leather shoe resuscitation

[artificer]

I absolutely agree. But I seem to recall reading somewhere that before attempting this, one should clean off the surface with rubbing alcohol (I think it was, anyway). This removes existing wax and such, allowing more uniform penetration of the oil into the grain of the leather.

Basically it 'unseals' the leather before oiling, and then you 'seal' it back with the polish afterwards.

What say the experts on this? Is the step with alcohol recommended, or is it superfluous?

I'd be wary of alcohol on old leather, it helps strip not just the waxes in old polish, but oils from the leather. If there's a lot of old polish I'd use a coarse cloth (like the inside of denim jeans or canvas) to buff and remove the old stuff.

Alcohol DOES work well to strip finished on 'safe' surfaces (ie not old and dry).

[CMcG]

I'd be wary of alcohol on old leather, it helps strip not just the waxes in old polish, but oils from the leather. If there's a lot of old polish I'd use a coarse cloth (like the inside of denim jeans or canvas) to buff and remove the old stuff.

Alcohol DOES work well to strip finished on 'safe' surfaces (ie not old and dry).

What about a coarse cloth and saddle soap, or would dry buffing be enough? The shoes aren't dirty per se, but it makes sense to try and remove a layer of polish before conditioning the leather.

[artificer]

What about a coarse cloth and saddle soap, or would dry buffing be enough? The shoes aren't dirty per se, but it makes sense to try and remove a layer of polish before conditioning the leather.

to be honest, I never used saddle soap. For most of the leathers I work on (interior or garment), saddle soap is too harsh and drying (although that may depend on the contents of a given formula).

I'd be tempted to try THIS, but that means additional cost and experimentation.

A coarse cloth dry buffing should be enough to take off most finishes, but it make take a fair bit of elbow grease.

[CMcG]

to be honest, I never used saddle soap. For most of the leathers I work on (interior or garment), saddle soap is too harsh and drying (although that may depend on the contents of a given formula).

I'd be tempted to try THIS, but that means additional cost and experimentation.

A coarse cloth dry buffing should be enough to take off most finishes, but it make take a fair bit of elbow grease.

I like elbow grease; it's cheap (free) and I have tons of it

[Tobus]

to be honest, I never used saddle soap. For most of the leathers I work on (interior or garment), saddle soap is too harsh and drying (although that may depend on the contents of a given formula).

Hmm... both my wife and I have used it to great effect on old saddles, without ill effect. As you may recall, she builds and repairs saddles for a living. Any time she gets one in to repair, it first has to be thoroughly cleaned (including partially dismantling it). Having seen the pictures of the shoes in question, they actually look pretty good compared to some of the old saddles I've seen her take on.

YMMV, of course, but saddle soap has never been a problem for us on old dried-out and abused saddles. Murphy's Oil Soap, by the way, is essentially the same thing as saddle soap, and is easily obtainable at the local grocery store, without having to make a trip to a leather shop.

I don't think saddle soap will remove old wax, though. I can't say, since western saddles generally aren't waxed.

A coarse cloth dry buffing should be enough to take off most finishes, but it make take a fair bit of elbow grease.

Is that advisable on old, fragile, dried out leather? I would think that vigorous rubbing with a coarse cloth might actually risk damage.

[artificer]

Hmm... both my wife and I have used it to great effect on old saddles, without ill effect. As you may recall, she builds and repairs saddles for a living. Any time she gets one in to repair, it first has to be thoroughly cleaned (including partially dismantling it). Having seen the pictures of the shoes in question, they actually look pretty good compared to some of the old saddles I've seen her take on.

YMMV, of course, but saddle soap has never been a problem for us on old dried-out and abused saddles. Murphy's Oil Soap, by the way, is essentially the same thing as saddle soap, and is easily obtainable at the local grocery store, without having to make a trip to a leather shop.

I don't think saddle soap will remove old wax, though. I can't say, since western saddles generally aren't waxed.

This is where a true 'Shoe guy' would be really useful.

Is that advisable on old, fragile, dried out leather? I would think that vigorous rubbing with a coarse cloth might actually risk damage.

If they were 'alligatored' I wouldn't recommend it, but his pair only shows a slight bit of cracking along the top of the toe/flex area. As long as he's careful not to snag the crack, everything else should be just fine.

[CMcG]

Attention please! Calling DFWII!

(He's our resident shoemaker.)

This is where a true 'Shoe guy' would be really useful.

<snip>

I just sent a PM to DWFII, so hopefully we'll be hearing from a "true" shoe person soon

[DWFII]

Guys,

First off...I'm not sure I rate the waiting...

Shoes and saddles are different tannages of leather...usually...and generally need different approaches.

Before I relate how I would handle these, let me say that buying used shoes...more importantly wearing shoes worn by someone else...is a recipe for problems.

Years ago, I "inherited" a pair of shoes that fit me almost to a "T". I only wore them on weekends. Before six month was gone I had developed a toenail fungus that in 30+ years has never gone away despite extensive courses of liver-damaging meds.

The shoe is a perfectly septic environment...would you use someone elses tooth brush or wear someone elses underwear?

Every problem that the previous owner had with his feet lies waiting for the unsuspecting in used shoes.

And beyond that, good shoes have leather insoles that accommodates to the wearer's foot. It literally molds itself to the bottom of the foot. This is called a footbed. But over time it hardens and the contours become permanently set. If your foot is not an exact...and I mean exact...duplicate of the previous owners foot you are damaging your foot to ask it so conform itself (rather than the other way around) to the insole.

As for dealing with old shoes...stay away from neatsfoot or mink oil if you plan to shine them. A light conditioner such as Lexol would be the best.

To clean the shoes use Lexol Ph--a ph balanced liquid soap (orange bottle). Rinse well, let dry.

Condition with Lexol Conditioner (brown bottle). Inside and out. Let dry. Wipe off any residue...shouldn't be much if any.

Polish with a cream such as Meltonian. Cream has wax and dye in it and will not only dress the shoes up but add a slight bit of water resistance.

Waterproof (if necessary) with Sno-Seal--a light, infrequent application.

Outsoles may be waxed with SnoSeal and warmed gently with a hair dryer. An edge dressing will usually be the best for re-colouring.

There's lots of hype and lots of products out there. Some are just that--"hype". Others are good but not significantly better than anything I have recommended and far, far more expensive.

Main thing to maintain a pair of shoes is to keep them clean (brush regularly to remove dust and grit and wash with Lexol ph) and conditioned (Lexol conditioner).

Use trees if you got them.

Hope that helps.

[CMcG]

Thanks DWFII, that's very helpful.

I generally wouldn't consider used footwear either but I'm a on a tight, student budget. I would probably only wear these dress shoes about once or twice a year, so it's hard to justify dropping several hundred dollars on new ones.

As for the dangers of used shoes, a little Googling has brought up suggestions to use Lysol spray and/or an anti-fungal powder? And perhaps an insole could alleviate some of the sole molding, at least enough to make it through a Burn's Night?

Ultimately, I don't want to spend too much on products to make these shoes work. For $8, I'm not too heavily invested in them... if it's going to take $50 worth of lotions and potions to make them wearable, I'm better off biding my time and hoping that I can find some new ones on clearance or that someone will buy me a pair as a gift. And yes I do save my loose change and money from returning empty bottles but shoes are about 5th in line behind some other, important and large purchases!

[auld argonian]

Based on past experience, I'd avoid lysol spray and try to find a work around rather than using any kind of disinfectant or anti-fungal spray on the shoes themselves. Really...tried these long ago and they seem to create more problems than they solve...mainly having shoes that smell like spray disinfectant rather than shoes.

Light and air circulation can be your best friend here...there is some kind of ultraviolet lamp that you put in the shoe that gives the little critters a terminal sunburn and frees you of their odor and/or infectious properties.

As you say that you're a poor student, I'd go with a jolly good airing, insoles (if they don't interfere with the fit), wool socks and a light dusting of foot powder on the feet rather than sprinkling it in the shoes. Frankly, there's a Johnson's medicated baby powder that has worked better than any commercial foot powder that I've ever found so when the need arises, I go with that.

Not to get too personal but I've gone over to wearing either wool or bamboo socks entirely and that's gone a long way to eliminating any foot perspiration or odor or fungal critters.

Best

AA

ps: In the pantheon of foot dwelling critters, beware the plantar's wart...I had one several years ago and ended up getting a quarter sized hole lasered in the bottom of my foot to eliminate it...good news is that it healed flawlessly and you an't even see a trace but it was a major PITA when it was done.