Boot Shine

[Shorty|Ultra]

Well, I know there are a few cops on these forums, and possibly a few military members on these forums, so lets here some of your best boot shinning techniques.
I've been trying all kinds of methods to shine my boots, and so far nothing has succeeded. Ive got full leather boots, and have tried using the t-shirt, kiwi polish, and the spit/water method, but so far no luck. So any help you guys might have with either a personal method you have found to work great, or any shining guides you have found online, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[fat rat]

My secret was a womens nylon stocking..........after a good coat of Kiwi.:)

[Nord]

Apply conditioner and let dry (always before polish)
Add polish thick to boot and use a terry cloth to shine (back and forth rapidly)
not hard to do unless you have a finish that won't take a shine.

[hkunz]

Kiwi applied with a t-shirt, then spit/polished, then buffed with another t-shirt. The secret? Do this at least ten times. You have to get the wax into the pores and build it up over several applications, but it has to be buffed down between applications. We did it in boot camp for something to do (for all I know - they had us doing lots of stuff that was not real high on the fun meter), and after a while they actually started to look good. But keep working at it.
Option two - buy Corfams. That is what I did later in my career, although they are very rough on your feet as they don't breathe.

[DeltaSigBoater]

Not a LEO & never was in the military, but up until very recently I wore black 8 hole Doc Martins as dress shoes.
Never liked Kiwi t-shirt method, to messy.
Sounds weird, and I’ll probably get some $#!@ for it but I used a combination of WD-40 and ArmorAll leather cleaner/care products. Couldn’t see why it would hurt my shoes.
Boots always had a nice shine & moisture ran off them like water off a duck.

[HocusPocus]

12 years in the military.
this is the basic method i was tought and off a website i found.
Time Required: 60 Minutes
Here's How:
1. Spread a medium-thick layer of paste polish over the portion of the boot to be spit shined.
2. Allow it to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Wrap a soft, clean cloth around your index finger so that it is smooth (no wrinkles). Alternately, you can use a cotton ball. Dip your finger or the cotton ball into a container of water. The cloth/cotton should be wet, but not dripping.
4. Buff the dried polish (using a circular motion) with the wet cloth/cotton ball, until the wax starts to become shiney.
5. Still using the damp rag on your finger, apply a fine layer of polish in a circular motion and keep on rubbing lightly until a hazy shine develops.
6. Using the (now) damp cloth, or cotton ball, keep applying THIN coats of wax, buffing them with a small circular motion.
7. When the boot is highly glossed, use a clean dry soft cloth or a shining brush to give it a final buff.
Tips:
1. The reason to use a wet cloth is to stop the fine coats of polish sticking to the cloth and to encourage the polish to stick to the leather.
2. You want to keep on building up thin layers of wax until you have a completely smooth surface that gives the glossy shine.
3. After the first heavy coat of polish you must use small amounts of polish to build up the shine. If you use too much polish, it will dissolve the base you have already built up.
4. T-shirts work well for the cloth material, as do cloth diapers.
5. Some people prefer to use rubbing alcohol instead of water.
What You Need:
* Shoe Polish
* Cloth
* Water or Alcohol

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Takes at least an hour,, usually two.
We used pledge for spit, and Kiwi for polish in the Marines.
A dab of each on your cloth, gently rub on area to be polished.
Repeat.
Eventually it'll look like patent leather.

[Kilrtoy]

What brand of shoes are these....
First you ned to get a good base...
Spit water, Angeleus wax(SP) and a good rub for a long time
Alot of people like to burn the wax, but I fell that ruins the shoes....
You could brush your teeth using my boots as a mirror

[MudPumper]

The secret is to melt the wax into the leather.
Apply a liberal coat of kiwi to the boot with an old t-shirt. Old Haynes under shirts work well. I use matches but a blow dryer or heat gun works well too. Hold the boot upside down with one hand and light a match with the other and let the flame kiss the boot. Move the flame across the boot melting the wax so it looks dull and waxy. Do not hold the flame over any one spot for more than a second. Let the boots cool. Repeat this step if necessary (if boots are new or don't already have a good base coat built up.
Wrap under shirt around index and fore finger tightly. Get shirt wet (I spray it with a water bottle) apply kiwi and start rubbing in circular motion. When shirt begins to dry, apply a little more water. Rub in until you get a pretty good shine.
Cut the bottom 6 inches off the shirt so you have a ring of cloth. Put boot on you foot and spray the cloth lightly with the spray bottle. Use the cloth to buff to a high gloss.

[phebus]

You guys are doing way too much work. When I was in the fire academy, I found the guy with the shiniest shoes, and gave him a six pack for shining mine. Always brought them back the next day like a mirror.......:D

[squirt'nmyload]

take em to one of the guys at the airport! :D :D