# New Video on Polishing Shell Cordovan



## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

I assume most of us follow Uncle Mac's shell cordovan regimen, but I thought there were some interesting features in this video, particularly showing how to use a deer bone for removing scuffs. The video is from Will of A Suitable Wardrobe. I thought Uncle Mac's 15 minutes of polishing was rough - this one lasts 25 minutes!


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## St. Charles Ave. (Jan 15, 2011)

Wow--and I thought they looked fine at the beginning of the video. Thanks for posting this.


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## DrMac (Jan 31, 2010)

Saw this on ASW the other day. Can anyone comment on Renovateur vs Venetian Cream for moisturizing shell? I've used Venetian Cream, but not Renovateur.


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## adonohoo (Jul 25, 2009)

Any ideas on where to get a deer bone? Are these bones treated?


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Lobb sells them for £33.25 ()

That's a bit pricey for a deer bone (any hunters out there?), but I'm not sure why one couldn't use something like an bone/horn shoehorn, which is very smooth.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

you may not be surprised to learn that ASW sells them. 30 bucks.


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## Nick V (May 8, 2007)

DrMac said:


> Saw this on ASW the other day. Can anyone comment on Renovateur vs Venetian Cream for moisturizing shell? I've used Venetian Cream, but not Renovateur.


We use both. For those that like a matted finish we just use Saphir cream. For those that prefer a high shine we use the Saphir and finish with Venetian cream. The Venetian gets the cordovan looking like mirrors!
Also, Saphir makes a cream specifically for cordovan leather. It restores color on areas that may have lightened. It comes in black, brown, neutral and, cordovan. Works great.
Thought this video deserved a bump for those that may not have seen it:


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## adonohoo (Jul 25, 2009)

The Rambler said:


> you may not be surprised to learn that ASW sells them. 30 bucks.


I am not finding them on ASW site; Did they stop selling them? Are the bones finished in any way? I live in Wisconsin and there are about 1 million deer killed a year here and the bones are all thrown away.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

Nice.


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## TheWGP (Jan 15, 2010)

I'm actually a recent convert to using Venetian Creme on shell for restoration - I also have Renovateur and do use it sometimes as well. I have to say the Venetian Creme does a better job of bringing life back into older shell, whereas Renovateur seems to be better suited for newer shells where conditioning is more precautionary than anything. Beyond that, my only observations have been that the older and more-worn/better-used the shells are, the more frequently conditioning seems to be needed. Where I thought "paste wax needed!" at first, now I'll just put Venetian Creme on and defer the paste wax as long as possible.

Of course, I don't have more than a passing knowledge of any of the ingredients or science behind any of this, and these are just my firsthand observations, so caveat lector!


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## g.michael (Jul 9, 2010)

Does all of this seem a bit overdone? The shells I have (both new and 15 years old) polish up nicely with a damp cloth, some light brushing and buffing, paste wax when needed (and maybe some of the venetian creme now and again if they are older--haven't needed it yet). A few minutes is all it takes. Do you really need a deer bone--what magic properties does it have vs. the smooth handle of a hair brush or something else?

I'm not trying to be contrarian but just wondering...


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Where can I buy those pinstripe socks?


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## mcarthur (Jul 18, 2005)

TheGreatTwizz said:


> Where can I buy those pinstripe socks?


check with our forum member alex kabbaz


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## Taliesin (Sep 24, 2004)

g.michael said:


> Do you really need a deer bone--what magic properties does it have vs. the smooth handle of a hair brush or something else?


In the video, the polisher claims that the bone contains oils that it spreads onto the cordovan. If true, this would be different than a hair brush handle. But I don't know if it's true.


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## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

Taliesin said:


> In the video, the polisher claims that the bone contains oils that it spreads onto the cordovan. If true, this would be different than a hair brush handle. But I don't know if it's true.


The only oil coming from a bone (if it were fresh) would be from rancid, decomposing fat contained in the marrow. I think it's nonsense.

I think deer bones are simply traditional, were in supply in country houses, and may be less coarse/grainy and more easily manageable than cow bones which are considerably larger. These were all used before plastics so, how else do you obtain a cheap, replaceable, hard, smooth, surface for applying force against a boot? Wood would have been the only other option and I suspect it would be less durable and more prone to splintering and cracking.

I don't think the woman shown is even using the deer bone to any effect. I thought they were used to "pack" wax deep into the pores, cuts, and scrapes of the leather and thus, the boots had to have trees in them so there was resistance against the deer bone as the wax was basically forced into the leather.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Here's a pair of old Florsheim shells I found in a thrift store. After removing the old polish build up, I "boned" them with a oxhorn shoe horn to reduce the shell waves. It seems to have effectively reduced them.


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## Green3 (Apr 8, 2008)

how did you remove the polish build up?


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## joeyzaza (Dec 9, 2005)

*Comments*

Cardinal- Nice shells with a lotta life left in them. Re-craft those bad boys and break them in to match your feet.

My older shells feel a little dried out compared to my newer ones. Maybe this is due to wax build-up as I used more wax prior to learning the Mac Method. I had always thought you want to go easy on adding oils to shells just like you want to go easy on waxing shells to avoid build ups.


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## spielerman (Jul 21, 2007)

Green3 said:


> how did you remove the polish build up?


^+1 how did you remove the wax build up, without impacting the shell iteself? I have a pair of old old saddle oxford shells that the toes almost well look black...


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## MidWestTrad (Aug 14, 2010)

Interesting. Never seen edge dressing applied that early in the process.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

joeyzaza said:


> Cardinal- Nice shells with a lotta life left in them. Re-craft those bad boys and break them in to match your feet.


Unfortunately, they're not my size - I just wanted to try the boning method on an old pair and then I'll sell them cheaply on the exchange.



spielerman said:


> ^+1 how did you remove the wax build up, without impacting the shell iteself? I have a pair of old old saddle oxford shells that the toes almost well look black...





Green3 said:


> how did you remove the polish build up?


The quickest way to remove the old wax build up is a combination of wax polish and water. I apply wax polish (pushing down firmly) and really scrub the wax in - it loosens the old polish - and then I spray water over the wax and scub off the old and new polish. It took about 1/2 hour to do the whole job. With more time they could probably look even better.


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## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

Cardinals5 said:


> Here's a pair of old Florsheim shells I found in a thrift store. After removing the old polish build up, I "boned" them with a oxhorn shoe horn to reduce the shell waves. It seems to have effectively reduced them.


Perhaps because in one picture they have show trees in them and in the other they don't? I also assume the fresh polish and cleaning helped. I can see using a bone (or has been described in other posts, a spoon - anything smooth and hard) to smooth out cuts or gouges, but I would bet the "waves" will reappear during the first wear.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Penthos' method for scuffs, etc - using a spoon that stands in hot water for a minute - works well. I don't buy the 'natural oils' in deer bone either, in that video. The next step in the video is using Saphir Renovateur, to 'restore natural oils.' In an earlier post on ASW, Will says he's going to post a video about shell restoration just as soon as he gets a new supply of bones in.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Epaminondas said:


> Perhaps because in one picture they have show trees in them and in the other they don't? I also assume the fresh polish and cleaning helped. I can see using a bone (or has been described in other posts, a spoon - anything smooth and hard) to smooth out cuts or gouges, but I would bet the "waves" will reappear during the first wear.


The shoe trees probably helped, but even without the trees the shell ripples were reduced. As for them coming back, I think that's pretty obvious - just have to bone them as part of a regular routine to keep the ripples under control.

Here they are without the shoe trees


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

^outstanding patina.


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## Marley (Apr 4, 2008)

That's a great video!

On a slightly different note, has anyone ever trusted their shells to a Bootblack at the airport? I see these men and women tending their stands when I travel but have never used their services.

Just curious.

M


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## g.michael (Jul 9, 2010)

Absolutely not. In fact, the term "nfw" comes to mind.

Calf is ok though. Some do a pretty good job on it.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Marley said:


> That's a great video!
> 
> On a slightly different note, has anyone ever trusted their shells to a Bootblack at the airport? I see these men and women tending their stands when I travel but have never used their services.
> 
> ...


Calf yes, shell no.


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