Shoe shine:Do your own or take out??

[Tomasso]

as strange as it sounds, I find it relaxing. .

Ditto.

 

[Alex Oviatt]

I love old shoe shine stands, from the one in the Brooks Bros. on Madison to downestairs at Harrod's, at gentlemen's clubs and trainstations everywhere. That said, I still mostly do my own. I really enjoy it. I have been known to make guests take off their shoes while I shine them--appalling how lax some people are!

 

[filfoster]

And where is the option "I wear patent leather shoes"?

Best regards, Dr

Can't wear a tuxedo (dinner jacket, for the Brits, I have learned) every day. Still, I won't go that route. I have spit shined my 'formal' shoes to a patent leather gleam and keep them in soft bags to stay that way.

 

[Dr Kilroy]

Can't wear a tuxedo (dinner jacket, for the Brits, I have learned) every day.

What is wrong with being another Poirot?

Best regards, Dr

 

[filfoster]

What is wrong with being another Poirot?

Best regards, Dr

I am more of a well intentioned bumbler like Captain Hastings, I am afraid. Still, with well shined leather shoes....

 

[skyvue]

There are few greater -- or more affordable -- pleasures than having one's shoes shined. I have almost invariably found the men (it is mostly men) who ply this trade to be affable and professional, and the price is always reasonable, if not a downright steal, thereby allowing me to be tip extravagantly and still come out ahead.

I wouldn't think of shining my own shoes, except in an emergency. I delight too much in the very affordable and pleasant experience of having them shined by a professional.

 

[Matt Deckard]

If I had a she shine stand near I'd go there often. I don't like dropping shoes off at a shop for a shine. I tend to shine my own when I have the time.

[video]http://www.facebook.com/v/425827193810[/video]

 

[JimWagner]

I've always shined my own shoes, a useful skill learned in the military. I wouldn't even know where a shoe shine stand is in my area. If there is one, one capable and willing to shine my shoes to my standards, they'd likely charge more than I'd be willing to pay.

 

[Yeps]

So, I have just realized how much polishing shoes relaxes me. This is important, as I tend to get unduely stressed, and consequently it will now happen more often.

 

[Edward]

Always do my own, including co-respondents (which I do with a nice neutral polish so as not to risk staining the white / light areas). The one time I took shoes to a cobbler for a shine was because I'd given two pairs (a pair of DM safety shoes and a pair of modern RAF black, tall issue boots) a hefty coat of polish with the intention of leaving it overnight to really soak in..... and forgot about them for three weeks. The cobbler was able to do them on the buffing machine, and they came up wonderfully. It would have wrecked me to shift it by hand. I'm actually considering buying a soft-buff bit for my electric drill for a high-shine on shoes.

 

[Isshinryu101]

If you love your shoes, you shine 'em yourself. I've got a torn rotator cuff, so I bought a buffing machine to help some. I really enjoying mixing polishes & conditioners to achieve the perfect color and shine.

 

[John in Covina]

So, I have just realized how much polishing shoes relaxes me. This is important, as I tend to get unduely stressed, and consequently it will now happen more often.

I recall seeing a part of an episode of Matlock and someone pointed out that Matlock polished his shoes. I think matlock may have had similar reasons.

 

[Tomasso]

I do both. But a wonderful thing is that my club has a complimentary shoe shine service where you drop them off at the locker room front desk on your way in and pick them up on your way out. The man is very good and he uses excellent products. The club has a strict no-tipping policy but I always find a way to slip him a $5 tip.

 

[DodgerMan]

3rd thread I've come across on this topic. I have to keep my boots shined up for work and can't stand it. I've got a guy I go to in Hollywood and he's amazing. Puts my foot on the box gives me the paper and the remote. I get to relax for a change while he spit shines my shoes. Never going back to doing it myself.

Went to him for a shine earlier today and told him to join this site too.

 

[Shangas]

I don't do it often (bad boy!), but when I do, I usually polish/clean my own shoes. In my entire history, I don't think I've ever had my shoes professionally shined.

 

[JonnyO]

Since this thread has been brought back to life, I have a question. When I rode the ambulance, the Paramedic I would ride with use to polish his duty boots and use a lighter to do so. He would first put the polish on, then run the flame across the surface of the boot (from a distance of a few inches), then brush, and polish. He went to a military school through elementary and high school, so I figured he was onto something. Has anyone else heard of or seen this practice before? I've only used this method on my Paratrooper style duty boot.

 

[Shangas]

My cousin is in the army. He used a similar method to polish his boots, using a candle and a spoon. I think it's supposed to be an effect similar to ironing, to get rid of creases and such, in the leather. Although I've never understood its actual purpose/effect.

 

[Matt_the_chap]

It smooths the polish, the hot spoon method anyway, allowing boots to be bulled up to the mirror polish expected. It used to be even more necessary on old military boots, at least the British ones, because the leather is very nubby and running the hot spoon over the polished leather smoothed them out and lets you get the toe caps gleaming. One RAF cadet I knew didn't quite understand the method though and simply burned a bloody great hole through the toecap of his parade shoes, much to everybody's amusement.

 

[ShoeShineBoyLA]

Dodger thanks for telling me about this site!

As far as the spoon technique, Matt is right. It was used mainly by British troops to shine and smooth out their boots, because they were often issued a boot that did not have a smooth finish. The spoon isn't necessary for boots that start out with a smooth surface.

The flame techniques are used by a lot of people, but depending how you do it, can damage the leather, not to mention the fumes you're breathing in. That's why I use spit it's safe, simple, and looks great when the shine is done.

 

[Tomasso]

I have a cousin who went to Annapolis and he said he spent more time as a pleb shining upperclassmen's shoes than just about anything else. A big box full of shoes would appear at the entry to his room two or three times a week and they would require hours upon hours to shine up. Those were hours that he sorely needed for his studies as the academy has a very demanding curriculum.


Currently I have a young nephew at West Point who just completed his first year and I'll have to ask him if he's carrying a similar load.