Show Off Your Shine!

[armedferret]

Touched these up. There's a tiny nick in the wax on the toe of the right shoe (which is why it isn't visible in the photo) so I may end up needing to strip and redo them.

I am not looking forward to that, this is only about 2 months worth of shoe shine sundays...


IMG_20191008_200603_081 by Professor Horseyhead, on Flickr

[mebejoseph]

They look great!

[mebejoseph]

Man [MENTION=15101]armedferret[/MENTION] you're putting me to shame. If I had my shoes looking like that I'd be calling it a day.

Me too.

[armedferret]

They look great!

Only cause i deliberately kept the nick out of frame. :P

[stuffedsuperdud]

Trying to get the black captoes into the rotation more.


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[armedferret]

Trying to get the black captoes into the rotation more.


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noiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!

[JayS]

Thought about posting in the Ask a Question thread, but this place makes sense.

I have a couple pairs of AE brogues. I tend to treat them with neutral Venetian Shoe Cream. But, the stuff settles into the brogue and then my shoes are covered in stark white dots. I get out what I can with a q-tip, but some is still visible even after drying. I’m guessing I’m doing something wrong? Any suggestions?


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[Galcobar]

...the stuff settles into the brogue and then my shoes are covered in stark white dots. I get out what I can with a q-tip, but some is still visible even after drying.

Horsehair daubers can work, but I use old extra-soft toothbrushes to get into the perforations. Terrycloth can work but it's a lot more work.

[JayS]

Horsehair daubers can work, but I use old extra-soft toothbrushes to get into the perforations. Terrycloth can work but it's a lot more work.

Hmmm. Might need to find an old toothbrush. I thought about that but didn’t know if it was safe.


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[Galcobar]

Hmmm. Might need to find an old toothbrush. I thought about that but didn’t know if it was safe.

I am careful about which toothbrushes I use. After I started using extra-soft toothbrushes (my gums didn't appreciate thorough brushing with even a soft bristle) I noticed they're no stiffer than the horsehair on my shoe brushes. They're not as soft as the boar's hair used in shaving cream and paint brushes, but for shoe leather I've never seen any damage. That, and it's easy to control how much pressure one uses; think about how hard you'd have to press to score your skin with a toothbrush.

Since they hold water, a toothbrush also makes it easier to clear out anything that's dried, and then the capillary action helps to draw it out.

[armedferret]

I often use a toothpick (carefully of course) to get wax out of brogueing perfs.

These aren't brogued though so it was easier. (AE Mora 2.0 in Bourbon)


IMG_20191009_214620_128 by Professor Horseyhead, on Flickr

[stuffedsuperdud]

Thought about posting in the Ask a Question thread, but this place makes sense.

I have a couple pairs of AE brogues. I tend to treat them with neutral Venetian Shoe Cream. But, the stuff settles into the brogue and then my shoes are covered in stark white dots. I get out what I can with a q-tip, but some is still visible even after drying. I’m guessing I’m doing something wrong? Any suggestions?


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This is inevitable if you use neutral wax. Now this might be horrific to some of you but I actually use a really small (.035" or less) hex ball driver to clear out the holes. The rounded tip means you're not going to gouge the leather, and you won't anyway if you are careful to just stick it in the holes themselves. Sometimes the pressure from this will mean that little cracks will form all over your polish layer, but when that happens, you can just do one last buff with a thin coat of neutral, enough to smooth all the little cracks over but not enough to accumulate in the holes, and you're done.

Fun tip: if you have spectator shoes, and it comes in the classic coloring of brown brogued cap or wings over white background, it actually provides a very interesting visual effect if you fill the holes in the brown section with neutral polish, as it plays off the white background.

[mebejoseph]

Nice! I quite like those shoes as well as the shine.

I often use a toothpick (carefully of course) to get wax out of brogueing perfs.

These aren't brogued though so it was easier. (AE Mora 2.0 in Bourbon)


IMG_20191009_214620_128 by Professor Horseyhead, on Flickr

[armedferret]

Yeah I dig those too. I think the upcoming suede trunk show I may have to suggest they bring it back (turns out I've managed a bit of clout on SF with their rep there--who knew?) in a snuff color. I'd rock those in snuff in a heartbeat.

Pulled the Brooks Brothers house-branded Shaker Heights out of the back of the closet and they desperately needed some lovin. A pass with AE Bourbon cream, a coat of Saphir high gloss (the "wetter" of their two high-end waxes) over the entire shoe for a leeeeetle protection from the elements and then a couple build-up coats of mirror gloss on the toe. I don't think these have ever gotten waxed, so the toes will need a lot more layers before a true mirror happens and frankly.....i'm not really all that obsessed with it. They're boots, which means they come out when the weather isn't as grand, and the rubber combination sole means they'll be seeing the nastier stuff anyway. I'd be soooooo frustrated (which means the neighbors' kids would learn all KINDS of new vocabulary) trying to maintain a proper mirror shine so I'm just going to keep em around this level. They look a *LOT* better than they did when I pulled them out this morning. And that's good 'nuff for me.



20191011_163506 by Professor Horseyhead, on Flickr

[armedferret]

Booooooop.

(of particular note is the dirt I completely left on the sole edge and didn't realize it until after the photo, and since I'm far too lazy to pull them out of the box, bags, brush off lint from the bags, and go back outside before the sun sets, this is whatcha git)


First Ave Shiny by Professor Horseyhead, on Flickr