Good evening Matt. Congarts on the gunboats. These gunboat styles are of my fav style of shoe to wear about.
I do not tune into this thread with the same frequency as "What Hat are You Wearing," but I wanted to say congrats!
I truly have been enjoying wearing shell gunboats. I received a pair of vintage shell shoes from Issinyru101 almost a year ago. Venetian creme (liberally) and brushing are the care that I have been giving the shoes. No more, no less. They look better, to my eye, than when I received them from our esteemed vintage shoe expert. Better in that they have been worn and yet show no-wear for the worse. Like all of us I love a pristine shoe, but I enjoy even more wearing the vintage styles. I bet I have worn them 60+ times this past year. The shell does show folds, but the oiled leather comes "smooth" with shoes trees in the evening. The folds are aging character that smooths with the correct shoe tree and drying out. I have not added creek or wax polish t the shoes this past year and they have benefited from my discipline. It has taken a ton of discipline to not polish them. I was cautioned by the seller and others not to over polish. They have proven themselves correct. Last week I added some creme polish and liberal brushing. They glisten and look sweet. The downside, keep them from any astringents, alcohol stains and of course nicks and dings. I have received a ding in a toe and used the spoon method and brushing and the shoe looks no worse for the wear. In fact I can not see the previous mentioned ding.
Condition the inside - I have wiped them with Venetian creme inside and wiped them clean after wards. I have no idea if it did it good, but know that it certainly did no harm.
Saddle soap - I was cautioned against using saddle soap by my usual cobbler. It was advised to clean with a minimal of soap and water and then use conditioner. I was told especially with the shell the saddle soap does not work. The shell is impregnated with tons of oils and stuff already. The brushing can draw the impregnated substrates out as well as smooth the hide surface. The horse hide can be very dense, but yet be malleable.
In case I have not mentioned it enough in public THANKS Vintage Shoe Expert - Issinyru101 for trusting me to provide a good home to vintage shoes.
Enjoy the gunboats with the special leather. Congrats on the upcoming wedding. Getting married was one of the smartest things I ever did.
Best, Eric -
I can bet your care has indeed, made a great difference in the overall shape/condition of your shoes. I have to say I never use a lot of saddle soap on any shoe, but as made mention I use it just to clean with. The normal application for saddle soap is to lather it up on the leather item and let it dry, then wipe off any excess. I do not use it that way. The Venetian creme has always been a standard for shell. I have used Cadillac on shell a few times, but the Venetian is what is recommended and I am sure does the best job for shell.
Oh yes...being married is a real blessing!