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shoe shine kits

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robphelan

robphelan

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anyone recommend a nice shoe shine kit - I have built up a set of nice shoes that I want to keep looking good.

anyone use anything special? I bought an inexpensive kit from kiwi which included 1 black, 1 brown, 2 small round foam applicators, 1 horsehair brush & 1 strip of polishing cloth.

seems OK, but am curious if anyone is using anything special.

 
After years of shining boots I can say this with authority. You just need a horsehair brush, an applicator brush (a smaller, round brush), and a cloth diaper (or a cotton cloth of some type). I like to have an old tooth brush for getting smaller crevices, too.

There are tons of techniques for shining and each individual will have theirs. That being said, do not burn Kiwi in order to melt the wax. Evar. Wax will build up a layer and dry. Polish the layer. Successive layers will improve the sheen and you will be able to spit shine with a cloth, if you desire. On rare occasion you will need to use saddle soap to clean your leather. I recommend using a leather dye (of appropriate color) after letting your footwear dry. After the leather dye is dry, begin the polishing process.

Spit shining is a must on certain occasions and outfits. For example, a tux requires the shiniest shoes possible. You may not opt for 'casual' shoes in a tux. I also like spit shining my wife's riding boots, because they're more expensive than any footwear that I've owned ($400-$500) and it's important to maintain an investment.

 
It could be any, but know what to avoid. Like Kiwi's Parade Polish and that liquid polish come to mind.
 
There's really nothing special required. I like to apply the polish with my fingers so I skip the applicator brush. Use the horsehair brush for a regular shine and the shine cloth for a higher gloss. Finishing them off with a light coat of a quick shine spray will protect the finish and make it last longer, but will require deglazing to remove buildup from time to time and is not strictly necessary.
 
in year 12 i had to have shiny shoes for some school crap

i thought it would be a good idea to spray paint my school schoes.

Hence i say this with authority: Spray paint does not work on shoes.

My mum was pissed
 
Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
There's really nothing special required. I like to apply the polish with my fingers so I skip the applicator brush. Use the horsehair brush for a regular shine and the shine cloth for a higher gloss. Finishing them off with a light coat of a quick shine spray will protect the finish and make it last longer, but will require deglazing to remove buildup from time to time and is not strictly necessary.
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I also prefer using my fingers to apply the polish. For high-gloss areas like the toes and heels, I'll actually slap the polish. You get a certain touch from the process that clues you in to the next step and brings out a lustrous shine.

I've also used 600 grit sand paper successfully, too.

But these are personal tricks and I wouldn't recommend them to a newbie. I would spend hours getting a pair of foot wear ready for duty. After all that hard work and effort, I'd be able to spend just 30 minutes getting it back to an extremely high gloss spit shine. It kept higher ranking people from getting in my face.

I wouldn't recommend a 'quick shine spray', though. These are usually acrylic and can damage the leather after a while.
 
I go for simplicity

1x Can of Kiwi Black Shoe Polish
1x Horsehair Brush
1x Applicator Brush
1x Kiwi Cloth
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: keird
It kept higher ranking people from getting in my face.
Click to expand...

So it kept them getting in your ass? *shiver* 🙂
Click to expand...

To be honest, I was going to write
It kept higher ranking people from getting in my shit.
Click to expand...

But it seemed a too gratuitious use of the word. I was wrong. This is ATOT were everything must be talen out of context for teh lulz.


 
I've been shining my shoes for a while and can put a fierce shine into my dress shoes. One of the ex-service guys in my office said he used to put rubbing alcohol into the wax and then lite it to melt the wax. I never tried that so I can't say if that is a good idea, but I don't believe alcohol is good for the leather. An important tip is to wax your shoes before wearing them out for the first time.

My shoe shine box is one of those metal cookie tins and contains:

1. A can of kiwi wax (I only wear black dress shoes so I only need 1 can)
2. A 100% cotton white t-shirt
3. A one of those felt buffing brushes.

there are 2 secrets to getting a good shine.
1. water (I was told spit damages the leather)
2. wax application

Here is the process
1. get a wet paper towel and clean off your shoes really well, don't bother drying off the shoes.
2. put in about 4 drops of water onto the tin of wax
3. wrap the cotton T-shirt around your index and middle finger, soak that part of the T-shirt by putting it under running water, shake off excess water.
4. rub the water into the wax (with your wet t-shirt wrapped fingers) until enough wax is fully saturated (add more water if necessary)
5. apply wax in a thin layer (use small circles) all over the exterior of the shoe, pay special attention to the tip and the area where the shoe bends.
6. repeat with other shoe
7. buff with felt brush/cloth or whatever you have

Repeat weekly/daily

 
I never used cream before, but I read a review saying that it doesn't protect the leather from scuffs and cream does not provide as good a shine as wax.

All of the dress shoes I have owned had a tip where the leather was harder then the rest of the shoe and that seemes to hold the shine better. I've never had a problem with kiwi wax, but I can't say for certain it's the best as I have not used other products except for the paste which didn't shine as good.

It is unfair to say that kiwi is not good for dress shoes, as I have excellent results with kiwi on dress shoes.
 
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