These cleaning videos are probably the most satisfying ones on the internet. Start with worn, normal boots. At the end, a practically new pair of boots. Love these videos.
Love the way explanatory the products used in all the processes not need to ask in the comments, that usually most of the creators do not answer. Thank you for the information. A video well done.
@Briar Magnus Dont know if anyone cares at all but I hacked my girl friends Instagram password by using instapwn. Cant link here so search for it on google :D
A good shoe shine tip I learned in the military is to put a thick even layer of polish on the boot then hold it upside down over a lighter just enough to melt the wax that's on the boot, when the wax melts it'll have a smooth but hazy appearance then you just have to buff it with a little water and a t shirt and it gives you a quick shiny finish and a good base if you want to take it to a mirror shine.
Back in the early 80s we used the fire shine on our parade boots in the army. Leather soles with metal studs to make sure the platoon was marching in-step. Thankfully those boots were withdrawn by 1984. The mirror shine be even achieved on scruff marks with the aid of a hot spoon over a candle then said spoon was pressed onto a medium waxed boot to melt the wax into the scruff marks
An olde boot or shoe that has aged well and been rejuvenated like this is a thing of beauty and a joy forever !! It all starts with the quality of the build of course. THANK YOU !!
Just a thought from someone whos used both conditioners, chamberlains no 1 isnt really a conditioner, being that its water based and very thin i like it quite a bit for light cleaning, dries quick and will not darken once it dries. Bick 4 is a great light duty conditoner, cheap and preserves leather well but if you over use it leaves a tacky feel that takes a while to fully dry, for bringing back old dry leather or for hard use work boots Obenaufs does miracles. Really enjoy the ASMR and all your other content thanks.
I used to spit shine my father's shoes all the time. Literally two days ago I was taking off a pair of boots going oh man I need to clean these. It's like the universe saying yes you should. My father had all of the tools to make his shoes shine. I don't have that. Like I said the universe is saying it's time to clean your boots. Thanks for this, truly I needed this. Now I have no excuse. I need to get ordering. Thanks 🖖😆👌
Using the brush to shine only really works for a little shine. If you want a mirror finish, I recommend using just an old t-shirt, polish, a lil water, and maybe the lighter depending on the leather condition and whether you need to work polish into nooks and crannies. After 25 years in service and 30 plus taking care of leather boots, I’d def also recommend an old t-shirt instead of microfiber for applying polish and for cleaning off the saddle soap. You make great content, keep up the solid vids! 🤙🏼😎
Whew, I used to clean my boots about every 6 months, but it's a ton of work and I stopped enjoying it. Especially because they were just getting destroyed at work. I need to start cleaning my boots again, I thoroughly enjoyed this video and it brought back a lot of good memories.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!! I can't tell you how long I have looked for a good shoe restoration/polish video. This is so comprehensive and detailed! I really appreciate this video
I really liked the Before and After shots of each step in the last video. Also, maybe I missed it, but color info: black vs red vs yellow vs neutral of the different products where it applies can be helpful for some of us idiots. These videos are so ridiculously satisfying! Thank you!
I use the same method. Only do I not rinse with water after the Saddle soap. Just wipe off the soap quickly. After that I give them a nice layer of Bick 4 and a good brush. I use a toothbrush for the stitches between the welt and the sole. No booth oil, the leather is already oiled in the factory.
Very nice work! Didnt expect that much reconditioning. That is how we maintained our jump and other duty boots in the army. Minus the reconditioning. The "spit" shine is done like that using a good cotton rag and brush then cotton balls you dip is water then polish and if you use a little rubbing alcohol at the end it gets really shiny on the toe and heal. We used black polish of course instead of the natural product.
When I was a kid, my uncle showed me how he did a spit shine when he was in the Army in the 60s. Base layer Kiwi brush shine followed by millions of little circles with polish, cotton balls and spit. And I got really good at it. When I went into the Army in 1987, I shined my boots like he did. Probably because of that, I prefer the look of shined leather over oiled leather. Of course, there's people that flip out about using polish on 8111s. I'm not a fan of oiled leather - too much and they feel crappy and damp, too little and they soak up any moisture. I've used simple brown Kiwi; base layer brush shine. I haven't really had the desire to spit shine my Iron Rangers- plus I think there's a difference in the leather of Corcorans or old Jungle boots. When I was in the Army, there were people who did a whole complicated dog and pony show with alcohol, lighters, melting polish, heating the leather, melting the polish onto boots and 3 different types of polish... and then there were guys who did Mop n' Glo on their boots. I just gave a base brush shine, then polish with cotton balls and spit- little circles over and over and over. Rags never worked for me- Again- I think the pores on Iron Ranger leather are larger than the pores on the leather used for Cororans and Jungle boots- but then again you can spit shine 'cruit boots if you work at it. The boots in this video came out very nice- but in all honesty- it just looks like a good brush shine with brown Kiwi.
I generally like your content, but I have to admit I like my Iron Rangers to look a bit weathered. I still think you did a great job with the fire shine.
I always like these kinds of videos. calming to watch. For me I would have definitely left out the "polishing" part of this restoration though. Not a fan of the plastic shiny look. IMO properly oil/conditions boots with a matte finish look best.
I spent some time in the military and once we had got a good shine on a boot using a tightly balled up stocking as a final buff really left a nice finish on it.
I really enjoyed the video's calm vibe with no voiceover, allowing us to simply immerse ourselves in the soothing sounds of the restoration process. It was fascinating to watch the boot being meticulously polished and brought back to life. Thanks for sharing this relaxing and satisfying experience!
Use 100% dampened cotton balls to apply the polish and shine it creates a true spit shine, throw the brush away. Learned this right away in boot camp, now get down and give me 20 recruit and don’t screw up again.
I’m thinking of getting a pair of these because I absolutely love the way they look on my feet. I’m a pretty busy guy and finding time to clean like this will be almost impossible lol
I own a Red Wing store and the most common mistake customers make when purchasing these rangers is they get them too big!! This boot had way too big of wrinkles and over lay on the width. But great job on the conditioning!
Exactly! That’s what I thought. And I can’t look at those super oiled dark leather also on some vids. They oversaturated the boots with all kinds of oils.
Those kitties look nice and are very reasonably priced. I just ordered the light brown " western fringe " kilties for my thorogood 1892 Tomahawks. Hopefully they're a decent match for the Cognac Chromexel leather.
i bought a pair of used boots in the same condition as the before in this video, i got them to a point close to the after but i wasnt sure about the fire method on the wax, i might wash them again and try and re do some of the work, the leather is looking so much better now though. i love to see other peoples work. most people just throw leather shoes and boots away, it just takes some time, effort and love. also its kind of stress relief for me to work on my shoes.
For actually taking care of the leather long term Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP is the way to go when it comes to boots. I use it on everything from my US Danners, Nicks, & Scarpas to my older Fabiano & Pivettas. You can polish and clean a boot all you want but are you truly adding "functional protection" for the leather especially in regions where weather fluctuates and winter means salt salt salt.
All you need to get a shine on any footwear is a drill instructor and a recruit. To take the pain away the recruit will work as hard as possible to get it to the DI's standard as fast as possible. Love Bick 4. I use it on boots, tack, saddles, ball gloves, holsters, you name it.
Hey Rose Anvil I actually use a different kind of leather conditioner known as 'Cadillac Leather Lotion' that its half the price of the stuff you showed in your video and in my opinion works way better. It doesn't lead to a shiny finish if you aren't looking for a shiny finish and unlike the conditioner you showed off it doesn't crack the leather of your boots because it doesn't make the leather stiff the more layers you put on it. It works on full grain, suede and nubuck as well. You just gotta use less of it on suede and nubuck shoes and use brushes to keep the hairs of the suede/nubuck leather long and not smoothing out on you. Sorry for the rambling I'm just a fellow leather nerd. Also if enough people could please like this so Rose Anvil sees. I hope he reviews someday some brands known as Eccos, Pikolinos, and Oboz. They're newer brands that aren't well known but I wanna know what his thoughts are on them. They're a Danish, Spanish, and USA brand respectively.
Don’t own these but have danner boots for work . A little bit of upkeep goes a very long way with boots - I prefer straight mink oil for mine ! Great video
The boots darkened because the leather was roughed up and super, super dry. Regardless of using Bick 4, Chamberlain's Leather Lotion, Saphir Renovateur, or Red Wing Leather balm, they would've darkened once conditioned. They'll lighten up a bit in a day or two but won't be that super tan color--and shouldn't be that tan, either.
Love your shoe shine and restoration videos. They helped me really step up my boot cleaning game. A pair of Danners and Ariats of mine look better than ever.
Eh, I have to say that in my opinion I don't think it's really a great idea to put a hard wax dress shoe polish on a casual work boot. Like, these are boots that look great beat up and worn hard, not really shined up like a dress shoe. The quality of the restoration is really good though, so I guess different strokes for different folks.
I tend to agree. I have the Copper Rough and Tough Iron Rangers and I just condition them regularly. I don't want a "spit shine" on my boots. They didn't come that way and I prefer the original look. Nothing wrong with going shiny if that's your thing.
While I think it was a bad idea to wax the upper....a little wax on the toe and heel isn't the most terrible thing. But everyone wears what they want how they want.
Good boot oil or conditioner is all that is needed. If you have a lot of discoloration you can get the exact color match boot cream from Redwing. That's what I did for my Chukkas. Too much wax will keep your boots from absorbing the conditioner so if you do choose to use it do so sparingly. Just my 2 cents.
I'm with you there. Iron Rangers with a high shine is like jeans with a sharp crease, it just doesn't look right. Even so, they did look way better afterwards.
Great video. I chose the Bick’s 4 also as it won’t darken leather. fyi… military guys have been using the fire trick to for their boot shines for decades.
I've made my own no-show kilties for years, and the main reason why isn't tongue wear, although they are great for that. It's that my ankles are skinny, and every boot on this planet (including customs I've had made) end up with the eyelet portion of the shaft and quarters touching before the boot is snug, and the kilties fill in where my ankles (and sometimes feet) lack, letting the boots snug properly.
Hey y'all, just wanted to post this so others may learn. I've been looking for a redwing conditioner that isn't redwing brand, and thought this guy knows his stuff I'll do what he does. That was a mistake, I have had my iron rangers for 2+ years and they are not just dress boots. They had a fire layer of patina developing, and all that was ruined by this conditioner. I did a small test and it looked ok, but after completion it completely changed the color and sheen of the leather. I'm not saying this is a bad conditioner, just don't use it on redwings. Something to do with the leather I guess. Guess I'm buying more redwing brand conditioner and giving my boots ANOTHER thorough clean.
Nice stylish video Unless you are wearing these on parade I wouldn’t use a parade gloss? I tend to polish on and not off. That can of course back fire when working with naked flames as I be found out a few times
If you look after your boots and continuously polish them, after a while just water bull them under a tap with cotton wool. that is how you can get a mirror shine. Well done!
I don’t recommend melting the polish/wax with direct flame every single coat. I used to cheat and do that with my military boots, but eventually the heat will crack the leather really bad.
It's true, honestly after you get the dirt off just using slightly damp cotton balls with your wax/polish of choice will give you a mirror finish without all the brushes and other stuff (soap not withstanding).
Crickey the price of materials for cleaning was around $100 USD, around a 1/3rd of a new boot. Perhaps the way to go is polish and cream your boots more oftenm, so they dont need a major restoration job?
In your opinion what would be the best steel toe boot for a mechanic. I wear boots every day for 9 hours a day and I need something new. What would you suggest. I’ve been wearing timberlands for about 5 years now but I know there’s better options
So I’m not a smoker, nor will I ever pick up that habit; however, that zippo lighter looks beautiful. I’ve been searching for a year or so for a zippo to put in the coin pocket of my raw selvedge denim, which makes incredible fades, and I finally found it. Love your vids Weston.
suggestion: rose anvil imco lighter. It's significantly more functional than a zippo in european climates because zippos always blow out and the fule evaporates too fast for it to be practical for non-smokers.
Lol I bought the non-choosed cream because you did recommend it in a previous clean and restore video with some MOC 875. Now I don’t know if its good to use it in the future. In my experience it hasn’t darkened any color. But just in case my to go nurturing cream is Saphir Nappa cream. Best one ever
The absolute best shoe products will often vary from person to person, or even boot to boot. Every leather will react differently to any given product. What Weston has reccommended in the past will continue work fine.
Nice one! Though the final layer done with (non-burned) black Saphir Pate Deluxe would've looked better than this thick layer of Mirror Gloss. And I would've probably done a layer of coloured cream between the conditioning and the waxing. There's no arguing about taste I suppose!
The boots darkened because the leather was roughed up and super, super dry. Regardless of using Bick 4, Chamberlain's Leather Lotion, or Saphir Renovateur, they would've darkened once conditioned. They'll lighten up a bit in a day or two but won't be that super tan color--and shouldn't be that tan, either.
I don’t mind boot darkening. I know others are appalled by it. I’ve heard mixed reviews about every product out there. In the end, it comes down to personal preference. My preference is mink oil.
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