Maybe not *quite* the right thread, but I guess folks who DIY their homes might know the answer to this. Anyone know any good step-by-step guides to polishing leather shoes? I've never really bothered much with it myself, just rubbed a bit of that black stuff in tins on them once in a while and buff for half a minute. But having watched Francis Underwood shine his shoes and then seeing the sad fucking state mine are in I thought it was about time I learned the ins and outs of making my shoes look respectable. So a beginners guide would come in handy, with what to do, what not to do, and stuff like that. Anyone know?
You can have very shiny shoes using just the tin can stuff. That's what people in the military use and we sure as shit don't get issued $800 shoes yet our dress uniform shoes and boots are as polished as can be.
Start by giving it a few good coats using only a brush. Ideally you have two brushes, one to tab into the polish and spread roughly over the shoe, then a second to brush the shoe. Do that several times over the course of a few days to give time to the polish to cure. By that point you will have a pretty respectable shine and most would keep it at that, but if you want the super mirror finish move to the next step.
Once you have a good base layer, you use a polishing cloth. Important rule here, never have a dry cloth touch the shoe, the fabric would cause tiny scratches on the polish and take off the mirror shine. Wrap the cloth tightly around two fingers (you want one tight layer of cloth on the front of your two fingers), dab the tip of those fingers in water then get some polish on the tip of those same fingers (just a tiny bit), gently spread on an area of the shoe and then polish, light pressure, not too much water, you don't want to leave streaks and you want to keep it just moist enough to act as a lubricant. While it is calling spit shining, you do not want to actually use spit, the salt eventually would wreck you shine. Just put some water in the cover of the polish can and dab for some water whenever you get some extra polish.
Also pro tip: put a copper penny in your polish. What people call polish drying is actually the wax oxidizing. A copper penny in the polish acts as a sacrificial anode, the polish will stay fresh and the copper will oxidize. A simple penny can keep a can of polish looking fresh for years.
That is the method if you want a durable finish. Liquid polishes and the like will get you a quick and easy shine, but it goes to shit a lot quicker. Another very different method is to paint your shoe with a high gloss paint. I'm won't go over that one, but I'll just say, if you go that route, the oven is a great dust and particle free environment to store your shoes in between coats; just make sure to put a sign on the oven dial.
