Shoe Shining
 

Just a quick question.

I have heard a lot about Leather Luster and Shape-Up. I wanted to know what you do if you have white markings on your shoes and you don't want to cover them up?

For the leather luster would you use white for those areas?

I'm not all that familiar with Shape-Up so if somebody could please fill me in? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Adam

Leather Luster is not a shine substance per say... its a refinish product that is applied to the shoe. Be careful with it though, it tends to crack. I was told that it would crack and thought it was just because the guys didn't strip their shoes properly. Wanting the shine without the cracking, I sent my plate shoes away to the Leather Luster company and paid the $60 to have them done right. After about a years time, the finish started cracking. With my current shoes, I'm back to the KIWI paste spit-shine.

2 Words...
 

Patent Leather.

At least on the plate. I don't like that look on the bases, but talk about maintenance free. Cuts 5-10 minutes off your pregame.

I like to use the wax based polish. No need to buff and doesn't build up like a regular polish. Lasts about 5 games and wash off with a damp cloth then reapply.

I put Shape Up on my Riddell Chiefs about two weeks ago, and so far it's holding up well - just a quick wipe off with an Armor All wipe and they're back to nice and shiny. The sheen is not nearly as extreme as Leather Lustre, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned. It just looks like a good spit shine, and like I said, has lasted through 6 or 7 plates since I put it on.

I use this stuff called PeDag, you can buy it from Gerry Davis, or Honigs. I used to wear Puma shoes with the white logo, and that stuff worked great. Lasts a long time, and looks real shiny too.

The answer:
 

Bee's Wax.

Regards,

Bees Wax? Do tell...
 

Tim-
What does bees wax do? Does it shine by itself, enhance the shine/life of other polish? How do you use it?
BTW- I'm always looking for a quick solution to spit shining...

When applying black polish I am very careful not to get any on the white.

Shape Up is an excellent product. I have used it all season. I have umpired approximately 85 games, and have only needed one mid-season reapplication, about one month ago. I do an occasional touch up on the toe when I take a pitch or foul off the toe area, or when a catcher accidently (I think) takes a drop step onto my foot. The shine is very nice, not overly brilliant as was already said.

The makers of Shape Up have other wonderful products, including Brite White for the white areas of your shoes. Do the Black first, then touch-up with the White.

http://shoe-stuff.com

i shine mine up the night before a game so i dont have to worry about it in the parking lot. all i do to them before a game is wipe them off and maybe do a quick buff on them

Wrong.

http://shoe-stuff.com/brightwhite.htm

All the bottles of these products come with a little foam brush attached to the cap.

http://shoe-stuff.com

Nah! Bee's wax is garbage, and also the softest wax out there.

What you want is a carnuba wax polix. Collanil has a carnuba wax paste polish that is pretty good. You right coast guys can probably easily find Kelly's Linn Wax. That stuff is the best!

Canuba wax is made from coconut oil, which is a natural conditioner. Not only does it offer a MUCH harder shine, but it nourishes the leather too!

Kiwi is AWEFUL for leather!!! :( They use kerosene as the solvent, which dries out the leather. I can always tell leather that has been shined with Kiwi, because the tanning of the leather always cracks, and gets a very funky look to it.

Carnuba wax!!! Good stuff!

Another great thing you can do for your leather is to use a lanolin based cream polish before using the paste. The Lincoln cream polish is lanolin based, and will really keep the leather soft and supple. Condition with it, and shine with a carnuba wax polish, I guarantee that you will have foot gear that looks great for years to come!