Agh

[crewcutkid]

Okay- so, Im having trouble w/ my shoe polish...
It seems that the shoe polish that I am using on my boots (KIWI shoe polish) is giving me issues. However, I have used KIWI boot polish with the same technique before on the same pair- and it worked out terriffic. Just water, little circles, etc. It never used to look this bad, but now the polish is cracking and falling off the next day after I apply it! Any advice?
-Argh.

[Scary]

Might want to strip some wax off of those bad boys, apply some leather blackner, and start waxing them after that. Hard to say what is wrong with them. Are they the old issue boots (full leather) or the new ones from Belleville? Seems like I had some issues a while back wtih my full leather issued boots (Altamas), but I was also using some liquid shine in conjunction with the Kiwi Parade Gloss.


E.S.

[crewcutkid]

They are the full leathers. I was thinking that there was just too much polish under the topcoat myself anyhow. I'll give it a try tonight. Incedentally- do you think bar keeper's friend does a good job on brass?
-C/Cpl. Black

[Rusty24]

OK if they are used I would strip them like mentioned before. You never know what has been applied previously. As long as you keep doing as you are Kiwi w/water in small circles then you should be good to go. Now if you are using the applicator brush and globbing it on them swirling with the water, that may be you problem.

Also if they are used they may have fuel or some sort of chemical on them. My wife runs into this problem occasionally with her job and I use alchol and a cotton ball to remove the polish and such. Once they are clean I will use some leather softner or something to moisten the leather and then start with kiwi.

[crewcutkid]

Great- I'll give the alcohol a shot. I dont glob anything- so Im still thinking that there is just too much polish on them.

-C/Cpl. Black

[Rusty24]

The alchol may dry the boot out ... so .... make sure you have something to moisten the leather. And no, water does not count.

[crewcutkid]

Okay- I solved the problem, but it wasnt w/ alcohol. All I hadda do was put on a sh*t load of layers- and it now does not crack.
(sigh) If I knew then what I know now...
-C/Cpl. Black

[Scary]

It builds character

[Covertness]

What kind of brass are you shining? Please be specific and descriptive as I don't know ROTC stuff. And no, only use Brasso or Never Dull and Finger Nail Polish remover but only if it's new-never been shined before brass.

Do a search of this site on boot polishing. There's a kick ass thread on it around here somewhere. I'd search it for you but then..... you'd owe me one.

[Batgirl]

^ I remember seeing a few threads on the subject too but can't find them now!

All I hadda do was put on a sh*t load of layers- and it now does not crack.

I used to spend hours using the 'couple hundred' layer method for bulling my boots (ie, 2 layers of black parade gloss, 1 layer dark tan parade gloss, two layers of just water) but discovered that beeswax does a better job and isn't as time consuming. Another option if you're really short on time is to add enough layers of polish to get rid of the bumps on the boots, then apply some clear Polish using a soft sponge but make sure you allow your boots to dry thoroughly. If it gets wet, clear polish turns slightly blue so ensure it dries properly if you’re going out in the rain!

[SGRock]

If they start cracking again break down all the polish off of the boots by using shaving cream, a scrub brush and water. Put the shaving cream on wet boots. Rub it in with your hands and the scrub the boots until all of the polish comes off. It is best to do this outside or in a deep sink. The shaving cream softyens the leather.

After the boots are clean put on a few coats of black leather dye, also made by Kiwi. after applying a coat to the boots, let them dry and buff them with a boot brush. After 3 or 4 coats start applying the polish as advised before.
This is just a suggestion. I really like Natasha's idea of using the bee's wax.