Shoe Care / Shoe Shine

[Ethan Bentley]

I recently saw this at Marylebone Train Station recently.
It came complete with Financial Times & Wall Street Journal.

 

[jimiez]

shoe care

i have several pairs of nu-buck shoes. have been using chalk and a brush to clean. i remember there use to have a little chalk duster when you bought the shoes. any advice on cleaning. jimiez

 

[Tomasso]

i remember there use to have a little chalk duster when you bought the shoes.

Buck Bag.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Cleaning nubuck shoes

I have a plastic eraser that does the trick. It's the sort of thing that formerly was used on technical drawings, before vellum, T-squares, and triangles where replaced by computers.

 

[Lefty]

But, that box could be upgraded.

Possibly one of these would meet your needs:

More at Ephtée ......if your heart can take it.

This still kills me. A custom cabinet filled with Lobbs and Greens, and a SAB umbrella and case just for fun. Unlike most SF guys, he clearly wears them all.

 

[jimiez]

buck bag

thanks for the lead on the buck bag. bibnt no they still made these. jimiez

 

[Widebrim]

I must confess, exposure to the Lounge has made me pay a little more attention to the state of my shoes. Another reason to appreciate the Lounge.
One thing I've noticed lately, that's actually been going on for a long time, is that United States Marines in their DRESS BLUES now wear PATENT friggin' LEATHER SHOES instead of spit shining their regular dress shoes! Speaking as an ex Marine I can only deplore this trend. Spit shining is an arduous process, and an art that must be learned. But it creates a shine that nothing else, including patent leather, can rival. :rage:

This was posted two years back, but I just saw it. Yes, dhermann, the use of patent leather shoes with Marine and Army Dress Blues has been going on for some time. The Army even authorized them for the "old" Dress Greens (currently being phased out). And although you are right about spit shining, I actually do like the way patent leathers look with Blues...[huh]

 

[armod]

beyond kiwi

kiwi polishes are easy to find and of decent quality but I've never used anything else.

what other brands do people use and what sets them apart from kiwi or any others?

 

[John in Covina]

Lincoln for black is very good, but mostly I use Kiwi too.

 

[Highlander]

I usually alternate (that is if I can remember which I used last) between Kiwi which gives a great high wax glossy shine, and Meltonian Creme which seems to have moreof the Lanoline type. I wonder sometimes though, does the lanoline pentrate the prior waX??? HMMM. Now I am wondering.

 

[mannySpaghetti]

This might seem like a funny question, but I've never owned a pair of brown dress shoes before. Black and oxblood has always covered my bases. This pair of used shoes is gonna be gettin' the old treatment from me; "spit-shine", new laces, edge dressing, heel taps, the works. Anyways, my question is this, "Should I go with regular brown wax for these or dark brown?"

 

[Highlander]

My thought is try the "regular" brown first, I like the patina, and if it isn't right, you can always darken them with the "dark" brown.

 

[Canadave]

I agree. Hope you'll show them again when they're done.

 

[Tomasso]

Highly recommended product.

 

[Creeping Past]

How would I go about getting a slightly darker brown, almost burnished, toe on a lighter brown shoe? Like this, I mean?

 

[Tomasso]

How would I go about getting a slightly darker brown, almost burnished, toe on a lighter brown shoe?

For your perusal.

 

[mannySpaghetti]

My thought is try the "regular" brown first, I like the patina, and if it isn't right, you can always darken them with the "dark" brown.

I agree. Hope you'll show them again when they're done.

Well I got my Cole Haan's in today and what a great pair of used shoes! The heel and soles are only slightly worn and it'll be quite some time before this pair sees the local cobbler, but the uppers are in fantastic condition. There was a bit of wax chunked up on it as seen on the above pic. Some areas, namely the creases, were just too much to bare so I scraped the excess wax off, gave the shoes a real good reapplication of regular brown wax like "Highlander" suggested and then a vigorous brush off. I then "spit-shined" the toe caps only. Something I normally do because that's the most prevelant part of the shoe that everyone sees. Came out pretty good too, though it's a wee bit darker then the rest of the shoes. Overall, I'd say this was a good ebaY victory; got these for $33 and that included shipping. Now I'm just waiting on some black "Cap-toe" Bostonians and hopefully soon I'll find some nice Johnston Murphy "Wingtips".

 

[Canadave]

Nice job!

 

[Creeping Past]

For your perusal.

Thanks, T. Now it seems obvious. Well, I suppose it is...

 

[cookie]

For your perusal.

Black shoe cream - not wax for antiquing high points. Cream adds colour - wax is essentially clear and lies on the surface. Cream penetrates and colours a shoe. Another trick is for the cobbler to put them on the buffer which slightly burns the leather and leaves an antiqued finish. But the cobbler has to know what to do.

I like Angelus wax ...others like Saphir shoe creams on styleforum.net...most cobblers recommend Kiwi (not Parade Gloss which has hydrocarbons).

Here are my my EG Monmouths which are factory antiqued:

Don't take the pictures as gospel as they were uncared for when I bought them. All I do now is wax them to a spit shine. I don't want a cream to interfere with the original antiquing.