shoe care supply checklist

[ziggyosk]

Originally Posted by sanrensho

I think a good glaze can improve the looks of any shoe immensely. It will impart a mirror finish and in my opinion, looks best when applied to the toe and the rear quarter. How do you get a glaze? Basically you put some wax polish on a damp rag, then keep rubbing the shoe with one finger while adding a few drops of water to the shoe surface...rub until the wax disappears and you have a high shine. It will take a minimum of 30 mins hard work per shoe, if not longer.

If you do it right you will see a beautiful depth to the finish, like looking at finely polished wood.


Before glazing:

After glazing:

that looks beautiful!
a couple questions:
1. How much wax do you put **********? Do you do this only once per shoe during the 30 min?
2. How often during the process do you add water?
3. after the 30 min what do you do, do you use a brush and then buff it w/ a cloth?
4. once a pair of shoes are glazed how often do you need to do this? everytime your shoes need polishing? or just every few months or so?

 

[sanrensho]

Originally Posted by ziggyosk

that looks beautiful!
a couple questions:
1. How much wax do you put **********? Do you do this only once per shoe during the 30 min?
2. How often during the process do you add water?
3. after the 30 min what do you do, do you use a brush and then buff it w/ a cloth?
4. once a pair of shoes are glazed how often do you need to do this? everytime your shoes need polishing? or just every few months or so?

Let me clarify...it takes about 30-45 mins for the first time you do it. After that, a few minutes maintenance per week is ok.

So for the first time,

1. Not much at all. Just enough to wax the shoes like normal. Add wax a few times in that period just to make sure you are waxing and not just rubbing.
2. A few drops every few minutes.
3. After you get the shine, don't buff because buffing will dull the shine.
4. After glazing the first time, it last a pretty long time...but I generally re-polish every week or so. You can use a brush to shine it up a little...the brush won't dull it like a rag will.

This is one of those things that require a little practice and a "feel" for the process. You will find that eventually the wax takes a certain consistency that you know is right. Leathers are different too. I noticed that shell cordovan does not get as shiny, but still, it ends up with a nice sheen.

Believe it or not, I think Kiwi wax is very effective too.

 

[grimslade]

I can't imagine bagging and boxing my shoes after every use.

 

[audiophilia]

Originally Posted by grimslade

I can't imagine bagging and boxing my shoes after every use.

It's like tucking in my baby.

 

[audiophilia]

Originally Posted by ziggyosk

how are the Kiwi cloths? do you just use them to buff after or do you use them to apply the polish as well?
The JM Weston cloth you see in the pic and the Kiwi cloths are just for buffing. I need to get my house in order re brushes. I have lots to learn from the guys here about shining. That said, I would never go out without my dress shoes being scrupulously clean and polished.

 

[halcyongolf]

Before this forum, I thought all one needed for shoecare was a tin of kiwi wax, a brush, and some old rags. After reading this forum, I have a drawer filled with:

Saphir Renovateur
Crema Nubiana
3 Saphir creams
4 Meltonian creams
4 Saphir wax
2 Lincoln wax
4 brushes

Then again, some of my older (abused) shoes such as a beater pair of Bruno Magli Platinum series are looking better then ever!

 

[audiophilia]

While we are at it, anybody got a rec for a really nice shoeshine box? Something other than Kiwi or Ebay stuff and large enough to store an ever expanding number of tins, tubs and tubes.

Cheers.

>>>>

 

[sanrensho]

Originally Posted by audiophilia

While we are at it, anybody got a rec for a really nice shoeshine box? Something other than Kiwi or Ebay stuff and large enough to store an ever expanding number of tins, tubs and tubes.

Cheers.

>>>>

Here's one of my old posts.
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...75#post1091575

Also, these guys have some seriously nice stuff. Would you like to spend 1500 USD on a shoe shine kit?
http://www.valmour.fr/entretien-cuir...8-coffrets-222

 

[ziggyosk]

Originally Posted by sanrensho

Let me clarify...it takes about 30-45 mins for the first time you do it. After that, a few minutes maintenance per week is ok.

So for the first time,

1. Not much at all. Just enough to wax the shoes like normal. Add wax a few times in that period just to make sure you are waxing and not just rubbing.
2. A few drops every few minutes.
3. After you get the shine, don't buff because buffing will dull the shine.
4. After glazing the first time, it last a pretty long time...but I generally re-polish every week or so. You can use a brush to shine it up a little...the brush won't dull it like a rag will.

This is one of those things that require a little practice and a "feel" for the process. You will find that eventually the wax takes a certain consistency that you know is right. Leathers are different too. I noticed that shell cordovan does not get as shiny, but still, it ends up with a nice sheen.

Believe it or not, I think Kiwi wax is very effective too.


Alright I just tried that on one of my shoes and I don't think it came out very good. I polished one regular, and one glazed.

They are captoe shoes with a toe medallion(i'm not sure if that makes a difference)

What I did was put a little wax ********** like normal, then rubbed the toe in a circular motion and every 2-3 minutes I would add a few drops of water, also every 7-8 minutes I would add a little wax to the rag. I did this for 40 minutes.

Then I kept rubbing without wax for a few minutes, but kept adding water. It looked decent, but the toe medallion had wax all in it, so I brushed it since you said that was ok, and then I rubbed it with a wet rag again. They were definetly shiny, but no where near as glossy as your's.

Am I supposed to rub them hard? I was rubbing them decently hard, my fingers felt like they were going to fall off after the 40 minutes.

I will post pictures in a few minutes.

 

[ziggyosk]

Here's the pics:

Here is the shoe I polished normally:

Here is the one I attempted to glaze:

Here is a couple of shots of them together. The one on the left is the "glazed" one in both pictures:

same shoe in different light.

see the one on the left which was "glazed" doesn't even look as shiny, and at there looks like there might be some residue from the wax still, but I didn't want to buff it because I guess it won't come out as good.

I need help.

 

[samurai]

To me your shoes look excellent, and I find the shine you gave them more attractive than the mirror shine (just my own preference.)

Maybe the pair at the bottom could use just a light buff to smooth the surface...

 

[cLin]

I realized how messed up my shoes are now and I want to start cleaning/polishing it (weird it took me so long). How is the deluxe shine kit on http://www.shoeshinekit.com/kit1.html ? Is it worth the price or should I buy everything seperately? I have both black and brown shoes so I figured I would need to get different polishes and waxes. After reading this thread this looks to be my shopping list, please let me know if you have any suggestions. - shoe trees for all shoes - Lincoln's stain wax polish (black, brown) - Allen Edmonds cleaner/conditioner - shining brush (black/light) <- any particular brand or will any 100% horse brush do? - cleaning cotton cloths (will probably use old shirts or something for now, I have a ton of those) I do have a question though, what's the difference between a cream and polish? To me, it sounds like the same thing but everything seems to recommend both. Is my list enough for the basics? My shoes have never been cleaned/polished and I am getting some newer expensive ones which I'd like to put more care into.

 

[tgzuke]

Originally Posted by cLin

I realized how messed up my shoes are now and I want to start cleaning/polishing it (weird it took me so long). How is the deluxe shine kit on http://www.shoeshinekit.com/kit1.html ? Is it worth the price or should I buy everything seperately? I have both black and brown shoes so I figured I would need to get different polishes and waxes. After reading this thread this looks to be my shopping list, please let me know if you have any suggestions.

- shoe trees for all shoes
- Lincoln's stain wax polish (black, brown)
- Allen Edmonds cleaner/conditioner
- shining brush (black/light) <- any particular brand or will any 100% horse brush do?
- cleaning cotton cloths (will probably use old shirts or something for now, I have a ton of those)

I do have a question though, what's the difference between a cream and polish? To me, it sounds like the same thing but everything seems to recommend both. Is my list enough for the basics? My shoes have never been cleaned/polished and I am getting some newer expensive ones which I'd like to put more care into.

Hi cLin,

your list looks pretty solid, though you will need some flannel buffing cloths (shine cloths) to get started. I also highly recommend a spray bottle, as water adds the magic that makes good shines happen. The kit in your link is okay if you need a storage box and a shine stand, but you'll never use the quick shine wipes, and you can probably get the basic components cheaper if you buy them separately. Cream polishes typically have more conditioners and less wax than paste polishes, though both fulfill the same roles: they protect your shoes from moisture, wear, and cracking. I tend to use Lincoln wax for toe caps and quarters, but I prefer Meltonian cream for any part of the shoe that is likely to flex and bend when I walk, since wax produces a higher shine, but is likely to flake in some parts. This is probably unnecessary, but I work in a shoe store, so I obsess over my polish jobs.

Good luck!

 

[RIDER]

Originally Posted by ziggyosk

Here's the pics:

Here is the shoe I polished normally:

Here is the one I attempted to glaze:

Here is a couple of shots of them together. The one on the left is the "glazed" one in both pictures:

same shoe in different light.

see the one on the left which was "glazed" doesn't even look as shiny, and at there looks like there might be some residue from the wax still, but I didn't want to buff it because I guess it won't come out as good.

I need help.

You did nothing wrong, don't worry. The situation with this particular pair is that the toe is corrected grain, so with no grain you get no heat build-up to layer a finish on.....it's already baked on. In order to get the glass effect you see here, you need a full grain upper to work with.

And I don't say corrected grain to criticize...most of us in the shoe business don't consider this as a negative like some here do. There is a place for everything, and this pattern is one where it looks great, as a compliment to the peccary or deer, depending on the maker.

 

[jhcam8]

Originally Posted by RIDER

You did nothing wrong, don't worry. The situation with this particular pair is that the toe is corrected grain, so with no grain you get no heat build-up to layer a finish on.....it's already baked on. In order to get the glass effect you see here, you need a full grain upper to work with.

And I don't say corrected grain to criticize...most of us in the shoe business don't consider this as a negative like some here do. There is a place for everything, and this pattern is one where it looks great, as a compliment to the peccary or deer, depending on the maker.

Is it possible to get a glaze shine on cordovan? I know that the mfg. recommend only occasional, light polishing.