Shoe Care / Shoe Shine

[John in Covina]

WAX Removal

I keep getting candle wax on my shoes.

I think that Goof Off is supposed to get it off but wonder what it may do to the shine.

(The wax is from the Lighter/snuffer thingy we use in church for lighting the candles. We bring the Light in and carry the Light out and it's the walk up and down the aisle that has the wax dripping on my shoes!)

 

[bbshriver]

For maintenance of the leather itself my preference is
http://www.leatherique.com/

Recommended by the Rolls Royce owners club, I've been using this in cars, and on shoes, and other leather items (hat sweatband) for years, and love it. Friendly family business too.

As for acheiving the perfect shine, I'm still working on it!

 

[Scotus]

...I polish them with Kiwi, brush them, then finish off the shine with an old, soft sock.

Pretty much the same here too; however, I will many times use a soft white t-shirt for the final buffing.

 

[High Pockets]

For what it's worth,....the guy that hand makes my boots for me, (one of the best in the country), told me Kiwi Wax was not good for leather,..... it's tolerated by leather, but only good for a shine.

He recommended a good cleaning with saddle-soap followed by an application of Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish.
He also recommended an occasional application of Kelly's Lynn Stain Polish to cover any minor scratches. Kelly's has waxes in it but allegedly they aren't as harsh as Kiwi's.

I've been following his directions for years now and my footwear looks great and has never shown one of those little stress cracks that used to show up in my boots and shoes every now and then.

 

[Mid-fogey]

I'm in with...

For what it's worth,....the guy that hand makes my boots for me, (one of the best in the country), told me Kiwi Wax was not good for leather,..... it's tolerated by leather, but only good for a shine.

He recommended a good cleaning with saddle-soap followed by an application of Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish.
He also recommended an occasional application of Kelly's Lynn Stain Polish to cover any minor scratches. Kelly's has waxes in it but allegedly they aren't as harsh as Kiwi's.

I've been following his directions for years now and my footwear looks great and has never shown one of those little stress cracks that used to show up in my boots and shoes every now and then.

...High Pockets on this one.

While the oil in Kiwi (the stuff that Marc C is burning off) helps, the creme is better in the long run.

 

[bbshriver]

I believe this is true as well.. I contacted Leatherique a while back on this same subject, as anything petroleum based will eventually hurt leather. I was concerned that the polish would eventually break down the leather. Here was their reply.

"You are doing 100% perfect with your leather care. Remember that the Rejuvenator is formulated to plump and maintain the hides. You are doing great in using wax on your shoes to maintain the surface appearance. The Rejuvenator does not contain any wax, petroleum oils or anything to improve the surface appearance, only nourish the hide.

You are not counteracting your procedure and are doing the right thing. Just continue to remember you are working with two stratas, the actual hide, and the surface colorant or coating. It's important to keep the coating intact as that's what protects the nice plump hide."

For what it's worth,....the guy that hand makes my boots for me, (one of the best in the country), told me Kiwi Wax was not good for leather,..... it's tolerated by leather, but only good for a shine.

He recommended a good cleaning with saddle-soap followed by an application of Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish.
He also recommended an occasional application of Kelly's Lynn Stain Polish to cover any minor scratches. Kelly's has waxes in it but allegedly they aren't as harsh as Kiwi's.

I've been following his directions for years now and my footwear looks great and has never shown one of those little stress cracks that used to show up in my boots and shoes every now and then.

 

[Lefty]

This post on styleforum is the best post on shoe care ever, because it's by a guy who makes beautiful shoes.

I love Saphir Renovateur.

 

[bbshriver]

Question:

I hear lots about cedar shoe trees. I've never used these, but have now ordered some since people talk about them so much. If nothing else it should make a shoe easier to polish with something holding form in it.

But my question is for those of us who can't justify to spend $100+ right off the bat to properly outfit all of our shoes with shoe trees...

When I travel I will stuff my shoes or boots with socks/underwear/t-shirts anything that can get wrinkled. It would seem that this method would also serve a lot of the purpose of the cedar tree, since most undergarments are designed to wick moisture, and this helps hold the shape. Might this be a good "budget" option as I build up a tree collection?

 

[Lefty]

Newspaper might be better. You can really stuff it in to fill out the shoe.

 

[John in Covina]

Shoe care items often become more available as we get closer to the Christmas season, a lot of specialty care items return to the shelves as gift selections then.

 

[Highlander]

Bought these "Dexter Varsity" back in 1977. Wore them regularly for several years, and still wear them a few times a month. One of my favorite pairs, just had them half soled and heeled.

Always try to wear overshoes in bad weather and polish them regularly. I had a burgundy and black pair that I wore about every day, that finally just cracked so bad I couldn't wear them.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Any tips on shoe heel repair?

Over several years I bought about a dozen pairs of Allen Edmonds shoes. The heels are fairly standard, the part nearest the foot consists of stacked leather layers and the business end is some sort of rubber. I am hard on the heels, and even though I generally wear a pair once in two weeks, in six months or so the rubber wears noticeably. I have been taking them to a local shoe repair shop when the rubber gets close to the leather stack and get the rubber replaced for about $20 (US). Does anyone have a favorite brand of after-market rubber or synthetic replacement heel?

 

[Mid-fogey]

I've had...

...good luck with Cat's Paw. Really though, I don't specify and use whatever the repair place puts on. Over the last 30 or so years of dress shoe wear I've learned to live with a certain amount of wear before I replace them. Typically I put a standard wood pencil eraser end up to the heel. When the curve of the heel is more than the thickness of the eraser I replace them.

I'm not a fan of the worn down, run down look, but I do think a bit of wear before your replace them shows a bit of thriftiness.

 

[Highlander]

Mid Fogey, I agree to an extent, and I love seeing good looking shoes that have been half soled and heels. Not only thrift, but just plain, I care and I take care of my things. A sign of a gentleman. My Dad was very much into shinning the shoes. He always said you could tell a lot about a man (and a woman too I believe) about how their shoes look. (He always said, "Clothes don't make the man but the do give some indication of him and his values"). And keep your gig line straight!

 

[Tomasso]

This is my Shoe Shine kit... I've put it together over the years and have about everything I need for my shoes and boots...

But, that box could be upgraded.

Possibly one of these would meet your needs:

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

 

[Feraud]

It's heaven on earth..

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

 

[Lefty]

I don't have anything nearly that nice. My Saphir, Kiwi, brushes and such all reside in the bottom drawer of one of these.

 

[Scotus]

I just took this photo of my humble shoe shine box:

It's one of those replica trunks you can get at Hobby Lobby. It's handy, but now that I'm looking at some of these posted in the last day, I'm thinking I need to step it up.

 

[Boodles]

I trust that it's a Craftsman!

I don't have anything nearly that nice. My Saphir, Kiwi, brushes and such all reside in the bottom drawer of one of these.

[/QUOTE
]
I trust that it's a Craftsman!

 

[Lefty]

Mine is black and not quite the same, but yep.