I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to make a new topic this is my first post, it’s about can someone help me with what’s going on with my shoes!
It’s like after polishing it looks fine for a bit but then after it has minor scratch marks/ scuffs nd doesn’t look as fresh and clean.
Can anyone help with this?
I use Saphir pate de luxe,
Strip it off, start again.
It’ll be quicker than trying to fill in the large scratches.
There are a few things I’m inclined to point out or ask, though I would agree that those caps need a fresh start as Mike says:
There looks to be some pretty bad scratch damage on there - how did those happen? It’s the kind of marks you might see when someone steps on your shoe or something is dropped on it…
There are also some very fine scratches that look like they might be there from polishing - as if your cloth/cotton had picked up grit and you dragged it around while bulling.
There’s a lot of (what looks in the picture to be) dust that looks like it could be embedded or on the surface - how are you storing them?
The welts (the ridged bit on the top around the edge of the sole) looks incredibly dusty. Get a toothbrush and some water to clean that as could be a source of dust for your polishing cloth.
How thick are you applying the polish, what are you polishing with, are you using any water, and have you attempted any hacks or techniques that aren’t the simple ingredients of “polish, cloth, water, bull”?
Is the polish dry and cracked in the tin? Looks like it’s flaking away such as an old polish might, but…
That shoe looks like it might be a softer leather stye, so we can try to solve some things, but it’s possible that those caps may never retain a good, permanent shine.
I’m honestly not too sure how it happened to be honest but I would say it will be cadets standing on them on accident,
Thanks for the help there I will give it a go restarting that after tonight’s cadets as I’m not sure if I’ll have enough time before tonight. I started off using Kiwi polish and in the tin is really cracked and have just moved onto Saphir this past week so the tin is all fine there.
I just store mine on the shoe rack near my door, obviously now I’m starting to think it isn’t the best idea, where’s the best place to store my shoes and polish?
But yeah I think the shoes are very old and have been worn by quiet a few people in the past. I’ll keep on going at them for tonight to try cover up the scratches but I’ll restart caps soon!
How do you best recommend to restart? Hair dryer on max heat? Or I have seen someone j think it was Mr bull and shine using sandpaper
Stick with the safer option of heat and a cloth, bit of brushing under a warm tap, that sort of thing.
A closeable box large enough for the shoes to be stored “right way up”, but not big they can rattle around too much. pack it with some spare cloths if you need to. With or without a box it can help to lay a soft, clean cloth over the top of them too for dust protection.
For the polish: cool, dry place. In one of the shoes could be as good a place as any (never lose it that was either).
Yeah that’s not going to help, but you wouldn’t know until you know because to most people “polish is polish, right?”
For an interim partial rescue, get a toothbrush, clean cloth/cotton, and a running cold tap. Brush the dust out of the welts under the tap and then gently run your cloth over the cap under the tap to remove as much surface debris as possible without marking it. Keep transitioning to a clean section or piece of cotton until you’ve got as much as you can lifted off and then let it rinse a bit under the tap. Bull as normal with clean cloth and cold water using small amounts of polish and light pressure - if it feels like you’re scratching them, you are. Stop, clean cloth, check the surface for obvious debris before continuing.
What about the old trick of some fine wire wool to get it all smooth again, then start repolishing? Can sometimes fix minor cracking and means you don’t have to start again?
Not something I’ve had to do for a few years, so not sure what the latest tricks are.
There are plenty of tricks that can work well, but are absolute hell if it goes wrong.
Alternatively, I keep mine in separate felt bags on the top shelf of my wardrobe. The bags keep the dust off and naturally buff the shoes in transit, while being on the top shelf protects them from damage.
Use a hair dryer and kitchen towel to remove all the polish.
Once removed apply layers of polish with no water until it becomes tacky. Like a bulling motion I use my bare finger for this as i find it easier to just when its that sticky feeling and it helps generate heat.
Leave it for an hour. Brush the polish off, start bulling.
