$15 Thrift Store Challenge! Shoe Restoration and Shine on a Budget 

The Elegant Oxford

The Elegant Oxford Did you soak your shoes in warm water or cold water?

Davor Jovanovic Qh

Wow! Gr8 job, they look new.

The toes are shaped differently. I'm not sure that's the same shoe.

I laughed so hard :))) and i feel like I shouldn't have

It’s the damn background music. So dramatic.

He should be on Oprah.

What Dodo is to dog rescue The Elegant Oxford is to shoe care.

@@henrylax9337 yeah. And i want the music link. It sounds so good

Same here,

But it's a valuable skill to have

@@komuncents2172 no doubt in that

Same

Honestly

......He literally put it out to dry in the sun, what do you mean not under the sun

Kinda cringy

10. Profit!!!

Roderick storey that’s basically how I take care of my work boots except I don’t put them in sunlight at all. I buy well built and fairly expensive boots ($250-$300) but with care they last me at least a decade. In fact my last pair were still so good I simply had them re-soled for $100 and that was 4 years ago. One thing to remember is all leather has natural oils, so it’s good to keep them moist and flexible. I waterproof them for the winter then remove that coating for the summer so the leather can breathe. Also, I take care to remove any salt build up along the seams as soon as I see it and any other non-leather oils (car oil, diesel) as well. So, for $25-$30 a year and a little elbow grease/time I get to wear non-WalMart boots that are tough, comfortable, safe and good looking. Oh and I replace the laces as needed and don’t use leather laces at all.

Writban Alim he put it outside on a sunny day, but not ‘underneath’ the sun. 😏

Ray Hernandez my thoughts exactly

Exactly

You didn’t know you could polish and restore shoes?

Right!? I wouldn't say no to a delicate polishing of my

Which part specifically, the dunking underwater for 10 minutes, or stuffing your insides with a chunk of wood? :D

@@JanPospisilArt someone's mind is in the gutter :D

Lmao

😂😂😂

DetailsDetails 730 now. 730 people who consider flip flops dress shoes.

My mother wanted to throw out my father's entire photo collection, so I took it off her hands. He was a photogenic person, while my mother disliked photography and video. So many memories would have been lost. Now they're preserved.

Geo Logic that’s wonderful. I can imagine how devastating it would be to lose a bunch of photos. I hold memories near and dear to my heart

Well someone got their day made finding that set for free

That’s honestly so sad

@@reedolightningweaver2732 ya. It’s heart breaking. I know nothing can take those memories away. But the nostalgia attached to the physical items would of been something to hand down to my kids.

i'm skeptical. Even from a thrift store

@@Kabr-tv7ii Shoe polish, I guess not much? Every man can afford (and should buy) shoe polish and cream for his shoes.

I certainly see more Cole Haan and J&M, but as a big time thrifter, I see Allen Edmonds a decent amount to be honest-and usually not for more than $10. It really does depend on the region you live in.

not just $15 dollars. You also have to spend time restoring them, which it might become more expensive.

Adrian Garza I have 2 pairs of Allen Edmonds. This guy saved like $300 on these shoes.

The same thing !)

There are no rules!

Yeah, in some countries this is illegal

You gotta condition after!

@@Teddu- woosh

The reason why most people say that is because soaking the sole has the potential to rot the shoe. I would use a warm towel placed on the uppers only, or use a shallow tub and place the shoes upside-down.

It's been a week. How did it go?

@@daningay5987 The was a delay because I had to order new polish and conditioner. Currently I'm on day 2 of the restoration. First I brushed the shoes followed by using acetone to strip off the old cheap polish (Took more work than expected, the old polish becomes tacky). I soaked them in water for 10 minute like recommend, add a shoe tree, now they are drying. So far things look good and I'm seeing the creases shrink. Update day 3: Added conditioner 3 times(Hours apart), the shoes all looking promising. Focusing on the area's with deeper creases hoping conditioner would loosen up the leather. Make sure not to let the conditioner sit too long like I did, brush after 5-10min or it will dry and cake up on the shoes. Polishing later today

Shoes are complete, mirror shine and all. I must admit they turned out better than expected! The creases in the toe/vamp have been greatly reduce, some new creases where created from the shoe tree (narrow at the heal of the tree pulled the leather too tight is some areas). Over all they look good, not brand new but like well conditioned high quality shoes. For $30 , the experience, and the knowledge of how to maintain the shoe, it was well worth the investment. The shoes are actually a size to small for me so i'll be giving them to my brother.

@@fosejay86 could we get a pic of it?

mayor ofswag Don’t think I can on RU-vid

Thanks for watching.

You venture these youtube streets like I do. "Nods Jeriamiah johnson style"

It is a new Era of endless possibilities

Bro did you get that Steve-O guy getting his teeth?

@@chrisyako89 yeah

@@waragainstmyself1159 🤣🤣🤣

loll imagine sitting there and polishing shoes for hours

@@stellajiang8842 or just pay someone to do that for you. It would still be cheaper then buying new dress shoes.

Wearing used shoes is just slightly better than wearing used underwear.

Dangit. Do you know how many pair of shoes I've thrown away. Thanks.

@@stellajiang8842 He doesn't polish them 'for hours', though. A mirror shine takes less then 15 minutes! For a pair of AE shoes (or any other quality shoe) it's definitely worth it. Look after them well, and these shoes will last you decades.

Jae One And some TLC

I'll definitely pass that tidbit to my Marine hubby - he works very hard for the shine! Thanks.

also a cotton wool and kiwi guy, the only thing I do on black shoes and boots is put 1 layer of oxblood polish or brown parade gloss every 3-4 coats. I think it gives a deeper shine

Yes, we used to iron our boots in the Army, make the toe and heel section perfectly smooth. Then spit and polish. Lots of spit, lots of polish, lots of cotton balls. If you held a flame to it, it melts the polish into the boot. Repeat this over and over and after a while we used to carry ladies nylon stockings rolled into a tight ball in our pockets. A quick wipe with that at any point and the boots look like a mirror

pops d. r. Use a lighter on the freshly applied wax to melt it and tighten the leather grain, then buff. An old boot camp trick.

@@skeezix8156 super glad to learn this!

Stay tuned for more. My DSLR was stolen but as soon as I get a new one, I’ll post more videos. Thanks for stopping by!

I'm a leather craftsman. Soaking leather does it no harm - It's drying leather close to heat that causes the problems.

@@Automedon2 omg! When I buy leather shoes goods it always says to evoid getting wet! And recently I got caught in the rain with my new shoes...and the first thing I did was to put them next to the heater:( Now they look a little weird, what should I do?

@@estefaniaboujon6830 Learn from it. Wet leather and radiant heat are no friends; the leather tends to shrink and harden up if dried that way. Sunlight/moderate warmth and good air circulation is the key - for proper drying you'll need time. Since leather stuff is expensive, it's not a big thing to ask that not to run and ruin. You could try to soften your shoes with beeswax for example, but I don't know what "look a little weird" means in this case - stained color? Loss of shape? Try to find a nearby cobbler if there is any, and ask for help. It might be not cheap, but worthy.

@@estefaniaboujon6830 I don't know if they will get back to looking like new, but coat them heavily with a leather conditioning product that has neatsfoot oil and wax. Leave it to soak in, then wipe of the excess allow to dry and buff them. Then finish with shoe polish.

Steel? What kind? Alloy...titanium....what?!

rishishenoy i think you meant steal? Lmao

Just the video i wanted to see

Or maybe being in the presence of someone gently taking care of something, and having faith in it when another person has cast aside as not worth their time. A metaphor for the human condition if ever there was... Go well. 😊

Robert Crow really? Are you sure it won’t ruin the shoes?

@@AllahsServant12 It's heat that destroys leather thankfully, not moisture. Just don't dry them out near to a radiator, and be patient... 😊

@@221b-Maker-Street How about sunlight?

Glad I learned from smart parents how to FIX every kind of thing.

I still argue that Andy would have be caught. Leather soles are loud on concrete.

There is always hope... that you will find a reference from such a magnificent film.

I was binge-watching clips from that film and this was a suggested video...scrolled down and found this comment.

The wearer of the shoes always knows and it really boosts one's own confidence and brings one peace of mind when you are at your best!

Love that movie Gregory

Aaron Lee All of these products are available at www.potterandsons.com

Trenton & Heath hi! Do you send worldwide? (To Ukraine?)

i find it very satisfying...similar to some asmr :)

In most cases, a deceased person's entire wardrobe gets donated to a thrift store. If the deceased had good taste, a style similar to yours, and wore your same size, my friend, you will have hit the jackpot.

Thank you 🙏🏻

I usually recommend a leather conditioner, a colored shoe cream for pigment, and a colored wax polish for a high shine. A good horse hair brush and a shoe horn to prevent damage. Caring for your investment is important. I recommend Saphir creams and waxes.

@@TheElegantOxford do you recommend saddle soap as a cleaner/conditioner? I see a lot of show shiners using it.

Ematched, saddle soap is more for cleaning than conditioning. It does impart a slight condition, but a dedicated conditioner like bicks 4 (which is what i believe he used), Chelsea leather food, saphir renovator, or the like is highly recomended

UncleDeluxe shoe tress. Run. I see what you did there.

@@TheHeretic435 hes asking for the price

The shoe polish he's using is around 20$ but it will last you a long time. Shoe tree is probably more expensive, but it's not like it wears out anytime soon.

Decent shoe tree in your size- $30 or so. I have a nice shoe tree for polishing and then cheap ones i use while shoes on on the rack between wears. The polish is 15-20, but the tin will last a long time since you do not shine shoes every day. per shine you are under $1 in the cost of the polish- even less if you go cheaper with a Kiwi. I also tend to find things like this at garage sales and thrift stores when i find nicer shoes there.

@Taylor Great idea, can you make a "how to" RU-vid vid?

Ashish Acharya yes, avoid water on your new pairs unless you’re purposely trying to restore an old, beaten up pair. In cases such as these, I think you are justified in using this method.

@@TheElegantOxford absolutely, with leather craft water is used all the time to shape leather. you don't want to intentionally expose your leather items to water. but while working on or repairing its is used.