Shoe shine:Do your own or take out??

[JonnyO]

Thank you gentlemen for the replies. It's nice to know we weren't the only two fools doing it.

 

[Worf]

Liquid polish???? Blasphemy! Two tins of polish, one black one brown, applicator brush, buffing brush one in each color. Base coat then water, cotton strips and spit! The ARMY WAY! The ole lady marvels! I even managed to put a spit shine on a pair of Chippewa's that were made of some ungodly new fangled leather... That took some effort. I could make nubuck shine if you give me enough time and polish!

Worf

 

[ShoeShineBoyLA]

I'm with you Worf. Liquid polishes are not only lazy, they are also bad for leather. A lot of them have alcohol and other harsh chemicals that dry and crack leather. They'll look really good for an hour or two, and then you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise.

I had one guy that brought a pair to me done somewhere else with a liquid. His shoes looked like they had been bleached. I was able to bring back most of the color though.

 

[Warlord of The Weejuns]

I use cream instead of paste. The guy that repairs my shoes says cream is much better for the leather and does not recommend paste at all, ever. The shine looks just as good, I can't tell the difference. Otherwise I would love to have someone give me a shine at a stand, but I haven't found one that uses cream.

 

[HeyMoe]

I do my own and I spit shine them the way my dad taught me when I was a kid (old tshirt, Kiwi wax, spit and a good tv show) and the way I shined my boots when i was in the army. Once you get a good base shine, it only takes a bit to do.

 

[ShoeShineBoyLA]

HeyMoe: I do it more or less the same way, but with different products and I make it a nice experience for my customers to kick back and enjoy.

Warlord: I agree, I don't like the paste polishes either. Depending on the leather and condition, I use cream or wax polish.