Shoe polish: thoughts, fun facts, questions

[Father Bill]

What's "bulling"?

I like shining my shoes, brown or black and I'm proud that I'm good at it. Part of the problem today is that it's hard to get shoes with top-grain leather. It's mostly split and burnished and never does come up to specifications or keep a shine either. I like to melt the wax in with the back of a hot tablespoon heated from the inside over a candle and rubbed HARD on the shoe. Proud to look like I've got mirrors on them when I'm done.

[Hirsty]

Bulling is referred to spit polish this side of the pond.

[Hirsty]

I do love a well polished shoe.

I wear brown oxford brogues from Jones Bootmaker with my daywear set up.

We were having a beach wedding in Australia, being a rather casual affair I wore my tweed jacket, brogues, brown belt, green tie - day wear.

My shoe polishing kit came with me from Scotland and I bulled my brogues up to a mirror-like shine. As soon as my shiny feet hit the powder-fine sand of the beach they reverted to a matt finish.

[Scooter]

I wasn't in the military, but I worked with the USAF and work with the USCG as an Auxiliarist. But even before my interactions with the military, I liked to put a good shine on my dress shoes, black and brown. I even did so for my hiking boots (and still do), but for those I use SnowSeal (basically beeswax) on all of the seams, which I melt into the stitching with a hair dryer, then I polish them well. It all adds to their waterproofing, plus it looks good. When they are muddy, I rinse them off with a hose, dry them and redo the treatment. I've even waxed my waxed-cotton jackets. It takes time, but I always take care of my equipment, even urban dress equipment.

[revdpatience]

One of the perks of traveling for a living is that if I remember to wear a different pair of shoes each week, they all stay shined.

Stopping in the airport for a shine between flights is a particular luxury that I enjoy.

[Nomad]

What's "bulling"?

I like shining my shoes, brown or black and I'm proud that I'm good at it. Part of the problem today is that it's hard to get shoes with top-grain leather. It's mostly split and burnished and never does come up to specifications or keep a shine either. I like to melt the wax in with the back of a hot tablespoon heated from the inside over a candle and rubbed HARD on the shoe. Proud to look like I've got mirrors on them when I'm done.

Very similar to what you have described above, melting the wax into the leather is optional, probably not for general civilian wear as it can to make the leather very stiff if it is deeply melted into the leather.

My favourite technique is to do the final polish under cold running water using cotton wool, this removes almost all of the tiny scuffs and scratches.

In depth description from wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_polishing

[Taskr]

the first polish on the shoe/boot with hot spoon or candle flame method gives an excellent base for future. Happy not to have to spit-polish/bully/cold water polish anymore, but still do for formal shoes. Wax polish only, as some of the liquids seem to separate off the leather over time in splotches.

I do agree, Tobus, that the more casual atmosphere and fabrication materials make it less likely to see polished shoes under an outfit especially when they are brown..or Keds Some shoes and boots are sold looking scruffy!! All about styles in/styles out, but I'll put my own TI on my shoes TYVM. Any direct correlations to unkempt shoes is probably neither fair nor scientific, so I try not to presume.

I've had beautiful brown brogue uppers re-soled 3 times. Hoping the shop never closes

[Tarheel]

The highest shine (on all leather including the belt) I ever had was when I was on Honor guard in the US Army (two week duty). I bought those items from the former Sgt. and sold them to my replacement. Those were the days.

I brush and wash my brown boots and shoes now and oil them instead of polish. For my black shoes I use a paste wax on the uppers and a liquid "scuff-proof" polish on the sole edges. I'll take a new pair of shoes and seal the seams using an old tooth brush and oil before I put polish on.

I dare not try for the mirror finish I learned in the military but like a shiny satin overall. A good shoe brush, a rag soaked in polish, a buffing rag and five minutes per shoe gives me the "ready to dance" finish I'm after.

[Tobus]

I too appreciate a pair of well-polished shoes, but when it comes to brown shoes — which I almost always end up wearing with my kilt (because the few occasions I have to wear kilts tend to be at Highland games, conducted during daytime hours) I have a tendency to oil them with Red Wing boot oil, which darkens the leather and eliminates the need for polishing.

...

I know Jock Scot will may comment on the "chunky" soles, but I find that they're much more comfortable for wear on the streets of downtown Houston — or the uneven grounds at the Highland games. It's been my experience that they provide better traction, last longer and generally go unnoticed, as folks rarely see the soles of my feet.

I'm with you on the soles being much more practical. I think I had mentioned in another thread at some point that I was considering having someone tack on some tread (or at least a rubber straip) to my leather-soled brogues for traction. There's nothing fun about walking around in wet grass or sandy pathways or gravel whilst wearing hard leather soles. They're not much fun on slick floors either. In fact, I can't think of any place where hard leather soles are an advantage except for the dance floor. And I'm not a dancing kind of fellow.

Your oiled leather brogues look fine, and are much more practical for the events where I see you in person. As someone else mentioned, I can polish my shoes at home, but by the time I stroll up to my friends at the Highland Games, they're already covered in dust and my efforts have been in vain. For activities out-of-doors, polishing doesn't go very far. At least, not here in Texas. But I can generally get through the work day at my office without too much trouble, at least.

[Panache]

Specific to Highland wear, I know that brown shoes are not that popular. But amongst the brown shoes that I see with kilts, it seems very rare that people polish them. It's almost as if they expect black shoes with a kilt to be shiny, but brown ones not to be shiny. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I in left field here?

Tobus,

Brown leather develops a wonderful patina with age. I have noticed with shoes, jackets, and a lot of sporrans in the SF branch of the RSCDS! Aged black leather just looks....uncared for. However, worn brown leather seems to radiate a history. The sporran wearers in particular are really proud that their sporran was given /inherited to them by a father or grandfather. They are even prouder when they declare they bought it new "back in the day".

I'm not sure why, but black should be shiny and perfect, and brown should reflect history.

Cheers

Jamie