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Show us your SHOES !!!

esteban68

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,107
Location
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
Esteban:

Those shoes are interesting. I note the comments from 'Ish' saying he believes them to be from the seventies or eighties. To be honest, I don't recall seeing heavier shoes in that style, in that period. Especially if, as you say, they appear to be a work shoe (certainly didn't see anything like that in the shops selling 'seconds' where blokes would be queuing up to get the next batch of DMs that arrived).

Which leads me to wonder whether they might be some sort of uniform shoe. The heavy toecap is common on military parade wear and I have it in the back of my memory that certain regiments did use a brogued parade shoe (maybe one of the Scottish regiments?).

Indeed they did TT , I'd have thought they'd have the WD arrow/crows foot on them though?
Ish is one of the experts and he certainly knows more than I, tbh I thought they were earlier not that it matters as they were only £3, there is precious little on Avon England out there and the earliest and only advert I've found was from 1948?
I'm sure theyu are NOS and not a resole, I dearly wish they fit me!
 

Isshinryu101

One Too Many
Messages
1,328
Location
New Jersey
Indeed they did TT , I'd have thought they'd have the WD arrow/crows foot on them though?
Ish is one of the experts and he certainly knows more than I, tbh I thought they were earlier not that it matters as they were only £3, there is precious little on Avon England out there and the earliest and only advert I've found was from 1948?
I'm sure theyu are NOS and not a resole, I dearly wish they fit me!
Nice shoes. The style of sole, as well as the interior size markings are 2 of many aspects to consider when dating correctly.
 

Mormonopoly

Familiar Face
Messages
98
Location
Columbus, Ohio
I just purchased my first pair that has alligator skin. Is there anything special I need to do to care for them, or will the usual clean, cadillac, polish routine work?
 

LuvMyMan

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
4,558
Location
Michigan
I just purchased my first pair that has alligator skin. Is there anything special I need to do to care for them, or will the usual clean, cadillac, polish routine work?

Saphir Reptan! You can find it on Amazon....or The Hanger Project...or...www.valentinogaremi.com

The Caddy will work, but very sparingly. Alligator or Croc you should avoid wax or paste cream polish. It will dry the membrane between the plates of the skins. Too much Caddy could do the same.

What I have learned and works really well....I put a thin coat of caddy on, then a thin coat of Reptan right after the caddy, let it sit for a long time. The Reptan will come with a soft polish rag. Use your fingers to apply the caddy and the Reptan....and use the polish rag to gently buff the surface. If you use a wax polish, you must make it really a thin application and buff it lightly until it shines. There is a medium of how the conditioner has to be, and if it makes the skin too moist, it will soften too much. The Reptan is made specifically for alligator and croc, as well as eel or lizard, etc. When you use it, you will see the texture of it is sort of like a:eusa_clap:eusa_clap dry pudding. It should be left on a lot longer then the directions. The caddy can be used lightly on top of the Reptan also, to help buff the shine a bit.

Things to avoid. Too much sunlight or light when you store them....put em in a box with a lid. Also, try to not let them get super wet.

Fiebings make a spray aresol called Reptile Cleaner. It will clean and protect the alligator but does not condition as much as Reptan. It does aide in polishing as you can buff after using.

Saphir Reptan is expensive, but worth the investment. You should only have to condition the shoes about every two to three months with normal wear of the shoes.

Last tip...if you see anything loose on the shoe skins, leave it alone. If you pick on a tid bit of membrane or a plate of the skin, you will make it easier for more to "pop" off. You can use some Barge Contact cement to glue a plate back on, or to glue it down. BUT you would have to do so before you use any conditioner....or it will not hold, the conditioner would keep the glue from working. Only a glue like Barge will work. It has to be flexible glue.
 

cookie

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,927
Location
Sydney Australia
Saphir Reptan! You can find it on Amazon....or The Hanger Project...or...www.valentinogaremi.com

The Caddy will work, but very sparingly. Alligator or Croc you should avoid wax or paste cream polish. It will dry the membrane between the plates of the skins. Too much Caddy could do the same.

What I have learned and works really well....I put a thin coat of caddy on, then a thin coat of Reptan right after the caddy, let it sit for a long time. The Reptan will come with a soft polish rag. Use your fingers to apply the caddy and the Reptan....and use the polish rag to gently buff the surface. If you use a wax polish, you must make it really a thin application and buff it lightly until it shines. There is a medium of how the conditioner has to be, and if it makes the skin too moist, it will soften too much. The Reptan is made specifically for alligator and croc, as well as eel or lizard, etc. When you use it, you will see the texture of it is sort of like a:eusa_clap:eusa_clap dry pudding. It should be left on a lot longer then the directions. The caddy can be used lightly on top of the Reptan also, to help buff the shine a bit.

Things to avoid. Too much sunlight or light when you store them....put em in a box with a lid. Also, try to not let them get super wet.

Fiebings make a spray aresol called Reptile Cleaner. It will clean and protect the alligator but does not condition as much as Reptan. It does aide in polishing as you can buff after using.

Saphir Reptan is expensive, but worth the investment. You should only have to condition the shoes about every two to three months with normal wear of the shoes.

Last tip...if you see anything loose on the shoe skins, leave it alone. If you pick on a tid bit of membrane or a plate of the skin, you will make it easier for more to "pop" off. You can use some Barge Contact cement to glue a plate back on, or to glue it down. BUT you would have to do so before you use any conditioner....or it will not hold, the conditioner would keep the glue from working. Only a glue like Barge will work. It has to be flexible glue.


Thanks for the advice!
 

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