Oh my - your recommended shoes are a world apart....

[cad]

All,

 

Subsequent to your advice on the thread 'which brand would you choose' I purchased a pair of Crocket & Jones from their factory shop.

 

What a world apart they are from the shoes I had repaired (see other topic). These were subs but for the life of me I can't see any problems...... so just wanted to say thanks for the advice and once they need a repair (soon, I expect, as the quater tip is on the wrong side for me) I will be sending them to a forum member for repair.

 

cad

[x minit uk]

Great.

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Very pleased that you can now appreciate the difference cad and who knows, by the time they do need repairing we may have a member near to you. What you can be certain of though is a first rate job as they would not dare to do anything else now that you are instigated into the world of "Cobbledegook"

Be sure to use Shoe Trees (good quality ones) in the new shoes every time you take them off, dont wait until they have gone cold off your feet.

And my preference for a Polish would be in the form of a Cream that soaks in better than tin polishes and gets to the areas other polishes cant.

Tin polish will get a higher gloss but over a period of time the creams are better for protection. (in my opinion).

[cad]

Hugh,

 

Thanks for the tips.... I never saw the point of shoe trees..... what exactly are the benefits......?

 

cad

[Ted Starzec]

Its the same principle as hanging up your best suit when you take it off, try to buy cedar wood trees as these will absorb any moisture and odour and will give the shoes a pleasant fragrance.

[petercoulson]

and help keep their shape over time?

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Might be a long one this.... got to get my brain in gear.......where's it gone?

 

During the course of the day and on average, each male emits an Eggcup full of perspiration via their feet.

 

This Perspiration (from herein called Sweat) is absorbed through the linings, uppers and insoles of the shoes. Plus some evaporates through the surfaces and via the top openings, this is of course presuming that the shoes are Leather. If not then be prepared for Foot Rot.

 

You take your warm moist shoes off at the end of the day and leave them until next time of need. At this point the shoes are probably in a "semi curled" position and dry out to the same position.

 

Next time you put them on they will be cold and dried of moisture, your foot and your weight willflex the shoe to its norman walking position with the toes springing back and forth during wear.

 

Within this eggcup full of sweat is Acid (forgot the medical name for it). Acidic action within the shoes is detrimental to the leather and will render it brittle over a period of time.

 

People with excessive perspiration will be aware of a white powdery substance that dries on the outside of the uppers. Do not get this mistaken with Salt marks from Heavy Rain/Snow or your dabblings in lines of banned substances.

 

As this acid builds up the leather it eventually cracks along each crease in the forefront of the shoes.

The damage is done by 1, the acid build up. 2, the continual flexing from cold when the uppers has dried and are contaminated with acid.

 

To stop this action Shoe Trees that expand suffiantly to render the shoes almost flat must be put in the shoes immediately after taking them off and before they have dried. The best shoe trees have the strongest springs, there are several type on the market but choose for the strength of the spring loading as a weak spring will not get the shoes back into shape quick enough.

Cedar are quite good at moisture absorption but I have not yet seen any very strong ones, maybe there are some now on sale as it is 15 years or more since I got all mine.

 

Then you have to care for your shoes and to do this I would advise an external treatment with a waterproofer. A good quality Cream polish that is Wax based. A small brush to get the polish into the welt area to preserve the stitches(the area between the upper and the welt). This needs to be done at least on a weekly basis if the shoes are worn regular.

Then when you have polished them to the highest shine, go over them with one of the Instant Shoe Shine Pads(these are usually clear and I think silicone based so was hands after if driving). Shoes will now be the highest gloss possible. Go over the shoes each day with the pad to bring up to expectations until a new Polish is required. Both these actions apart from preserving the uppers will add to water resisting.

 

Lastly the insides need protection as this is where the sweat starts its journey into the Leather sections. There are a few option here and invariably very few people actually bother to do anything with the insides.

I prefer to give mine a periodical wipe with Olive Oil, some may not agree but if the British Library use it with Turpentine to preserve ancient Leather bound books then its ok for my shoes.

Be carefull of applying to much as it can sep out to the surface whre it will show as a dark or unpolished patch. Over many years of use this can itself cause damage, that is why I only use it when I feel that the Leather lining is looking a bit on the dry side. (there are other methods of course).

 

Hope this helps.

 

The entrepenours amongst you should be able to use these facts to do a demonstration with the products and turn a simple heel job into a huge sundries sale.

"Have you ever been shown how to polish shoes to get the best shine"

then you lead from Creams to Brushes to Cloths Pads to Shoe Trees, by the time you have finished they wont be going anywhere else to ghave their shoes done as you know all about shoes "no-ones ever told me about that before" says the customer.

[earlsdoncobbler]

what a post =D> =D>

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Thanks for that, I've just ammended the end to show how you can use the advice to get extra sales on sundries.

[Michael]

 

[x minit uk]

Nice one Hugh, now go and have a lie down old chap.

[Lee]