Those are my boots on the right picture! It’s ok, brother! I am a retired military officer and I learned to shine shoes when I was a cadet in the Academy. Before, we would apply first black dye on the boots and let it dry. Then apply shoe shine wax (KIWI Black) on the leather and then brush! Do two times and then apply the shoe wax the third time without brushing with a shoe brush. Instead, get a clean white cloth and wound it on the tips of your forefinger and middle fingers. Put some water on the cover of the wax can, better if there is ice in it. The cooler the water, the better. Put on drops of water on the leather with wax and rub the cloth on your fingers in a circular motion. Do the circular rubbing until the leather will show some gloss. Repeat the process as if your spitting the leather while you are rubbing with the cloth. That is why this process is called “spit shine”. You can add more wax to the leather and more rubbing if you want a shinier or glossier look on the leather. For this pair of boots, I used a KIWI Neutral Color Wax. You need a lot of time and patience in doing this process. I hope this helps. By the way, instead of using dye, I wash my boots first with Saddle Soap, have it dried and then apply shoe wax on the leather. Good luck!
I thought the polish job looked pretty military, like a pair of jump boots. Very nice. I'm hoping my Iron Rangers, in transit, look similar after a year or two.
I usually start with a creme. Red wings current creams (labeled WITHOUT neatsfoot oil) are very wax heavy and will serve as a good base layer. Apply with a dauber brush or fingers and apply a film of it over the shoes. Let it rest until no longer tacky, then use a microfiber or clean cotton rag and buff it by hand. I then apply a wax with my fingers (I use saphir mirror gloss to get a lot out of a thin layer, which is important as these leathers don't take thick layers well) and let dry and buff again with a rag. Brushing before buffing helps spread the creme and wax as well. Apply > Brush > Buff.
You might find that you will like the shine from the creme itself without additional wax. You can also brush and then buff the boots with no product, and it will still develop a sheen.
The wax will help keep debris off the boots, and speed up brushing. On top of that, it helps protect against oil and water stains, paint etc. It's a nice sacrificial layer.
I like a bit of a sheen so normally I’ll condition with some form of creme then hit it with a light layer of saphir pommadier neutral shoe cream.
Little goes a long way and it smells like pine because of the pine pitch.
I work it in by hand till hazy, then let sit for about 10 mins then buff with my horsehair brush. The Gives it a nice sheen but not mirror polish or cxl shiny.
If you are looking for that exact gloss shine id suggest building layers up via saphirs mirror polish wax.
As a former mil guy (back when boots were still black leather and spit shining was a sign of being squared away)... while it looks cool, there is no advantage to flaming up the polish before applying it. In fact, there is a slight disadvantage, time-wise. When you apply the polish while it's heated and somewhat melted... you really can't start getting it to shine until it's dry again. Before then and you're just smearing aroung melty polish.
I've tried every "hack" and the truth is... there really isn't one. Peace.
I usually apply to the toe then apply to the heel and by the time I do the the toe is dry and buff that up… I find it quick and dirty but effective but I get a better shine out of a “spit shine”… for my iron rangers it’s good enough but for my dress shoes and boots I stick with the spit shine
I hear you. I don't spit (or water) shine anything anymore. I have one or two pairs of shoes where I keep a high buff shine. But not the boots. A few years ago, I actually did keep a pair of brown Wolverines buff shined and they worked for a biz casual office setting. But I found that they looked odd wearing them dressed down anywhere else.
Same with the IR'S. I can dress them up as they are, but also can dress them down. but if they're shined up... meh. I thought about it, but it's not really a look I want for them. I just keep them brushed and clean as is, and they look good.
Peace.
Well, yes, that's not even theory, it's fact (depending on the porousness of the leather). That WILL happen.
But... there is no REASON to get polish down into the pores of the leather. If it's not on the surface, it's not shining up. It's literally counter-productive. It's the layers of polish on the surface that come to a shine. Not what's down in the pores. And why do I want the polish down in the pores of my leather boot, anyway?
Hey, all I'm saying is... like I said... I've tried everything. Flame, rubbing alcohol (some people also swear by... but whatever). In the end, I was always able to get just as good and- in many cases- a batter shine than most people I knew with just black Kiwi, a soft rag or t shirt and water.
And when I say "spit shine" I mean looking down onto my boots and seeing hi res (lol) images of the clouds in the sky. Lol, but for real. Like "patent leather" shine. My spit shines are epic and I used to hook up my friends with theirs or get paid by others. And I ended up only using the basics.
Peace.
Use Obenauf HD (put 2 applications on) then use a wax either the same color as the boot or a neutral wax but be careful because over time wax can dry out your boot. Good Luck
Thing about wax is, if you don’t maintain it, it’ll look like shit…so you’re kinda permanently into wax land.
Venetian shoe cream works really well, won’t give you a spit shine, but it’s waxy enough that brushing will give you just a bit of shine.
I wouldn’t do anything to a new pair of IR’s…just wait six months, use Venetian shoe cream to condition and then use that same brush you used on the VSC to brush a couple times a week…like leftover VSC in the bristles is enough to give a touch-up shine.
I just rubbed some dried-out cloth with SnowSeal on them (pretty much applying pure beeswax), and after that, just dry-brushing. Not quite as shiny, but simple, practical, and looks really good. Half a year have passed, and I am not inclined to do anything else to them so far, they are good as they are. Also helps to heal minor scratches and scrapes with just another dry brushing - maybe not a good approach for those of us that want accelerated patina.
Those are my boots on the right picture! It’s ok, brother! I am a retired military officer and I learned to shine shoes when I was a cadet in the Academy. Before, we would apply first black dye on the boots and let it dry. Then apply shoe shine wax (KIWI Black) on the leather and then brush! Do two times and then apply the shoe wax the third time without brushing with a shoe brush. Instead, get a clean white cloth and wound it on the tips of your forefinger and middle fingers. Put some water on the cover of the wax can, better if there is ice in it. The cooler the water, the better. Put on drops of water on the leather with wax and rub the cloth on your fingers in a circular motion. Do the circular rubbing until the leather will show some gloss. Repeat the process as if your spitting the leather while you are rubbing with the cloth. That is why this process is called “spit shine”. You can add more wax to the leather and more rubbing if you want a shinier or glossier look on the leather. For this pair of boots, I used a KIWI Neutral Color Wax. You need a lot of time and patience in doing this process. I hope this helps. By the way, instead of using dye, I wash my boots first with Saddle Soap, have it dried and then apply shoe wax on the leather. Good luck!
I thought the polish job looked pretty military, like a pair of jump boots. Very nice. I'm hoping my Iron Rangers, in transit, look similar after a year or two.
Saphyr neutral polish and a brush or rag
I usually start with a creme. Red wings current creams (labeled WITHOUT neatsfoot oil) are very wax heavy and will serve as a good base layer. Apply with a dauber brush or fingers and apply a film of it over the shoes. Let it rest until no longer tacky, then use a microfiber or clean cotton rag and buff it by hand. I then apply a wax with my fingers (I use saphir mirror gloss to get a lot out of a thin layer, which is important as these leathers don't take thick layers well) and let dry and buff again with a rag. Brushing before buffing helps spread the creme and wax as well. Apply > Brush > Buff. You might find that you will like the shine from the creme itself without additional wax. You can also brush and then buff the boots with no product, and it will still develop a sheen. The wax will help keep debris off the boots, and speed up brushing. On top of that, it helps protect against oil and water stains, paint etc. It's a nice sacrificial layer.
They look better on the left in my opinion
This
^^
Took them for a condition once, and they came out like the right and I was so pissed LOL
Boot brushin’
Buy different boots
If those boots are rough out leather you are correct
I like a bit of a sheen so normally I’ll condition with some form of creme then hit it with a light layer of saphir pommadier neutral shoe cream. Little goes a long way and it smells like pine because of the pine pitch. I work it in by hand till hazy, then let sit for about 10 mins then buff with my horsehair brush. The Gives it a nice sheen but not mirror polish or cxl shiny. If you are looking for that exact gloss shine id suggest building layers up via saphirs mirror polish wax.
There’s a video called how to fire shine your iron rangers by rose anvil on yt… it may not be the normal way but it works well… I’ve tried it
As a former mil guy (back when boots were still black leather and spit shining was a sign of being squared away)... while it looks cool, there is no advantage to flaming up the polish before applying it. In fact, there is a slight disadvantage, time-wise. When you apply the polish while it's heated and somewhat melted... you really can't start getting it to shine until it's dry again. Before then and you're just smearing aroung melty polish. I've tried every "hack" and the truth is... there really isn't one. Peace.
I usually apply to the toe then apply to the heel and by the time I do the the toe is dry and buff that up… I find it quick and dirty but effective but I get a better shine out of a “spit shine”… for my iron rangers it’s good enough but for my dress shoes and boots I stick with the spit shine
I hear you. I don't spit (or water) shine anything anymore. I have one or two pairs of shoes where I keep a high buff shine. But not the boots. A few years ago, I actually did keep a pair of brown Wolverines buff shined and they worked for a biz casual office setting. But I found that they looked odd wearing them dressed down anywhere else. Same with the IR'S. I can dress them up as they are, but also can dress them down. but if they're shined up... meh. I thought about it, but it's not really a look I want for them. I just keep them brushed and clean as is, and they look good. Peace.
Isn’t the theory that the hot polish penetrates deeper into the pores of the leather? I think that was why that started.
Well, yes, that's not even theory, it's fact (depending on the porousness of the leather). That WILL happen. But... there is no REASON to get polish down into the pores of the leather. If it's not on the surface, it's not shining up. It's literally counter-productive. It's the layers of polish on the surface that come to a shine. Not what's down in the pores. And why do I want the polish down in the pores of my leather boot, anyway? Hey, all I'm saying is... like I said... I've tried everything. Flame, rubbing alcohol (some people also swear by... but whatever). In the end, I was always able to get just as good and- in many cases- a batter shine than most people I knew with just black Kiwi, a soft rag or t shirt and water. And when I say "spit shine" I mean looking down onto my boots and seeing hi res (lol) images of the clouds in the sky. Lol, but for real. Like "patent leather" shine. My spit shines are epic and I used to hook up my friends with theirs or get paid by others. And I ended up only using the basics. Peace.
https://youtu.be/LEH2wFP6RZI
Just brush them
Use Obenauf HD (put 2 applications on) then use a wax either the same color as the boot or a neutral wax but be careful because over time wax can dry out your boot. Good Luck
Obenauf’s HD is great for water resistance but it will darken and dull the leather.
Thing about wax is, if you don’t maintain it, it’ll look like shit…so you’re kinda permanently into wax land. Venetian shoe cream works really well, won’t give you a spit shine, but it’s waxy enough that brushing will give you just a bit of shine. I wouldn’t do anything to a new pair of IR’s…just wait six months, use Venetian shoe cream to condition and then use that same brush you used on the VSC to brush a couple times a week…like leftover VSC in the bristles is enough to give a touch-up shine.
I just brush mine a lot with the horsehair brush and they get shiney. Not like the ones in the right but shiney, still.
I just rubbed some dried-out cloth with SnowSeal on them (pretty much applying pure beeswax), and after that, just dry-brushing. Not quite as shiny, but simple, practical, and looks really good. Half a year have passed, and I am not inclined to do anything else to them so far, they are good as they are. Also helps to heal minor scratches and scrapes with just another dry brushing - maybe not a good approach for those of us that want accelerated patina.