# Help with Polishing Shoes - Dark Spot



## shoe4life (May 30, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

I've just joined this forum, so this is going to be my first post. I been recently trying to get a mirror shine on the toe caps of my Allen Edmonds strands im bourbon. I've been using the Saphir medium brown color.

As I was polishing the caps, I noticed a dark spot developing on on of the caps of the shoes. This dark spot just got worse as I put on layers of polish. So I decided to use cleaner/conditioner to strip the polish and start over. However, after using the conditioner/cleaner, the dark spot remained, which I know was there before. 
Does anyone have any suggestions how to get rid of it. As well, that dark spot at the center of the medallion seems to just remain dull no matter what cream or polish I use. Did I just ruin my shoes?

I have attached a picture. One of the shoes is polished, the other I've used conditioner on to try and remove polish.










Much appreciated.
cheers


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

shoe4life said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've just joined this forum, so this is going to be my first post. I been recently trying to get a mirror shine on the toe caps of my Allen Edmonds strands im bourbon. I've been using the Saphir medium brown color.
> 
> ...


I like your shoes! And they're also a particularly nice shade of brown.

When I've gotten dark spots on my shoes, it has always been as a result of dripping something with oil on them, such as an errant drop of olive oil while cooking. If there's a way to remove those, I'm unaware of it. But such spots are usually easily attributable and usually regular in shape, which suggests that isn't the source for yours.

I'm sorry you are displeased with their appearance, but I certainly don't think you've ruined your shoes. I note that the leather of your shoes is slightly variegated in tone. This could be the result of many things, but is actually an effect often sought after by makers when they are finishing leather, and I don't find it unattractive.

Both wax and crème have pigment in them which affect shoe color. Crème has much more and is also better absorbed by leather. I think you're seeing pigment from polishing. You could try cleaning them again, but I don't think it's going produce attractive results. If they were mine, I think I'd try to extend the variegated appearance to both toes using crème to supply the pigment. I'd like that effect.

If you're using AE crème, you might consider trying Meltonian. It has less, or no, wax and plenty of pigment.


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## shoe4life (May 30, 2014)

Hi Flanderian,

Thanks for the reply. I posted another picture of the shoe after I've polished them. What concerns me is that that dark spot does not absorb polish, and cannot shine no matter what I do with it. Just to add a bit more info, I did use a layer of neutral Saphire Wax before applying the medium brown, would this have effected them?
Do you think I can take them to a cobbler to have them stripped and re-dyed?

Heres another picture.

Thanks for your help!


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Sorry, but I'm at something of a loss. The more you describe what you're experiencing, the more it sounds like an oil stain. Don't know how you could have gotten it? 

Cobblers are a mixed bag. Some do great work, others can ruin shoes. Sorry to be so dramatic, but that's my experience. I'd try a little more gentle cleaning myself, and then consider what I suggested earlier.


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## shoe4life (May 30, 2014)

Thanks a bunch. Yea I did use a drop of water at the spot while i was attempting the mirror shine, there might have been something on my figure maybe, but that is odd, since it didn't happen on the other shoe.
I suppose as long as the leather itself isn't damaged, a refinish of the uppers should fix it? Cheers!


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## StylinLa (Feb 15, 2009)

That might just be a wet spot soaked with water. If so, it will dry out eventually. See if it persists in 24 hours.


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## Watchman (Jun 11, 2013)

Soak them in Venetian Shoe Cream heavily for about 24 hours, that is to say apply a THICK layer and then let them sit.....

The VSC has some stuff in it that will strip the shoes a bit, then I remove that with vigorous horse hair brushing.

Then apply a polish to attempt a re-coloration of the whole shoe and see if it will go away that way!

Thanks!


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## Stubbly (Jul 26, 2013)

Talcum powder or cornstarch can draw oil out of leather & fabric. However, since you've already put polish/cream on the shoes, it may be more difficult to remove an oil stain. You could try stripping the polish again, and then clean the spot with a solution of dish detergent & water. Go easy with the dish detergent. A little goes a long way. Gently blot the spot (don't rub).



shoe4life said:


> I did use a layer of neutral Saphire Wax before applying the medium brown, would this have effected them?


Probably not, but I would avoid using neutral polish on dark colored shoes. I done this before and it seemed to cause a haze to develop on the shoes.



shoe4life said:


> Do you think I can take them to a cobbler to have them stripped and re-dyed?


That depends on the cobbler. This can be very risky.


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## sleepyinsanfran (Oct 24, 2013)

the toe caps look good. the small spot, to me, seems to add patina (esp in the second "polished" picture) - stripping them too many times too soon can draw out the ('good") oils and dry out the leather. I say enjoy the shoes, they look great. I get the most compliments on my older re-soled shoes, which have been patinated by nature (and my clumsiness) rather than the new ones!


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Over vigorous polishing can precipitate dark patches on calf-skin leather, presumably frictive force - although in this I speculate only. Once done, it cannot be undone.

More positively: those are a very lovely looking pair of shoes* and inconsistencies in the leather's colour are the first steps toward the legendary patina much beloved around these parts.

*You will of course wish to lace them properly: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/shoeshoplacing.htm


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## GWW (Jan 3, 2014)

Shaver said:


> *You will of course wish to lace them properly: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/shoeshoplacing.htm


You mean this one, don't you :devil:: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/straighteuropeanlacing.htm


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## Piqué (Apr 10, 2014)

I agree with Shaver that you have likely burnished the toe of your shoe. There isn't really any way to fix that. I think it's a nice look and I'd recommend for you to just burnish the other side too. As far as polish goes, if you're wanting to use a neutral polish, I would use it after the colored polish rather than before. Also, I think medium brown Saphir may be too dark for those shoes, and you may just want to stick with neutral entirely. I find that the Saphir neutral wax gives a lovely shine to my walnut shoes without anything else, although with light to medium brown shoes I'm not generally going for a mirror shine, so YMMV.


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## sleepyinsanfran (Oct 24, 2013)

GWW said:


> You mean this one, don't you :devil:: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/straighteuropeanlacing.htm


a more casual alternative for these balmorals might be an alternating over-under crisscross - which still leaves clear lines that complement the closed-facings of the bal


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## triklops55 (May 14, 2010)

It doesn't look that bad. And yes, it will have a better appearance as time goes by. The way to get shine on that part is to add wax and buff vigorously with a buffing cloth. Do that a few times and eventually it will take on a shine and will look pretty good.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

GWW said:


> You mean this one, don't you :devil:: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/straighteuropeanlacing.htm


Do we have any 'straight Europeans' on the forum?


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## calfnkip (Mar 21, 2011)

shoe4life:

What you’ve experienced and described regarding a dark spot on your calfskin shoes is nothing unusual. In fact, it can almost be expected in better grade calfskin shoes. 

Here’s why:

Full grain (i.e., not corrected) calfskin destined for better grade shoes is usually finished with aniline dyes. That is the benchmark standard for mens' dress footwear. But aniline dyes are not without some drawbacks. They’re expensive, difficult to work with and require skill on the part of pattern cutters in shoe factories. This is because aniline dyes sink into the epidermis - - the grain we all see. However, no skin will absorb these dyes in a consistent way over its entire area. Some portions will absorb more of the dye creating your dark spots. Other sections might absorb much less dye. 

So some amount of irregularity in color sort of comes with the territory of premium footwear. Our esteemed colleague Shaver put it quite well when he wrote: 

“. . .inconsistencies in the leather's colour are the first steps toward the legendary patina much beloved around these parts.”

Hope this helps.


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## GWW (Jan 3, 2014)

Shaver said:


> Do we have any 'straight Europeans' on the forum?


Hmm..
Justonemore has a wife and kids, so I assume he's straight, but I don't know if a Swiss with American roots qualifies as a European. :biggrin:


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## pleasehelp (Sep 8, 2005)

I think that if you put a wax polish on it to get a nice shine then it will look fine. Keep in mind that shoes are generally viewed from fairly far away, rather than up close.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

Just do what everyboody has suggested and the shoes will look fine. Except, don't do the lacings suggested by Shaver. I think he is having us on, as I understand that to be the term UK residents employ to mean that they are kidding someone. Instead, use a straight lacing pattern with no visible cross-lacing.

Straight patterned lacing of one's shoes does not seem to me to have much to do with whether or not one is straight-laced in the sense of being socially conservative, or straight as regards sexual orientation, or straight as in the somewhat antique American slang expression connoting conventional as opposed to hip, or cool. 

I prefer straight lacing on dress shoes (oxfords) and simple cross-lacing for less formal shoes (derbys). 

Regards,
Gurdon


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Gurdon said:


> Just do what everyboody has suggested and the shoes will look fine. Except, don't do the lacings suggested by Shaver. I think he is having us on, as I understand that to be the term UK residents employ to mean that they are kidding someone. Instead, use a straight lacing pattern with no visible cross-lacing.
> 
> Straight patterned lacing of one's shoes does not seem to me to have much to do with whether or not one is straight-laced in the sense of being socially conservative, or straight as regards sexual orientation, or straight as in the somewhat antique American slang expression connoting conventional as opposed to hip, or cool.
> 
> ...


The 'Shoe Shop' has no visible cross lacing, though? Not on my shoes at least, where the fastening of the eyelets meet evenly securing the throat and completely covering the tongue.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

Shaver,

I'm sorry. I misunderstood the diagram. I use a straight lacing system that feeds the laces up the insides of the shoes, emerging from the eyelets and crossing horizontally. 

Do all the criss-crossing laces exert additional pressure on the top of the instep from the thickness added by the layer(s) of shoestrings? 

Gurdon


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Gurdon said:


> Shaver,
> 
> I'm sorry. I misunderstood the diagram. I use a straight lacing system that feeds the laces up the insides of the shoes, emerging from the eyelets and crossing horizontally.
> 
> ...


Please Gurdon, no need to apologise. Whilst I am a whizz at understanding tie-knot diagrams, for some reason those shoe-lace diagrams confuse me. The more I look at them - the worse it gets. :redface:

As an avowed minimalist, I am anti-fussiness so, as you, I prefer 'straight lacing' which are sleeker and much less distracting to the eye.

If I'm honest I associate all the fancy criss-cross lacings with teenagers and their sneakers. Harumphh!


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

GWW said:


> Hmm..
> Justonemore has a wife and kids, so I assume he's straight, but I don't know if a Swiss with American roots qualifies as a European. :biggrin:


Errr....passing?

Just sayin' :devil:


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## cosmic_cookie (Jan 30, 2014)

shoe4life said:


> Hi Flanderian,
> 
> Thanks for the reply. I posted another picture of the shoe after I've polished them. What concerns me is that that dark spot does not absorb polish, and cannot shine no matter what I do with it. Just to add a bit more info, I did use a layer of neutral Saphire Wax before applying the medium brown, would this have effected them?
> Do you think I can take them to a cobbler to have them stripped and re-dyed?
> ...


How long as the spot been there?


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

cosmic_cookie said:


> How long as the spot been there?


This could be the basis for an MR James-type story. The spot starts moving when he's not looking - he thinks it's disappeared, but it's now on the heel, or it's moved onto the other shoe. It does not end well


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## shoe4life (May 30, 2014)

Hi All!

Thanks for the input, this has been really helpful. 
Cosmic: The spot has been there for about a week now, its slightly faded to a lighter red colour. I think I will take the suggestion of trying to get it on the other shoe eventually, to develop the patina.



Thanks again.


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