baby wipes to clean instead of water, (lots around at the moment !) I know it doesnt warm the shoes up but I can get into the creases easier.

 

[TheDoctor]

Apparently, TheDoctor advises that one polish and ignite one's shoes twice in a row.

Well, you have 2 shoes don't you? Not sure how I managed that double post. I'm smat....I mean smart.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

Great post - only just found it !
Having read through, its amazing how little we can get in the UK, Kiwi seems to dominate the market. No Lincoln polish on Amazon UK (not allowed to buy from Amazon US !) - could only get it on Ebay.
Any suggestions on brands of good quality Shoe brushes ??

I am checking into the Diplomat Brush...this one is made in Germany and the two great brushes that I have used have both came from there...

You can find the Star brand anywhere..they are alright...but this older brush that I have is awesome and the one that my dad has is twice as good...

I will let you guys know when i can get one...

 

[Jeffc]

Thanks Mark,
How do you rate the Saphir brushes in your shoe box ?

 

[Montecristo #2]

This thread is a true resource! Lots of great info, I'm headed to the basement to shine the wing tips.

I bought two of these a couple years back:

http://shoeshinekit.com/shinebutler.html

I attached the bracket (the main section is removable) to my workbench and it has proven an invaluable tool for shining shoes.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

Thanks Mark,
How do you rate the Saphir brushes in your shoe box ?

I do not have Saphir brushes...just the unknown one from Germany, however, I have read the Diplomat brush is the one to buy for the quality.

I have this underlying suspicion that most of the brushes made in the world are made by a handful of manufacturers and thus thier quality are essentially the same.

Did I confuse you with the two pictures that I posted about the shoe shine accessories that you need? Those are just on my wish list.

 

[gaseousclay]

can someone tell me if all leather shoes are created equally when using shoe creams? I have a pair of cap toe oxfords made of nappa leather but wasn't sure if using a garden variety brand like Kiwi would damage the shoe? any ideas?

 

[gaseousclay]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io2KFwZ5B8w[/YOUTUBE]

i'm sure some of you have seen this video before. it's kinda soothing to watch. anyone have any ideas what kind of applicator brush he's using? it looks like a flattened shaving brush....I wonder if using a cheap boar brush from Walgreens is ok to use?

 

[gaseousclay]

I just ordered some Saphir wax polish yesterday...can't wait to try it out. do most of you use leather conditioner before applying polish?

 

[gaseousclay]

some more questions:

- how often do you shine your shoes? once a week? once every 2 weeks? once a month?

- is it bad for your shoes if you were to rotate wax polishes in between cleaning? let's say you polish your shoes with Kiwi one week and then you polish it with Saphir the next....could this damage the leather?

 

[duotone]

some more questions:

- how often do you shine your shoes? once a week? once every 2 weeks? once a month?

- is it bad for your shoes if you were to rotate wax polishes in between cleaning? let's say you polish your shoes with Kiwi one week and then you polish it with Saphir the next....could this damage the leather?

In last months GQ (UK Edition) George Glasgow who works here http://www.gjcleverley.co.uk/ answered 5 questions. These 2 are the most relevant to what you were after.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN SHOES?

Preferably every time you wear them. The wax should be applied after wearing and left to sink in overnight, before polishing in the morning. This allows it time to sink in.

WHAT ARE THE BEST POLISH PRODUCTS TO USE?

Wax polish is best because it feeds the leather better. Cream is good for shining. Applying polish properly is also important. Use a horsehair brush to make sure the polish gets into the welt stitching between the leather and sole.

I found this, especially the "extra tip" quite useful http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2010-12/17/gq-comment-shoe-shining-masterclass-

 

[Jeffc]

I just ordered some Saphir wax polish yesterday...can't wait to try it out. do most of you use leather conditioner before applying polish?

Let me know how you rate the Saphir against the Kiwi and (if youve tried it )the Lincoln polish.
I shine mine once a week (as well as the kids !) however I only wear a pair of shoes once in a week. I also tend to apply polish one week and cream the next.

 

[expre]

This is my first time reading any post outside of the shaving related posts. I have worn Rock port wingtips my whole life, following the advice of my Dad. He wore the same shoes as well throughout his whole career. Thankfully, I started to change my looks a few years ago.

I have unknowingly been using regular kiwi shoe polish and some of my Dad's old brushes from the 50's. No wonder the tailor looked at me funny when he asked if I am planning to wear the Rockports with the slacks.

Thank you for the information. I have always wondered how to get a high gloss finish on my shoes but did not have the time or memory to learn the method. I find myself writing down notes to improve my lifestyle thanks to Badger and Blade.

 

[flight567]

hhmmm, what is your opinion on "spit shines" like... military type shining methods? with the little tight circles... that's what i do... but i rub the polish in with a brush, so i guess i do a combination of both the "traditional" and the "military" way of shining, either way it looks really nice somethin that i find very usefull, is to go over the polish once it's sunk into the leather, and use VERY light strokes which smooths out the polish even more and makes it even shinier

 

[_dadgad]

Seems that there are as many ways to take care of shoes are there are folks on this forum! So in that spirit, here's how I do it:

Quick brush to knock off the big pieces of dirt.
Damp cloth to get anything the brush couldn't.
Light coat of wax (I'm fine with Kiwi)
When the wax dries (doesn't take long) brush it to a shine.
Just for good measure, hit it the the nylon stocking to enhance the shine.

I rotate my dress shoes, keeping cedar shoe trees in them to dry them out.

 

[Jerry4roo]

Looked at my brown shoes this morning and realized they needed a shine badly. This is my first foray into the Haberdashery, but I wanted to see if there was anything that i have been doing wrong. I did a slow water shine this morning and my shoes look almost new!!! So happy! Thank you again B&B!