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.