How to polish your boots in ten minutes.

[@MusicStudent1]

This is a tough crowd! We coated our combat boots with Kiwi, lit it, and buffed to a mirror shine all the time! I did that for YEARS and it didn't burn the leather, cause "boot cancer", or chip off. If you need a quick shine for inspection, doing this won't cause much, if any, damage. What killed my combat boots was repeated wetting and drying without using conditioner such as Obenaufs (didn't exist then), mink oil, or neatsfoot oil on the INSIDE. Had I used leather conditioner, they would've lasted longer. Wet leather dries hard and when flexed, it cracks. I had NO ill effects from using the lighter. Think about it, the heat melted the waxy polish into the pores and probably helped soften it up! I passed many inspections with lit Kiwi...good times! It's not going to hurt anything.

[@First_Class_Amateur]

Yeah, what he said.

[@leanderr.y.3791]

Same thing happened to me when I was in the Army and just like +MusicStudent1 I never had time to buy nor look for a leather conditioner such as neats oil, the old stand by mink oil, or snow seal. I just wore my boots until the leather tightened than cracked, Never conditioned the tan boots either when I switched to the ACU.

[@leanderr.y.3791]

Now a days I condition all of my leather goods and polish them if needed. My gotos are obenaufs and kiwi parade gloss in either black or brown.

[@thetoddandersonshow4067]

Would do it but with no flame

[@nsatoday]

Brush all loose debris from boot. Saddle soap to clean and then wipe down. Allow time to dry. Apply leather dye if boot is damaged or discolored from wear. Apply a conditioner of choice. Apply a heavy base coat of polish and allow just a few minutes to dry some. Brush shine. If you use heat, even heat is best. I usually don’t use heat unless the boot was pretty bad off. It’s been my experience that if not done properly heating the polish can backfire. Lighting it on fire takes the oils out of the wax.

[@jamescopeland8813]

Looks great on a shelf. First time you bend your toes in the field, that caked up polish will crumble off.

[@mightymikethebear]

Some guys would put Mop & Glow on their boots. It looked good under the bunk - for inspections - but flaked away and looked like crap not long after putting them on.

[@meganmauermann2676]

So true that ain’t how you do it he don’t know what he’s doing

[@boringbill]

@@meganmauermann2676 yeah but it really doesn't matter these are just like 60 dollars boots off of Amazon

[@ghw1985]

@@mightymikethebear i agree a heat gun would be better and to melt it to a paste as opposed to a liquid because liquid is not effective simply because when its in a solid state it sicks much better as a solid

[@alexanderworth4352]

Wait for it to dry, bend the shoe at the crease, and brush off excess.

[@lizardfirefighter110]

I was in the fire service. Each station had a boot-shine box with an assortment of polish, brushes, pieces of nylon tights, and cotton rags. Everyone was an “expert” with their approach. I bought a bottle of “Honor Guard” and kept it in my locker. I could make my boots look real nice in a few minutes, with little effort.

[@jamesg4266]

Wrong. you don't rub the dirt in with polish. Clean the boot first

[@zankeikizannanji9545]

Depends though. He's civilian, so it's smart to clean the boot first. But we often applied grease to our boots in the army, even when our boots were muddy and really dirty.

[@satanicpoet]

I was in the irish army..you brush the dirt off first.then polish .then wet rag in a circuler motion to the steel toe and heel .job done .tjey dont give you blow torchs in the army to clean ur boots .its called elbow grease

[@rockywr]

It's also called "Bulling" and what's wrong with a bit of spit... bloody water.... hah!...

[@rajakhalid5935]

@Charlie Fresquez go play roblox

[@codybogle8051]

@Firsthgyhgyhuy Lastujhujhuj ammo boots?

[@edgizinski5528]

Cotton balls kiwi and water never failed me. Never hurt any of my boots and looked like glass. It took a bit longer but I'll keep doing what worked great for me. Some things work better for others. We all have our own ways of doing things and other ways we think look better. But it all ends up pretty darn close.

[@scopex2749]

We used to bull our boots in the forces similar to this, burn the Kiwi ON the boot then spit and little circles with a soft cloth for HOURS and they came up like mirrors! Thanks for sharing

[@K4TAKAN]

This is a method we use in Russian Honor Guard. As a Honor Guard officer I totally confirm it. Works best with Kiwi for sure. But instead of torch we use a simple Cricket lighter and deodorant spray.

[@scott8bits98]

russia has lost its honour worldwide. 👌🏻 🇺🇦

[@K4TAKAN]

@@scott8bits98 it never did and never will. I wouldnt talk like that be I in your place

[@UriNierer]

@@K4TAKAN It never had any honour and will never have.

[@K4TAKAN]

@@UriNierer chairborne commando 😀

[@Alan-rd9hc]

Honor Guard or similar dog and pony show positions are the only time boot shining is important. Otherwise it is pointless

[@skymedic48]

I used to work in a state jail, had a trustee that was the boot black, he shined my boots like that all the time. Never had an issue with cracking or anything. Once you get enough coats on, a damp rag and and a buffing cloth keeps the shine up.

[@robertosantiago6028]

Thanks, wether this or that method, you brought back some memories....thanks again.

[@MrBugulNoz]

When I was in the military we'd heat up the wax, apply to a CLEAN boot and then use witch hazel vs water and the cotton ball method that is shown here. Took a little longer but boots were always on point !!

[@zHumanfactor]

I tried this process on my Dr. Martens For Life (which has an oily leather) and it worked really well. Albeit a bit messy, I was really happy with the outcome. They have a nice lasting shine.

[@hammerheartoutdoors9146]

Polishing black leather boots was something i always enjoyed in the military.

[@michaelweston6083]

If you want your boots to last longer and look better, use saddle soap first, then conditioner, then polish. Never polish first.

[@starrskreamgaming]

lighting polish on fire causes the waxes and oils to be burned off. I too was a paratrooper(C Co 3-325 96-2000), we never burned polish. maybe when we waxed the hallways when we used the johnsons paste wax from the PX haha! never light the polish(kiwi) on fire. and hitting leather with a torch will dry it out bad. soft cotton t shirt, water and black kiwi. time and elbow grease.

[@shindrithargriethrat8408]

A soft terry cloth polish cloth with a smidge of 70% rubbing alcohol on it works wonders.

[@dougcooper5740]

Starrskream is right, no heat. 100% cotton t shirt, water, kiwi and effort. From time to time I'd scoop out a gob and rub it in with my finger until my finger wouldn't slide across the boot then finish it off with a tshirt and water

[@dj6769]

Put lots of Johnson’s paste wax on with one sock covered hand and took it off with the other sock covered hand.

[@rockywr]

The only time any heat was applied in my British Army days was when you had new boots and you had to get the pimples down to have a smooth surface. We used kiwi polish, a candle and a spoon...... worked every time. Then it was good old "Bulling" with spit and polish and hours of therapeutic circles with a duster cloth.

[@leebarker539]

It would be helpful to do the other boot with the same wax, following the instructions on the tin. And compare the time as well as the sheen.

[@itsawonderfulknife7031]

That’s ridiculous. I served 6 years in the Canadian Airborne Regiment and had good looking boots, until a U.S. Marine friend of mine told me a secret he used and they went from good looking to amazing. The secret? Shine and polish them as usual but instead of using a brush or cloth, use pantyhose. The nylon creates friction and heats up the more it’s rubbed in, and melts the polish into the boot and gives it an amazing shine. Way better results than burning your boots.

[@andyirish1690]

SomeGuy OnKZbin thanks dude, I will follow your advice. Sounds legit.

[@kash4565]

Yes! This is definitely one of the great shoe shine "hacks" you don't hear about much.

[@scottr.7775]

I heard that before but yet to try it.

[@AcutePanic41]

I used tights to get rid of the "orange peel" and make the leather smooth before bulling. A layer of brown after 20 black and a layer of beeswax now and again never failed. I left the RAF 15 years ago, still bull a pair of shoes for fun.

[@ogghostprepper9138]

@Prestige Worldwide Thank you for your service. My uncle was PPCLI for years. Taught me all he was taught. I teach my kids the same.

[@michaelrs8010]

Well, my days of having to do this have long since passed, but just for 2 cents thrown in... A lot of guys could do something similar with a cotton t-shirt or other cotton cloth, I never had much luck with that. The cotton balls always worked best for me. I did the melting of the waxing in the tin, only I would then just apply it directly to the shoe with a cotton ball and rub hard to rub it down into the leather. I think using the heat on the polish on the shoe is a great idea to try. But my technique was to apply the first coat rubbing hard with a swirling motion and then, using a couple of subsequent cotton balls, applied medium pressure and maybe adding a bit more polish going all around and then finally light pressure. And I just quickly dunked the cotton balls in the water instead of putting the water on the shoe. I came out with a great mirror shine. But had I known about some of the techniques here I think I would have tried them.

[@anonanonymous1988]

When I was in the Army we used to but heat guns, they were basically souped up hair dryers. The rest of the process is pretty much the same except I would clean the boot with a damp rag first.

[@rommosher]

Don't light anything on fire if somethings around is flammable, One of my Dads friend from tech school did it, burnt down half of his room.

[@JeffMartinez648]

I used to use this same method when I was in the Marine Corps and still did since the 80's when I got out, however after years of doing this with Kiwi polish I found something better that doesn't dry out the leather and crack my boots & work shoes, it's bees grease. Normally my work shoes would last about 8-10 months and they would be cracked from being dried out by the polish wax, then I was introduced to bees grease and the thus far my shoes have lasted 12 months. I service kitchens in restaurants, hotels, and hospitals and I'm constantly in water and the bees grease repels water, protects the leather and keeps them soft and supple. I don't get the shine like I used with the wax polish but my shoes last longer, so you have to look at both methods and determine whats the end desire you have in mind.

[@Stryker_Cade]

Heat gun the inside to open the pores then heat the outside and lather the kiwi on. Then after it has cooled, cotton shirt around two fingers and make small circles, increasing in size and pressure the more reflection you get. You'll see the lines in your teeth from an arm's distance when your done. P.S. burning the kiwi takes the oils out, hence, warming the leather instead.

[@FreightlinerSarge]

That's how I did it for 9 yrs in the Army. Guys were always asking me how I got a better mirror finish than theirs

[@thorsmith59]

Learned this years ago in the Navy. Used a lighter for the heat.

[@vedantzende6097]

Then why you saw?

[@obadiahhenry]

This method worked great. Thank you.

[@nhiathor8155]

Any using the blow torch for the first time, it was done every time on my boots when I start seeing too much scuffs. For me, it was the best method. Some of my friends use the heat gun and it works as well.

[@sergioa.s.5771]

Thanks for the tip and thanks for not making this a 10 minute video...cheers!!!

[@ILoveCaterpillars]

It's like we are doing some crack or dabs to just clean some boots lmao.

[@mexicant777]

I learned how to spit shine boots in the marine corps, I did it the way you do it minus the torch. Looked nice for the first 5 min of the day, looked like crap by the end of the day.

[@whomagoose6897]

Must be a million ways to spit shine boots. I always used a cotton diaper that was washed to removed the sizing compounds from the manufacturer. Found cotton balls left a lot of cotton fibers on the boot. Tap water and Kiwi brand shoe polish. No fire or heat for the polishing wax. The first time the boots were shined took the longest. All other spit shines were easier. There was a synthetic floor polish called "Future" years ago in the USA. No longer sold. Was a quick way to get a shine on the leather but you had to frequently strip off the dried "Future" about 2 to 3 times a month. Wasn't a good solution, but, it was quick.

[@whomagoose6897]

Also, the words "spit shine" is figurative, not literal. Saliva is a mild acid, plus all the other junk. Toothpaste, food particles, or, whatever else. No spit! Use clean water, good quality shoe polish, and a washed cloth diaper. Shined boots were a part of usual daily activities for infantry guys. Did this shining technique in the US Army, 11C mortarman, for seven years.

[@MarkNorville]

I very much doubt your claims. I am ex forces and you would not be anywhere near a blow torch to do this method. It would be spit and polish, you do not carry blow torches into recruiting with you, so once your bull nights was done, then you would bull your shoes or boots. You are not supposed to have a high shine on boots anyway unless they are ceremonial boots. If light shines on a polish boot, then it would stick out a mile, which is why you do not have polished boots in the field.

[@frazzle657]

I love your videos. Right down my street

[@trimlyaustralia3108]

Kiwi contains some pretty strong solvents, in fact I think every ingredient bar maybe the carnauba wax can act as a solvent. It chemically bulls your shoes by design. This is the expedited version.

[@chadwaldron6329]

Spit shined my boots all over for inspection. Took a couple of hours but I made squad leader because my boots were the best. Looked like glass. I had to tip toe around so as not to break them. Spit shine...

[@gjmarkjesse1324]

Billy Bats needs you to go and get your shine box. Great video BTW. Saved my ass when I went to the police academy years back.

[@_Lightning_Dog_]

I feel skeptical that this would take less than ten minutes

[@thepurdychannel8866]

First i remove dust and watermarks with wipes then I apply my polish with a brush then buff it off with another then i polish them by breathing on the leather to fog it up like when you clean a a mirror. then i polish them with a microfiber cloth

[@reeb9016]

Ignore the ignorant comments. I used to do this although in a more lengthy way. If I was still in I'd be adopting your quick method. I had an inspector thinking my leather dress shoes were chloroframs.

[@methulapooja7589]

First step you shoud be polish your shoe with hard wax like cherry blossom polish and second step you should need to use pasty polish like kiwi with olive oil....because that gives the shoe extra shine and polish....and last you need brush with horse hair

[@fishyc150]

Polish on. Brush off. Repeat. Perfect boots.

[@funnystuff9954]

If you spit on boots instead of water its a lot better as spit does not take any polish off and use a cloth.Same as army do.

[@flippityfloppity6213]

it still looks pretty good even with the dirt undernearth. and thats good enoguh for MOST inspections

[@thomasbroking7943]

I enjoy my shoe polishing. I was taught different. I really don't want any coming back off. I bought the whole can to use it all, not half and toss the rest on an old rag..kkkkkk Maybe it's because i let it sit longer?? Idk i apply to 1st shoe, while it drys i do the 2nd. Then i go back & forth many times, after i get at least 10 coats and they've set, then i'll start putting on little by little with the water. When I'm done i give them a quick buff and store them in an old tube sock.

[@Tom-kf4ui]

Can we use cloth instead of cotton ball

[@kfl611]

My mom said when she was a child they used to polish their shoes with a biscuit, no kidding. They used lard in the biscuits and I think the lard must have helped shine them up.

[@notanurse2373]

Was your mom with the Joads in the Grapes of Wrath? Good lord.

[@No_fritz01]

My grandpa was in the army and he teaches me, how to polish my boots and spit polish my boots also.

[@seankirby7055]

*clutches Corcorans* Don't worry, babies. The bad man is gone now.

[@NinjaMon1776]

Kirby Everyman I love my Corcoran full leather top 10 inch high combats. Best boots ever. I polish the old school way, using time, effort, and understanding the leather in hand... Or well on foot

[@mightymikethebear]

Were you airborne or an MP? Those guys love Corcorans!

[@guy4469]

i use to shine my boots with old blood

[@aviatorofpeace4184]

With the claret of one's adversaries right... !? 🤺⚔ Grrrr 💪💪That makes you double hard that... Grrrr ..... 😉😉😜

[@trulymeparker]

I didn't burn the top of the polish, I heat the tin up with a hair dryer or heat the base of the tin with a lighter

[@probablecausetocheckhard-drive]

First clean boot don't polish over dirt . Then brush polish boot. Then layer up as many as can be arsed; the more the better; best if left overnight or at least a few hours; then with a silvette and a dab of water and dab of Polish bull . Other tricks add a layer of blue or cherry or brown gives a deeper shine. Or use Klear

[@matthewsouthworth3696]

It's really great for inspection, not so great to wear around. It will crack off with wear.

[@wldktz1]

Anyone ever had one boot that doesn’t take wax well? I have one that shined up beautifully in 7 layers. The other one I’ve applied about 15 times and it’s still not taking polish well.

[@ddevineisofine]

I didn't understand at first but it's an army boot, now I get it haha.

[@INSIGHTCO]

Nobody head mentioned Lincoln wax yet.... best stuff ever. Oh yeah, and don't ever use Mop-Glo. Your boots will turn white as son as a little water or humidity ticks them....

[@michaelgossett1415]

Very good job. One question, why didn't you remove the shoestrings? Have you ever sealed the shine from floor wax?

[@mfcortes1206]

I'm trying to polish my shoes, not trying to make an science experiment on polish vs X.

[@nereb100]

Melt the polish by flame - we used that trick at German Bundeswehr, too

[@gavinkendig3081]

how not to Polish your boot

[@bobbulat1393]

Red_Jacket Yes but is he really Polish?

[@mrothgeb]

Paratrooper =/= leather care expert.

[@bluemarshall6180]

Red_Jacket Das boot....

[@angelortbo1]

Gavin Kendig n

[@xPrevailingGaming]

michael rothgeb surely a person like you looking for a ‘leather care expert’ is not coming to a video on how to shine boots in 10 minutes, right? The point of this video is mainly for people trying to pass inspection. We buy whale shit surplus oxfords and we are just trying to get them pretty for our inspections. Not $500 dirt attractors that need special products.

[@rhd26]

step one: stare at boots for 10 minutes then don't shine them bc fuck that

[@howtotech.w]

I put a shit ton of polish on my boots and melt it and then put some more and get a cotton ball with some water to get rid of the shoe polish and it is literally a mirror shine

[@VVish_list]

Dont use cotton balls, go to a western boot store and get a 100% cotton rag that has a rough side thats used for buffing and a soft side thats used for polishing. And dont use the lighter on the boot because you'll weaken the leather over time

[@jonathanmurphy6493]

It’s called a fire shine. Fast but totally destroys your shoe and your polish won’t last as long. Just spit shine it like everyone else

[@how2cadet500]

please don't burn your boot, it will look good for only 10 seconds. I see this as a common mistake in a lot of peoples videos

[@Dan4052]

Nice video. Very informative. But please help me; I can't get a shine on my leather work boots to save my soul. I'v tried everything known to man and experimented with every technique and medium for years, right out of the box boots and old boots. Is it me or is it the leather? It's almost as if the supple leather is too porous and the wax or polishing oils never completely dry. I generally wear Red Wings, Carolina's, and ThouroughGood's. When I was a kid in the 70's and 80's, they would always shine up to a mirror finish. Your help would be greatly appreciated

[@dvalentino7492]

I came here for boot polishing not a cringe compilation.

[@THELEGEND-gk8oi]

This is something a cop would do

[@sorrygregory5041]

Ale mi rewelacja. Każdy Polak który był w wojsku musiał to robić, lata 70,80. Norma. Nawet do lat 2005 było to stosowane. Ameryki nie odkryłeś, chociaż wy za oceanem to zacofani jesteście , skoro teraz na to wpadliscie.

[@weltonhernandes177]

Belo trabalho vou tentar nos meus coturnos.

[@turbo5483]

I’m curious can you use cotton pads ?

[@dingus3161]

laughing at all the people saying you're burning the boot lol, this is the same thing as using a hairdryer to melt the wax, it gets nowhere near hot enough to "burn" anything.

[@roaring-turtle]

Ah hell nah, i ain’t trying to ruin my $400 red wings

[@chrisworthington1027]

Well that's the problem right there ..... wearing OVERRATED Red Wings. 🤣

[@garypointing5825]

First thing make sure it's decent leather...10 coats of good polish on a cheap pair of shoes...shite finish. Today Johnson's clear floor polish..1 minute looks fantastic

[@HtS643KyS6555GxQ3edA]

I did the same thing with my boots but with a candle. Unfortunately one time I held the candle too close to the leather and the leather was damaged. Game over.

[@j.chriswatson6847]

I expect most troops today have zero clue about polishing footgear. As an equipment operator in the engineers in the AF in the early 90's, our boots got pretty gnarly but we could get them inspection ready in short order, especially with higher quality boots like my Danner Fort Lewis boots. Get a good base, break the boots in, then hit tbem with Kiwi. We'd us lighters, irons, engine manifolds, etc, to get the kiwil to to apply correctly. Repair tbe damage from duty and field after spraying them off or walking in a stream by building up scuffs, cracks, and cuts with polish. Work it in to a uniform color. Then set the boot aside to do other. Hit boots with 1-4 coats of softened kiwi with cotton rag, then let them cool to a dull finish. Hit the with boot brush to bring up shine then break out the wetted cotton balls. Use cotton balls to dress soles and polish up to 90%. Finally to remove swirl marks, buff them with an old pair of panty hose. Worked everytime.

[@justinorosas9927]

What kind of boots are those

[@Haroldandbob]

you are my hero

[@stephenman3846]

Hi often must you do this method to ensure that the boots stays polished?

[@rudyardgomeas6042]

Try soaking cotton ball and wringing it out, then do your circles

[@KosukiFire]

Hairdryer works great too. I add multiple layers

[@barnyardkh4]

Ten minutes to re-touch, I assume. How long or how many coats if the boots are brand new?

[@First_Class_Amateur]

I do three or four. The leather needs to be saturated with the polish before it will build up.

[@MrCRMoir]

Can't beat good old spit and polish with a rag and some parade gloss

[@joevail6959]

You didn't have a pair of Corcorans laying around for the demonstration? Great video, by the way.

[@First_Class_Amateur]

I should get them down from the attic

[@notanurse2373]

As someone who used to have to shine my boots, this is horrifying.

[@MTS7140]

I used to do this in the army, but instead of a butane gun I had a big lighter.

[@theresabajorek]

Can I use a heat gun instead of a butane torch?

[@SammyPlayzRoblox]

Air cadets?

[@babygorilla4233]

Damn, I got leather oil with my boots. I'm definitely going to do this in a month or so if im not happy with how they look.

[@darrylswrinkledmarineshoes752]

As a marine ya should do what ever is best for your boots

[@scottr.7775]

Darryl's wrinkled marine shoes What a marine like thing to say 🖒

[@armyguy1sgretired]

I'm an old retired 1SG, I would never set my polish on fire and then burn off the polish on my boots. Also, when I was polishing my boots I never prepped the boots first by grinding dirt into them, dirt doesn't equal shine. Just my opinion after 30 of service.

[@sabretooth1954]

This was really helpful but there was a few mistakes as you did your boots. If you read the comments you would see the mistakes that people have spotted

[@Lupo32]

Question.... what if you put vaseline as A wax on the applied and dried shoe polish as a form of wax ? Like when they wax wooden floors

[@sydstenger1227]

I have dark blue docs and they're getting ruined and scratched but I don't have polish in the color of my shoes. Would it be bad if I used black polish on my blue shoes?

[@mikegauthier6364]

I think a hair dryer would be safer and work just as well.

[@thisguy8404]

For those complaining about this being the wrong way and that it will dry them out over time, I think this is from the first initial coat, not every time he shines them. Yeesh, it obviously works and he knows what he's talking about

[@fedupenglishman4029]

cant beat ther armys spit and polish method lol nice

[@goodboyringo9716]

He is using a left boot then the finished boot is a right boot, but no doubt you can shine the boot in this method.

[@unboxsports8016]

What’s the name of the boots

[@Perktube1]

They didn't teach us that in boot camp.

[@laurenmatthews178]

Don't think my drill sergeant would be happy if I did this in training

[@kentcostello8099]

I'm sorry that is a kick ass video and info and job thank you 👍👍👍👍🇺🇸

[@I_am_Diogenes]

Interesting ..... US ARMY '84-'87 Not the way we did it but interesting non the less.

[@markdollente4852]

Water?