Bull your boots: The art of polishing for a military shine
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- Опубликовано: 21 май 2023
- The term 'bulling' is used by the British military and refers to the method used to polish shoes or boots, giving the leather a shine with a mirror-like finish.
Learning the art of bulling can take many months or even years to perfect.
Kingsman Conan Bligh from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, who took part in the King's coronation, demonstrates how Armed Forces personnel on parade get their boots to look pristine with a step-by-step guide to bulling boots to perfection.
More: www.forces.net/stories/how-bull-boots-art-polishing-military-shine
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After labouring away on my boots during Basic i thought they were looking good, my section commander said "You got a good base, now get a shine on them 😢
Polished a copper piece in metalwork class in secondary school to a mirror finish. Took it to show the teacher filled with hope, and he looked at it, handed it back "So when are you going to polish it ?"
Damn near broke me.
Mine sent me to the Drill Shed for bulling rings😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
i had the opposite issue when i brought a set of boots myself and wore them immediately so no polish at all people complemented the shine and it was partially disheartening because i thought they looked so dull
My platoon Sjt (rifles spelling of sgt) in training “nobody is to waste time and effort and military productivity into making something needlessly shiny, therefore if you can shoot well and soldier well, I’ll take the hit for your already shiny but not shiny enough boots on parade”
Wisest man in the army!
Must be a former RGJ bloke 😂
My drill sgt always said “shiny boots only attract snipers, the army going to tan suede boots was the smartest descision ever”
@@tylerf5190 very true🤣, UK standard issue boot for general purpose and field use is brown and they aren't polished like this, this is just for drill/ceremonial purposes when they wear their 1s
@@randomuser1911 The field boots need to be well maintained as well , poorly maintained boots can result in damage to the boots which in turn will cause damage to the wearer's feet. It is just a different procedure to clean the new types of boots.
@@1973Washu yeah of course, all I’m saying is that GP boots don’t get a mirror shine
Bulling boots is an art, I found it very relaxing & therapeutic. I still clean shoes to a high standard now 28 years since leaving.
Sitting around in a group, snacks, drinks, etc, and just chattin talking bs. I miss that
What a melt
What a sad man you are 😂
Bulling shoes today...
Bulling boots was introduced in the British Army in the Victorian Era to ensure troops especially in the outposts of Empire were kept busy in their spare time and kept from causing mischief. It serves no other purpose than keeping squaddies occupied. The US Army which based its training on the Prussians in the 1850's don't have this obsession neither do the French.
The French and Americans, yeah sure we should be following their military lead! Maybe looking after your boots means that your feet are looked after and therefore you are fit to march and fight 🤔
The only time we did that( called spit’s polish) was for significant parades-only did one in my 2 years of service so didn’t waste too much time
What a load of rot! it has nothing to do with giving blighters something to do! Bulling boots is as much a part of leather care as it is part of an inspection to show how clean and well looked after your equipment is and for parades. If you had tack for horses you're doing it a lot!! It also instils discipline and uniformity to the equipment on parade. If you had served you'd know that, and if you had ever served with the French, you'd know what many regiments, who have amazing parade uniforms, do bull their boots for parades as well! Seeing as you obviously never served, and have no idea about the French military, I can only conclude that you have no idea what you're talking about.
USMC Drill Instructors have entered the chat
Do lets stay busy. Idle hands are the devil's playground.
Doing this in the military cured me of ever wanting to do this in civilian life.
Right on. Thoughts of polishing shoes now is the last job i want to do. Such a waste of effort and polish.
@@TeezerDriz During the pandemic I would touch up my dress shoes when I had to go somewhere and couldn't find a shoe shine guy. One of the last skills I thought I would use as a civilian lawyer.
Yep. Brush polish on, brush polish off. Done.
Boots are made to be used, not to be pretty😂
Exactly how I feel. I dont even own a pair of leather shoes anymore.
That sure does bring back memories (many an evening polishing boots and service dress shoes).
I was taught how to shine boots by an uncle who was a Marine in Vietnam. When I went to basic training for the Army in 98. I was so good at shining them that the Drill Sergeant made me teach my whole platoon how to do it. Damn they looked good.
What shine did you use?
@@ShadowJack4488 Normal polish available at the PX. I used cotton balls dipped in water and then loaded with polish using a circular motion. Then using a circular motion and light pressure apply to boots. It may take several hours just to get the toes and heals mirror like so it may take you several sessions to get it. It takes patience. I was in reception for an extended time and had nothing to do.
@@michaelholt8590 thank you so much! What was the brand of polish? Or what was it made of?
@@ShadowJack4488 As I recall it was kiwi polish. Black of course
How did you keep your polish from cracking I just polished my boots and the polish already is cracking. Maybe I used to thick of a layer?
I was a Canadian Army cadet, with the Governor General's Horse Guard. A very good looking regiment it is. This was in the late 80's. We competed on who had the best boots and we strived for a mirror finish. If boot got scuffed by someother than the bearer of said boot, the situation got tense and agresive. We were proud of our uniform and when we paraded with other regiments it showed. This clip brought back many memories. It is important wether you are in the military or a civilian to have pride in yourself, dress, conduct and especially what you do.
What did you use to mirror finish them?
A Back to normal RUclips video. Interesting, you learn something and it's 3 minutes. Great video : ) more please.
I used to love polishing my boots, I was a spit polish and a little bit of water but more spit lol. Always had nice polished boots on parade and ironed uniform and my Sgt would always compliment me on how well I did it which made me feel good as I took pride in wearing the late Queen’s uniform.
Sgts never compliment on polished boots 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 walter
Now what compelled you to watch a boot shining tutorial is what I'm wondering lol??
@@ImaSMACKHEAD982 well mine did.
@@fredericp64 just came across it on my homepage and thought it sounded good to watch as that’s the point of videos on RUclips is to watch them isn’t it.
Too many memories, I had two pair of best boots, swapped them when needed. At the end i used to run them under the cold tap and used cotton wool to harden the toe caps.
I would saturate the boot with polish then ignite portions with a lighter. I would then brush it . Using warm water, i would spit shine polishing small circles. After that we would spray rubbing alcohol on it (not beeswax) to give it a mirror shine. The alcohol prevents scuffs.
Doesnt the alchohol degrade the leather?
@@TreStyles-tq4le No, it's on top of the polish
Nope. You are wrong
@@TreStyles-tq4le no
What is on top of the polish? Explain your statement
Havent worked that hard on a shoe shine...ever. Mad skills...👏🇬🇧❤️🙏🇺🇸
Well your religious sooo
@@ImaSMACKHEAD982Religion has nothing to do with laziness, don't be rude and judge people solely based on their religion.
I started out as a Cadet in Canada where my polishing skills began,I transitioned to a Militia unit where I finished my skills. This skill set has followed me all my life, (I was born when dirt was new) in a momentary lapse of reason I enlisted in the US military at age 28. During basic my mates were fascinated by my polishing technique as the American military doesn't seem to have the same desire to outshine their mess mates. I ended up teaching the whole group the Canadian way (British) way of doing your boots. I made a tidy sum of money by helping the group shine brighter than the other groups. The DI's were most impressed with how well we reflected their images.
Amazingly, I have a similar background: RCAC, militia, later NG officer!
What did you use to get them mirror shined?
@@ShadowJack4488 nylon stocking,kiwi shoe polish, anything cotton for applicator,elbow grease...lots of elbow grease,water,elbow grease,repeat previous actions,a bit of sheepskin helps the final bit to improve shine.
Served in the US Navy (us and the coast guard are the only services that still polish boots in basic). I had mirrors on my feet in training, but I've been out for a while and forgot my boot polishing technique. I recently got hired as a first responder and wanted to make a good first impression. 10 coats doing what I remembered doesn't compare to 2 coats doing it this way, which was actually what I learned in cadets 10+ years ago. Hot water and running a lighter under the polish tin to soften it up helps too!
Very brief and nicely explained... Thanks sir
In the 70s the DMS boots had to be smoothed out using a hot spoon and candle to remove the pimples. Hours of work even before they seen polish.
I remember doing this in the 60s. A great many spare moments were spent doing this. Then, when you went on parade you would walk flat footed to stop them polish cracking.
I was in San Antonio for basic in July and the salt came through the polish and ruined it.
First thing we did was to take a hot iron to smooth out he pebbled surface of the parade boots, the applying Kiwi wax polish very liberally to prevent the leather from cracking. . Someone knew how to 'spit polish' using cotton balls and Kiwi polishbut one cadet had parents who were Amway franchisees. They sold a spray that created a a patent leather effect. I did produce a 'mirror shine' but would crack across the leather behind the toe cap if too much was applied. BTW.. The ironing skills I learned at 15 years old have served me well for nearly 60 years. We only had to hear the company Sergeant ask a cadet, one time, if they had used an iron on their shirt, and the cadet answering "Yes, Sergeant" to which the Sergeant replied with an abundance of sarcasm: "Try plugging it in!" Good times! 😁
I still spit and polish my decent Black Oxford shoes (shoes for weddings and funerals, etc) after 30+ years as a civvie.
Awesome dits 😂😂😂😂😂
The thing with getting a mirror shine on your boots and parade shoes that a lot of new recruits don’t understand is, is that it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a few weeks to build those layers of polish up. You don’t just take new shoes, spend an hour polishing them once, and end up with a mirror shine.
Thank you officers! I was into making patting boot polish but this is genius! Much simpler. Again sincere thanks!😅
i remember having to flatten the boots before getting to put a shine on them. a candle a spoon and time heat spoon and keep running over the boots to smooth them out.
Paul the boots came whith pimples on the leather. Heat the spoon handle and smooth out the pimples. Then start bulling your boots.
WoW now that's a shine! Great job sir.
My dad could turn my shoes from very cringy to extremely shiny, to the point that I can see my face in them!! That’s one of the many great skills they teach you in the army.
Its not hard pal 😂😂😂😂
@@ImaSMACKHEAD982 You try telling me, I can never make them shine the way my dad does it.
@@warrenwoodhouse You should of joined up then 😂😂😂😂😂
@@ImaSMACKHEAD982 If I was able enough, I would of joined many years ago. Unfortunately, with my personal health issues, I would be considered unfit to join, sadly. I used to be in the 1st British Western Scout Group in Gütersloh, Germany. back in 1999 to 2004. If I was in the army, puzzles and strategies are where my mind is best served.
Can't polish suede boots anymore and now they have gloss coated dress shoes
Well now that brought back memories 🙂
Can’t beat a pair of tights for finishing up
Been there, done that 😂😂
Was amazed at the standard of the KCS of the Raf Regiments boots absolutely amazing
Leather Luster.
I started using it in the early 90's rather than spending hours polishing my boots.
I had two sets of boots.
Field boots that were polished but not mirror polished.
Garrison boots. Use to polish the hell out of them. Even polished shoes and boots for others. Then one day had enough and bought some Leather Luster and never looked back.
Days of glory. Still got my ammo boots (just in case); could probably get the bull back up after a couple of episodes of Band of Brothers.
Same techniques used when I was in the RCN. Our American cousins in the USN were always shocked that we would polish our boots to get this shine when they used some plastic type shoe that came with a shine. 🇨🇦 🇬🇧
Those plastic shoes (i.e. "corfams") were available to U.S. Chair Force personnel, too. Most enlisted personnel owned a pair to go with their Service Dress uniforms. I was an aircraft maintainer throughout my career, and steel toe boots were mandated...and I vigorously polished those boots every morning before leaving for duty with a Hershey bar and a brick.
In the Coast Guard we can't wear Corframs on boats because if they get introduced to high heat they'll melt to your foot. Plus it's cheating.
Not speaking from personal experience (badly broken leg), but I have been told that the entire military of the USA has abandoned manual mirror shines for manufactured ones.
@@roberthudson1959 USCG still hand polished boots from dull
@@roberthudson1959USN still hand polishes dress shoes and the cap of our steel toe boots. Corfams are authorized for wear though.
takes me back to 1922 royal westminster regiment in the 90s..
I used to do something like this. Life is too short!
I can speak Russian: "Kiwi, Cherry Blossom. Kiwi, Cherry Blossom. Kiwi, Cherry Blossom"...."That's not Russian!"..."no but it's damned good Polish" 😁😁😁😁
Like it!
When I was in the German Army (some 40 yrs. ago...) we had to spit a good amount on the brush and BRUSH these damned Boots until both arms fell of.
The first time.
Then, the 2nd time, again black shoe polish, this time rinse the brush with water and again BRUSHING . . .🧐🙄
AFTER that, (again!) a sort of Bee Wax wich had to be applied by hand/fingers and polished with a cotton ,or even better, a linen cloth!
All this had to be done late after dinner, after clearing up your Lockers a.s.o.
Next morning doing your Bed, and Heaven helped you if you failed . . .
At age 63, I still do my shoes and my Bed like this!
May God be with you Guys!
Come back healthy and safe!
Epoxy gloss black spray can worked awesome for me. 30 seconds. Not glass, but high gloss. 😊
Lazy mans way of doing it.
Nice job. Stay safe.
1:13 you never leave the polish tin open like this in the sun to dry! there's something called a "lid" which comes with it and you need to place it on top of it to prevent it from becoming an useless brick
My father taught me this when I was 10....I still do it....although I suspect he would say not good enough '...
Spit shine to look good, miss those days. Oorah USMC plt 3043 Aug. 81
In the 21st century you would think that someone would've heard of an electric polishing brush.
Polishing boots was an example of paying attention to details, in life if you walk up to someone the first thing I do is look at their shoes (details) it will describe how they are in all things they may do.
True, and the reason why the movie Shawshank Redemption is, in my opinion, so bliddy annoying.
I have been trying to do this for years now. An ex-convict(big bro) showed me when he was fresh out but he told me you i need patience to do it and i honestly thought he meant SITTING IN JAIL FOR YEARS LEVEL patience and I gave up.... tried again recently but somehow I just cant get that high gloss finish
Mop and Glow floor wax works well too. I think it was probably the secret ingredient in the Boot Blacks' sauce they slathered on hundreds of boots everyday at the US Army Airborne School.
Good as long as they didn’t get wet. Then the boots turned milky.
That's what it was. The Boot Blacks aren't going to spit polish 95 pairs of boots every night. They just brush the dirt off and brush on Mop and Glow mixed with black liquid shoe polish. After 3 weeks of this, your boots were ruined. It now has 79 layers of floor shine coated on, cracking the leather, and you just throw them away.
The Zen of boot polishing!
indeed
Cut the bristles on the long brush down to 1/2 inch or so. It works so much better.
You can take a lighter to polish so it settles out flatter and easier to shine. Just don't catch the polish on fire, it'll get everywhere.
For super quick shine... floor polish. But it'll Crack in a couple hours so this is emergency only.
Also, to shine glass/ mirrors... wad up newspaper. Somehow the paper material makes a huge difference. (Gotta be newspaper).
Yeah, had a guy in a Navy school who used Future on his dedicated inspection shoes. It worked, but he couldn't walk too much.
Personally I judge folks by their character not by how shiny their boots are.
Alcohol instead of water will give a mirror shine without the micro swirl marks. Also a bit of genuine wool instead of cotton will make it easier to get that shine.
Spit and polish, the hours I clocked up doing this😂
Gotta love the idea to spend an hour doing your boots just so they are dirty after 5 minutes of duty anyway.
Aah memories! Always use clean water as spit and polish will leave an oily coating.
It's always a pleasure to hear the Swedish accent
Had to do this for the fire service. Good old can of spray lacquer saved me hours 😊
The amount of stupid comments on here is unbelievable, this is more than just shining boots. It’s about being methodical in every aspect of yourself and kit. I love military life, civi street annoys me. Everyone should do national service and maybe people will start taking their appearance, fitness and life choices more seriously.
Can't expect civvies to understand. Even newbies don't get it and flush out quickly.
This brought back unwanted memories of depot...
How do you guys prevent cracking at where the creases are? Like sure you can shine that area but once you put in on and start walking, the polish at the crease area cracks
The leather will be two to three millimetres thick so it is pretty rigid for starters. To stop your boots from creasing, after you take them pack them with brown (not grease proof) packing paper this absorbs any sweat.
Ensure the toe and shoe before the tongue is packed solid. If you have got creases in your shoes you can press them out with an iron, using a wet clothing to protect the leather
Search for
'Tring Cobbler' on RUclips, he has a video showing you how it is done!
I couldn’t be happier with our desert boots.
Brilliant. What brands in UK to Canada or America you recommend? What does the Royal Air Force use ?
In the US military (army specifically, no other branch does this) only personnel attached to Airborne and Air assault units have to shine boots, and those boots are only worn in the dress uniform.
Imagine the time used buffing shoes to a mirror finish was instead used in conditioning, marksmanship drills, cqb drills, firearms drills, first aid training, and any other training that might help drill muscle memory into a soldier that could help save their life.
I think the idea is to make soldiers aware of the need to maintain kit!! This is for ceremonial duty anyway…issued boots are a flat brown.
There is plenty of time for that training.😂
colonel : soldiers!!! we don't have wars for the rest of year so lets polish the shoes and improve out shoe polishing skills. so the enemy looks at our shoes he know how much skilled we are.
How long does it actually take to arrive at the end result?
Unless you can strip the boot to bare leather, dye it and apply a base of polish, you can't shine a boot. Oh? Did I mention heel and toe dressing?
Hey the RCAC (royal canadian air cadets) never told us how to get our boots shiny like mirrors but still expected us to know how
saw a couple guys actually sprat paint their boots for inspections only, doesn't last but sure is shiny for about 20mins, lol
what type of bees wax was used? I used murray's bees wax and it was a paste texture. My leather hasnt hardened like this video
I remember guys buying Corfam (patten leather) shoes, wussies, I alway used polish, like a man 😄.
For quick touch ups between polish sessions I’d buff up with pantyhose I got from my girlfriend (later wife😊). I’d also store my low quarters in them.
Oh, great job on the boots.
After mastering jackboots, this is child’s play.
The brand Lincoln black boot polish was the norm at Lackland AFB , Texas in 1981 .
I was there in 84
@@crowfoote I also went to tech school there for Security Specialist . And got recycled during basic training , obviously made it the second time .
Lincoln wax
@@lelandgaunt9985 Yes
my step grandpa grew up during the second great war and he taught me how to shine my shoes. he was never in the military but adored the military. he's been dead for 11 years now and I still shine my shoes like how the military does it. I don't have to but I do it anyways because I like to look presentable wherever I go. plus it shows people that you take care of yourself and not always a slob
More blinks-pre-while, post, color-schemes-colors-back-drops, wheels-flood-lights!
That is different than I learned here in Canada. Then again I was Navy and an officer....
"What smells like shoe polish?"
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
No hot spooning? That's progress I guess!
We would hot spoon combat boots,
to get ride of the bubbles.
Bring them up to a great shine also.
For the finale shine, we would use aftershave with the polish,
for the alcohol, as it would evaporate faster!
@@MikeH-sg2ue What''s hot spooning?
@@Mr__Chicken
With new combat boots, the leather was covered in bumps.
We’d sit with a candle (some used lighters),
put a spoon over the flame so the bowl was upside down over the flame,
then while very hot we’d press the curved spoon over the bumpy leather
smoothing out those bumps, after this process,
we’d get a nice shine on even combat boots.
Only had one shiny pair, they were for parades!
Day to day combat boots were just blackened to SOPs.
Hope, that explains it for you, Russell.
@@MikeH-sg2ue Thanks for that info!
ahh just go with the dubbin you know mink oil now you qualify to buff the RR on the limos heard it takes huge amount time also that is some shine alright happen to have Makita polisher if you get tired
I couldn’t get them that good. I passed muster, but was never one of the best. Not sure why.
I loved bulling my hobnail boots I used to help others with their boots for a small fee, that gave me a few extra pennies to spend during the week.
Hard to beat spraying them. Saves a hell of time and look just as gud if not better
‘Morello’?
@@ImpendingJoker ur obv not doing them right then
Every waller that I knew that went down that route got caught out.
@@ms-terious havn’t been caught yet and been doing it 12 yrs
Must be a crab….
Never having been in the service, how long would it take to get a high shine finish like that? Hours? Days? Weeks?
A couple of hours each week. The more you do it, the less you have to maintain it.
If you use Preston Soto's method it should take 30 minutes. Definitely under an hour.
From a fresh boot or dress shoe(if you want formal snazziness), you could bang out a pair of decent gloss in a few hours. Mirror shine after a few such sessions. That of course is with the special techniques I know. Particularly to avoid spit in any form in the mix, and replace the water with after shave.
Maybe an hour, depending on how scuffed they got in the day's training. Yes, we were issued one pair of ankle boots to train in and wear on parade.
Oh the joys of bulling a pair of 'bang bangs'. Still practice on a pair of gibsons just for relaxation purposes.
Wish I knew this as a Civil Air Patrol cadet.
I learned to melt the shoe shine wax with a lighter and then rub it in with the wet cloth.
That treatment is the fastest to melt in the sun. So many stories of someone's boots melting on parade.
@@VelaiciaCreator All I can say from my experience is that it never happened on my Jump boots. Always looked like a mirror. As close to patent leathers as the real thing.
@@ditch9802 Fair enough.
Cotton balls always worked best for me.
Does it work on brown boots
lost art. remember spit shining the combat boots and the soles too, for weekly junk on the bunk inspection every friday morning at MSG school. thursday night field day, sleeping on the deck to not mess up the bunk lay out.
How about a video of the beeswax process
A silhouette cloth? That’s a second crate surly?
It has to be kiwi shoe polish and a saucer of warm water.
The lid from the kiwi polish works well for the water.
Tornado nose cone paint on the toecaps of raf shoes.
Don't like spit polishing boots? Join the Aussie Army. Since the Aussie Army adopted the RM Williams elastic sided black boot as the standard Parade Boot, a few years back, no spit polishing is permitted. When I enlisted in the 1980s, spit polishing my GP boots was required.
Can someone explain the beeswax trick to me? Is it a base coat? Should i use it on Highland regiment issued pattent Oxfords or brogues?
No. Use Saphir mirror gloss on those to get a good shine on it.
Be mindful of the broque, you don't want to gunk it up.
The beeswax is melted into the leather with a blow torch to make the leather smooth, you also need your boots to be a size too big to allow for shrinkage the toes turn up due to the heat, also the boot must be packed tightly with newspaper to keep their shape, the beeswax doesn’t make the boots shine it makes them smooth and stops the boots creasing
I wonder what kind of boot polish he’s using
Is this really what they do? Over 20 times?
I used to be able to get my boots very shiny and super durable by doing a 30 minute polish with a few brushes and cotton wool. Not dunking my hands in shoe polish.
Thanks for posting this! I have long admired the polish on British boots, particularly those of the Guards regiments. I use boot polishing as a stress reliever (I also take pride in having shiny shoes). Now I need to find a source of beeswax. Does anybody know if there is a particularly good brand? I use Kiwi shoe polish, but have never seen beeswax for shoes for sale here in the States.
Saphir Medaille d'Or
What the hell are you talking about 😂😂😂😂😂
@@ImaSMACKHEAD982 I was inquiring about a source of beeswax and a kind person replied with a brand name. I take pride in having well shined shoes and boots.
@@linabasilisk1955 good for you i take pride too but i spend most of my time outdoors in the forest so i only need to apply the polish not take it off
@@linabasilisk1955 just get guardsman gloss no need for beeswax ... i think its weird that you want to apply beeswax to civvi shoes unless you actually cut about in ammo boots which again is a bit weird
What boots are they
👍👍👍
Good trick is to complete the boots once and then add a nice layer of yacht varnish and you will never have to labour like this again or at least till your next set of boots 😉
“Clear” floor cleaner (until it rains)
“Plastikote” super gloss spray paint.
Bulling boots isn’t going to do anything for you when you go back into civi street.
A decent man shines the leather shoes he wears to civilian employment, same as one presses their civilian shirts and slacks.
@@SwordsmanRyan if you wear that stuff to work.
I thought jump boots where the only boots you could really buff out because of the leather
German boots, jungle boots, and McNamara boots shine out the easiest.
But how do the Polish polish???
Underrated comment 😂😂😂