It is.
That is all.
That is all.
Angelus Brand "Perfect" Stain Wax
- Thread starter lwt210
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
Wow. That's a shoe shine. How much of that is the polish and how much is your technique? Speaking of technique, what are your steps to that shine?
- Thread starter
- #5
I'll post how I did it after church.
I can get close to the same results with Lincoln stain wax but this stuff takes it to the next level.
Used Kiwi for decades but I'm leaving it behind.
I can get close to the same results with Lincoln stain wax but this stuff takes it to the next level.
Used Kiwi for decades but I'm leaving it behind.
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- #6
Okay, disclaimers first:
These shoes were inexpensive, made in China shoes when I bought them.......almost 20 years ago. But the leather is supple and seems to be decent quality. I can get nearly the same shine on my work boots which are modern Chinese manufactured goods.
You will need:
Angelus stain wax or Lincoln stain wax.
A Bic lighter
Distilled water
well worn/laundered cotton tee shirt
hot breath
leather dye
First thing I do with well worn shoes/boots is give them a liberal dose of leather dye. Let that dry well.
Next is four or five coats of stain wax of your choice and brush shined.
Then I take the wax and use my index finger to smear it on the toes. I work it in well with my finger and nothing else. No daubers, no rags.....just the finger. That will start to dry as you do it and you will start feeling more and more resistance. Stop with the finger.
Get the Bic lighter, turn the shoe upside down, and run the flame across it. But just so. No stopping at any one spot. And don't do it too long. Less is more and too much is too much. It should start to turn from really hazy and matte to a shiny wet appearance as you do this. And do it quick......don't burn up your shoe.
Set the lighter down and get the tee shirt. Thicker the shirt the better. You should have just a little distilled water in the lid of the wax can or a separate lid. Take that same index finger, wrap some of the shirt around it or "Poke" your finger through it. Dab your finger in a little droplet or two of the water getting it just damp. Then take that and pat it in the wax just enough to get a little bit on there.
Then start working the polish in little circles. If you have a good base polish with the brush steps, it should start shining up. You can repeat with the wax, the lighter, and the distilled water until you have a nice, wet, reflective shine.
The next level....for me....is taking a Kiwi brand polishing cloth and doing the same with it but just way less water. Think one small droplet in the can. Then, I pat that ever so slightly in the wax and do a finish buffing with small circles.
Then, when it looks like it is done and that is as good as it gets, I breathe on it with hot air from my mouth and continue buffing in small circles. THAT, when done right, will get the shoe/boot just downright sexy.
I had tried the lighter trick back with Kiwi but it would actually take the flame....I guess due to the oils in it. So I never used a lighter or flame for many years. When I tried the Lincoln, it reacted really well to the flame and this Angelus seems to as well.
I am sure I left something out but hopefully you get the gist of what I am trying to relay. Good luck with it and this stuff is available on line for about five dollars shipped.
Regards.
These shoes were inexpensive, made in China shoes when I bought them.......almost 20 years ago. But the leather is supple and seems to be decent quality. I can get nearly the same shine on my work boots which are modern Chinese manufactured goods.
You will need:
Angelus stain wax or Lincoln stain wax.
A Bic lighter
Distilled water
well worn/laundered cotton tee shirt
hot breath
leather dye
First thing I do with well worn shoes/boots is give them a liberal dose of leather dye. Let that dry well.
Next is four or five coats of stain wax of your choice and brush shined.
Then I take the wax and use my index finger to smear it on the toes. I work it in well with my finger and nothing else. No daubers, no rags.....just the finger. That will start to dry as you do it and you will start feeling more and more resistance. Stop with the finger.
Get the Bic lighter, turn the shoe upside down, and run the flame across it. But just so. No stopping at any one spot. And don't do it too long. Less is more and too much is too much. It should start to turn from really hazy and matte to a shiny wet appearance as you do this. And do it quick......don't burn up your shoe.
Set the lighter down and get the tee shirt. Thicker the shirt the better. You should have just a little distilled water in the lid of the wax can or a separate lid. Take that same index finger, wrap some of the shirt around it or "Poke" your finger through it. Dab your finger in a little droplet or two of the water getting it just damp. Then take that and pat it in the wax just enough to get a little bit on there.
Then start working the polish in little circles. If you have a good base polish with the brush steps, it should start shining up. You can repeat with the wax, the lighter, and the distilled water until you have a nice, wet, reflective shine.
The next level....for me....is taking a Kiwi brand polishing cloth and doing the same with it but just way less water. Think one small droplet in the can. Then, I pat that ever so slightly in the wax and do a finish buffing with small circles.
Then, when it looks like it is done and that is as good as it gets, I breathe on it with hot air from my mouth and continue buffing in small circles. THAT, when done right, will get the shoe/boot just downright sexy.
I had tried the lighter trick back with Kiwi but it would actually take the flame....I guess due to the oils in it. So I never used a lighter or flame for many years. When I tried the Lincoln, it reacted really well to the flame and this Angelus seems to as well.
I am sure I left something out but hopefully you get the gist of what I am trying to relay. Good luck with it and this stuff is available on line for about five dollars shipped.
Regards.
I would like to hear more. That is an unbelievable shine. Nicely done.
+1
Thanks lwt!
Looks nice, although I really, really hate the idea of using lighter on your shoes. It's entirely possible to get that level of shine without any "added" heat not produced by the buffing of the wax. It just takes time, and the heat application is sort of a fudge to make things go a bit quicker. If you MUST do that, then a hair dryer will do the job in a much more controlled and less flammable manner.
Other point is that, if you're going to get that high end shine on your toes, I find it's also good to put a high gloss shine on the heel cup as well, to balance the shoe out a bit. A super-high-gloss polish just on the toes always looks a bit off to me.
Other point is that, if you're going to get that high end shine on your toes, I find it's also good to put a high gloss shine on the heel cup as well, to balance the shoe out a bit. A super-high-gloss polish just on the toes always looks a bit off to me.
- Thread starter
- #10
Don't lose too much sleep over the lighter thing. It's about the least dangerous thing I do all week.
Lol, the concern isn't so much a fear for personal safety as it is just potential damage to the shoes. It's really not the best method, although it's fairly common. It seems it's more common among military guys who want a quick and dirty spit shine for presentation. If you're shining up $300-1000 dress shoes though, you don't want to be putting a lighter anywhere near them if you don't have to.
EDIT: Oh I was also going to comment on the leather dye. I'd say on anything but black shoes you'd be better off trying a pigmented cream polish. Dye is way overkill and easy to screw up the original finish. On black, it's not so bad, as it's all dark and one color anyway.
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- Thread starter
- #12
Knock two zeros off of those figures and you will be in the right price range of what 20 year old Chinese shoes are worth.
Regards.
Regards.
While I appreciate a high shine, which you certainly achieve, I do not think I'll be taking a lighter to my Gaziano & Girlings. Leaving them in the sun between coats works well, albeit more slowly.
Great write-up. Thanks.
So are the shoes leather?
I'm surprised you can get a shine like that on leather. Not that I know anything about shining shoes. But every shoe I've seen with that kind of shine has been the plastic rentals you get for a wedding.
I'm surprised you can get a shine like that on leather. Not that I know anything about shining shoes. But every shoe I've seen with that kind of shine has been the plastic rentals you get for a wedding.
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- #16
Yes they are leather. Leather uppers and soles. Balance man made.
I was out looking at shoes the other day and found that many brands are putting some type of plastic finish on their lines of shoes now. I guess that type of shoe is the norm now.
I was out looking at shoes the other day and found that many brands are putting some type of plastic finish on their lines of shoes now. I guess that type of shoe is the norm now.
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You'll see this on a lot of cheaper shoes carried at general department stores nowadays, even "upscale" ones like Macy's. It's a poor quality grain-corrected or top-grain leather. Basically, it's made from cheap leather that has a lot of imperfections that would make it unsuitable for footwear. So they sand off the upper layers to smooth it out, then apply a man-made finish to it to make it look smooth. Technically it can still be marketed as "Genuine leather" since it's still technically leather.
I wouldn't say it's the "norm". It's the norm on cheapo shoes, but you'll find most quality brands use full-grain calfskin, cordovan, etc.
I have to say that shine stopped me in my virtual tracks! Are those full-grain leather shoes?
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- #19
I'd doubt it.
I paid about 50.00 for them in 1995 IIRC.
Yeah, I am looking for some shoes to go with a charcoal suit and hopefully casual clothing as well. I tried on some AE the other day in chili but they weren't quite what I was looking for.
I paid about 50.00 for them in 1995 IIRC.
Yeah, I am looking for some shoes to go with a charcoal suit and hopefully casual clothing as well. I tried on some AE the other day in chili but they weren't quite what I was looking for.
