# Weejuns + Rubbing Alcohol



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

Gave my burganday brushoff Weejuns a thorough rundown with alcohol then 2 treatments with Leather Balm, a softner that shines them up as well. Made a world of difference. The leather is still cheap: I paid under $40 at a Bass outlet; but in color and softness at least the shoes are beginning to resemble my Weejuns of old.


----------



## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

I did that to a pair of corrected grain AEs recently, and it worked nicely as well. Do you have before and after pictures by any chance?


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

Here's a before: A little hard to see but note how shiny:









Here's an after. The light makes them look shiner than they are but the look is not as fake, at least to my eyes, as it is in the first one.


----------



## Teacher (Mar 14, 2005)

The second pic looks pretty good. I can't see much in the first pic, though I definitely dig your overall color scheme!


----------



## vwguy (Jul 23, 2004)

All you do is go over your Weejuns w/ rubbing alcohol and that takes some of the shine off? I am tempted to give this a try.

Brian


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

vwguy said:


> All you do is go over your Weejuns w/ rubbing alcohol and that takes some of the shine off? I am tempted to give this a try.


I think it must strip off a layer of painted-on shine. Which has nothing to do with the leathers.


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

Go over it with rubbing alcohol, but then you have to use some type of leather restorer so they don't dry out. I use something called Leather Balm, which also gives them a nice normal gloss. Go to a shoemaker and ask for a recommendation on the restorer. Kiwi makes one, I think, though mine is done by some company I never heard of.


----------



## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

I can't imagine that rubbing alcohol is good for any leather. Be they Weejuns at $40 or Aldens at $400.


----------



## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

Pgolden said:


> Go over it with rubbing alcohol, but then you have to use some type of leather restorer so they don't dry out. I use something called Leather Balm, which also gives them a nice normal gloss. Go to a shoemaker and ask for a recommendation on the restorer. Kiwi makes one, I think, though mine is done by some company I never heard of.


Sorry to dwell on such detail, but are you saying that the rubbing alcohol takes the finish down to the leather? Like DD, I had assumed that it just knocks off a layer of plastic finish. If you can really get down to the leather, that is intriguing. Thanks for your input and patience.


----------



## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

vwguy said:


> All you do is go over your Weejuns w/ rubbing alcohol and that takes some of the shine off? I am tempted to give this a try.
> 
> Brian


I just poured some rubbing alcohol onto an old cloth and scrubbed away on each shoe for a few minutes. Let them dry, then did it again the next day. After that, I polised them a few times over the next week, and they looked better with each polishing. They're still my rainy day dress shoes, but they really do look much more "real" than before.


----------



## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

This sounds very interesting. I would like to take some of the shine out of my BB loafers, but I am not sure I want to risk ruining the leather.


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I have a pair of $25 Weejuns that it might be fun experimenting on...Think I will give this a try!


----------



## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

I refinished a pair of older J&M penny loafers which had the so called "brush off" finish which is a top coating of cordovan color paint/polish over a red base. The shoes were originally cordovan color but with polishing over time, had become an embarrassing blotchy red. I first tried to get the cobbler to refinish the shoes, but he just put another coat of paint on the shoes without removing the offending surface coat.

In the spirit of if you want something done right, do it yourself, I decided to do it myself. I used alcohol and ultimately a scotchbrite sponge to take off the remaining surface finish. (I originally tried paper towels, but this was very slow going - the scotchbrite was done in 5 minutes). The shoes were then wholly red. I redyed using Fiebing's cordovan dye which dyes rather than coats the leather (very easy and $5 at the local cobbler) and then creamed/polished. The shoes came out better than expected and do not look like refinished shoes. The leather is still corrected grain, but it is not nearly as shiny/plastic-like. 

Anyway, alcohol will take off a surface coating with a little effort and in my experience won't damage the leather so long as you put cream on them afterward.


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

Not to the leather with alcohol, I don't think. I'm not that motivated beyond getting rid of that chintzy shine.


----------



## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

PGolden,
Great jacket, Press or Silver?
F


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

Neither one. It's from a long-gone men's shop. Except for a sample I bought a couple of years ago, I think the youngest Harris Tweed I own is twelve years old.


----------



## JDJ (May 2, 2007)

Is it necessary to redye the shoes after applying the rubbing alcohol? If you're careful, can you strip away the plasticky coating without removing any of the color? Or,if you do strip away some color, is there another way to get the leather to darken without using shoe dye (I could be wrong, but using dye sounds messy and/or complicated)?


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

JDJ said:


> Is it necessary to redye the shoes after applying the rubbing alcohol? If you're careful, can you strip away the plasticky coating without removing any of the color? Or,if you do strip away some color, is there another way to get the leather to darken without using shoe dye (I could be wrong, but using dye sounds messy and/or complicated)?


I didn't use dye. The alcohol takes of the plastic ugliness, and then you add the balm, and then you can shine to preference.


----------



## 16128 (Feb 8, 2005)

You can also use neutral Kiwi, then light them on fire! 

Nice library, pgolden.


----------



## videocrew (Jun 25, 2007)

JDJ said:


> Is it necessary to redye the shoes after applying the rubbing alcohol? If you're careful, can you strip away the plasticky coating without removing any of the color? Or,if you do strip away some color, is there another way to get the leather to darken without using shoe dye (I could be wrong, but using dye sounds messy and/or complicated)?


No, no need for dye. Though when you strip the plastic off you get to a slightly frighteningly red color at first. Let the alcohol dry and rub in some kiwi leather lotion. Let that sit for a while, repeat. Buff all that down with a brush and soft cloth and then polish (I used regular kiwi cordovan). It won't polish particularly well at first, so get a couple coats on there. It makes for a great color, and a nice-looking $40 shoe.


----------



## Pgolden (May 13, 2006)

VS said:


> You can also use neutral Kiwi, then light them on fire!
> 
> Nice library, pgolden.


 Thanks. The one upstairs is better. Sometimes I feel the books are taking over the house.


----------



## The Continental Fop (Jan 12, 2007)

FWIW I did this exact routine on a pair of Sebago Cayman IIs with the same excellent results. Rubbing alcohol, Scotch-Brite pad, shockingly bright red color revealed, dark brown Meltonian shoe cream calmed things down, then several polishes with Saphir dark brown and the shoes look nice and chocolatey and much more refined. They're not Alden shells but now they're much less of a step down the food chain than they are out of the box.


----------



## theoldguard (Mar 13, 2006)

The rubbing alcohol does not seems to remove any dye. It just takes off a bit a that "plasticy" sheen that comes on Weejuns now. I have done this for some time. And I am glad it works because the Weejun is The Platonic Ideal of loafers. Sad that the leather isn't what it used to be. Even back in the '80's, they seemed to be a higher quality shoe.


----------



## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

I tried using this technique on a pair of LE cordo brushoff loafers, and the results were not nearly as good. They still are shiny, plasticky. I wonder if I'm not being aggressive enough(?) I saw that someone mentioned using a scotch-brite pad...In my case, it almost seems like I'd have to use steel wool to see a noticeable difference.


----------



## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

I've used alcohol in antiquing a pair of chestnut Alden wingtips that had pretty much seen their best days. It did a wonderful job of lightening the leather where it was applied to a very light tan with less dramatic results than using acetone. BTW, these were not corrected grain shoes, so the alcohol does seem to remove dye as well as polish.


----------



## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

I tried this process a couple of years ago on a new pair of Weejuns that were offensively shiny. I may have rubbed too hard or something but some of the finish seemed to come off in spots and reveal a pinkish hue beneath, making the Weejun look like it was recovering from bad sunburn. The shoe was crap anyway and I only paid $34 for it so I wasn't upset. It was a lined beefroll "Weymouth" model.

To Bass' defence, I recently purchased the Leavitt version at Nordstrom rack for $59. I have to say that it looks as though Bass may be addressing some quality issues. The sole stitching is more deeply channelled, and the upper, while still of the brush-off variety, is much less offensive than my previous pair. So much better in fact, that I am inclined to leave them be as they are improving with use.


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

ds23pallas said:


> To Bass' defence, I recently purchased the Leavitt version at Nordstrom rack for $59. I have to say that it looks as though Bass may be addressing some quality issues. The sole stitching is more deeply channelled, and the upper, while still of the brush-off variety, is much less offensive than my previous pair. So much better in fact, that I am inclined to leave them be as they are improving with use.


Nice to hear that, since I am not brave enought to try to remove the gloss on a new pair of shoes, however humble they may be!

DD


----------



## Green3 (Apr 8, 2008)

Doctor Damage said:


> Nice to hear that, since I am not brave enought to try to remove the gloss on a new pair of shoes, however humble they may be!
> 
> DD


I hear you on that - I posted looking for un-shiny weejun styles as I could only screw this process up.


----------



## The Continental Fop (Jan 12, 2007)

For those too timid to hit their corrected grain Sebagos/Weejuns with rubbing alcohol to kill the shine and subdue that red a bit, I can report that it's much harder to screw this process up than you think. These shoes are made of tough leather that's soaked up a ton of dye under that top layer of shine -- unless you get out the power sander, you're not going to mess up these shoes. I started out with rubbing alcohol and paper towel, but moved up to rubbing alcohol and a Scotch Brite pad when it was clear that the shoes could take it. 

If you've ever spent some time watching a cobbler strip and dye and pair of shoes, it's not some precision surgical maneuver. He's got hatchets and blowtorches and sparks are flying. It's a pretty basic job, with a far bigger margin of error than you'd think given how clean and uniform a good dye job looks upon completion. I'm so happy with how much better my Cayman's look I got a 2nd pair to do as well, except after stripping the finish I'm going to use some dark brown leather dye before I shoe cream and polish them, to get an even darker, richer brown and hide all traces of red that lurk below.


----------



## enecks (Apr 25, 2007)

I must echo The Continental Fop's sentiment: it really is quite difficult to mess up your Weejuns doing this. I managed to perform the operation without any drama, and I'm usually not particularly adept at such matters.


----------



## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

Here are the Weejuns I was referring to in a previous post, on the left. Across the strap is where the alcohol experiment discoloured the finish the most. I didn't really care too much as they were purchased for foul weather wear. For comparison, I have also shown a new Weejun (middle) and an old, old pair on the right.


----------



## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

ds23pallas said:


> Here are the Weejuns I was referring to in a previous post, on the left. Across the strap is where the alcohol experiment discoloured the finish the most. I didn't really care too much as they were purchased for foul weather wear. For comparison, I have also shown a new Weejun (middle) and an old, old pair on the right.


Middle pair actually look best, IMO. The discoloration (on the left pair) is not something that I experienced when giving my LE loafers the rubbing alcohol treatment.


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

The Continental Fop said:


> For those too timid to hit their corrected grain Sebagos/Weejuns with rubbing alcohol to kill the shine and subdue that red a bit, I can report that it's much harder to screw this process up than you think. These shoes are made of tough leather that's soaked up a ton of dye under that top layer of shine -- unless you get out the power sander, you're not going to mess up these shoes. I started out with rubbing alcohol and paper towel, but moved up to rubbing alcohol and a Scotch Brite pad when it was clear that the shoes could take it.
> 
> If you've ever spent some time watching a cobbler strip and dye and pair of shoes, it's not some precision surgical maneuver. He's got hatchets and blowtorches and sparks are flying. It's a pretty basic job, with a far bigger margin of error than you'd think given how clean and uniform a good dye job looks upon completion. I'm so happy with how much better my Cayman's look I got a 2nd pair to do as well, except after stripping the finish I'm going to use some dark brown leather dye before I shoe cream and polish them, to get an even darker, richer brown and hide all traces of red that lurk below.


I have a pair of black Sebago Classics I picked up just before Christmas and the painted on shine is driving me bonkers. Literally painted on - I can see the brush strokes in places where they applied the black goop. So in the next few days I will be giving this process a try. They are my winter loafers, so I won't cry if this goes badly wrong. Wish me luck!


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

I tried the alchohol rub today using rubbing alcohol (95% ethanol) that I borrowed from my father. Oh my God! It took about 5 seconds to remove anything resembling a shine! Extremely effective - the shoes now have a completely matte, dull finish which I can set about improving with normal shoe polish. (My only recommendation is to apply the alchohol evenly, since it's easy to get a few spots where it takes off too much finish.)


----------



## Reddington (Nov 15, 2007)

Doctor Damage said:


> My only recommendation is to apply the alchohol evenly, since it's easy to get a few spots where it takes off too much finish.


Doc -

What did you use to apply the alcohol? Cotton swap, t-shirt, brush? I just bought a pair of Weejuns just for this purpose and want to get it right on the first go.

Cheers.


----------



## stfu (Apr 30, 2008)

Glad this thread has been revived. I have a good candidate for this treatment.


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Reddington said:


> What did you use to apply the alcohol? Cotton swap, t-shirt, brush? I just bought a pair of Weejuns just for this purpose and want to get it right on the first go.


It's important to realize there are different types of bad finishes. Sebago uses a painted on finish, which isn't so much shiny as it is lumpy & murky (see photo below of a pair of BB Sebagos). This finish was almost instantly stripped off by a fairly half-assed application of rubbing alcohol. I used paper towels, but that left little threads of paper towel which I will have to brush off before I can apply shoe cream. I suggest using an old cloth or something like that that won't shred (which is exactly what Cont. Fop and PGolden suggested earlier in this thread!).

https://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=paintedonfiniship1.jpg

BASS currently uses a much more impregnated gloss, sort of like what SAS uses, almost a shellac (see photos below, SAS on the left) that has soaked in a bit and appears to be a bit more permanent than the Sebago finish. I'm not sure how that finish would react to the rubbing alcohol treatment, so I suggest trying a little dab in the arch of the shoes, an area in which it will be mostly hidden from view if it goes horribly wrong.

https://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=glossfinishsasiq5.jpghttps://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=glossfinishbasslx8.jpg

Let us know how it goes on the Weejuns.

Frankly, I don't mind the SAS gloss too much, since it is easy to clean and takes on depth with enough layers of shoe cream.


----------



## The Continental Fop (Jan 12, 2007)

It pays to remember that this rubbing alcohol hack only removes the glossy finish, not the underlying shoe dye in its entirety. You are not reducing the shoe to its natural virgin state and then starting the coloring process over from scratch. You are merely killing the plasticky shine and rendering the leather a bit more porous, so that a liberal application or twelve of dark brown shoe cream (not polish -- save that for the end, when you're happy with the final color) can change the color to a more chocolatey brown. 

The color dye of these shoes runs pretty deep into the leather. Forget paper towel -- I went medieval on these things with Scotch Brite abrasive pads and only put a slight dent in the redness. Whoever dyed my shoes (I got 2 pair) really liked the color red. 

I have no experience doing the alcohol hack with Bass Weejuns, as mine came in a very nice dark tan and I like them just the way they are. My comments apply only to the non-brushoff "cordovan" Sebago Cayman II loafers.


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

The Continental Fop said:


> It pays to remember that this rubbing alcohol hack only removes the glossy finish, not the underlying shoe dye in its entirety. You are not reducing the shoe to its natural virgin state and then starting the coloring process over from scratch. You are merely killing the plasticky shine and rendering the leather a bit more porous, so that a liberal application or twelve of dark brown shoe cream (not polish -- save that for the end, when you're happy with the final color) can change the color to a more chocolatey brown.
> 
> The color dye of these shoes runs pretty deep into the leather. Forget paper towel -- I went medieval on these things with Scotch Brite abrasive pads and only put a slight dent in the redness. Whoever dyed my shoes (I got 2 pair) really liked the color red.
> 
> I have no experience doing the alcohol hack with Bass Weejuns, as mine came in a very nice dark tan and I like them just the way they are. My comments apply only to the non-brushoff "cordovan" Sebago Cayman II loafers.


I never got around to the abrasive pads, but I did manage to deaden the cheesy finish. However, when I buffed them with a stiff brush the shine came back somewhat (although not as bad). I won't buy another pair, that's for sure, since this is too much work. These will be fine for winter abuse. Thanks for the info, CFop.


----------



## Mamtower (Jun 13, 2009)

Sorry to revive such an old thread but I just ordered a pair of Weejun 75th Anniversary from Piperlime for around $50. Still unsure if they are corrected grain or not (pics and descriptions don't seem to match). I plan on trying this if they have the same shine.


----------



## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

Read my most recent post in that other thread for why there's a discrepancy.


----------



## Mamtower (Jun 13, 2009)

Thanks for the info! Hopefully they are better than the pair I bought a few years ago. Wouldn't have ordered either way if it weren't for the low price. Worth a shot, can always send them back!


----------



## Himself (Mar 2, 2011)

Interesting thread. I may try this. I never thought of stripping the shine off but I've thought a lot about leather softener, maybe from the inside out.

I have two almost new pair of Weejuns (black strap and brown tassel, 10D) that I was going to sell. They're probably 15 years old and hardly worn. If anyone's interested, PM me, and I'll try to dig them out.

Or I may try this process.


----------



## Trad-ish (Feb 19, 2011)

I've used alcohol with good success a couple of times. Recently, I had to use paint thinner on a pair (long story). After repolishing, the Weejuns look halfway decent again. In the first pic, you can notice some slight fading along the strap of the right shoe but the flash accentuates it. In the second pic, the fading is not near as apparent and really is more what they look like in daylight.

Caveat: Use paint thinner only at your own risk! This was an extreme attempt to salvage a pair of loafers. These are my wet-weather, knockaround loafers I bought off Ebay. I felt I could chance the paint thinner and if it trashed the shoes in the process it was no big loss.

Lesson learned: Lowes Valspar silver spray paint is very durable on leather.


----------



## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

MyGod
shoes look great my friend but dust your bookcase. Again shoes are fine but wax your bookcase! don't worry bout the shoes . nice day


----------



## Trad-ish (Feb 19, 2011)

DukeGrad said:


> MyGod
> shoes look great my friend but dust your bookcase. Again shoes are fine but wax your bookcase! don't worry bout the shoes . nice day


Well, I'm currently in a hotel so I'll pass the dust comment on to housekeeping!


----------



## coreysyms (Jun 17, 2012)

I just picked up a pair of Bass Logan's. Had the same issue with the shine. I went with acetone on a cue tip, just enough to lightly coat. let it dry for a few seconds and hit it with a horse hair brush. Worked in sections and turned out great. Finished with a thin coat of mink oil, brushed with the horse hair brush again. With the cue tip I was able to add in some "spot distressing" in areas that looked like they would get distressed. Took about 4 innings of the O's beating up on Atlanta. Below are pics. First is with one done, the other still new. Left is the one I worked on. Second pic is the finished product after the mink oil. Hope this helps someone as I looked around quite a bit for remedies and found everything from paint thinner, to lighter fluid as options, all of which I thought would be to hard on the leather. Cheers!


----------



## tinytim (Jun 13, 2008)

coreysyms said:


> I just picked up a pair of Bass Logan's. Had the same issue with the shine. I went with acetone on a cue tip, just enough to lightly coat. let it dry for a few seconds and hit it with a horse hair brush. Worked in sections and turned out great. Finished with a thin coat of mink oil, brushed with the horse hair brush again. With the cue tip I was able to add in some "spot distressing" in areas that looked like they would get distressed. Took about 4 innings of the O's beating up on Atlanta. Below are pics. First is with one done, the other still new. Left is the one I worked on. Second pic is the finished product after the mink oil. Hope this helps someone as I looked around quite a bit for remedies and found everything from paint thinner, to lighter fluid as options, all of which I thought would be to hard on the leather. Cheers!


The finished product looks great.


----------



## jimw (May 4, 2009)

That is a nice trick w/ the acetone. I have a pair of Bass Larsons in the same color, but have been loathe to try anything that would destroy the shoes (or turn them blue, as I saw in another forum). My loafers are seemingly the last of the EEEEE's (and I need every single 'E'), but I may try this now that I see the results.

Thanks.

Somewhat off topic - does anyone know other companies with product that runs VERY wide? I've tried the widest Segabos and Florsheims, but ony the extra wide bass loafers ever fit to satisfaction.

Best,

Jim


----------



## jimw (May 4, 2009)

*Blue pennies*

Per my comment about the leather turning blue, here's a link describing the process. I shouldn't laugh - its something I might do.....

https://maxminimus.blogspot.ca/2011/10/weejun-blues.html

Jim


----------



## poppies (May 11, 2017)

Resurrecting an old thread here, but I took inspiration from the posts and got fantastic results. I was really bothered by the plasticky sheen on some burgundy Cole Haan Pinch Penny loafers I picked up on a lark. After a single rub down of drug store 91% isopropyl alcohol on an old t-shirt, followed by Allen Edmonds merlot polish and a horse hair brushing, the shoes look far, far better. The process was very quick and dummy-proof.

The shirt rub down removed the plasticky finish as well as a little bit of color, so the end result was a patinated, multi-variate tone that could make one think the shoes cost four times as much. I’m quite pleased, and now have shoes I can use in many more contexts than before. Kudos to the pioneers in this thread.


----------



## August West (Aug 1, 2013)

poppies said:


> Resurrecting an old thread here, but I took inspiration from the posts and got fantastic results. I was really bothered by the plasticky sheen on some burgundy Cole Haan Pinch Penny loafers I picked up on a lark. After a single rub down of drug store 91% isopropyl alcohol on an old t-shirt, followed by Allen Edmonds merlot polish and a horse hair brushing, the shoes look far, far better. The process was very quick and dummy-proof.
> 
> The shirt rub down removed the plasticky finish as well as a little bit of color, so the end result was a patinated, multi-variate tone that could make one think the shoes cost four times as much. I'm quite pleased, and now have shoes I can use in many more contexts than before. Kudos to the pioneers in this thread.


Could you possibly post pictures?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## poppies (May 11, 2017)

August West said:


> Could you possibly post pictures?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Looks pretty much just like Trad-ish's last picture on the previous page.


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

While that "patinated, multi-variate tone" is more pleasing to my eye, I think it is exactly what the corrected grain process was meant to hide. Causes me to question just what the manufacturers were thinking?

Where in the hell did that coat picture come from? I hit post and it just appeared. How do I get rid of it? As they told us at "Hogwarts," this, for sure, must be some of that dark magic! LOL. :icon_scratch:


----------



## TimF (Aug 21, 2016)

eagle2250 said:


> While that "patinated, multi-variate tone" is more pleasing to my eye, I think it is exactly what the corrected grain process was meant to hide. Causes me to question just what the manufacturers were thinking?


It can hide scars, bite marks, and other imperfections, some of which are only cosmetic, but others can be structural. At the tannery, the good hides become full grain; the subpar ones are corrected.

I guess there's a degree to which leather can be corrected. It sounds as if Bass uses minimally corrected leather?


----------



## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

I've got a great pair of USA Made Sebago loafers that need a nice polish. They're burgundy, of course. What's the best plan of action?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

^ If they are like my old Sebagos they don't have the plasticky look and feel. So I'd just give them a good whack with the brush and use neutral cream, period.

If they are the shiny kind, my method is cotton ball, rubbing alcohol, and go slow. Test it out on the side somewhere first. 

I did the alcohol hack on several shoes. I found the best results were from swabbing, not rubbing. All I was after was a matte finish. 

Let them dry out before you start applying polishes or creams.

I also experimented with Lexol conditioner, which didn't hurt anything, but didn't make much difference either.

All this was years ago so I do not have any photos (they all disappeared in the Great Photobucket Extortion -- "Pay us $399 per year or you'll never see your pictures again!")


----------

