# Venetian Shoe Cream



## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Recently received a bottle of Venetian Shoe Cream from Orgetorix - Nick Horween previously recommended Venetian Shoe Cream to "condition" older, dry shell. I tried it on a pair of Alden shell monk straps. I applied it liberally and left it on over night since the shoes squeaked quite a bit. This morning I gave them a thorough brushing. The main reason I'm posting is just to say that the standard shell shine came back immediately and there was no cloudy residue from the cream. And, the shoes do seem to squeak less.


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## Bandit44 (Oct 1, 2010)

I use it about once every two months on my shell Leeds. My shoes are only two years old, so I use it sparingly just to keep them in tip top shape.


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

I've been trying mine out as well (also received from Orgetorix). I've not left mine on for a long period of time, but doing so on older shell is probably wise. I think it does give a nice shine boost. I've wondered if it might also help protect from the infamous shell welting when exposed to rain.

Has anyone tried it on calf shoes yet? I read somewhere online that it's a trade secret of shoe shine guys to apply it at the end of a shine to give a shine boost. I don't know if that's true or not.


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## Bandit44 (Oct 1, 2010)

Haven't tried it since I bought it specifically for shell cordovan. Noticed on the bottle that it is recommended for patent leather, so I might try it on my corrected grain J&M Aristocraft wingtips. Might be just the ticket to remove scuffs.


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## DrMac (Jan 31, 2010)

I tried it on my old Florsheims, and it worked great for a good shine, but now I'm thinking I should leave it on a little longer....


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## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

I bought a bottle from Orgetorix and am very satisfied with the stuff.


Like some of you here, all of my shell comes from thrifts and ebay.

The Mac method is great, but not it's not really appropriate for old shell shoes that have been dull for years and might even be a bit dry.

In a couple minutes the venetian cream gave a shine brighter than I had achieved in the past, when I would just brush for ages, or brush with a tiny amount of polish.

It also did a good job of conditioning the leather, and softening it up a bit.
The result wasn't nearly as soft as new shell, but I wasn't expecting that.

It didn;t do much, if anything for little scuffs and scratches, but I've always found elbow grease and a small amount of polish to work best for those.


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## Dragoon (Apr 1, 2010)

I used mine for the first time on my AWW. They didn't really need polish but had a couple of scuffs from my chair that didn't want to buff out with a brush. The Venetian worked very well.

I tried using a strip of old t shirt as an applicator but decided my bare index finger worked much better.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

If anyone would like to purchase a bottle, feel free to PM me. I should have more in stock soon.


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## spudnik99 (Apr 27, 2007)

I use Venetian on Chromexcel and it works great on that as well.


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## dionattilio (Feb 24, 2009)

Any vendors shipping internationally? My search so far has been fruitless or far too expensive ($35 shipping for 1 bottle).


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## Dripp (Nov 11, 2005)

I bought a bottle from Orgetrix for use on my shell that I purchased new over the past 1-2 years. On two of my most recent pairs, I noticed that the creases seemed dry and brushing really didn't do a whole lot for it, especially on my whisky longwings. One treatment with the venetian shoe cream, it looked much better and the dryness was gone so i'm sold on it. And if nick at Horween recommends it, its good enough for me.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

I'm another convert. My bottle arrived today. Tried it out on my calfskin Aristocrafts, which I noticed were getting a hair dry and, my goodness. Magnificent.


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## ROI (Aug 1, 2004)

Cardinals5 said:


> Recently received a bottle of Venetian Shoe Cream from Orgetorix - Nick Horween previously recommended Venetian Shoe Cream to "condition" older, dry shell. I tried it on a pair of Alden shell monk straps. I applied it liberally and left it on over night since the shoes squeaked quite a bit. This morning I gave them a thorough brushing. The main reason I'm posting is just to say that the standard shell shine came back immediately and there was no cloudy residue from the cream. And, the shoes do seem to squeak less.


Here's what I said on this forum in 2006. I stand by it.

I bought a pair of Alden shell cordovan penny loafers from Mark Shale in Chicago in the mid-80s. The store was promoting shell cordovan and had one of the Horweens (the tannery is also in Chicago) on hand to talk about shell. He, in turn, had supplied a brief film about the production of cordovan, which was playing on a tv monitor in the shoe department. In the film, the elder Horween recommended Venetian Creme, the younger Horween recommended Venetian Creme, and, when I bought the shoes, they gave me a bottle of Venetian Creme.

Since that day, I've used Venetian Creme on the Alden LHS as well as the Brooks penny loafer and tassel loafer. I am completely sold and recommend it without reservation.


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## Mazama (May 21, 2009)

I bought a QUART of Venetian Cream -comes in a metal can - from a wholesale golf club supply outfit for $11.98 (https://www.foresupplyco.com/produc...enetian_Shoe_Cream_E_ZOES_Venetian_Shoe_Cream )

The catch is you have to buy $50 worth of stuff and pay shipping. However they had good prices - at the time - on shoe trees and some other things I wanted so I ended up with a long-term supply of Venetian Cream for a much lower cost.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

I bought a bottle of Venetian shoe cream from Orgetorix, and it was a good purchase. I have a pair of AE Randolph in black shell that I bought in a private sale. They were NIB/never worn, having been purchased and stuck in the back of the man's closet for quite a while. They got a bit dried out, it seems, and worse yet before the seller shipped them to me he tried to shine them up. Not sure exactly what he used on them, but they were quite dull when they arrived, and even after several cleanings and countless brushing sessions, they still didn't have a good lustre, and there was a slight amount of gooey residue on one of the shoes. I suspect he used some sort of silicone-based "instant shine" on them.

I tried the Venetian shoe cream on them, and after just one application, the shoes have that lovely "black jelly bean" glow to them. Great stuff. Thanks to Orgetorix for making it available.


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## rabidawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Mazama said:


> I bought a QUART of Venetian Cream -comes in a metal can - from a wholesale golf club supply outfit for $11.98 (https://www.foresupplyco.com/produc...enetian_Shoe_Cream_E_ZOES_Venetian_Shoe_Cream )
> 
> The catch is you have to buy $50 worth of stuff and pay shipping. However they had good prices - at the time - on shoe trees and some other things I wanted so I ended up with a long-term supply of Venetian Cream for a much lower cost.


I did the same, except the cream was all I ordered. Shipping for a quart was only $5.39 (shipped to my office; it's a dollar or so more expensive if you have it shipped to a residential address), so a quart shipped was under $18. A bargain for a lifetime supply, IMO. I've since used it on every pair of shell I own, and cannot recommend it highly enough. It also does wonders on calf.


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## tlocke (Jan 9, 2010)

Orgetorix said:


> If anyone would like to purchase a bottle, feel free to PM me. I should have more in stock soon.


Orgetorix, How often do you use Venetian Cream of your shells? I assume you use it sparingly, right?


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## TheWGP (Jan 15, 2010)

Mine came in a few days back and I just used it on two vintage pairs of BB LHS #8's last night. It worked wonders - certainly comparable to Saphir Renovateur, and perhaps even better in terms of restoring that cordovan luster, which on old shells can diminish.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

tlocke said:


> Orgetorix, How often do you use Venetian Cream of your shells? I assume you use it sparingly, right?


Haven't had it for more than a couple months, but I plan to use it every six months or so, or whenever the shells look like they need it.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

rabidawg said:


> I did the same, except the cream was all I ordered. Shipping for a quart was only $5.39 (shipped to my office; it's a dollar or so more expensive if you have it shipped to a residential address), so a quart shipped was under $18. A bargain for a lifetime supply, IMO. I've since used it on every pair of shell I own, and cannot recommend it highly enough. It also does wonders on calf.


LOL. "A bargain for a lifetime supply," True Dat! However, remember, that lifetime supply can dry-up like an old can of paint...do remember to keep it tightly capped!


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## Mike147 (Jan 15, 2006)

Do you use anything else on your shells at this point or just Venetian when needed and Mac Method after each wear?


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Mike147 said:


> Do you use anything else on your shells at this point or just Venetian when needed and Mac Method after each wear?


Just the VC and Mac method (which involves wax, sparingly).


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