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

[JermynStreet]

Does anyone know where to find Saphir Red wax? I've been wanting to try some on my black shoes.

 

[SoGent]

Does anyone know where to find Saphir Red wax? I've been wanting to try some on my black shoes.

don't think i've heard of that. your best bet for a larger variety of colors is ron rider's boot shop

 

[aglose]

Could a cobbler re sew a seam between the brouging on a pair of shoes and the vamp back together? Or are they a lost cause?

 

[wurger]



Could a cobbler re sew a seam between the brouging on a pair of shoes and the vamp back together? Or are they a lost cause?

Yes they can, cobblers can do some amazing fixes.

 

[aglose]



Yes they can, cobblers can do some amazing fixes.

Awesome thank you. Now just need to identify some old shoes by nothing but the nail pattern :/

 

[Xandion]

Can anyone tell me if there would be any additional cost to have a Goodyear welted crepe sole replaced with leather sole beyond the cost of a simple resoling?

 

[RIDER]



Does anyone know where to find Saphir Red wax? I've been wanting to try some on my black shoes.

Unfortunately, no production of red wax by Saphir....or anyone else I am aware of. However, if you are looking to try to do something with red highlights on a black calf shoe I would look at the Crème Renovatrice from Saphir or the Self-Shine Color Dye from Tarrago. If you were to find a red wax, or try a red cream, I don't think it would have much effect.

 

[Upward]

This question has probably already been answered but I could not find it in this 400+ page thread.

Is there any product to clean suede loafers?

I get my shoes polished at Nordstrom and they refuse to touch suede.

 

[chogall]

go to your local cobbler, hardware store, or supermarket/drugstore. look for suede cleaner.

 

[Aidan K]

What is the ball park I should expect to pay for having flushed toe taps put in a pair of goodyear welted shoes? Im going to talk to a local cobbler about it, but don't want to be totally naive. Thanks!

 

[GothamRed]

What is the ball park I should expect to pay for having flushed toe taps put in a pair of goodyear welted shoes? Im going to talk to a local cobbler about it, but don't want to be totally naive. Thanks!

$25-35, imho (B. Nelson was $35 last I saw Nick)

 

[clee1982]



What is the ball park I should expect to pay for having flushed toe taps put in a pair of goodyear welted shoes? Im going to talk to a local cobbler about it, but don't want to be totally naive. Thanks!

think B. Nelson does it for 40 though pretty sure there are place does it cheaper

 

[Aidan K]

Cool, I appreciate the responses!

 

[pazzion]

as far as i can see this is a really good outcome for the first try!!! really good job!!

some little tips!! first of all you ll need a better cloth!! try a microfiber cotton cloth(selvit or sunglasses cloth) !! Mr Rider recommends an old tie too!! Generally a cloth with smouth and soft surface

keep puttuing drops of water till you see the surface going clear and smouth!!Blow while you are doing circles(for me it is helping a lot)!!
try the last buff with a tiny amount of cream polish(2-3 pinheads for the entire toe)!! cream has a lot les solvents than paste(wax) polish so it wont desolve previous layers!!

finally as you go with the layers put less and les presure after its coate!! hope this ll help you

Thank you very much!

Ok, perfect. I will swing by a local shop that sells those and pick some up.

I'll also try to finish the whole thing off with the cream. I'll try it sometime during next week and hopefully it will get even better than the first time!

Thank you very much for your advice

 

[nutcracker]

X-Post from the Japanese Shoes Thread.... (picture heavy!)

Shoeshine at Kutsumigaki Honpo

Kutsumigaki Honpo (aka Shoeshine Tokyo), established 5 years ago and easily recognised for their French cafe' inspired booths, has quickly become a favorite among the white collared workers of downtown Tokyo. Now with 5 locations in and around Tokyo, they offer a wide range of repair jobs, in addition to their signature shoeshine. They even offer shoe polish classes/seminars each month for hobbyists/amateurs. Their newest location, a shoeshine boutique store (in collaboration with Kamioka) is located in a 5 star Daiichi Hotel in downtown Tokyo. That is where I met Mr. Fujimoto Hideki, the owner of Kutsumigaki Honpo / Shoeshine Tokyo chain. He offered to nourish/polish a new pair of shoes that I took home (more on that pair later...)

Fujimoto Hideki san, the mastermind of Shoeshine Tokyo.

Untying the laces

Brushing & Dusting

Inserting the shoe trees

Light cleaning with a proprietary conditioner

Renovator!

Hand rubbing the reno

Brushing after the reno

Saphir creme polishes. He used 2 shades of brown to match the shoe color

Rub rub

Now time for wax polishing. Another proprietary formula...looked pretty hard and dry

The toes

The heels

.... and a light coat on the entire shoe

Voilà! I asked for a matt shine and they came out just right

For this nourish & polish service, the whole process took 15 minutes or so. A basic shoeshine takes 10 minutes or so (and the shoes are kept on). Among the specialised services offered here, there is the 'John Lobb Care & Shine' for discerning owners of JLP shoes who only wants to use JLP brand polishes (although they are essentially Saphirs....). There is also an 'Alden Care & Shine' course that only uses Alden brand cordovan polishes. I've been told that guests at the hotel can have their shoes picked up for a shine / repair by a bell boy.

Many thanks to Fujimoto-san for an excellent shine!

Kutsumigaki Honpo @ Daiichi Hotel, Tokyo HP
Kutsumigaki Honpo HP