Shoe Shine Tutorials
- Thread starter mark the shoeshine boy
- Start date
This guy has the right idea, but he misses the conditioner first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_wEGt2Oazg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_wEGt2Oazg
Are you interested in raising a mirror shine, or are you satisfied with very glossy?
You will look dashing if you clean/condition with a clean soft cloth and some Saphir Renovateur followed by a Saphir creme of your choosing. Lightly brushing after each application. If you want to be a little OCD but not military, google "Mac's method".I just want to "not look like a bum".
I just want to "not look like a bum".
Then all you need to do is brush on a coat of Cherry blossom ( if you can find it in the USA ) or Kiwi, let it dry over night; buff to a shine in the morning. After three or four days your shoes will gleam, I use the same brush for putting on the Polish and buffing it off. Yes I was Air Force but no plastic shoes in her Majesties flying circus.
Mike:
This Thread and Posted Replies may be of some interest to you.
Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ght=shoe+shine
And this 'link' might help you get a better ('bulling'), shine
Read More: http://www.hucknallatc.talktalk.net/...ur%20shoes.pdf
And if it's a 'spit-shine' that you're looking for...then I suggest this Thread & Video:
Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/329768-Shoe-Shine-Videos?highlight=spit-shine
"Shoes are our companions because they are a distinguishing part of our lives". CBJ
This Thread and Posted Replies may be of some interest to you.
Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ght=shoe+shine
And this 'link' might help you get a better ('bulling'), shine
Read More: http://www.hucknallatc.talktalk.net/...ur%20shoes.pdf
And if it's a 'spit-shine' that you're looking for...then I suggest this Thread & Video:
Read More: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/329768-Shoe-Shine-Videos?highlight=spit-shine
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #28
I love this thread, Mark put it on your Facebook page....
Interesting thread - thanks.
I love to polish shoes, it's an hour or so of downtime. This was my guide:
http://thelearnedgentleman.com/that-polished-appearance-the-shoe-maintenance-guide/
Keep polishing!
http://thelearnedgentleman.com/that-polished-appearance-the-shoe-maintenance-guide/
Keep polishing!
What shoe polish brands are good and which should be avoided?
That may have been true in the past, but no longer. They went to rough suede type leather boots in the last few years I was in, along with the "wash and wear" BDUs you now see them wearing.
I approve of the change. It was done in part to save soldiers time and money. The Army takes a man away from his family enough as it is. Requiring him to spend another 20 minutes each night shining boots that will not survive 15 minutes in the motor pool is silly. As were the hundreds of dollars or hours of time each year a soldier spent starching and pressing BDUs. When many soldiers in the 1990s were also on food stamps (true), having them spend $300 a year at the post dry cleaner so they can wear knife-edge creases on a 95 degree day was also stupid.
It was also a necessary step in getting the Army out of the parade ground/garrison mentality that existed for all of the 20th Century up to the War on Terror.
For example, soldiers in Basic now spend virtually no time practicing close order drill or formation marching. I remember all the hours we spent practicing "Inspection, Arms!", getting all of us to pull our triggers and snap our dust covers shut as one. Something I never did again after Basic.
Today's soldiers in Basic march to training events in tactical road marches, just as they will in combat. They spend a lot more time firing their weapons at night with night vision gear mounted. This was something I NEVER did until the last two years of service...and I was combat arms. The focus is now where it needs to be.
But I can still spot veterans from the condition of their civilian leather shoes.
Very nice. That last pair really pop.
In the Army I learned how to get a glassy shine on my shoes and boots. The trick to getting a proper "spit shine" is to use a cotton cloth (some prefer cotton balls), and the right proportion of clean water (not spit) and shoe polish.
First, the shoes must be polished in the regular manner, with a cloth or brush. Then small amounts of polish are applied with a damp cotton cloth (old, pure cotton brown Army t-shirts are just right), slowly filling in the grain of the leather, and creating a smooth surface. There must be just enough water to spread the polish, but not enough that it leaves beads of water as you rub it across the shoe. My grandfather taught me this technique, having learned it at Fort Belvoir, where the Army's Honor Guard used to be (still is?) stationed.
For black shoes, no polish gives a better shine than Kiwi. For other colours, the brand is less relevant. Nowadays, I don't bother to polish my shoes myself, the shoeshines in front of the train station do a great job, very quickly.
First, the shoes must be polished in the regular manner, with a cloth or brush. Then small amounts of polish are applied with a damp cotton cloth (old, pure cotton brown Army t-shirts are just right), slowly filling in the grain of the leather, and creating a smooth surface. There must be just enough water to spread the polish, but not enough that it leaves beads of water as you rub it across the shoe. My grandfather taught me this technique, having learned it at Fort Belvoir, where the Army's Honor Guard used to be (still is?) stationed.
For black shoes, no polish gives a better shine than Kiwi. For other colours, the brand is less relevant. Nowadays, I don't bother to polish my shoes myself, the shoeshines in front of the train station do a great job, very quickly.
I wish I could find one of those shoe-shine stands around here. It is a lost art. There is a stand at the local Nordstrom store, but I haven't seen anyone manning the booth for about 3 years.
When I was in Navy boot camp, they taught us the spit-shine method. I wasn't too good at it. I preferred my boots to be clean, but with a matte finish. Of course, what I wanted didn't matter much to the Inspectors. Then there was a guy I met on board ship who would polish other guys' shoes for extra money. His method involved putting on a heavy coat of wax, then melting it with a lighter so it would fill in the pores of the leather, then buff it up with a brush.
If the Good Lord had intended for Man to shine his own shoes, he never would have given us Corfam.
I was very good at spit shining in boot camp as I bought my first ae at 16 years old and pampered them. what I got was the duty making sure everyones shoes passed muster. that was my job in boot camp. others cleaned toilets I shined problem shoes. ugh
thank you for your service to our country.
I was never able to get a high gloss shine. I was just aiming to get my shoes clean, and even with a matte finish, they still passed inspection.
When I discovered Corfams, I was in seventh heaven.
I had forgotten the name Corfams. that does take me back again. same thank you too for your service
