# Allen Edmonds Walnut: Do you polish them?



## Fenster (Jun 25, 2013)

If so, what polish do you use? I'm asking because I've been reliably informed that AE's own walnut premium polish is darker than the walnut finish on their shoes. 

I'm of the belief that you need to cream polish shoes regularly to get the best patina but I also do not want to lose the original color. I'm also told the brandy shoe polish from AE is a better fit for the walnut shoes but it's all so confusing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## granularus (Apr 1, 2012)

In my experience the ae premium walnut polish is an exact shade match. Walnut is also now the recommended color for bourbon calf - I was apprehensive about using it at first, but it has not changed the color of my bourbon shoes. For walnut you should have no worries at all. When in doubt, the ae web pages have a chart of recommended polishes and edge dressing for every shoe and color combination they make.


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## Shoe City Thinker (Oct 8, 2012)

I'm using neutral paste wax for now.


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## Fenster (Jun 25, 2013)

granularus said:


> In my experience the ae premium walnut polish is an exact shade match. Walnut is also now the recommended color for bourbon calf - I was apprehensive about using it at first, but it has not changed the color of my bourbon shoes. For walnut you should have no worries at all. When in doubt, the ae web pages have a chart of recommended polishes and edge dressing for every shoe and color combination they make.


Guess I missed the most important part. Specifically I heard the McAllister in walnut is a lighter shade than their walnut polish.



Shoe City Thinker said:


> I'm using neutral paste wax for now.


I was thinking the same. They've darkened lighter shoes for me before but they also gave a good patina.


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

I clean my new walnut McAllisters with Meltonian Leather Lotion that, for now anyway, strips the existing polish. I follow with AE walnut. Didn't notice any evidence of darkening. One time I applied it too thickly - got actual brush strokes in the finish. The leather lotion took it all off and I successfully redid it with a more sparing application of polish and very good results.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

A slightly lighter shade, such as tan, should do the job with no danger of darkening, nor the drawbacks I've heard of with neutral


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## Fenster (Jun 25, 2013)

phyrpowr said:


> A slightly lighter shade, such as tan, should do the job with no danger of darkening, nor the drawbacks I've heard of with neutral


Going by that logic, wouldn't you say brandy may be a better fit than tan considering brandy is (supposedly) just a shade lighter than the walnut?

_ EDIT: Just found this interesting thread: https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...llen-Edmonds-McAllister-cedar-walnut-chestnut_


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Fenster said:


> Going by that logic, wouldn't you say brandy may be a better fit than tan considering brandy is (supposedly) just a shade lighter than the walnut?
> 
> _ EDIT: Just found this interesting thread: https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...llen-Edmonds-McAllister-cedar-walnut-chestnut_


I would guess that a close color but lighter should be fine. I polish my AE walnut with oxblood, as I prefer a redder brown, and the walnuts have a yellowish tinge out of the box (to my eye)


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## Titus_A (Jun 23, 2010)

I use Meltonian cognac. I think it's kept the color pretty well. I also use Lincoln light brown wax polish at times: it might be a tad darker.


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## Fenster (Jun 25, 2013)

Just heard from AE customer service that brandy is very similar to chestnut in their lineup of browns from light to dark: Cognac, Chestnut, Walnut, Chili, Saddle, Mocha, Dark Brown. So, I'm guessing brandy would work perfectly for all intents and purposes.


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## redmanca (May 29, 2008)

This is an interesting thread. I don't remember where I read it, but someone around here said that they polish all their shoes with black polish, regardless of shoe color. I liked it at the time, especially since all my other polish was dried out. I've done it ever since on my walnut AE loafers. Here's what they look like, though they haven't been polished with anything in quite some time.

https://youngmanoldman.blogspot.com/2013/06/old-man-two-shoes-to-rule-them-all.html

See more here. Sorry for the giant size.


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

Ii don't see anything wring with AE Walnut polish. I have also tries Alden tan polish which is pretty close.


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## wfhoehn (Aug 13, 2012)

The first picture is my walnut daltons when they were brand new on Christmas day of last year. Note the unfortunate stain from cooking oil that I splattered within 30 minutes of unboxing them. They appear 359 days later in the second picture. I've polished them with Saphir Cognac, Dark Brown, and Bordo in an attempt to develop a patina.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I think you succeeded.


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## mu2482 (Mar 4, 2013)

Titus_A said:


> I use Meltonian cognac. I think it's kept the color pretty well. I also use Lincoln light brown wax polish at times: it might be a tad darker.


I do the same. I will occasionally use kiwi tan paste for a little better shine.


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## JohnRov (Sep 3, 2008)

I don't try to match. Usually use neutral but any equal or lighter shade works well.


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## filbert_turtle (Apr 5, 2014)

wfhoehn;148582Care toe first picture is my walnut daltons when they were brand new on Christmas day of last year. Note the unfortunate stain from cooking oil that I splattered within 30 minutes of unboxing them. They appear 359 days later in the second picture. I've polished them with Saphir Cognac said:


> 9684[/ATTACH]
> View attachment 9685


I am impressed. More by the oily glow than anything. I have a hell of a time getting my shoes to really shine when I polish them. Care to say a little more about your method?


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## wfhoehn (Aug 13, 2012)

Nothing special. I applied the polishes with a soft cloth and then buffed thoroughly with my grandfather's old horse hair brush. In between polishing and before just about every wearing, I touched them up with a Beck shoe polisher.


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## immanuelrx (Dec 7, 2013)

I use AE Walnut Premium shoe polish on my AE Walnut shoes and it has not changed the color at all.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^+1...same here!


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

redmanca said:


> This is an interesting thread. I don't remember where I read it, but someone around here said that they polish all their shoes with black polish, regardless of shoe color. I liked it at the time, especially since all my other polish was dried out. I've done it ever since on my walnut AE loafers. Here's what they look like, though they haven't been polished with anything in quite some time.
> 
> https://youngmanoldman.blogspot.com/2013/06/old-man-two-shoes-to-rule-them-all.html
> 
> See more here. Sorry for the giant size.


Not even close to the original walnut color.... If I wanted brown shoes I would have bought brown shoes.


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## tigerpac (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for the info gents, was thinking about how to polish bourbon calf today!


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## Piqué (Apr 10, 2014)

I use neutral paste and wax on my Walnut AE's. I actually like what it does enough that I've started finishing all my brown shoes in neutral.


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## sleepyinsanfran (Oct 24, 2013)

maybe its just me, but the multicolored/darker polishes on walnut look awful, and the resulting shoes look very old and un-cared for. 
To me patina on walnut calf/cowhide involves random splashes of darker color which inevitably happen due to mix of dirt and grease staining shoes from use. polishing with random colors somehow doesn't have the same effect, imo. 

a picture- patina on AE Wilbert, with tan/cognac polish


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## Roycru (Apr 13, 2011)

I use Meltonian (#141) Saddle or Kiwi Tan on AE Walnut shoes. I use the same on AE Bourbon shoes, but I use the black brush and cloth rather than the tan brush and cloth.


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