Dried up patent leather

[sproily]

Just got a pair of 20's patent leather and cloth dress boots, but the patent leather has dried. Is there something I can use to nourish it? Does it need a special wax? I don't think you can use polish on it...

 

[sproily]

Any ideas?

 

[MB5]

I would say Pecard or Dr. Jackson's, but I don't know that either would penetrate through the patent finish, and if they did it might restore the leather and ruin the finish. You might want to try e-mailing Pecard ( http://www.pecard.com/contact_us.html ) and see if they think one of their products would safely work.

 

[sproily]

I wonder if these photos...

Will get me more comments...

And yeah, I got them for free.

 

[W-D Forties]

Have you tried Vaseline? Rubbed in really well and left to soak in for a bit, then buffed. I know they also used to use milk to clean patent leather.

Lovely boots!

 

[Tomasso]

There is no fix for the creasing and cracking on the vamp, if that's what you're asking. Just buff them up and rock the distressed patina look, à la Prince Charles.....

 

[Derek WC]

The only thing I can think of is to take them to a cobbler and maybe they could possibly take it off and put new patent on. That is, if it is even possible. I've tried Vaseline in the past, and it does work.

 

[DeaconKC]

Tomasso is right, there is no way to repair them. Many folks have tried to over the years with holsters and belts for police use.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Is it real patent or the plastic coated version? If the former you need to get it repolished with blacking and a deer horn.

Also, the shoe laces need replacing within thinner waxed ones as those laces it has on at the moment look like the laces used for hiking boots...

 

[Tomasso]

Is it real patent or the plastic coated version?

Did they even make the plastic stuff in the 20's?

 

[Edward]

Lovely boots, hope you can bring them back!

There is no fix for the creasing and cracking on the vamp, if that's what you're asking. Just buff them up and rock the distressed patina look, à la Prince Charles.....

I'm not sure if it is that specific pair, but he (in?)famously has a pair of John Lobbs that required repair and on which he ordered that the repair should be clearly visible, presumably to display his thrift in not purchasing a new pair instead.

 

[Charlie Huang]

To make blacking:

Beeswax, 8 oz.; tallow, 1 oz.; melt, and add powdered gum arabic, 1 oz., and lamp-black to colour. The beeswax imparts the shine, the tallow, waterproofing.

Or:

4 parts tallow, three parts beeswax and 1 part pitch. This was used for waterproofing hob-nail boots for farm workers during Victorian times hence the high tallow content.

Also:

http://www.swsbm.com/Fenners/Complete Formulary-6.pdf
(Blackings and Shoe Dressings, etc.) More advanced formulas.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Did they even make the plastic stuff in the 20's?

Indeed. Looking at the photo again it looks like real patent.

 

[Tiller]

Did they even make the plastic stuff in the 20's?

A bit off topic but wasn't plastic being mass produced in the 20's? I thought it was one of the many things that came into its own in the "roaring twenties". I doubt it was used that often for footwear back then(if at all), but I think many trinkets were made of plastics in that time.

 

[Tomasso]

I'm not sure if it is that specific pair

No, I believe it is this pair you're thinking of. I'm not sure I buy into it being a PR stunt as he has a history of wearing his clothes until threadbare and even having relatives clothes (Mountbatten?) re-tailored to fit him. Actually, back in the day bespoke clothing was regularly passed down to children, when possible.

 

[sproily]

They are indeed from the 20's. Hopefully I will be getting some better pictures soon enough... Thanks for the advice!

I'd swap the laces if I had some proper ones....

 

[Charlie Huang]

They are indeed from the 20's. Hopefully I will be getting some better pictures soon enough... Thanks for the advice!

I'd swap the laces if I had some proper ones....

PM me your address on Farcebook and I'll send you a pair when I buy them from a Jermyn St bootmaker in the future (and hopefully it won't get lost in the post like what happened to the stuff I sent to Mikael...)