St. Crispin's Appreciation Thread

[dddrees]

I haven't experienced this, but my vendor told me not to use renovatour or any cleaning agents, as they will destroy the finish.

Really?


I know Renovator will generally take off some of the polish, so I imagine it would certainly dull up the shine they apply before shipping the shoes.


But I can't imagine it would totally destroy the finish.

 

[DWFII]

Some makers might have their own methods...but crust basically has no finish. It is fundamentally a "naked" leather. The shine, the colour, the antiquing, are all applied after the shoe has been made.

If Renovateur can take off polish, it will take off all those after effects.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I have had a discussion with Philip about polishing and such and he says he doesn't like Renovateur for the exact same reasons I was nearly crucified for saying in the shoe care thread: It is very drying.

The only time I use the stuff is a very, very small, half a pea sized amount on the toe and heel counters in lithe swirls and a quick buff to bring life back to the high shine. Reno has a lot of turpentine in it and it essentially takes off some of the dryer wax that is exposed to the air and smooths things out a bit. So essentially I am only using it on the highly "finished" areas of the shoe that don't flex and have a waxed finish to them. Using it frequently as a "conditioner" as so many people do is bad for your shoes in my experience (about 5 pairs in the garbage due to the uppers cracking) and it is highly drying for the leather. Less is more. The best thing you can probably do to your shoes is keep them clean and dust and dirt free.

 

[dddrees]

Some makers might have their own methods...but crust basically has no finish. It is fundamentally a "naked" leather. The shine, the colour, the antiquing, are all applied after the shoe has been made.

If Renovateur can take off polish, it will take off all those after effects.

Ah, Ok this makes sense. Thanks for sharing.

I have had a discussion with Philip about polishing and such and he says he doesn't like Renovateur for the exact same reasons I was nearly crucified for saying in the shoe care thread: It is very drying.

The only time I use the stuff is a very, very small, half a pea sized amount on the toe and heel counters in lithe swirls and a quick buff to bring life back to the high shine. Reno has a lot of turpentine in it and it essentially takes off some of the dryer wax that is exposed to the air and smooths things out a bit. So essentially I am only using it on the highly "finished" areas of the shoe that don't flex and have a waxed finish to them. Using it frequently as a "conditioner" as so many people do is bad for your shoes in my experience (about 5 pairs in the garbage due to the uppers cracking) and it is highly drying for the leather. Less is more. The best thing you can probably do to your shoes is keep them clean and dust and dirt free.

Yeah, well do to your experiences and from what I have personally seen I am starting to use this a lot less as well. Now I use more VSC and some Saphir Neutral Cordovan cream.

 

[RogerP]

I have had a discussion with Philip about polishing and such and he says he doesn't like Renovateur for the exact same reasons I was nearly crucified for saying in the shoe care thread: It is very drying.

The only time I use the stuff is a very, very small, half a pea sized amount on the toe and heel counters in lithe swirls and a quick buff to bring life back to the high shine. Reno has a lot of turpentine in it and it essentially takes off some of the dryer wax that is exposed to the air and smooths things out a bit. So essentially I am only using it on the highly "finished" areas of the shoe that don't flex and have a waxed finish to them. Using it frequently as a "conditioner" as so many people do is bad for your shoes in my experience (about 5 pairs in the garbage due to the uppers cracking) and it is highly drying for the leather. Less is more. The best thing you can probably do to your shoes is keep them clean and dust and dirt free.

I can see why Renovateur might not be the best choice for a delicate, subtle shading on crust.

As to the drying issue, I see no cause for crucifixion, but your experience is very different from my own. Our winters are exceedingly dry, and I have never experienced any cracking of leather resulting from use of Renovatuer - which I do use on all my calfskin shoes (I use Cordovan cream for horsebutt).

But then again, I am neither using it frequently nor in great quantity - and I'm not sure why anyone would.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Ah, Ok this makes sense. Thanks for sharing.


Yeah, well do to your experiences and from what I have personally seen I am starting to use this a lot less as well. Now I use more VSC and some Saphir Neutral Cordovan cream.

VSC is worse than Renovateur. It is loaded with petroleum distillates.

 

[DWFII]



I have had a discussion with Philip about polishing and such and he says he doesn't like Renovateur for the exact same reasons I was nearly crucified for saying in the shoe care thread: It is very drying.

Cheer up, pb, traditionally crucifixion has always been reserved for the pure of heart and those speaking unpatable truths.

You're right, they're wrong. And so it shall be...world without end.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Cheer up, pb, traditionally crucifixion has always been reserved for the pure of heart and those speaking unpatable truths.

You're right, they're wrong. And so it shall be...world without end.

 

[wurger]

Thanks for the additional information here.

 

[chogall]

Had similar conversation with Mr Car; he strongly advices against conditioners and said cream/Polish is enough.

And yes, renovator is only good for highly polished leathers and does dry out antiqued ones.

 

[Ejirardo]

This is good to know for both my Saint Crispins and Bontonis. Guess I will have to ditch the reno. So is the appropriate course of action to use a cream close to the color of the shoe when needed and then a wax based polish?

 

[chogall]

SC has a shoe maintenance guide posted on their website.

Either way, I have not seen any major shoe maker recommending using renovator but just simple shoe cream and shoe wax.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



This is good to know for both my Saint Crispins and Bontonis. Guess I will have to ditch the reno. So is the appropriate course of action to use a cream close to the color of the shoe when needed and then a wax based polish?

You don't need to ditch the reno. It is great for raising a high shine in a dull toe and hell, over highly polished areas. You don't need to use a lot. But for other areas of the shoe it is too drying, especially across the vamp.

 

[gusvs]



Had similar conversation with Mr Car; he strongly advices against conditioners and said cream/Polish is enough.

And yes, renovator is only good for highly polished leathers and does dry out antiqued ones.

How about Saphir Lotion?
http://www.hangerproject.com/saphir-leather-lotion.html

 

[patrickBOOTH]

No, it is essentially the same thing. Use GlenKaren, Lexol, or Bick4. Or do what St. Crispin's site says on shoe care...