I tried the blow dryer technique today, and it made all the difference in the world. Right when the wax became tacky and noticeably grabbing the shirting, I heated up the area and all just flowed. Makes the process much faster. Thanks
Great video. During my time in the service someone suggested using alcohol preps when spit shining. The problem is that the alcohol in preps is too concentrated and dries out the leather. I scrapped that technique in a hurry. Your idea of diluting alcohol in water works way better. Thanks for the tip. For some reason I cannot figure out is that I have never had trouble with cracking spit shines on creases. This must be something I learned in the service that somehow sneaked in unawares.
Yet another very useful video, Kirby. Though, I have never felt the need of using a hairdryer to heat up the wax. I simply use a leather buffing glove with real wool, and the result is pristine with the right amount of strokes and pressure. I haven't seen you use one of those so far, so I am looking forward to trying out your method next time. I may wish you to share your thoughts on buffing gloves though, since they do not seem to be very common.
Really like the Hacks I remember being in boot camp in the 60s that first spit shine seem to take forever. NOT 30 minutes. I also like the hair blower tip. Been using old t shirts all my life time to spring for a high shine chamois. Thanks again Kirby you keep it interesting.
I've been trying to achieve the illusive mirror shine with only limited success until now. There certainly is a knack to it which comes with practice. Now I wonder what took me so long but hey, I got there in the end.
Great tips and tricks Kirby, I had heard of using alcohol and water while finishing the shine sometime back, I tried it and for me it does work. Now i will have to try it with my Saphir products.
I find that at the final light, fast buffing stage, that using a women's nylon stocking or even easier and cheaper a nylon "pop sock" over your hand gives just the right type of surface friction to really bring out the shine.......but you probably know that!
I find that an old pair of Underoos from your childhood (if you still have some like I do), preferably Scooby Doo or Superman, will be even better than silk or nylon
Thanks, James! A little shine goes a long way! Even as someone who is in this ever day, I'm constantly reminded through my travels how important it actually is!
Really enjoy your videos. Became hooked on keeping my shoes polished (even more than before) after watching your videos. All your tips are gratefully appreciated. However, it seems that now your updating the process for the mirror gloss shine. Question: Why did you decide to now introduce using isopropyl alcohol in the water? What was wrong with your original "plain cold water"? Thanks.
These are just some commonly-discussed "hacks" I wanted to address in a video. Not totally necessary, and I'm able to produce a beautiful mirror shine without using any of them.
I used to do a mirror shine on the whole cap but it cracked the wax a lot as there were creases at the edge within the toe cap. I would wear the shoes first a couple of times, see where the creases form and build the shine up to these creases. It also gives a more subtle mirror shine as well.
Satoshi Sasada, you are likely wearing half a size too large. When you wear the right size, the toe box should never develop cracks on a high quality dress shoe.
Something that you should showcase, that is rather easy.. is the sole edges that you ALWAYS should use wax polish on to elevate the elegance of the shoes and remove scuffs etc! And basicly add colour (Black Saphir wax on sole edges of a black shoe truly renovates it and makes it looks brand new!
Kirby, Is there any concern that the hard waxes will clog the pores and dry or damage the leather if left on long term? Is the answer to occasionally strip the shoe with Renomat and recondition with Renovatuer? Maybe a good video topic? Love the mirror shine series and the entire channel.
I came across to your video channel, and I must say I am very impressed by the quality and very well produced videos. Congratulations and keep it up the excellent work you are producing
Basicly doing a video using the saphir wax to redye the sole edges of a pair of shoes thats been scuffed up would be ideal! Furthermore I'm awaiting the Jan Kielman visit! Keep me posted! Cheers!
Hey Kirby, I have a question about shoe care. What would your advice be for caring for a shoe that has been exposed to rain/water and has gotten wet? I know that prevention is the best way to protect your shoes, but sometimes you may be caught unprepared. What to do in this case to take care of your shoes? A video on this would be awesome.
Hello. I’m new to the high quality shoe world. Although I can’t afford the shoes you have at this time. However, I no longer wear glued on or cemented shoes. I’ve learned so much from you about shoes, how they are made and how to take care of them. My questions are: What shoe creams do you recommend and when you are shining shoes, dies it leave a residue when you really shining? Do I need to designate a place in my home or can you recommend what table or furniture I can purchase to eliminate staining areas of my home? Thank you and keep up the good work!!!!
Those are some interesting tips; I can tell that my more recent shoe shines gave me better results. There's only one thing I don't get; you recommend heating the shoes and create a friction but then use cold water on your chamois which cools down the surface and reduces friction. Why?
Hvit Varulv : Kirby does an excellent job of going through all the steps. I recommend going back and watching his presidential shine video- then add the mirror shine technique. The water is used sparingly, after the base coats are applied and smoothed
I recently tried it with my Sanders chukka boots, and it works well. However, what I have observed is that some leathers tend to be easier to shine than others.
I just put my first mirror shine on a pair of Allen Edmonds black oxfords. I was wondering if it’s appropriate to put that shine in monk straps or are they to casual? Thanks for the new obsession btw!
Hey Mr. Allison, thank you for the help with achieving a perfect mirror shine. One question I had about this has to do with using a hair dryer on the shoes. When using a dryer, do I need to worry about drying out the leather, making it necessary to re-nourish the leather after using the dryer?
Medium heat, or even high heat is fine. Just dont aim the heat in one spot for a long time, use sweeping movement until the wax warms up. If you aim the heat in one spot for too long it can lead to drying out the leather.
Excellent exclamation Kirby you really have outdone yourself this time this really helps understand the process of achieving a mirror shine. I’m curious if you could tell me when did you become such in a fixie annatto and how to become more elegant and dress more proper was it something that was initiated at a young age or was it something that you grew into overtime? Thank you again for all your wonderful videos and I look forward to viewing more soon.
Definitely something I grew into over time. I also had the help of a good friend and mentor that continues to be someone that I talk about how to dress more elegant with! We hope to share some more thoughts about this on the channel in the near future !
Kirby, at 5:23 to 5:29 when you mention the cloth will "...scrape, scratch, or drag across the surface..." of your shoe, and "...disrupt that surface," you mean that as a positive, correct? That is what you want it to do? Thank you.
Great tips, I will definitely try them out. But I have another question: Will you obtain a mirror easier when using Mirror Gloss and Pate De Luxe of the same color as your shoes? I've been using the neutral ones and I get decent results but never as good as yours or Yuya Hasegawa's.
Just sent you a question on your Facebook page with respect to what I need to restore a leather jacket. Once you answer I can complete the order. Thanks so much! Love your show!
Dear Kirby some time ago I bought a pair of Chelsea boots RM Williams and I am struggling to create a micro shine same with Church's. Is there a reason to that? By the way great video. The technique displayed in the video worked perfectly on my Crockett and Jones shoes.
It's best to not wear one's nicest shoes in rain or snow, because it can definitely damage the shoes. Waterproofing with the Saphir Super Invulner the best thing you can do.
Nice 👍. However I am very interested to know when you are going to receive your custom made western boots? Also how western boots can be worn in a more dress/casual manner (besides blue jeans and leather jacket) I have a couple pair and like to know more options available. Look forward to your reply and keep up your content 👍.
It would be nice if you made a video explaining how to polish shoes and get a good shine with regular products (not saphir) like kiwi, etc... Because we, the people from outside the US can't get those products. At least here in my country it would be impossible for me to get saphir products. I just got my first pair of penny loafers and I want to take good care of them. Cheers from Colombia and keep the good work, I really like your videos.
Mateo Calle Gonzalez : Similar results can be had with Kiwi products, as that’s all we had in the US Navy. Same technique as Kirby uses. Kiwi has a neutral polish that is harder with more waxes. They also have a ‘parade gloss’ that has more wax as well. Then a light buffing with the regular kiwi to buff.
Thank you very much for all instructions you give to us, it helps alot ! Just one question, if we want to condition our shoes after some time, does the conditionier penetrates wax? If not, how to condition then?
You're only producing a mirror shine on the cap, which isn't the most important area of the shoe to keep conditioned (it doesn't flex like the vamp). It is also important to remove the waxes every so often to condition the leather. With a mirror shine, it's almost inevitable - the waxes will crack, which then have to be completely stripped off to fix. Take a look at this video: ruclips.net/video/U4_DUbchPBE/видео.html
Are you an advocate of the shining technique using stripe of cotton cloth, that's been sort of looped around the captoe, and then just pull left and right the cloth to produce the shine?
This works also, but generally is used during a typical shoe shine. It is good for buffing one or two coats of polish to a high shine, but the shine is not long-lasting. The technique we show in these videos produces a longer-lasting, more brilliant mirror shine.
Hey everybody, I noticed that when applying the Mirror Gloss that it removes previous layers of Pate de Luxe wax and Pommadier cream. Does anybody had a similar experience and an idea how to prevent this. After the application of multiple layers of mirror gloss it worked almost like Renomat cleaning the stitches etc. Many thanks
Dear mr. Allison, thank you for the great videos. Would you please clarify if alcohol should be isopropyl only or ethanol will work as well? Shining shoes with vodka has a certain appeal.
Hi Kirby. Love the vids. I have real difficulty with achieving the shine you manage. I'm only trying on a pair of mid priced Ted baker shoes and I'm wondering if it's the leather! I'm trying to figure out how to attach a picture to my comment. Right shoe was reasonable but left a complete disaster, it seemed as though the very final coat of mirror gloss took off all the previous layers and took it back down to pitted leather.
This may be a dumb question, but would you recommend the mirror shine on PLAIN toe oxfords? (i.e, would the high shine on the toe box & hind quarters look out of place compared to CAP toes?) Thanks for the videos
Great video! I am thinking to buy my first Allen Edmonds the model would be the fifth avenue, the problem its the color, Im looking for a brown shoe but as you said their brown its more a dark brown almost black, my second option would be the chili but I cant tell if its too "red-ish" cuz I wanted a pair of brown shoes to be more versatile. Which color would you recommend? Thank you!
So you recommend the Saphir Shoe Cream & Polish uh , do you know where I can purchase some of that $20.00 + a can , super magic shoe shine stuff ? Oh ' I see ......... you sell it .
Speaking from the shoe cobbler's perspective definitely the neutral if you don't want to change the color in any way shape or form if the light brown is any different from the cognac and you didn't want it to change then you're kind of screwed so when in doubt always go neutral
Kirby! I have a question! I used too much Saphir Medaille d'Or when trying to darken my shoes. Now I have clogged some of the broguing. How do I go about trying to remove excess shoe creme from the broguing?
Could the blow dryer cause any damage to the shoe if held to close? I figure if anything it would just dehydrate the leather but I’d rather be safe than sorry
Thank you for all these great videos ! I ve enjoyed using a mirror shine for a while now. The biggest problem I face is that with my active life style, eventually I ll crack this shine or get stepped on somehow somewhere wich is fine with me. However, when I try to reshine this pair of shoes, even when the mirror effect comes back, the cracking remains slightly visible and the surface somewhat uneven. Any recomendations or explanation for this ? I do brush and cream them thouroughly first and allow it to dry between cream, wax and mirror finish. Thank you ! Best regards from Portugal
When your mirror shine cracks, use a hair dryer. Put it at it's max setting and slowly apply it to the cracked area. After a couple of minutes the cracks will go away. They're some videos on RUclips that show this process.
I was able to produce a nice mirror shine with as little as three coats. It depends, though, but the Saphir Mirror Gloss definitely make the process faster!
I have a question Kirby. In your videos I've seen you talking about how bringing heat when polishing is good because it melts the wax. But I've also seen you talking about how having I've cold water is also good because it seals the wax. Can you elaborate on this please?
The heat softens the waxes, which will allow the waxes to be pushed into the pours of the leather more easily. But the waxes have to dry and harden to produce a shine, which is what the cold water helps with.
Thanks for this video. Oh, am I colourblind here as I notice the colour of your blow dryer is red from distance? However when the camera is getting closer, the blow dryer is orange. Must be some “patina” effect apply on blow dryer. 🤣
When I joined the Army 60 years ago, we had to learn how to 'bull' our boots. I can produce a better shine than you with a tin of Kiwi polish , a yellow duster and plenty of spit. I still have my old 'best boots' , which I kept when I left the Army and they still have a mirror finish. A tin of Kiwi is as good as anything else on the market.
So... 'if you wanna have a mirror shine, you better buy our products', I mean it is very useful information, obviously you can learn a lot but c'mon, I know is a business but it is almost like watching one of those late night commercials on TV, that is the problem with this 'style' channel's it is like a long masked ad, or sometimes a place for this 'stylish men's' to brag about their fancy expensive garments, there's no credibility on that,... Just an opinion.
I tried the blow dryer technique today, and it made all the difference in the world. Right when the wax became tacky and noticeably grabbing the shirting, I heated up the area and all just flowed. Makes the process much faster. Thanks
Stay tuned for today's video..
Great video. During my time in the service someone suggested using alcohol preps when spit shining. The problem is that the alcohol in preps is too concentrated and dries out the leather. I scrapped that technique in a hurry. Your idea of diluting alcohol in water works way better. Thanks for the tip. For some reason I cannot figure out is that I have never had trouble with cracking spit shines on creases. This must be something I learned in the service that somehow sneaked in unawares.
Yet another very useful video, Kirby. Though, I have never felt the need of using a hairdryer to heat up the wax. I simply use a leather buffing glove with real wool, and the result is pristine with the right amount of strokes and pressure. I haven't seen you use one of those so far, so I am looking forward to trying out your method next time. I may wish you to share your thoughts on buffing gloves though, since they do not seem to be very common.
Yes - we have had those shoe shine mitts in the past. I've never been successful with one during the high shine, process, though.
Really like the Hacks I remember being in boot camp in the 60s that first spit shine seem to take forever. NOT 30 minutes. I also like the hair blower tip. Been using old t shirts all my life time to spring for a high shine chamois. Thanks again Kirby you keep it interesting.
A dress shirt works even better than t-shirts!
I've been trying to achieve the illusive mirror shine with only limited success until now. There certainly is a knack to it which comes with practice. Now I wonder what took me so long but hey, I got there in the end.
Awesome! Please post something on Instagram using #shareyourshine. Would love to see the shoes!
Another awesome video from the Hanger Project!! Kirby does a great job with educating folks how to take great care of their shoes and wardrobe!!
Great tips and tricks Kirby, I had heard of using alcohol and water while finishing the shine sometime back, I tried it and for me it does work. Now i will have to try it with my Saphir products.
Let us know how it works out!
i sure will,
I find that at the final light, fast buffing stage, that using a women's nylon stocking or even easier and cheaper a nylon "pop sock" over your hand gives just the right type of surface friction to really bring out the shine.......but you probably know that!
Roger Crier: If you can find an old 100% silk scarf- it’s even bette than nylon...
I find that an old pair of Underoos from your childhood (if you still have some like I do), preferably Scooby Doo or Superman, will be even better than silk or nylon
Yes, Roger, I should have included that! It for sure works.
Roger Crier i use a microfiber cloth
Great video. Keep up the good traditions especially for the younger generation!
The younger generation is here and learning.
Indeed, we're present ;-)
Thanks, James! A little shine goes a long way! Even as someone who is in this ever day, I'm constantly reminded through my travels how important it actually is!
Shines oxfords are a rare sight, use it daily so maybe I spread some inspiration :)
Really enjoy your videos. Became hooked on keeping my shoes polished (even more than before) after watching your videos. All your tips are gratefully appreciated. However, it seems that now your updating the process for the mirror gloss shine. Question: Why did you decide to now introduce using isopropyl alcohol in the water? What was wrong with your original "plain cold water"? Thanks.
These are just some commonly-discussed "hacks" I wanted to address in a video. Not totally necessary, and I'm able to produce a beautiful mirror shine without using any of them.
I used to do a mirror shine on the whole cap but it cracked the wax a lot as there were creases at the edge within the toe cap. I would wear the shoes first a couple of times, see where the creases form and build the shine up to these creases. It also gives a more subtle mirror shine as well.
Satoshi Sasada, you are likely wearing half a size too large. When you wear the right size, the toe box should never develop cracks on a high quality dress shoe.
Something that you should showcase, that is rather easy.. is the sole edges that you ALWAYS should use wax polish on to elevate the elegance of the shoes and remove scuffs etc! And basicly add colour (Black Saphir wax on sole edges of a black shoe truly renovates it and makes it looks brand new!
Totally agree. We have some videos on edge care.
Love the suit coat.
Thanks, Chris!
Kirby,
Is there any concern that the hard waxes will clog the pores and dry or damage the leather if left on long term? Is the answer to occasionally strip the shoe with Renomat and recondition with Renovatuer? Maybe a good video topic? Love the mirror shine series and the entire channel.
Thank you Kirby! This solved my Saint Crispin issue! The alcohol makes all the difference on these!
Awesome!
I came across to your video channel, and I must say I am very impressed by the quality and very well produced videos. Congratulations and keep it up the excellent work you are producing
Basicly doing a video using the saphir wax to redye the sole edges of a pair of shoes thats been scuffed up would be ideal! Furthermore I'm awaiting the Jan Kielman visit! Keep me posted! Cheers!
Thank you Kirby... your tips are helpful
Hey Kirby, I have a question about shoe care. What would your advice be for caring for a shoe that has been exposed to rain/water and has gotten wet? I know that prevention is the best way to protect your shoes, but sometimes you may be caught unprepared. What to do in this case to take care of your shoes? A video on this would be awesome.
Best thing to do is antique or darken the shoe. Check out this video: ruclips.net/video/CbABrFZ6s0Q/видео.html
Hello. I’m new to the high quality shoe world. Although I can’t afford the shoes you have at this time. However, I no longer wear glued on or cemented shoes. I’ve learned so much from you about shoes, how they are made and how to take care of them. My questions are: What shoe creams do you recommend and when you are shining shoes, dies it leave a residue when you really shining? Do I need to designate a place in my home or can you recommend what table or furniture I can purchase to eliminate staining areas of my home? Thank you and keep up the good work!!!!
Thanks for the great video, Kirby! Quick question: were did you purchased your shoe shine carpet?
Great tips. Thanks Kirby.
What colors of the Saphir cream does the Bordeaux Mirror Shine pair with? Are there certain colors that using Clear Mirror Shine is a better option?
Shining shoes is like honing my straight razors on Japanese whetstones, your always chasing that perfect edge lol
thank you mr kirby about this vedio exelent .
Those are some interesting tips; I can tell that my more recent shoe shines gave me better results. There's only one thing I don't get; you recommend heating the shoes and create a friction but then use cold water on your chamois which cools down the surface and reduces friction. Why?
Hvit Varulv: In my experience; the heat from friction or other sources, smooths the surface of the wax. The water cools/hardens the was for buffing.
So when should I use water and when should I not?
Hvit Varulv : Kirby does an excellent job of going through all the steps. I recommend going back and watching his presidential shine video- then add the mirror shine technique. The water is used sparingly, after the base coats are applied and smoothed
Great suggestion for Hvit, Brent! Thanks!!
I recently tried it with my Sanders chukka boots, and it works well. However, what I have observed is that some leathers tend to be easier to shine than others.
I just put my first mirror shine on a pair of Allen Edmonds black oxfords. I was wondering if it’s appropriate to put that shine in monk straps or are they to casual? Thanks for the new obsession btw!
Absolutely! Every pair of shoes looks better with a proper mirror shine.
Hey Mr. Allison, thank you for the help with achieving a perfect mirror shine. One question I had about this has to do with using a hair dryer on the shoes. When using a dryer, do I need to worry about drying out the leather, making it necessary to re-nourish the leather after using the dryer?
No, you shouldn't worry about drying out the leather.
Medium heat, or even high heat is fine. Just dont aim the heat in one spot for a long time, use sweeping movement until the wax warms up. If you aim the heat in one spot for too long it can lead to drying out the leather.
Excellent exclamation Kirby you really have outdone yourself this time this really helps understand the process of achieving a mirror shine. I’m curious if you could tell me when did you become such in a fixie annatto and how to become more elegant and dress more proper was it something that was initiated at a young age or was it something that you grew into overtime? Thank you again for all your wonderful videos and I look forward to viewing more soon.
Definitely something I grew into over time. I also had the help of a good friend and mentor that continues to be someone that I talk about how to dress more elegant with! We hope to share some more thoughts about this on the channel in the near future !
Could you do a video using the saphir wax to elevate scuffed sole edges, instead of the saphir edge colouring you used in one video?
Great thanks
thanks for all the tips MR Hanger project
Kirby, at 5:23 to 5:29 when you mention the cloth will "...scrape, scratch, or drag across the surface..." of your shoe, and "...disrupt that surface," you mean that as a positive, correct? That is what you want it to do? Thank you.
Have you use Amiral Gloss by Saphir?
Great tips, I will definitely try them out. But I have another question: Will you obtain a mirror easier when using Mirror Gloss and Pate De Luxe of the same color as your shoes? I've been using the neutral ones and I get decent results but never as good as yours or Yuya Hasegawa's.
It's all about practice. Some people prefer using a Pate de Luxe of a different color in order to increase the depth of the shine.
Just sent you a question on your Facebook page with respect to what I need to restore a leather jacket. Once you answer I can complete the order. Thanks so much! Love your show!
Dear Kirby some time ago I bought a pair of Chelsea boots RM Williams and I am struggling to create a micro shine same with Church's. Is there a reason to that? By the way great video. The technique displayed in the video worked perfectly on my Crockett and Jones shoes.
Another nicely done video, what shoe type and/or additional care measures do you take when rain or snow may be an issue?
It's best to not wear one's nicest shoes in rain or snow, because it can definitely damage the shoes. Waterproofing with the Saphir Super Invulner the best thing you can do.
Nice 👍. However I am very interested to know when you are going to receive your custom made western boots? Also how western boots can be worn in a more dress/casual manner (besides blue jeans and leather jacket) I have a couple pair and like to know more options available. Look forward to your reply and keep up your content 👍.
I need to follow up on this now!
It would be nice if you made a video explaining how to polish shoes and get a good shine with regular products (not saphir) like kiwi, etc... Because we, the people from outside the US can't get those products. At least here in my country it would be impossible for me to get saphir products. I just got my first pair of penny loafers and I want to take good care of them. Cheers from Colombia and keep the good work, I really like your videos.
Mateo Calle Gonzalez : Similar results can be had with Kiwi products, as that’s all we had in the US Navy. Same technique as Kirby uses. Kiwi has a neutral polish that is harder with more waxes. They also have a ‘parade gloss’ that has more wax as well. Then a light buffing with the regular kiwi to buff.
The techniques are all the same. Everything we talk about on this channel should work with other brands of polishes.
1:29 look at that difference! It’s night and day
Thank you very much for all instructions you give to us, it helps alot ! Just one question, if we want to condition our shoes after some time, does the conditionier penetrates wax? If not, how to condition then?
You're only producing a mirror shine on the cap, which isn't the most important area of the shoe to keep conditioned (it doesn't flex like the vamp). It is also important to remove the waxes every so often to condition the leather. With a mirror shine, it's almost inevitable - the waxes will crack, which then have to be completely stripped off to fix.
Take a look at this video: ruclips.net/video/U4_DUbchPBE/видео.html
Are you an advocate of the shining technique using stripe of cotton cloth, that's been sort of looped around the captoe, and then just pull left and right the cloth to produce the shine?
This works also, but generally is used during a typical shoe shine. It is good for buffing one or two coats of polish to a high shine, but the shine is not long-lasting. The technique we show in these videos produces a longer-lasting, more brilliant mirror shine.
Hey everybody, I noticed that when applying the Mirror Gloss that it removes previous layers of Pate de Luxe wax and Pommadier cream. Does anybody had a similar experience and an idea how to prevent this. After the application of multiple layers of mirror gloss it worked almost like Renomat cleaning the stitches etc. Many thanks
Some of the wax underneath will come off. It is normal in my opinion
Dear mr. Allison, thank you for the great videos. Would you please clarify if alcohol should be isopropyl only or ethanol will work as well? Shining shoes with vodka has a certain appeal.
isopropyl
Hi Kirby.
Love the vids.
I have real difficulty with achieving the shine you manage. I'm only trying on a pair of mid priced Ted baker shoes and I'm wondering if it's the leather!
I'm trying to figure out how to attach a picture to my comment. Right shoe was reasonable but left a complete disaster, it seemed as though the very final coat of mirror gloss took off all the previous layers and took it back down to pitted leather.
When will we be able to purchase a leather shoe shine carpet from you?
They should be shipping from France this week...
How about the admiral gloss?
Is it possible to attain a mirror shine with moneysworth wax and cloth?
Please: "Med - Eye - Door". Not "Medalle Dior"
I'll work on this, David! Thanks!
What???
can i use the netral colour to mirrow gloss a black shoe?
This may be a dumb question, but would you recommend the mirror shine on PLAIN toe oxfords? (i.e, would the high shine on the toe box & hind quarters look out of place compared to CAP toes?) Thanks for the videos
I'd absolutely recommend the mirror shine on anything, really, especially cap toe oxfords!
Great video! I am thinking to buy my first Allen Edmonds the model would be the fifth avenue, the problem its the color, Im looking for a brown shoe but as you said their brown its more a dark brown almost black, my second option would be the chili but I cant tell if its too "red-ish" cuz I wanted a pair of brown shoes to be more versatile. Which color would you recommend?
Thank you!
Thank you for the answer.
I already have a black dress shoes, I would like to add a new pair for my collection. Which one would you recommend?
So you recommend the Saphir Shoe Cream & Polish uh , do you know where I can purchase some of that $20.00 + a can , super magic shoe shine stuff ? Oh ' I see ......... you sell it .
Thanks for those videos, just a question, on a brown cognac shoes should I use neutral mirror glass or light Brow ?
Thank you.
Speaking from the shoe cobbler's perspective definitely the neutral if you don't want to change the color in any way shape or form if the light brown is any different from the cognac and you didn't want it to change then you're kind of screwed so when in doubt always go neutral
Kirby! I have a question! I used too much Saphir Medaille d'Or when trying to darken my shoes. Now I have clogged some of the broguing. How do I go about trying to remove excess shoe creme from the broguing?
Impossible to prevent clogging of the pours when doing a mirror shine. You can pick out the wax using a toothpick or letter opener.
Could the blow dryer cause any damage to the shoe if held to close? I figure if anything it would just dehydrate the leather but I’d rather be safe than sorry
No... you're not using the hair dryer for long enough to really risk damaging the leather. Just use your judgement.
How much warm should we keep the tin?
Yeah all these nice shoes are great but nothing made an impression like the duct taped Vans I wore in high school.
Thank you for all these great videos ! I ve enjoyed using a mirror shine for a while now. The biggest problem I face is that with my active life style, eventually I ll crack this shine or get stepped on somehow somewhere wich is fine with me. However, when I try to reshine this pair of shoes, even when the mirror effect comes back, the cracking remains slightly visible and the surface somewhat uneven. Any recomendations or explanation for this ? I do brush and cream them thouroughly first and allow it to dry between cream, wax and mirror finish. Thank you ! Best regards from Portugal
When your mirror shine cracks, use a hair dryer. Put it at it's max setting and slowly apply it to the cracked area. After a couple of minutes the cracks will go away.
They're some videos on RUclips that show this process.
@thehangerproject
If I am using the Medaille d'Or Mirror Gloss does that mean I dont need to use the pate d luxe high glass?
Take a look at this video: ruclips.net/video/F7T-c-BY0S0/видео.html
How many coats do you need to create the mirror gloss with the pate de luxe if it’s not dried like you mentioned?
I was able to produce a nice mirror shine with as little as three coats. It depends, though, but the Saphir Mirror Gloss definitely make the process faster!
thanks!
I have a question Kirby.
In your videos I've seen you talking about how bringing heat when polishing is good because it melts the wax. But I've also seen you talking about how having I've cold water is also good because it seals the wax.
Can you elaborate on this please?
The heat softens the waxes, which will allow the waxes to be pushed into the pours of the leather more easily. But the waxes have to dry and harden to produce a shine, which is what the cold water helps with.
Bernard
How do you keep the mirror shine from scratching so easily?
Unfortunately, you don't... it's like trying to keep fingerprints off of a glass dining room table...
Can't get a proper Mirror shine had more than 4 coats of mirror gloss on
This is one video that I had not seen of your's. The only thing that I don't do is to add the alcohol to my water.
Those shoes cracked the instant he worse them because he mirror shined over crease.
My brouges are mirror shined
Thanks for this video. Oh, am I colourblind here as I notice the colour of your blow dryer is red from distance? However when the camera is getting closer, the blow dryer is orange. Must be some “patina” effect apply on blow dryer. 🤣
Haha.
When I joined the Army 60 years ago, we had to learn how to 'bull' our boots. I can produce a better shine than you with a tin of Kiwi polish , a yellow duster and plenty of spit. I still have my old 'best boots' , which I kept when I left the Army and they still have a mirror finish. A tin of Kiwi is as good as anything else on the market.
I’m sure this is a good method but it’s not a hack... 😂 shoe shine hack - buy polish and a chamois cloth 🤪
So... 'if you wanna have a mirror shine, you better buy our products', I mean it is very useful information, obviously you can learn a lot but c'mon, I know is a business but it is almost like watching one of those late night commercials on TV, that is the problem with this 'style' channel's it is like a long masked ad, or sometimes a place for this 'stylish men's' to brag about their fancy expensive garments, there's no credibility on that,... Just an opinion.
You can always use other polishes... process is the same. But, yes, we do pay for our channel by selling shoe polish.