Shoe Care: Polish/Cream in Brogue Holes?

[LeJouvre]

oh - so you mean I'm not supposed to use the drill? just the drill bit?

 

[Gdot]



another pair of $1000 shoes wasted.

 

[MyOtherLife]



oh - so you mean I'm not supposed to use the drill? just the drill bit?

Just the bit. If you are into self mutilation as an attention-getter you can use the drill with your feet in the shoes as you go. This will help to maintain the original shape of the shoes while you work.


Disclaimer:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

In the event that there is an utter moron reading this out there somewhere that is even remotely considering using an actual drill on their shoes....please don't.

 

[add911_11]

If you only apply small amount each time, start the rubbing on the side first to ensure the wax had spread equally and thin. In that way wax should not go into the holes

That works for me

 

[David Copeland]

Applying polish or leather conditioner very sparingly to begin with will minimize this concern to the point where a good brushing is all they will need.
I am in the process of restoring an old pair of captoe brogues and am using an appropriately sized drill bit to very carefully give each hole a crisp edge. I do not recommend this to anyone else but it does work by very gently twisting the bit between your fingers maybe 2 or 3 rotations does the job. Do this one at your own peril.

Your advice is good.

But now that the polish has already dried in the punched brogue holes, what can I do to remove the old polish from the holes and replace it with something more natural (like the photo)?

And what can I do with restoring the darker color of the original stitching?

All my best,

David

 

[Shineingrock]

Applying polish or leather conditioner very sparingly to begin with will minimize this concern to the point where a good brushing is all they will need.
I am in the process of restoring an old pair of captoe brogues and am using an appropriately sized drill bit to very carefully give each hole a crisp edge. I do not recommend this to anyone else but it does work by very gently twisting the bit between your fingers maybe 2 or 3 rotations does the job. Do this one at your own peril.

I actually tried this and got mixed results. I was using a 1/16" diameter drill bit on the smaller brogue holes in a pair of Walnut "LGA" Allen Edmonds (the ones with the green laces below). I found that the bit was actually a tad larger than the original holes, which was alright by me because I found the original holes to be too small, and thus, un-attractive... I found that by boring into the holes to remove the wax, I ended up burring the side walls of the brogue holes. I was about ready to give up hope on them looking decent until I stumbled across another idea that was mentioned in this forum:

I fill every hole with wax and then carefully melt it out after polishing.

Melting the wax! Genius! Though this route was involved FAR more risk, I thought it best to give it a try since I had nothing else to loose (as anything would look better than seeing all that chewed up wax/leather protruding out).

That's when I decided to use a tea candle to heat the flat-end of the drill-bit and push/spin it into the brogue holes. This turned out to be a MAJOR SUCCESS (though it was admittedly quite risky, as any wrong move could have resulted in permanently burnishing the leather). Even on the larger brogue holes I simply rubbed the heated end around the edge of the hole to produce a stunningly-perfect edge. I even found that by leaving the soot on the tip, it made the holes stand out quite nicely.

So, all in all, I was extremely pleased by the end result. Let me know what you guys think, as I will likely be continuing some form of heating/melting process in order to remove the excess wax and would love some suggestions to making it easier/safer in the future.

P.S. - I never had any problems with excess polish, as I would always use a stiff-bristle brush to simply "stomp" out any of the excess. However, when it comes to wax (especially on a heavily polished toe) I found that any slight raking would disturb the finish.

 

[grimslade]

. I was about ready to give up hope on them looking decent until I stumbled across another idea that was mentioned in this forum:



Melting the wax! Genius!

while I am delighted to still be being quoted here, I do feel the need to point out that the thing I am quoted as saying, genius though it may be, was said in jest.

I would try a sharper drill bit. Should work fine.

 

[Shineingrock]

while I am delighted to still be being quoted here, I do feel the need to point out that the thing I am quoted as saying, genius though it may be, was said in jest.

I would try a sharper drill bit. Should work fine.

Hey, joking or not, I thought that heat was a genuinely good idea. Though it was a bit on the risky/mad-scientist route, I think I made it work to my advantage ?

 

[grimslade]

Hey, joking or not, I thought that heat was a genuinely good idea. Though it was a bit on the risky/mad-scientist route, I made it work ?

I am genuinely delighted by that. I just don’t want some kid coming along, setting his shoe on fire, and saying I told him to. :wall:

 

[Shineingrock]

I am genuinely delighted by that. I just don’t want some kid coming along, setting his shoe on fire, and saying I told him to. :wall:

Likewise, as I hoped they would pay attention to the-

any wrong move could have resulted in permanently burnishing the leather

-part of the journey ?