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

[DWFII]

It does say on the heel pad that they're made "like" USMC low quarters...whatever that means.

One interesting thing about them that I don't think I've seen on any contemporary shell shoes is that the top line is folded. Usually there's a bead along that edge...but given the nature of shell, folding isn't a gimme.

 

[traverscao]

These don't seem like military-issued shoes because of the absence of a contract number, but I was very surprised and this may be the first and last time to find military-style shoes made of shell. Does anyone know whether these are USMC-style civilian goods?

Sorry, doesn't look like issued shoes to me. By the time the Corps switched to blucher shoes, they were all calfskin, not shell, to save money. Any shell shoes from the Corps would actually be the model above that I posted.

It does say on the heel pad that they're made "like" USMC low quarters...whatever that means.

One interesting thing about them that I don't think I've seen on any contemporary shell shoes is that the top line is folded. Usually there's a bead along that edge...but given the nature of shell, folding isn't a gimme.

No military shoes were ever folded, AFAIK, apart from the modern blucher from Bates. And usually, back at those days, military dress shoes, I believe, on the contrary of combat boots, are more conservative.

 

[traverscao]

Depends on what you're doing in each I suppose.

I don't know Pat, I wear boots more often than shoes, so, care for more of which we wear more?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I guess so.

 

[Itsuo]



These don't seem like military-issued shoes because of the absence of a contract number, but I was very surprised and this may be the first and last time to find military-style shoes made of shell. Does anyone know whether these are USMC-style civilian goods?

Isn't that the Alden crest in the bottom of the left shoe?

I'm trying to imagine Marines being able to afford boots made out of anything but the cheapest authorized issuel. You do remember what the boots were made to do? However to be fair, there may have been some crazy unit like the President's Own (Marine Presidential band) or the silent drill team that had/has one-off exotic gear.

How long ago are we taking? Maybe Marine officers' dress shoes were once made of something decent; however, I know the regs have mandated black for quite a while. Can you imagine dress blues with burgundy shoes?

Additionally, anyone who knows anything about modern US military dress uniforms knows it's pretty much an mass production operation. (I speak from experience.) This isn't the Royal Navy, none of our forces get their dress kit made at Gieves & Hawke http://www.gievesandhawkesmilitary.com and I doubt any of them would care to.

 

[traverscao]

Isn't that the Alden crest in the bottom of the left shoe?

I'm trying to imagine Marines being able to afford boots made out of anything but the cheapest authorized issuel. You do remember what the boots were made to do? However to be fair, there may have been some crazy unit like the President's Own (Marine Presidential band) or the silent drill team that had/has one-off exotic gear.

How long ago are we taking? Maybe Marine officers' dress shoes were once made of something decent; however, I know the regs have mandated black for quite a while. Can you imagine dress blues with burgundy shoes?

Additionally, anyone who knows anything about modern US military dress uniforms knows it's pretty much an mass production operation. (I speak from experience.) This isn't the Royal Navy, none of our forces get their dress kit made at Gieves & Hawke http://www.gievesandhawkesmilitary.com and I doubt any of them would care to.

Yes, Itsuo, dress blue with highly polished burgundy service shoes. When highly polished (spitshined), the shoes darkened up significantly and looks almost like black. But that was post WWI - post Korean War (1918 - 1958/1960). After that, Mac pretty much literally sums everything up.

Marines were known to have their uniforms tailored, even (as in going to a bespoke tailor and had their uniforms tailored out of different material). Their cordovan service shoes - short, low ankle dress boots (service and dress - worn with dress blue and service green) were once real shell cordovan leather until regulations went otherwise.

The "fair leather belt" and Sam Browne belt was also made of shell cordovan leather, and was required be spitshine on constant basis.

The Corps back then was way prouder of their dress uniform than now.

 

[BostonHedonist]

If I might put a question to the good gentlemen of this thread.

I would like to darken a pair of lollipop red CXL Trickers boots to more of an oxblood, as did MSAINT in this post.

Saphir has a neatsfoot-based black cream for cordovan, and I know Nick Horween has been said to recommend neatsfoot for his CXL leather. However, MSAINT used a standard Saphir cream polish used for calf, and got great results.

Can anyone comment on the difference in textures/potential outcomes of creating one's own patina with the neatsfoot vs standard saphir creams?

 

[traverscao]

If I might put a question to the good gentlemen of this thread.

I would like to darken a pair of lollipop red CXL Trickers boots to more of an oxblood, as did MSAINT in this post.

Saphir has a neatsfoot-based black cream for cordovan, and I know Nick Horween has been said to recommend neatsfoot for his CXL leather. However, MSAINT used a standard Saphir cream polish used for calf, and got great results.

Can anyone comment on the difference in textures/potential outcomes of creating one's own patina with the neatsfoot vs standard saphir creams?

Neatsfoot cream will give you a hot glow, not a shine, and so will standard cream. However, standard cream will produce a harder finish, which I would generally avoid for CXL, because the leather is so soft it looks horrible when the shiny wax layer breaks away. Neatsfoot cream will give you the soft shine/hot glow texture, and will not break, however, lacking a wax content means no water resistance at all.

Be careful using black NF cream though - it stains like hell, and the color is very intense. For a darker red - burgundy, use neutral nf cream, then brush a lot on.

 

[Munky]

Re: BostonHedonist: Proof that at least one other person wears Tricker's red shoes!

However, he wants to darken them...

 

[patrickBOOTH]



If I might put a question to the good gentlemen of this thread.

I would like to darken a pair of lollipop red CXL Trickers boots to more of an oxblood, as did MSAINT in this post.

Saphir has a neatsfoot-based black cream for cordovan, and I know Nick Horween has been said to recommend neatsfoot for his CXL leather. However, MSAINT used a standard Saphir cream polish used for calf, and got great results.

Can anyone comment on the difference in textures/potential outcomes of creating one's own patina with the neatsfoot vs standard saphir creams?

Neatsfoot cream will give you a hot glow, not a shine, and so will standard cream. However, standard cream will produce a harder finish, which I would generally avoid for CXL, because the leather is so soft it looks horrible when the shiny wax layer breaks away. Neatsfoot cream will give you the soft shine/hot glow texture, and will not break, however, lacking a wax content means no water resistance at all.

Be careful using black NF cream though - it stains like hell, and the color is very intense. For a darker red - burgundy, use neutral nf cream, then brush a lot on.

The only difference between cordovan cream and the regular cream is the cordovan cream has more pigment, no turpentine, and the addition of neatsfoot oil. The cordovan cream will be oiler and might take a bit more sitting and buffing to get a similar shine, but there's no harm in using either for anything really.

Travers, I don't know where you got this in your head about CXL not being able to be polished well, but it is bizarre to me. Doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. It's leather.

 

[VegTan]



Sorry, doesn't look like issued shoes to me.

Me, too.

By the time the Corps switched to blucher shoes, they were all calfskin, not shell, to save money. Any shell shoes from the Corps would actually be the model above that I posted.

Shell wasn't an expensive material, was it?
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w2ZSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4XwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1970,1819820

Isn't that the Alden crest in the bottom of the left shoe?

I didn't notice at all! Alden has horn.

How long ago are we taking?

I suppose that French Shriner is around 1960s―1970s.

 

[DWFII]



Isn't that the Alden crest in the bottom of the left shoe?

Things change but if you look closely (compare the one at the bottom of the shoe to the bone fide Alden crest VegTan posted...it's not the same crest.

Among a number of other small discrepancies, the Alden has (I don't know the heraldic terminology) a goat, the Shriners a griffin, near as I can make out.

 

[Kahuna75]

If I might put a question to the good gentlemen of this thread.

I would like to darken a pair of lollipop red CXL Trickers boots to more of an oxblood, as did MSAINT in this post.

Saphir has a neatsfoot-based black cream for cordovan, and I know Nick Horween has been said to recommend neatsfoot for his CXL leather. However, MSAINT used a standard Saphir cream polish used for calf, and got great results.

Can anyone comment on the difference in textures/potential outcomes of creating one's own patina with the neatsfoot vs standard saphir creams?

I used Allen Edmonds colored Cordovan Cream to darken a pair of calf shoes and it worked well...do it small doses and over several sessions would be my advice

 

[Munky]

What's all this nonsense about darkening red shoes? I only got my first pair, this week! I hope I don't have a crisis of confidence on their first outing.

 

[Munky]

As someone with too much time on his hands, I often graze the internet for those shoe-cleaning videos made by handmade shoe companies (the shoes are handmade, not the companies). Almost all of them encourage the use of huge amounts of shoe product. I saw one, yesterday, where the cleaner was busy rubbing loads of shoe cream all over the uppers, over the soles and back. Do they know something that people on this site don't? The mantra, on here, has always been 'less is more'. A lot of the companies who make the shoes seem to suggest 'more is more is more'. Why is this, then, huh? [Huh is an expression I picked up from the US.] Respectfully, Munky.