**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[mediahound]

I understand that pH is very important for treating leather. Lexol makes a "Lexol pH leather cleaner' and I assume their leather conditioner is also the right pH for leather. Question is, does shell cordovan have a different pH than leather? If so, products formulated for leather may not be good for shell and vice-versa.

 

[Numbernine]



I posted same post on AE thread but I guess ppl in this thread have more knowledge/experience on shoe care.
I finally gave up removing factory polish off on shell cordovan with saphir renovateur and mac method! after using 1/3 renovateur bottle on 1 pair of shoes. I literally still can see uneven polish from factory. If I knew, I am going to have this much trouble with removing uneven polish off from shoe,
I definitely exchanged for other pair.....

Just placed order for renomat. Can someone advise me on using renomat on AE cordovan based on experience?
Thanks in advance.

Got answer from AE thread!

if the objective is to remove the shoemakers " factory finish" from shell cordovan while minimally effecting the dye underneath than renomat is an excellent product i have done exactly this several times

 

[mb0893]

Perhaps you guys can help me identify the problem and recommend a solution. I noticed some creasing around the heel of my AE Presidio's and can not understand why or how to fix it. It seems unnatural as opposed to regular creasing around the toe area. It appears as though the crease is taking the form of the shoe trees I use but I'm not sure. Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[benhour]

Perhaps you guys can help me identify the problem and recommend a solution. I noticed some creasing around the heel of my AE Presidio's and can not understand why or how to fix it. It seems unnatural as opposed to regular creasing around the toe area. It appears as though the crease is taking the form of the shoe trees I use but I'm not sure. Help would be greatly appreciated.

this is done if you drive a lot or you leave your feet rest on heel cause your foot pushes only the upper part of the back of the shoe!!! try to pull with your finger the top part of the back of the shoe and u ll see it creasing there!! i had the same issue with a pear i used to wear when i was driving for long distances!!hope i helped!!

 

[Crat]

As some of you may remember I had a problem with my Galways. The tiniest splash of water (rain of whatever) would cause the finish to blister off. click
So I decided to strip the non-grain part entirely and refinish them myself so that the colour won't come off so easily. I hope.

one stripped.

Or shall I leave them like this?

 

[cbfn]

It must be irritating walking around with a wheelbarrow wherever you go, those enormous balls aren't going to carry themselves.

 

[joiji]

Always amazed by the amount of colour placed on leather post tanning for so many shoes. Crazy.

 

[Al in Philly]

Maybe you have not tried other solvents before...

I have not, but my experience with Renomat is that it is magic.

 

[Al in Philly]

yeah, i think i'll stay away and stick with renovateur or venetian shoe cream. i'm a novice and don't want to eff anything up.

It's not that difficult to use. Be gentle and have a little common sense and you'll be fine.

Regarding your pH comment: I'm a scientist, and pH usually refers to how basic or acid a solution is, therefore an actual leather item (shoe, for example) would not have a designated pH. Atleast, there would be no way to measure it.

Now, applying products to the shoe that are a neutral pH (around 7.0) would make sense for the care of the shoe.

 

[PSlip]

I recently got a pair of Elgins listed as a salesman sample from an Allen Edmonds outlet store for $80. I had come in to get the tan McTavish as a casual shoe but preferred the styling and the pricing of the Elgin. Before wearing, I decided to follow AE's recommendation for cleaning and applied AE conditioner/cleaner. Some patches of the leather on one of the shoes darkened significantly, almost as if they were treated differently than the rest.





I emailed AE, and they told me that the conditioner will work its way out of the shoe over time, allowing the shoes to lighten. This may be the case, but it feels wrong since the lighter parts of the shoes retain that color regardess of how much conditioner is applied. Also, no other shoes I've owned have ever experienced something like this. A week later, the shoes show no sign of significant lightening. I went to a few places locally, and the proprietors said that they couldn't do anything to make the color uniform. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[aglose]

So if I polished some shoes with too dark of polish is there a way to turn them back to the color they were before?

I feel like if I slowly put lighter polish on it would eventually lighten right?

 

[sungmineyo]



if the objective is to remove the shoemakers " factory finish" from shell cordovan while minimally effecting the dye underneath than renomat is an excellent product i have done exactly this several times

TYVM!

 

[gsgleason]

As has been mentioned, the use of Renomat is something done very infrequently, maybe once or twice a year and only to remove built up layers of wax. If you rarely apply wax, there is no reason to strip a shoe with Remomat. However, after using a product like Renomat, it is essential to recondition with a product like Renovateur (or the conditioner of your choice) followed by protective and shiny layer(s) of wax. Renomat is a fantastic product but one with a very specific purpose and should not be confused with day to day shoe care products like VSC or Renovateur.

You could liken this type of regimen to a full car detail. Old wax is stripped completely down to the paint, followed by thorough cleaning and application of new layers of wax. It's something done infrequently, perhaps annually.

Your weekly car washes are like the day to day shoe care. Mac method, occasional conditioning, cleaning and touch ups with Renovateur or VSC.

I posted same post on AE thread but I guess ppl in this thread have more knowledge/experience on shoe care.
I finally gave up removing factory polish off on shell cordovan with saphir renovateur and mac method! after using 1/3 renovateur bottle on 1 pair of shoes. I literally still can see uneven polish from factory. If I knew, I am going to have this much trouble with removing uneven polish off from shoe,
I definitely exchanged for other pair.....

Just placed order for renomat. Can someone advise me on using renomat on AE cordovan based on experience?
Thanks in advance.

Got answer from AE thread!

And what was it?

 

[Alvinbmx]

Guys, I have been trying to shine a pair of Meermin but could only managed to get a shine on one side.

I'm not a shoe shine expert but I shine my other shoes nicely.

I notice that the toe cap of the other side seems to feel a little sticky so I'm wondering if that's the cause. Perhaps some adhesive got on to the toe cap area?

Waiting for the experts' advice.

 

[OzzyJones]



Guys, I have been trying to shine a pair of Meermin but could only managed to get a shine on one side.

I'm not a shoe shine expert but I shine my other shoes nicely.

I notice that the toe cap of the other side seems to feel a little sticky so I'm wondering if that's the cause. Perhaps some adhesive got on to the toe cap area?

Waiting for the experts' advice.

What leather is it? I had a hella time polishing mine at first. Ended up slathering them in renovator then brushing like crazy. Polish up fine now. (Freudenberg)