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

[halfnhalfnhalf]

How many "Beautiful shoe!" and "Wonderful colour" and "I agree completely"...without a rationale to accompany or justify the obsequiousness...can people tolerate before they get physically nauseous?

Quite a bit, apparently! But that's the great thing about SF . . . if a thread gets tiresome, one can just move on.

 

[DWFII]



Quite a bit, apparently!  But that's the great thing about SF . . . if a thread gets tiresome, one can just move on. 

You're right. And, as long as I can get away from it I don't mind it all that much, to tell the truth...not my business. But too often it's just a placeholder in a otherwise serious (or even just interesting) discussion for people who have no rationales, no experience, no knowledge about the subjects they're soapboxing/kibitzing about. It's irritating, if not outright trolling.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



If you are thinking of Nivea in the context of your feet, Patrick, it wouldn't be appropriate treatment for them. You really do need to see a podiatrist.  If some of those sores are as deep as they look, they may have to be 'packed' to allow them to heal from the bottom, upwards. What you don't want is for them to simply 'heal over', leaving an empty space under the new skin. Also, they look a bit infected to me and that needs to be looked at. Dressings would certainly help but don't just by a packet of plasters from the nearest store. 

I worked in the health care domain for 40 years. 

No, I was thinking in terms of leather, not sores on my feet. Those pictures are from several years ago and my feet and developed thick callouses, which protect me from evil footwear.

 

[DWFII]

An update--the "straight skinny," hopefully.

I called Bickmore (again) this morning and "braced" the representative there about the AMA interview and silicone. I was told point blank that the list of ingredients and the formulas for Bickmore products were protected, trade secrets.

But I described the interview on AMA...along with the observation that the rep didn't seem as savvy as he could have/should have been. I also relayed the assertion by the rep that there were no silicones in Bick4.

At which point, the person I was talking to said that there were indeed silicones in Bick4 but "less than 1%...for emulsion only."

So, FWIW, that's from the horse's mouth.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I wonder why they need less than 1% for emulsion. There's nothing natural that serves the same purpose?

 

[DWFII]



I wonder why they need less than 1% for emulsion. There's nothing natural that serves the same purpose?

Dunno.

 

[jungleroller]

Coconut Oil?

 

[DWFII]

I always wondered about jojba oil. Supposedly it has a molecular structure that is close to whale oil.

I wonder if Glen ever looked into it?

 

[Stirling]



Just saying that if I apply silicone (I have three different versions/compounds in my shop) to a piece of leather it will waterproof it and I will not be able to subsequently wet the leather...not without some difficulty, at any rate.

But I apply Bick4 lavishly in some case/situations, and repeatedly, and I never see that waterproofing character. I can literally plain-water-wash excess off. And again, subsequent wetting of the leather (critical for some operations such as lasting of boots and folding of edges) is no problem.

If, as some assert, silicone is inert and if it is indeed in Bick4 but not occluding the leather....as the lack of waterproofing would imply...than I'm almost indifferent to its presence.

Thanks I now understand your point.

1%...for emulsion only."

So, FWIW, that's from the horse's mouth.

As a layman I guess it means they add the silicone to help with spreadability.

If any bick rep says bick4 doesn't contain silicones, in light of this new information, at least they are only being hypocritical less than 1% of the time.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



Coconut Oil?

I always wondered about jojba oil. Supposedly it has a molecular structure that is close to whale oil.

I wonder if Glen ever looked into it?

I hear it is very similar to human sebum. FWIW, Saphir Creme Universelle has jojoba rather than mink oil like Renovateur. I think the issue with it is it might be too greasy and attract dirt and such. No idea...

 

[Stirling]



I always wondered about jojba oil. Supposedly it has a molecular structure that is close to whale oil.

I wonder if Glen ever looked into it?

But we now have so many eminent chemists why don't we ask them to explain the pros and cons of different compounds?

Excusing the pun but this thread was awash with them last week.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Comments like that really help.

 

[Stirling]



Comments like that really help.

It might be flippant but it's true.

A chemist is better qualified than lay people to determine which ingredients to use in a given product, no?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

The key is a chemist, who also works with leather.

 

[Stirling]

I know several, but I doubt they would be keen to post here and suffer the harassment and mockery others with expertise have had to bear.