Ok so I’ve recently been on D&C and got my parade shoes to a really high standard of shine. However the very next day the shine has disappeared. What do I do it took me ages and it keeps on disappearing? I don’t cheat I do it the way your supposed to. I don’t use parade gloss I use kiwi black, I use cotton wool and do it the method your supposed to do. I do have grafters parade shoes not issue ones but very similar. However my friend also a cadet has grafters from the same shop and hers hold a shine and I do exactly the same as her. I’m reluctant to buy new parade shoes because of how expensive they can be?
I’ve tried protecting them with socks and tights but that just makes them dull even more
My initial thought is that the shoes are slightly damp on the inside, that tends to be culprit when shoes just won’t hold a shine.
Stuff them with news paper, put them somewhere warm (ish) and dry, and change the paper every day or so. After a week of that they should be bone dry - if they won’t hold a shine after that then there’s something wrong with the surface of the shoe.
Personally I just use floor polish…
i find it interesting you twice say “the way your supposed to” as if there is a prescribed “correct way” to shine shoes.
I also argue for Parade Gloss having used it for the last 15 years.
Shine is what you make it.
personally i use damp cotton wool and parade gloss and happy to put 10 minutes of effort in 1/2 week to maintain the shine.
shiny shoes proves nothing if the rest of your uniform isn’t also at a high standard. yes shoes can be impressive but is no excuse for fading creases and fluff elsewhere on uniform.
(i’ve nothing to help with your question, just trying to ensure you’re not chasing the wrong goals)
See floor polish is a cheat and can cause white spots to form on the show if it gets wet and I do try and maintain the shoe by polishing it once or twice a week and a third the night before generally the other two are on the Monday cadets on Wednesday and then either Thursday or Friday. I’ll try seeing if I can dry them but surely that will cause the leather to crack by drying them out. The method your supposed to means the most common method. Sorry…
Thank you
Trust me my uniform is fine : ) Well I hope so …
A sweaty sock will bring back the shine for a short period. It has to have bean worn and the sweater the better…
Ok… I heard the Coldstream guards beeswax their shoes to harden the shoe/boot to help them hold a shine is that a cheat. Also does drying them out as a person said above achieve the same thing by hardening the shoe.
The Coldstream Guards beeswax their boots because the initial texture of the leather is mottled and wrinkled. By beeswaxing them, you harden the leather and create a smoother surface. (There is more to the process than just melting beeswax on.)
Beeswaxing shoes and boots also creates a waterproofing layer, which will trap the moisture inside the shoes, and of course, out of the shoes, therefore you should let them dry out first before attempting the beeswaxing.
Beeswaxing has no effect on ‘holding a shine’. The best way to keep a shine is by polishing your shoes regularly and often, building up the layers of polish, which become smoother and therefore shine better. Once a substantive base has been created, it should only take 10 minutes to bring a shoe back up to a reasonable shine, and that is the best way to keep a shine.
From my experience, there’s no point in beeswaxing the toe caps of parade shoes as the leather is already hardened. I personally beeswax the uppers of my shoes, but that is because they are second hand and the leather is in a poor state.
tl;dr beeswaxing isn’t worth the effort, it doesn’t help to hold a shine, it’s not cheating and it will only trap any moisture.
Coolio just hadn’t heard of it before Thank you 