One of the nastys in PG is silicone. You are actually doing very fine burnishing. I hate kiwi because of the turpentine smell. My creme is meltonian and my polish is Lincoln, which tends to flake without care in buffing at just the right pressure. I was introduced to it in bootcamp;again under just the right pressure' I want to see my pretty white teeth in your shoes recruit!' I've found Lincoln is the most easily removed wax if a full stripping is desired.
RM.W Wax polish for toe caps only (no alcohol/silicone). RMW conditioner for every shoe (not on the toe caps tho)
Neutral polish can sometimes leave a white deposit in the creases. Actually coloured polish also does this but you don't notice.
Parade gloss is indeed bad for your shoes. Small amounts of turpentine can be beneficial for a sparkling finish, but not in the formulation found in PG.
Cream is not inherently any better for calfskin than wax polishes. In fact slathering it on in vast quantity as is the temptation because of the nice smell and consistency is actually really bad for most shoe leather.
Kiwi isn't the best product available, but it's far from the worst either. Always melt wax and use tiny quantities. The biggest crime is using the stuff cold. It cannot work effectively as a dry sticky mess straight from the tin at room temperature.
The key to any of this is the brushing and buffing as much as the substances used. It does require effort. Simply buying expensive products like Saphir but not doing enough with brush and cloth is counter-productive. Shooey's 45 minutes per pair is not wholly unreasonable.
Every six months or so I will use Wheeler's Traditional Leather Balm on the soles and heels of my shoes. The soles are as important as the uppers. Leaving them dry, brittle and undernourished is an invitation to drastically shorten the life-span of a pair of shoes.
Saphir is very difficult to find, i've been waiting for some paste for 15 months.
I agree that brushing the best thing one can do for shoos (after several base coats of cream or polish have been carefully & thoroughly applied). Brushing is not just for shell cordovan and lazy people.
I don't make much of a fuss about shoe polish. I use Meltonian neutral cream once in a while, and give them a good brush, a wipe with a soft cloth, and we're good to go.
If something looks in danger of drying out, maybe a shot of Lexol.
I've curated equestrian tack, some being 100 year old. The downside to wax is it does indeed seal the leather pores. The upside is there is a interior surface that is not treated and moisture escapes thus. Rest of course helps although I personally hold somebody with 200+ shoes will see many degrade from disuse and simple logistics without a major domo. It's a shoe, inherently to protect the foot, not become a fetish object. Sometimes the best care of something is to actually use it. I do strip my 3 pair annually with cheap vodka, give a modest application of skin food, let sit for 24 hours and then reapply a wax shine.
l was speaking to some folks today who told me of a shoo paste that many say is better than Saphir. An aussie fella makes it in his shed at home. l'll buy some and let you know how it is.
Saphir is extremely difficult to get at the moment; The bees have contracted some type of disease and there is a shortage of bees wax.
Last edited by Gilgamesh2003 (2010-06-02 08:47:47)
I explained this in my AAAC days to no avail. Saddle soap proper was a curing liquor used in 19th century tanning. Tanneries had all this excess chemical left over. Like Henry Ford's charcoal from wooden scrap and flouride they pushed it on a gullible public. It was nasty stuff.
The name became market familiar and is unfortunately still used on modern products with no connection. My only objection is the combination cleaning and conditioning. It takes more elbow grease to remove dirt from a leather pores while trying to fill them with oils at the same time.
I was a intern curator at the L.A. Southwest Museum. They received a large collection of western saddles. Being a horseman I was given charge of cataloging and addressing any condition issues. A call to the Will Rogers ranch, my saddlers in Showlow Arizona and Walsall England all concured; clean, light dressing,repair but maintain all patinas of time and use. They comprise the bulk of the Gene Autrey Museum's displays now.
I am a member of the American driving society and Carraige Collectors Association. Though my personal collection was sold, I am still invited to act as 'WHIP.' My very first drivng lesson was by no less than Andy Devine. Andy grew up in Kingman Arizona. He received his role as driver in STAGECOACH with John Wayne primarily because he knew how to drive 6 in hand vehicles.Yakima Canute did those stunts with Andy driving at full gallop.
Coachman were, and are more than a liveried servant to open doors. They acted as security, often armed to the teeth, emergency messengers and in competitive driving balance the vehicle much like sidecar racers. They do this, themselves turned out better dressed and mannered than many.
Last edited by ckav (2010-06-02 11:40:49)
Lincoln products are great.
I don't like Meltonian products... they don't nourish as well and the pigments don't absorb well into the leather.
The top of the line Saphir are very nice, great pigments, nourishing, and even smell good, but their shelf life and containers suck big time.
I use Collonil neutral shoe cream. Works for me. I just rub the cream in with a rag (usually an old shirt) then buff up with a horse hair brush.
Last edited by fxh (2010-06-13 06:04:42)
OK. What do you all do to suede shoes ? Stiff brush ? Scotchgard ?
Do you wear them in Winter ? To me, they always seem a bit dainty for the harsher seasons.
My use of suede was limited to saddle inserts and vests. A stiff, but not so stiff it tears, brush is your best friend. Oil is your worst enemy; from mayonaisse (don't ask) to BP. Brush the knap with the grain or it wears faster.
I've come to hate scotchguard on anything.