Go. Patent. It’s the future!!!
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Theyre chemically coated for a mirror shine. Does a job but if if they become scuffed etc it damages the coat.
Asking for how many laters is like asking how long is a piece of string, theres no simple answer, depends on technique etc.
For what its worth these took about 7 hours from start to finish. Having patience will deliver a great output
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@AlexCorbin Could you tell me your technique in simple words please? Different sources say different things,
Thanks
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Simply.
Get an old tooth brush with cheap black polish on into the welts and give them a scrub
A sylvet cloth, saphir polish. Apply polish to saphir cloth. Apply a small ammount to the cloth
Apply to shoe, when you feel resistance in the polish and a small amount of polish. What you are looking for is spirals to appear with no real excess water on the leather. If you feel scratching though. Stop rinse off polish with cotton wool. Clean the cloth, let it dry. Carry on
Bull into shoe until all gone…then repeat over and over again.
Once the mirror shine is there i then use soaking wet cotton wall with water and the tiniest bit of polish to make sure i get rid of any tiny scratches etc
But yeah find some movies, follow the above and youll end up with a good result. It just takes a long time and patience. The key is to resist putting tons of polish on in one go and balance with the correct amount of water.
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Also dont worry about creases in the shoe, theyre natural and will occur regardless
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I cheated. They are patent leather so they come like that but need lots of TLC. My days of bulling are behind me, however I used a good quality black polish and natural cotton wool and clean water. Don’t nick your mums cotton wool balls they contain nylon fibres which will scratch the surface. Don’t use spit as it also contains contaminants like left over food, toothpaste etc.
As previously said the key is patience and thin layers. Once you have a smooth surface yo are actually polishing the polish, like a French Polishing technique rather than the leather. It will give you a deep lustre and shine but it takes time and practice. Good luck!
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Should I allow drying time in between each layer or just after every 3-4 layers?
Just keep going, dont need to let the polish dry, just polish it until you cant see swirls anymore then add a new layer and repeat
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I would strongly suggest speak to Sqn NCO/SNCOs for face to face advice as its hard over a forum
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@AlexCorbin Thank you, will do. One last question, did you have thick layers or thin layers of polish to get it shiny? Also was it 7 hours straight of layering it? Thanks for all your help so far
Thin layers…and nope not constant i have the bladder of a small child…it would have been a mess.
Probably over 4/5 days.
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Thanks @AlexCorbin , this is my effort so far and it is going well I think. I have checked on YouTube too , is there anything else i need to consider also will this be a true mirror with about 3 more hours of work if I repeat same steps?
Thanks
In the theme of ‘Work smarter not harder’ … I apply polish in a circular motion to the shoe from a cloth. Then with a damp to wet piece of cotton wool placed carefully in the jaws of a battery hand drill I go to town …
Of course if you slip or the cotton wool slips from the jaws then you end up having to start from scratch as the drill jaws eat into the lovely glossy coat you’ve applied… Drill with caution.
Repeat until shiny.
Edit:
I also use heat, but that’s not necessarily something I’d advise so we’ll pretend I don’t …
Just keep going, its one of those things that takes as long as it takes
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I have done a lot of work and a shine is visible, but it is getting more misty then glossy?
Am I on right track?
Keep going.
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Now is the time to do things on your own please.
You have had a huge amount of guidance - far more than most cadets seem to have needed in the past. As I previously mentioned, there are numerous “tutorials” on-line (& historical information on thsi forum) - seek & ye shall find. Also, as previously mentioned, part of being a cadet is to use your own initiative & look around for suitable resources / ideas - such as your fellow cadets.
Thank you.
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@MikeJenvey can I suggest that instead of offering a negative response you simply don’t reply if you don’t have anything useful to add.
I would argue this person is using their initiative by engaging members of a like minded and relevant forum.
It’s irrelevant how much advice one has given in the past, everyone learns at a different pace and has a different method of learning.
Offering a closed minded response does nothing to help engagement and ensures this remains a welcoming place.
@pEp, review thread for moderation.