Does any one ever polish their leather shoes?

[1LoneWolf75]

Originally Posted by 68c15

does it count if I use a custom blend of engine oil, trans. fluid, and antifreeze? at work I am always getting some of each on mine.

I have been against the grain for quite a while by buying the cheap shoes from Walmart. I just havent been able to find anything I like and fits me. 15 years ago I had Knaap shoes but I think they are no longer in business.

when I was working for our uncle Sam I kept mine shined but never understood why. shiny boots don't make me a better soldier.

Yep I used to use that same blend. Worked good fer water proofin. Did the same thing with the wally worl crap but they didn't get as good of a cure since they only last 3 months. Try Carolina, not made here unfortunately but they are a decent boot fer the 90 I spend. Had em last a year and a half in the wastewater plant with water gettin on em all the time.
So you look good on parade? Who knows with the bureaucrats.

[jstgsn]

I used to light up my kiwi shoe polish too, then I discovered "Meltonian boot and shoe Cream Polish". A local shoe repair shop sells the different colors. This stuff is easy on, easy to buff, and looks almost spit shined. Worth the extra few pennies it costs.

[gvw3]

Highboy you forgot to post your going out boots....

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by gvw3

Highboy you forgot to post your going out boots....

Attachment 70661

Oh, nice!!! I could chop some wood in those and look good doing it. NOT!!!

[wv hillbilly]

i dont own a pair of tie up shoes. i wear leather moccasins around the house and pull on leather boots anywhere else.
i spray my boots with silicon in the winter and armorall leather in the summer

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

i dont own a pair of tie up shoes. i wear leather moccasins around the house and pull on leather boots anywhere else.
i spray my boots with silicon in the winter and armorall leather in the summer

Are you sure your a Hillbilly?

[wv hillbilly]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Are you sure your a Hillbilly?

WELL, i'm sure you heard the story about west virginians and boots

[soundguy]

i sat for an hour last night and polished and cleaned all my boots..

[clamman]

I'm the "Grand Pooba" in my Masonic Lodge this year. I have anywhere from 30 to 50 guys looking at my shoes twice a month lol. Yep I spit shine them just like I did in boot camp.

[rogertc1]

NO..DID IT IN THE ARMY..NOT NOW. Is that a Marine thing?

[tango1niner]

I still polish shoes and boots, try to only use KIWI. My spit shinin' days are long past. To those that don't shine, you probably wouldn't know sh*t from Shinola.

[wv hillbilly]

Originally Posted by tango1niner

I still polish shoes and boots, try to only use KIWI. My spit shinin' days are long past. To those that don't shine, you probably wouldn't know sh*t from Shinola.

Shinola was a brand of shoe polish previously manufactured in the USA. The alliteration and the fact that the two commodities in the phrase could possibly be confused is the derivation. The distinction is well made; only one of them would be good to apply to your shoes and only particularly dim people could be expected to muddle them up. Of course, outside America, most people don't know Shinola from anything at all, as they've never heard of it. Even in America it would probably not be widely remembered but for this phrase.

The 'ola' suffix is popular in the USA as part of trade names, e.g. Crayola, Granola etc. This leads to the pronunciation of Shinola as shine + ola. That spoils the alliteration a little as it would work better as shin + ola.

This phrase is typical of the barrack room vulgarity of WWII, which is where it originated. Other "doesn't know" phrases, also mostly from the military are, "doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground" (or elbow, or a hot rock, or third base), "doesn't know enough to pee downwind", "doesn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his ass". The tone is lifted a little by the English conductor Sir Henry Wood who expressed a similar opinion with "he doesn't know his brass from his woodwind".

[cpttango30]

Never understood why I spend days, weeks, months training to put up camp netting, wearing camo cloths, driving camo vehicles and operating camo equipment but had to make my boots so shiny they glinted like a mirror in the sunlight?

I did the heat gun trick, burning kiwi trick, mop in glow trick. What did I end up doing? Easy I spray painted mine with 10 or 15 layers of krylon gloss black paint. Only wore those boots at inspections.

Then again never understood why I needed to paint my face either when I spend 12 hours a day sitting on a D7 digging holes big enough to hide 2 tanks in.... Have you ever looked at a working D7 in NVG's? They glow white and can been seen for miles and miles. I seen one dozer from 8 miles out in NVG's at NTC one time.

[Airdale]

Bought a new pair of cowboy boots about a year ago and spent three days spit polishing them, about time to hit 'em again. When in the Navy I even spit shined my flight boots.

[bluesea112]

I only wear red wing work boots now. I wore $350.00 lace up leather shoes to work every day for 13 years. I kept them looking good because the blisters they gave me made me limp if I didn't have bandaids to put over them. When you limp people look at your feet. When I left corporate America in 2004 I dropped every pair of $350.00 shoes in the trash, along with the polish and brushes, and swore I would never wear a pair of polished shoes again. So far I havn't.

[cycloneman]

I used to wear leather hunting boots and would apply i believe its mink oil to them for waterproofing. I dont use them anymore. Whatever that stuff was it worked good. I used to get it from a shoe maker in NO before Katrina. He is gone now.

[jedwil]

Originally Posted by bluesea112

I only wear red wing work boots now. I wore $350.00 lace up leather shoes to work every day for 13 years. I kept them looking good because the blisters they gave me made me limp if I didn't have bandaids to put over them. When you limp people look at your feet. When I left corporate America in 2004 I dropped every pair of $350.00 shoes in the trash, along with the polish and brushes, and swore I would never wear a pair of polished shoes again. So far I havn't.

And no stinking ties.................

[bluesea112]

Originally Posted by jedwil

And no stinking ties.................

Word, brother.

[Fast Forward]

I,m afraid to clean my resturant kitchen shoes,,,I think the food is the only thing holding them together,,,some day I,ll just add some onions, carrots, and Potatoes and turn them into a Stew

[1LoneWolf75]

Tonight I made my 7 yr old daughter mink her boots when she asked me to do it. I was gettin ready to mink mine and she asked if I would do hers. I told her nope then handed her the camp dry and told her what to do. She was very proud of herself.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by 1LoneWolf75

Tonight I made my 7 yr old daughter mink her boots when she asked me to do it. I was gettin ready to mink mine and she asked if I would do hers. I told her nope then handed her the camp dry and told her what to do. She was very proud of herself.

Good job dad.

[1LoneWolf75]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Good job dad.

Thank ya She had a grin bigger than I can make a smilie do! The boots are quite shiny now.

[mjp28]

Just talking to a friend who's dad also was in WWII, brought back memories I was born in 1950, 5 years after WWII, plus dad was called up again to go to Korea.

In the 1950s, 60s we bought a lot of WWII surplus stuff for camping and we also had those combat boots, some with the big leather wrap around tops with buckles to tighten.

Anyone remember those? And yes they all needed polished to stay waterproof.

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by mjp28

Just talking to a friend who's dad also was in WWII, brought back memories I was born in 1950, 5 years after WWII, plus dad was called up again to go to Korea.

In the 1950s, 60s we bought a lot of WWII surplus stuff for camping and we also had those combat boots, some with the big leather wrap around tops with buckles to tighten.

Anyone remember those? And yes they all needed polished to stay waterproof.

AH-HA looked something like this only better and brown leather:

[soundguy]

i was making a batch of soap last night and spilled some oil on my boots.. does that count as polishing them?