I can see a lot of scratches left by the cloth. So to smooth those, take a soft polishing cloth, moisten it with a little water and buff side to side to straighten out all the scratches

Also, please join my own subredit r/CadetWorldWide for everything cadets. Thanks!

Okay, so the best tutorial you can watch to learn how to polish shoes is from paradepolishing on TikTok in my opinion. His videos took me from an average shine in a few hours to this shine in around 2 hours:

https://preview.redd.it/8g8yh6ha7n6f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd1563e6598da046fb5510fed17d069e0655decb

Used to get my shoes shined at the dealership I worked at like once every couple weeks. It’s quite the experience.

That’s not polishing project that’s it a dying and recolouring project.

Not only did he put a new colour on, but he also shaved the top layer of the boot.

In my opinion, this is probably a last resort to restore a boot that has lost its colour

That guy did a great job on those leather shoes.

Now if I could find the time to kick back and relax in a world that is so rushed…

In this day of cheap manufacturing and excessive waste, there is something incredibly satisfying about repairing items rather than throwing them out and buying a replacement.

10 years ago or so, I had a Toshiba LCD TV that failed a little after 3 years. Future Shop (Best Buy) told me to just throw it away and get a new one. I took it to an electronic repair shop. I was charged likely too much for replacing basically a capacitor (but, fair game, I couldn't do it myself). I've had it for at least 10 years since, and moved with it a few times, it never failed again. That felt highly satisfying.

It is also beautiful watching an expert at their craft.

When you want a foot massage but thats gay

#shoeporn 🥵

Did that in the British army. It’s called bulling. Good job on those!

it's a nude at that level !

This fucking place

<3

I have the same boots, those look great with a mirror shine! Nice work!

Don't think about polishing so much, think about covering all the bumps on your shoe by building base layers. The worry about polishing.

The polishing can be separated into 3 main components. Base coat, layering, and the finishing layer.

Base coat

• Use your bare fingers (1-2 is usually optimal, but however it works for you) to scoop up a good bit of polish and slather it evenly over an area. Repeat this until you have a matte grey layer over the entire boot. This step should be repeated for anywhere between two layers to twenty layers depending on what polish you're using. I use the regular kiwi black polish and that only takes two layers to do properly.
• Once a layer has been completed, leave it undisturbed for at least 30 mins until it dries and solidifies.
• Once dried, take a brush or cloth and buff away the grey shade.
• Do not use water, cloth, or brush to apply the polish. These are unnecessary at this stage.
• Shoe trees are recommended, helps greatly with the preservation of the boot and the polish.

Layering

• Take your polishing cloth, wrap it around 1-2 fingers, usually the index finger or index and middle. Dab a tiny bit of polish. Don't scoop or rub, just dab. Apply a bit of water to the area and apply the bit of polish evenly in quick circular motions. There shouldn't be any grey colour after each layer. Keep layering on the same area until the area appears even and smooth with no major blemishes or scratches. Repeat this on other areas until the entire boot is smooth.
• If there are areas that are persistently grey, try to buff it out with quick horizontal motions going back and forth. If the issue persists, move on to another area and let the grey area rest for a bit. Come back later. Water should be used, although in minimal amounts to not over-saturate.

Finishing

• Finishing is similar to layering. Finishing allows more water and less polish. Dab even less polish than before and apply the water on an area. Move in quick, tiny circular motions evenly across the area. Go over that with larger circular motions evenly. Horizontal motions to even everything out is allowed if there are small streak-marks on the area. Repeat until the area shines. Repeat over the entire boot.

P.S. I also suggest bulling the boot, but that's another story. If you want to learn about that, check out Mr. Bull and Shine on instagram.

Good luck!

You can’t just mirror polish, you’ll have to build up a lot of layers and shine the polish. You need to find your own method, since another persons method probably won’t work for you

Kiwi and Saphir are best, but if you can't get them then try oakwood. Apply with a brush(yes it sounds weird hear me out) and buff with a cloth. Whereas with Kiwi and Saphir you apply with a microfibre cloth and buff with brush and then buff with a cloth. Sprinkle water before buffing with cloth at risk of your boot's demise.

You should be able to get the results you want with a simple shoe sponge. Just give them a quick brush down before you wear them.

I use Kiwi black Parade shine

saphir amiral gloss or saphir medaille d’or

Deep shines come from a lot of layers. Stay away from gloss or quick shine, it looks great for 30 minutes and then gets a cloudy grey look. It’s meant for touch-ups of smart shoes, not for the kind of polishing we do on our parade shoes/boots.

Look for a shoe polish with a higher wax content. Something like Saphir Pate de Luxe, or Kiwi Black Polish (Kiwi isn’t actively sold in the UK anymore). The wax is what you will eventually bull into a deep shine.

Sorry the mods that created this community misspelled Advice so you want r/malefashionadvice

I'm not too sure but I think only brown boots need polished. Also, get better polish, cherry blossom is probs the worst on the market

If you want a matte polish then this is fine. If you want a mirror shine, start with thick layers of Polish to fill in pores (use your fingers), wait for it to dry, then build up smaller layers using a cotton cloth, small bits of polish, and some water

You polish your dress boots not your ftu boots