Step By Step Shoe Shine | Mirror Shine

[@watcher4627]

After 50 yrs of shoe shining I find that your process is valid. Old School, use spit...and elbow grease and patience. I enjoy and appreciate your love of your craft. May you Live Long and continue your journey. ThanQ

[@WeeRosieOurFrenchie]

I sadly suffered two strokes at the end of last year. Bulling “ cleaning and polishing” my shoes has really helped to regain far better movement back to my hands. I am ex service , RAF, and always enjoyed shoe care 👍🏻👍🏻🥳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@fotosbyford]

I’ve watched about one dozen videos on the subject and this is easily the best. Watch no other. Results in a classic military spit shine.

[@Agerskiold]

In lack of a 'better' word - this was awesome. Also, I like the way you use the water - no need for a 'dispenser' and a more basic approach ! Cheers from Denmark 🇩🇰

[@carlcolvin8320]

I like how you polished them Old School meaning using your fingertips . I used Lincoln polish on my low quarters and finished with nuetral polish . I put an ice cube in the lid with the water to keep the water cold.

[@64mustangfan]

Shine on! Thanks, great video. An old army trick we also used was finishing off the shine with a pair of ladies used nylon stockings as a buff, works like magic.

[@mjgholfza]

Yes, it works great!

[@JohnH20111]

and the old school brown cotton t-shirts with Kiwi and Water, and if available, a heat gun

[@ShaunKeefe]

This was really great. The only thing I would have done differently is, I would have taken out the laces so that my conditioner and polish contacted every part of the shoe and nothing got caked up near the laces.

[@bwayne40004]

I literally shined up a pair of shoes for work tomorrow just before I sat down and watched a couple of KZbin videos. I did it about a third as well.

[@TrentonHeath]

bwayne40004 👍🏻👍🏻 two thumbs up for shining your shoes! It takes practice, but you’ll get there. By shining your shoes, you’re already ahead of 90% of other guys out there.

[@adriankirk4644]

After waxing the toes of the shoes, how often does the cream need to be applied to re-nourish the leather? Presumably the wax will prevent the cream from doing its job. Does the wax have to be removed? Thank you.

[@yannissakellarakis1798]

A detailed video with crucial details. Shall try it out, with patience! Thanks!

[@sweetwater718]

Best mirror shine tutorial I have seen!

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks!

[@blastmink1352]

Its actually the worst Watch Elegant Oxfords channel

[@albertomolina3678]

Another great step by step tutorial. I just ordered these exact shoes, black whole cuts, based on your and a few other videos.

[@TrentonHeath]

Alberto Molina Thank you! Hope you enjoy them. We appreciate you watching.

[@andricopoulos70]

Been trying to get the perfect shine for years. Thank you for this tutorial best tutorial I have come across thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@roshif-tv9xd]

OMG..I really dig the color and work you put into those soles! SO AWESOME!!! 👌

[@johndeer4250]

Omg those shoes are amazing Never seen shoes like that before They are beautiful

[@saadabdullah4245]

And fairly priced Becket simminon

[@powderriverfarrier]

Heck yes these videos, especially this one, help. Who else would have told us about the use of the drops of cold water. Don't over estimate what we know. You guys can likely teach us a lot. Keep at 'em.

[@ArchdukeJames]

Great tutorial here. I also like to use wax across my entire shoe surface before focusing on the toe/heels, and I also go for the saphir wax before the mirror gloss. I found if you do the mirror gloss first, or only, you end up getting a very weak mirror shine.

[@sociopathicnarcissist8810]

I'm ex Army and we used to have a finishing step of lightly shining the finished shoe with a woman's stocking or pantyhose. The stockings that have elastene in them seem to work the best.

[@TrentonHeath]

Sociopathic Narcissist Agreed! Pantyhose do an awesome job with shining!! Our dad is retired military, and we used to shine his flight boots all the time. I remember using stockings at the end to really heat that wax up and bring out the shine. 👍🏻

[@HarrisPilton789]

Note to self: save old pantyhose for shoe shine purposes.

[@JohnSpence]

Thanks so much - this was VERY helpful. I get my shoes shined at the airport and hotels often, but I am not always happy with the result and sometimes I need a touch-up at home before an event. This was perfect to understand how to do a shine by myself properly.

[@TrentonHeath]

We appreciate you watching, John! Glad it was helpful.

[@anthonytindle5758]

I'm going to polish my shoes using this method from now on and see if I can get the hang of this method. I have preferred highly polished shoes or boots since the punk days.

[@jeffestes960]

Another great video Trenton. I like the color you added to the soles.

[@TrentonHeath]

Jeff Estes Thank you!

[@mickcresswell1031]

Just seen this and recently started following you guys. Love the attention to detail and craftsmanship you guys show in your work! One question - what do you do when you come the polish your shoes next time? With all the wax on, do you have to remove the wax and start from scratch with conditioner, cream, wax etc? Or put conditioner, cream, wax straight on? Or just wax? Sorry for the dumb questions!

[@dude28405]

I had a little trick I used to use when I had my cloth a little wet just a little dab of alcohol and just a very little bit would really give it a good shine. I really don’t Recommend doing it if you’ve never tried it or done it because you can undo your work real quick if you used to much. I’ve seen a few people do it but you pretty much have to trial and error. I did anyway but I could get a mirror gloss.

[@gonnahavemesomefun]

Would you mind listing the exact Saphir products you used pleased? Fantastic video, my son has join the cadets and shiny shoes are a must ☺️

[@Mike82ARP]

Watching this brings back memories. I used to get a killer spit shine on my Corcorans using black Kiwi. I wonder how much better the Saphir products would have worked.

[@JohnH20111]

probably would have made the Drill Sergeants’ boots look bad

[@aa6355-r4m]

I used to be stupid enough to use those terrible sponge shoe shines, can you do a video on “donts” like those?

[@TrentonHeath]

Great idea! Yeah, stay away from the sponges. :)

[@deankenny4627]

Me too until I started watching videos!

[@christiaaanC7]

Me too, until I noticed they were not doing a good job

[@grahamb5930]

They work by making all parts of your shoes equally dull! I used to keep one in my car, it was a terrible idea, wouldn't even use it on the sidewalls of my tyres now

[@samueltuminello7882]

What a beautiful pair of shoes you have.

[@joellalthanzuala7100]

Sir.. Could you please give me a solution regarding mirror shine maintainence.. I've used kiwi product and my mirror shining captoe have cracked and easily peeled off within few steps which is a devastating experience..All my hard work ruined within a three to fours steps.. Love your work btw 👍🏻👍🏻

[@alabamaramma]

As a retired US Navy man I can appreciate well shined shoes. Great video! What is the brand and style of those shoes? They are far and away the best looking plain to dress shoes I've ever seen.

[@Dim_Dimich777]

This is wholecut oxford. There are many different brands. These are the most classic shoes. I have such a couple from Ferragamo, they are my best onse.

[@TheNunakun]

Informative, succinct, genuine, & therapeutic. I look forward to every upload of yours! Thank you.

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you!

[@deepbluesea615]

I had 30+ years of experience with "spit-shining" in the Navy. Where we differed was you using a neutral color wax instead black wax. Please explain the difference. Also, I just bought a pair of brown cowboy boots where they blended a darker color brown into the toe area. Would I be correct in using a neutral colored wax for my boots? Thanks for any advice you can offer. Larry

[@abeloth7188]

those purple bottoms look pristine

[@RayovacWorkhorse]

Excellent video, gonna try this out on my old Jones Brogues, love what you did with the soles on those too, the colour is very nice.

[@dabdella1460]

I was never taught how to wax shoes properly ,to get that high shine. So a few more steps for me. Thanks

[@IGAN13]

Мы в восторге от Ваших уроков! Много полезного берем для себя!Спасибо!

[@goodtastingsteak]

Nice video! Question: if someone were to wear their shoes twice a week, how often would you do each of these steps? Say: Daily = brushing, Weekly = brushing+cream+polish, Monthly = brushing+conditioner+cream+polish?

[@jdp1219]

Did you ever find the answer to this question?

[@lunarexs9245]

How long does a mirror shine last? If I, for example, am using my shoes 1-2 times a week, how often will I need to shine my shoes? And after how many times do I need to strip the wax to condition my shoes?

[@majadi8855]

Excellent. I'm almost a pro myself. Couple of more vids and I'm off and running. Great job. Thanks!

[@TrentonHeath]

Mr. KMC Good deal! Glad you enjoyed.

[@lastozzo]

Hi, thanks for your precious advices! I'm wondering: how to take care of the shoes after mirror shine them? I mean: I don't think I can apply conditioner or other products over the wax right? Should I remove all the mirror shine with aomething like reno mat every time I condition the shoe? Thanks!

[@a1shootingsports270]

All very informative - thank you. Why not remove laces ?

[@grafiek]

probably the best new channel on youtube....let's aim for 5,000 subscribers

[@TrentonHeath]

Wow, thank you so much! Hopefully we’ll get there soon. 👍🏻

[@robertnelson3179]

Thanks learned some good points. Thought I knew it all from my days in the Corps.

[@davidbrewster1994]

KIWI FOR LIFE!!

[@sanjitbose1]

SUPER Video! Thanks.

[@mdm5891]

I think it's important to make a distinction between shoe cream and shoe wax and how to apply them. To me you should use your hands to apply the shoe cream which allows to give a "massage" to the leather. The shoe cream needs to enter the leather, and by using your hands you can really feel the leather absorbing it. On the other hand, the shoe wax should not penetrate the leather, it is meant as an external shield. Using a brush or cloth for that step makes more sense I believe. Just my humble opinion. Cheers!

[@adriaulia8105]

Martin De Moor Totally agree with you dude

[@mdm5891]

@@adriaulia8105 Happy to hear that! ;)

[@denmualim5050]

This a great tutorial! Thanks for sharing. Just curious, what should we do whenever the wax has been worn out? Do we need cleaning steps? Can we reapply the shining steps in the middle or do we have to start over from the beginning?

[@rhymeandreasoning]

Those are great looking shoes.

[@SkyofDread]

Just a wonderful video. Thank you.

[@rudrabarathan2737]

I watched another video showing After using Saphir cream polish using Mirror shine about 4 or 5 layers then Saphir Wax polish. I am confused which order I need to follow? I enjoined your video.

[@josephmushatt4199]

Great instructional video

[@thermann9]

These fellas have so much knowledge and craftsmanship, they should just do the repair and hire an apprentice/intern to take care of the detailing.

[@andrewholt8356]

So when you want to condition and shine them again do you need to remove any of the products applied previously or do you just start again with the conditioner and go through the same process?

[@brianbarnett100]

Wow, ask and I shall receive hahaha great video

[@robertgaray5068]

Do you clean off your horse hair brush from time to time and how? Do you designate a brush for each color? When would you replace it? Great episode!

[@TrentonHeath]

We haven’t cleaned ours in years, and they’re doing fine. Not really a need to. Yes, definitely make sure you have a brush for your brown shoes and a brush for your black ones. A well made brush, such as ours, should last you for decades.

[@robertgaray5068]

@@TrentonHeath Thanks guys, I'll set aside a brush per color. Watched a fellow cobbler at the Elegant Oxford politely debunk the "Aussie" hairspray instant mirror polish hack. No substitute for elbow grease LOL In my youth I was a dress shoe abuser. I had a pair of BASS black loafers from MACY'S and I ran those poor shoes into the ground, right through the heel block and through both outer and inner sole. Never found another pair to made as good. Wish I had been a good steward of my dress shoes hahaha. I think we need an SPS (Shoe Protective Services). Thanks for keeping the old cobbler traditions alive and well.

[@ourshoeshineblog8035]

Nice video, I would have also added a tad of conditioner to the tongues, and removed the laces. Thanks for sharing

[@joegarcia54]

Will you consider a video on shinning a pair of spectator shoes? I haven’t found one anywhere.

[@CarlosPerez-yu3dj]

Wow great video!!

[@RubbelisPro]

Do you ever worry about overconditioning leather? It's a common issue in the boot community, with a pair of black oxfords I'm sure it doesn't matter so much, but I almost feel like conditioning a pair of shoes twice before even applying shoe shine would significantly darken any lighter leather.

[@colmglass]

Great videos! Am about to place my first order of Saphir products - my shoes are Brown; Ox blood and black. So 1. the Renovateur for moisturizing; 2. then I noticed that you use a neutral polish; should I go with neutral or invest in one of each polishes? 3. The final is the Saphire Mirror polish. What do you recommend for getting a shine on the side of the heel and sole and the stitching on the welt area? Could you also let me know about cost for resole on some Church's and Barker's.

[@calicuts909]

That apron is so nice

[@TrentonHeath]

calicuts909 Thanks

[@mcalisterhayes]

I just ordered those from Beckett-Simonon!!!

[@WeneedmoreY1outube]

Can you do a video of chamois and what separates a good/bad one and how it impacts the glaçage?

[@TrentonHeath]

Good idea!

[@BjE1173]

If you haven’t already, can you do a video for cleaning and revitalizing suede shoes?

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

The Elegant Oxford has one available on his channel. It's pretty good.

[@geoffjohnston1531]

Smashing job.

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

Excellent tutorial. Subbed.

[@wrbergner]

Reminds me of having to 'spit' shine my shoes for inspection!

[@GandalftheWise]

I'm still there HUA!

[@Enemji]

At the end of the day, after I have taken my shoes off, I take off my socks, now a bit sweaty, and use that to clean and shine my shoes. The slightly wet socks brings out a decent mirror shine on the toe. Something that works on a daily basis.

[@aarongarciasolis8827]

Hi sr how do you dye the soles I have a small shoe repair shop but the person who thought me never showed me that and that’s something i want to start doing you do an awesome work and I really liked your shoes

[@clue3092]

Thanks for the step by step....

[@davidsandall1030]

Cant beat a good pair if churchs shoes

[@phillato]

how often do you recomend to do this shine, in normal conditions? would you recomend using ink before applying the creams?

[@Jose-eb2hj]

Would it be easier/better to shoe shine when the laces are removed? First time learning to properly shine

[@TrentonHeath]

Hi, Jose! Haha...I actually told Heath before launching the video that I wondered how quickly we would get our first comment inquiring about removing the laces. :) It’s a personal choice. It does make it easier, but if you’re shining your shoes often, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it because it can put stress on the eyelets and wear out the plastic tips on the shoe laces. If the laces are the same color as the shoe, it’s totally up to you. Plus, with oxfords, the tongue of the shoe is usually hidden (such as in these shoes), so it’s not as important to remove them. On shoes that are a different color than the laces, or if the tongue of the shoe is visible, you may want to. Hope that helps.

[@Jose-eb2hj]

Trenton & Heath thank you for the thorough explanation!

[@connormonnery6998]

Great show👍🏽👍🏽

[@FloridaClay]

Is it necessary to go through all those coats every time, or only periodically with touch up in between?

[@TrentonHeath]

FloridaClay Only periodically with a touch up in-between. This video was more so just showing how to build up that initial first good shine.

[@tanetkato]

@@TrentonHeath can you please explain what does such "touch up" entails? Do you also strip the wax with Renomat or clean with saddle soap every time?

[@argentorangeok6224]

@@tanetkato I would absolutely NOT use saddle soap for anything but removing a bad wax build-up. If you're not doing a mirror shine, you should just touch up the shine with a brush and cloth before wear. Once a week (if you wear them a lot), brush them off thoroughly and give them a cream and then wax shine.

[@joykelley9971]

Eight coats is not happening! I am not planning on walking through rain & mud !! I basically wipe off dirt periodically & lean towards a creme polish & maybe 3 coats wax . I have no problem with my shoes. If l want high shine l buy patent!!! Boom ! Done !

[@sarafritsch123]

Does this work only on full grain leather? My shoes are a corrected grain and don’t really absorb leather conditioner that well, but I wanna shine em!

[@MrRienhardt]

Wouldn't those layers of wax get in the way of subsequent cleanings? Having watched many of your videos I know that you're only supposed to deep clean with saddle soap, condition, and shoe cream once every few months. But I'm not sure how to maintain that shine in between deep cleans-- do I just brush off excess dirt and apply another light layer of wax?

[@jdp1219]

I have the same exact question! Did you ever find out how to maintain the shoes without having to totally strip down the wax?

[@miaclarke6859]

You don't have to strip the shoe. Atleast I don't anyway and my shoes have been good for years. Just clean them. It normally gets rid of the shine a bit but it really easy to maintain a decent shine after you've shined them for the first time

[@JayJay9j]

Hi, so im new to taking care of shoes and i am trying to learn. I would only use the tin of shoe polish on my leather shoes. Now i see you guys using conditioner, cream and wax. Is the “tin shoe polish” irrelevant?

[@gianca60]

Why not removing the stringa?

[@kirtottosen5924]

What kind of cloth are you using on your fingers

[@brunobahiense4900]

Hi there! My wife gave me two beautiful pairs of Csrlis Santos shoes. Both ha an amazing patina. Could you please tell me if I should use Ssphir Renovateur on those shoes?

[@jaimegd4275]

Hello guys, thank you so much for the videos. I have watched a lot of them. I just had a few questions. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to answer. The first is, I travel a lot between dry countries and rainy ones, based on this, how often should I apply conditioner to the leather, and wax to protect the leather? and is there an additional product i should use or is the wax enough?

[@Chris_Davis_music]

These wholecuts are beautiful! Thanks for the video. I have a concern though: I used Renovateur on a new pair of brown oxfords, and some brown finish came off on my chamois cloth. Is this normal?

[@TrentonHeath]

Chris Davis What brand were they? Renovateur has the potential to lightly remove excess coloring, but I’ve used it A LOT and have never seen it remove finishes. If it’s removing large areas of color, I would discontinue using it. If it just removed a little excess when you conditioned the shoes for the first time, you’re probably alright. Just go back over those areas with some matching shoe cream.

[@Chris_Davis_music]

Trenton & Heath Thank you SO much for the insight! The renovateur just removed a little bit of excess. There was brown colouring appearing on the cloth I was using, but I couldn’t see it being removed from the shoe’s finish. I’ve gone back over with a matching Saphir cream and it’s perfect.

[@leecorleone]

is there a difference in brushes? a "quality" brush and if so what do you recommend?

[@jgjgjg739]

When your stripping the wax off of the shoe do you need a leather cleaner or is Saphir Renovateur enough. Thanks, I really appreciate the quality of your videos

[@TrentonHeath]

Jason Gild Hi! It depends solely upon how much wax is in your shoes. If you have a whole lot of wax built up, you may need acetone or Renomat to strip it all off. If you’re not someone that puts a lot on there (just the occasional couple of small coats here and there) then a saddle soap would probably work better than the Renovateur. The Renovateur has a very, very mild cleaner, but it’s probably not going to strip off wax as well as a saddle soap. Hope that helps.

[@joshuachurch100]

Do you recommend leaving the laces in when you condition the shoes? Ive always pulled them and worry about damage to the eyelets.

[@bluegrasskid4835]

I don't want to try to portray myself as knowledgeable as they maker of this video (I don't recall if that was Heath or Trenton) but I myself generally leave the laces in when I am just "touching up" the shoes like in the video because it does seem that removing laces and putting them back does put some wear on the eyelets. Now, if I am starting from scratch and shampooing the leather and then stripping the old wax polish and cream polish to start over (leather conditioner, then cream polish then wax polish), I generally will remove the laces but I go to that extreme only about every other year if I had to guess. I have been doing this to a pair of Allen Edmonds Park Avenues I have been wearing about 2 to 3 time a week since 1998 and resoling is all they have ever needed.

[@JD-rp3ob]

I've applied the mirror gloss as the last product. Now, how would I go about reapplying new coats after either seeing a blemish from making contact with something or just to apply more coats after, let's say, a few days or a week? Would I start the entire process over, start with the shoe cream, or go straight to one of the waxes?

[@joelpolanco731]

What type of brush should I use? I bought 2 pairs of Ace Marks, Cognac & Black.

[@boriskrivitsky3142]

Do you have any tips for doing a mirror shine on a brogued shoe? I know some guys use q-tips which only works for larger holes.

[@TrentonHeath]

The biggest key to keeping wax out of the holes is light, light coats. When I apply wax onto my cloth, I barely dab it on the wax. It’s so light on the rag that it would almost be impossible to get any in the broguing. Also, you could apply it to your fingers coat after coat and then brush it off with a brush each time before buffing it with a chamois sprayed with water. I’m sure that sounds super confusing, so I apologize. We may do a video for this.

[@saulcabrera5719]

@@TrentonHeath I would say to bear in mind the original purpose of brogued shoes which it was to disperse water, be careful when adding condioners and creams to the brogued areas as they might retain moisture. if is still moist when you apply wax it won't pick up a uniform surface. For brogues I would suggest to wait a moment after condition to allow moisture to subside before adding waxes.

[@TrentonHeath]

Saul Cabrera Definitely agree. While the brogue areas should still receive the same treatment as the other surrounding leather, it’s a good idea to let all leathers dry for a few minutes in between the conditioners and applying any creams/waxes.

[@AndrewRichardson]

When it’s time to redo the process, do you just buff off any debris and then start over with conditioner? Or do you need to remove the wax first? If so what is the process for that please?

[@EdwinOnclin]

I would like that to know also! I had my shoes also shined with mirror gloss. And I had to touch it up because my little daughter stepped on my toe. I applied a few extra new layers over it. But is this te correct way to do it? Or is it better to remove and start over?

[@DanielLee1]

What should I do if I’ve only just learned about all of this and the black shoes I currently have (which are new) have been polished with just the mirror gloss and nothing else? Should I strip that off and start fresh? Surely everything I try to do with the toe tip at this point, wont actually get applied to the leather, but to the Mirror Gloss…

[@wilsonjr5713]

Should I remove the mink oil I used on my boots before using renivator crème?

[@jeffreymoreau]

Do you need to remove the old wax before you perform these steps? If so what product do recommend for that?

[@TrentonHeath]

Jeff Moreau If you have a lot of built up wax, yes, I’d recommend stripping the old wax off. If it’s just a couple of light layers, I think you’d be fine. Maybe just wash them off with saddle soap first. To strip the old wax off, I’d recommend using Renomat or acetone.

[@vikaskumarsinha1127]

Dear Friend, I really loved watching this video and the restoration one as well. it’s very informative and well presented. I have some queries related to basics of shoe conditioner and polish. I am planning to buy some of the shoe care items. Following are the questions 1. If I buy neutral saphir renovator, do I need to buy cream polish? 2. I recently bought Timberland (wax based) shoe polish (neutral), do I really need to buy saphir (or any other) wax polish? 3. Should I buy separate brushes for separate (color) shoes. I have 2 tan color dress shoes (one has patina), 2 black color slip on shoes, one burgundy timberlands boat shoes. Your advise on my queries will really help in making right choice of product to buy.

[@jennym007]

vikas sinha I know the answer to question 3 because I just watched the video. YES you do need separate brushes for brown and black shoes...You don’t want to get black colour on your brown shoes 👞 or so they say...

[@joykelley9971]

Very nice!

[@50haywood]

Beautiful

[@igornyoman9840]

Hi i have one question -- can the saphir renovateur or shoe cream expiry? Say i buy one and will only use it for my shoes next year. Thanks for the insightful video as always!

[@MrBanegasgaleas]

What a wonderful wholecuts

[@TrentonHeath]

Thank you!

[@steampunkvampyre]

Stunning work, are those the shoes you ripped apart? did you do a vid of resoling ?

[@TrentonHeath]

Thanks! Yeah, these were the shoes we took apart for the Beckett Simonon review video. No, unfortunately, we got too busy to film the resoling of these.

[@stefanpaege2046]

Instead of using just cold water, I use an ice cube that starts to melt slowly at my normal room temperatures & ensures really cold water during the procedure & at the same time I can only soak up very small amounts of water to my cotton rag or chamois by touching only the upper part of the ice cube. You know it as well as me, too much water spoils the result.

[@MrAshar101]

Can you use the mirror gloss wax before having layers of normal wax...?