High Shine

[Drac]

Never been great at polishing shoe or boots. Navy only requires well blackened for our old bundockers and the new ones I wear are brushed leather. Dress shoes I only realisically call what I do passable.

So guys, here is my question, when polishing the gillies how do you get the wax out of the holes? I haven't done much but the clear sponge since I couldn't figure it out.

Jim

[CMcG]

<snip>

So guys, here is my question, when polishing the gillies how do you get the wax out of the holes? I haven't done much but the clear sponge since I couldn't figure it out.

Jim

I haven't had much of a problem with polish building up in the broguing. Every once in a while, you might need to clean them out with a toothpick.

[saxandpipes]

...

So guys, here is my question, when polishing the gillies how do you get the wax out of the holes? I haven't done much but the clear sponge since I couldn't figure it out.

Jim

The secret is the same as for polishing shoes in general. Not too much polish. Don't pile it on to the shoes (clogging up the holes). Instead apply a small amount to the cloth you are using (not enough that it will jam up the holes!) and rub it into the cloth so the polish is effective inside the fibres of the cloth, rather than sitting on top in a clump. Then start polishing in small circles, until the polish is all gone... then get some more polish into the cloth and repeat the process.

This works for me!

Cheers,

Michael

[kilt4beer]

Here is my process:

Goes without saying... But, just in case there's a newbie... remove the shoelaces.

1 Clean the shoes.
You can't shine dirty shoes. So, first... clean them completely. I do this with good old fashioned soap and water. I run warm water in the kitchen sink and use baby shampoo on an old soft toothbrush. Obviously, don't soak the shoes. I just run a tiny stream along the seam between the upper and the sole where dirt builds up. I wear Dr Marten boots and like the yellow stitching to stay bright and yellow. Rinse thoroughly and then dry thoroughly. Now that the drying rag is slightly damp, use it to remove and dust, dirt, debris. This is a good time to clean the bottoms of the shoe as well.

2 Clean the leather.
I used to use saddle soap. However, I think it's a bit harsh and switched to Meltonian Leather Balm. It's a cream that serves as a cleaner / polisher / conditioner. I rub it in with a clean dry cloth and then wait about 12 oz. (get it?) for it to soak in and dry and then use a fresh part of the rag to polish it off. It's the same process as the final polish but you'll see some dirt and grime coming off.

3 Apply the wax.
I use Lincoln brand wax. I used to use Kiwi. I tried several different brands and determined that Lincoln really is the best. I use an old T-shirt cut up into 2 square rags. I soak it thoroughly and then wring it out thoroughly. A wet application is the key. Wrap the rag tightly around your finger and smear some wax onto the cloth. Smear it on the leather lightly. Be sparing. A good guide is that if your finger is getting black under the cloth - you may be using too much polish. Let one boot dry while you start the next.

4 Polish.
Spray a fine mist of water over the leather using a spray bottle. I use an empty windex spray bottle - it has just the right misting spray nozzle. Wrap a fresh rag (soaked and wrung out) tightly over your index and middle finger and polish vigorously. Really get into and get some friction and heat up.

5. Repeat the application and polish.
Use a moist rag to apply and moist rag to polish. The second time polish with a lighter touch. Be sure to spray a fine mist of water over any surface before polishing and use a fresh, clean part of the moist rag. Don't let the rag ever get dry.

6. Repeat the application and polish.
Moist rag to apply, spray a fine mist of water, moist rag to polish. This time a lighter touch. The first polish was getting the wax deep into the leather. The second polish was getting a good base shine. This time around it's a buff shine.

Lay them out overnight and then in the morning use a moist rag to give a final quick rub down. Run the shoe laces through the moist rag and restring. You're good to go.

I've been wearing Dr Martens boots for over 20 years and am only on my second pair. First pair went for about 15 years - the sole wore straight through before the leather even got the start of a hole. I don't wear them lightly. I'm rough on these things. With proper care and cleaning you can get a lot of wear from leather.

[PEEDYC]

I used to use the saliva method until it was pointed out that it is acidic and can't do the polish or leather much good so I use water now instead. I remember my first pair of boots when in the cadets. They arrived with the small "bumps" all over including the toe caps. I was shown how to get rid of them by heating a large spoon and rubbing them for a very long time to get the leather smooth before attempting to polish / shine. Toe caps and heels are always highly polished on my dress shoes.

[48th Highlander]

Upgrade to the Kiwi Parade polish (more carnuba) available online. Don't use your spit. It works, but I find better results putting some ice cubes and a bit of ice in the tin lid and using that. If your polish starts to crack in the tin and get chunky, you can remelt it by steaming it or using a double boiler type arrangement.

If you want the ultimate shine on the toe caps and heels, look up "Bulling." It is a method the Guards Regiments use to build up beeswax on their boots then finish with polish. This is significantly faster than using all polish and building layers.

When tying to refurbish your old spit shine, hit with a fine brush, put a thicker layer of polish on, and then gently and quickly flame the polish (melting it smooth). That will save you a lot of time.

[48th Highlander]

One more thing, use a microfiber cloth. The kind they use to polish jewelry.

[rir179]

After 30 years British Army and 5 years prior as an Air Cadet I can see that you all are/have done a great job on "Bulling your Boots" but theres just a wee couple of finishing touches that will bring a good pair of bulled boots to an excellent pair!

1. Just at the end of your bulling session have a tin of Kiwi - Ox blood polish and bull with that one in every 8 of the Kiwi Black, this produces a really deep shine.

2. Once you've finished and "think" your done it's time to "Water Bull" take a piece of cotton wool and run the cold water tap to an even stady flow then place the toecap of your boot/shoe under the running water and with the wet piece of cotton wool "Bull" your toecap in the same small circles as normal after you've done this shake off the loose water and wring out the cotton wool. Use the same cotton wool todap off any loose droplets of water and leave to dry. You should now have a gleaming pair of bulled boots with NO smear marks.

[sadkingbilly]

When I was in the army (MP actually) I learned to use patience when shining my boots. They would come out of the box with a nasty sheen on them. First, warm water with soap to clean them thourougly (usually I left damp wool inside them for a night, then wear them constantly the next days), then put on several layers of kiwi after first burning it slightly. Repeat at least 10 times. Over the first weeks the shine becomes deeper and brighter and harder to matt or damage. Then I would just take a soft cloth, slightly damp, to clean it (even after walking trough water and mud), reapply a few layers of shine, then use a wad of ladies nylon stockings to polish again. I always had some old nylons in one of my pockets for a quick polish just before inspection. Once, when on duty in heavy rain right before inspection we used a small glob of vaseline rubbed in and polished with a soft cloth. Amazing shine for about half an hour - just long enough to pass inspection ;)

[CDNSushi]

The technique described by the OP is spot on. Spent years in air cadets and that's exactly what we did. I alternated between ice water and spit though... Later on used pretty much cold water exclusively... But wrapping the kiwi cloth around your index finger (or two/three fingers), dipping it in water, then the polish, then rubbing it on, layer after layer in circles is really the only "proper" way I was taught to do boots. What you end up with is an amazing shine... In cadets the preoccupation with shining boots is almost cult-like... And it's a never-ending battle. Especially when they get scuffed. <sigh>

The only other tip that I learned that made an amazing difference, was, in the process of bulling, swap out one layer of black kiwi polish for oxblood... That works some really nice magic there.

I know some guys used a lighter on their boots. Not only would you get the crap beasted out of you if someone caught you doing it (or saw evidence of you having done so), in the long rung it made the shine job look worse. It you were REALLY hard pressed, it could get you past an inspection... But after that you would really need to strip the polish and start over from scratch.

Man. Memories. To this day I hate shining shoes or boots... But there's no good alternative, as shoe-shine places don't know crap about it, and end up simply ruining your boots/shoes completely.