Great video as always Dan! As an ex Guardsman, the Military methods vary, but for all Household Division soldiers, we were all taught to 'burn boots down' before bulling (the entire boot) during basic training. Boots packed out solid inside with damp newspaper and made firm into shape with laces tied. Once complete, several blocks of beeswax are melted in a pan. Boots then warmed with blowtorch which both burns off the dimples and opens the pores up...although you can imagine what too much heat will do to the stitching! Once the leather was hot, beeswax was brushed onto the boots, melted into the leather, repeated several times and left to cool...it took hours. If you did it right you were left with a very hard pair of boots which when broken to your shape, would hold dozens of layers of polish without serious cracking. It wasn't uncommon to see drill boots (ammo boots with hobnails) that originated from the 1950's and 60's that had been handed down to serving soldiers in the 1990's. The newer boots tended to have slightly thinner leather and many a new pair ruined with a blow torch😂. No use to anyone else but Military though.
Canadian airborne infantry here, we did it the exact same way he did in the video. But once we were in the regiment we painted them instead with a glossy spray paint (only for the parade boots). But the paint chipped fast!!
We also used the back of a teaspoon to iron the dimples out of the leather, once hot... But the leather needed reheating after the "Spooning" to open up the pores again and accept the beeswax. I was serving in Northwood and by the tube station was a tiny cobblers shop. On the off chance, I took my Ammo Boots to the little old Jewish Cobbler and he became super excited to replace the soles, add the hob nails and horseshoes on the heels. He did an amazing job and charged me practically nothing. I took him in a bottle of Whisky 🥃 and he said that he'd only drink it with me... Ammo Boots resoled perfectly, tales told and hangover recovery, all for £25:00. Happy Days 😂🤣
This one was really fun - watching an amateur mangling the shoe repairs that you make look so easy shows just how skilled an artisan you are. Anders really nailed the polish, though - that shoe looked flawless.
Really educational! I'd never thought about how the solvent in the polish keeps the wax soft and then evaporates, pretty similar to how paint works! Thanks again for another great video!
Spit shining is Def an art and something we took pride in the military. I also played around with finishing with clear. Also found using dark blue on my black boots really left and amazing finish. Missed shining when the military switched to all suade boots
This was amazing. I always wondered if the stitching machine basically did all the work for you, but now I know it’s super hard and takes a lot of skill
I have a love/hate relationship with the mirror shine ! Sometimes I get it right other times I get it wrong ! Great video ! Here’s hoping to more right !
When I was in the USAF in 1973 I used Aqua Velva after shave lotion to shine my boots. Enjoyed watching how to do a more professional job. Thanks Dan & Anders.
I shouldn't say it on this forum. but I'm pretty sure the last shoes I shined were for school, i the 1960s. I know', I know, quite disgraceful. Anders' stitching had me in stitches though. Thanks for posting.
Hi Dan love your show I have been watching your channel for a few months now and have learned so much, I never realized there is so much work to repairing shoes, anyway we are watching from Canada
What a really fun episode, Anders and William were good sports :) and also Anders did a good job demonstrating his skill ;) He will make a fine cobbler some day lol
Experts are Experts. In their own line of work. This episode, I truly enjoyed every bit of it. Lovely tips on shoe shining from Anders. Great Judge who didn't go bonkers for his shoe becoming a 👡 sandal. Very good & entertaining one 😅👏🙌
Watching him try makes me realize how much of a pro you are dan 😂👍 I always thought the sanding and groove wouldn't be that hard. I don't mean to take anything away from you and say your job is easy, but you sure make it look that way..anyway nice video as always
Just bought some Saphir Polish, great stuff and is very good for the leather , if it needs softening that is, my boots now feel more like slippers! If I want a quick shine, after you have a base you are shining the polish and not the leather, I would choose the harder Kiwi. After you have a really high gloss shine then never use a brush, just let cold water from the tap run over the boots for a while and use some cotton wool. You need a friendly Guardsman, or rather a Senior WO rank to show you what a pair of Bulled Drill Boots should look like, you should be able to peer into the boots as if they were a pool of clean water! Great video though. PS, just used some Saphir ``Canadian´´on a dried out Leather Jacket, it now looks like new and the leather is very soft.
Really great/informative video!! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this video as much, but I really did! Countdown to 300k subscribers…almost there! Continued success
instead of only using water, use a 1/2 water, 1/2 rubbing alcohol solution, and use it sparingly. The alcohol allows the wax to meld together more effectively, and you'll get a mirror finish much faster.
Hey Dan ! You are guilty that i bought the military shoes brand new you repaired last time ! They are great , i dont regret it ! 🤗🤗Kind regards from Germany !!👍👍👍👍👍👍
Cowboy is asking all the right questions, but in terms of pressure you want to think of it as you are molding the surface of the wax like clay going back and essentially rubbing it down smooth ,filling in imperfections that you cannot see with the naked eye each time you add and build up a layer making Even the surface , which is the shine., and the water helps to make your “clay” more malleable.
Dear Dan. I don’t know what it is about you but I have learned so much from watching your skills. I have such respect for your experience and skill and you are both great looking and a charming character. Thank you.
A general question: Are you able to get soles from the original manufacturers? Say, I have a pair of Timberland shoes and I want a sole replacement. Is it possible for you to get an genuine Timberland sole? _(Timberland is just an example.)_
I am using shoe polish today, but to stain a 1:12th miniature table & chairs to give a 1930s/40s feel to the wood. I dont think I'll go for the mirror shine, though😅
When I was in high school, I had a class that I had to have my shoes polished once a week for inspection I discovered a lot of those tricks miss on my own the alcohol trick. I actually discovered because I put too much polish on my shoes and I was stripping it down. I would actually dip the rag and water and then I would dip the tip in alcohol and then I realized I was getting a really Nice mirror shine
See I use to cheat a bit but also I was maximizing my evening time. While in the usaf when we still had black boots I needed to have mine highly shined, being security forces we had to look better than everyone else. So what I would do was apply polish, buff it and then heat gun it and final buff it with a cut up nylon legging bit. Never hit mirror shine but it still came out looking good.
In the army we used kiwi Polish and spit now I Polish my shoes with saphir and an ice cube Egyptian cotton nothing less than a 400 thread count per inch
Not one cigarette lighter was used 😂 The only thing that still gets my heart missing a beat with spit shine is scuff marks 😵Saphir Pate de Luxe bees wax polish is all I really need for my smooth leather shoes now 😎 Sorry Kiwi, you were a good friend in my Army days 😊
Huge thank you to Anders and william for visiting and being a part of the video! Hope you guys learned something and had some fun!
Don't use Vodka it has Sugars just 90% + Isopropyl Alcohol
Need to resole some goral shoes
That man is serious about polishing! I love to see people get passionate about things , no matter what it might be !
Great video as always Dan! As an ex Guardsman, the Military methods vary, but for all Household Division soldiers, we were all taught to 'burn boots down' before bulling (the entire boot) during basic training.
Boots packed out solid inside with damp newspaper and made firm into shape with laces tied.
Once complete, several blocks of beeswax are melted in a pan. Boots then warmed with blowtorch which both burns off the dimples and opens the pores up...although you can imagine what too much heat will do to the stitching!
Once the leather was hot, beeswax was brushed onto the boots, melted into the leather, repeated several times and left to cool...it took hours.
If you did it right you were left with a very hard pair of boots which when broken to your shape, would hold dozens of layers of polish without serious cracking.
It wasn't uncommon to see drill boots (ammo boots with hobnails) that originated from the 1950's and 60's that had been handed down to serving soldiers in the 1990's. The newer boots tended to have slightly thinner leather and many a new pair ruined with a blow torch😂.
No use to anyone else but Military though.
Canadian airborne infantry here, we did it the exact same way he did in the video. But once we were in the regiment we painted them instead with a glossy spray paint (only for the parade boots). But the paint chipped fast!!
We also used the back of a teaspoon to iron the dimples out of the leather, once hot... But the leather needed reheating after the "Spooning" to open up the pores again and accept the beeswax. I was serving in Northwood and by the tube station was a tiny cobblers shop. On the off chance, I took my Ammo Boots to the little old Jewish Cobbler and he became super excited to replace the soles, add the hob nails and horseshoes on the heels. He did an amazing job and charged me practically nothing. I took him in a bottle of Whisky 🥃 and he said that he'd only drink it with me... Ammo Boots resoled perfectly, tales told and hangover recovery, all for £25:00. Happy Days 😂🤣
That was fantastic! He was impressive shining those shoes, but he should definitely keep his day job. 😂😂
This one was really fun - watching an amateur mangling the shoe repairs that you make look so easy shows just how skilled an artisan you are. Anders really nailed the polish, though - that shoe looked flawless.
Anders and Dan - the video I never realised I needed. Nice work, chaps.
Really educational! I'd never thought about how the solvent in the polish keeps the wax soft and then evaporates, pretty similar to how paint works! Thanks again for another great video!
Spit shining is Def an art and something we took pride in the military. I also played around with finishing with clear. Also found using dark blue on my black boots really left and amazing finish. Missed shining when the military switched to all suade boots
You cant get more Swedish than this guy 😂. Good stuff. Amazing shine job.
As a auto detailer I appreciate this video very much!!
This was amazing. I always wondered if the stitching machine basically did all the work for you, but now I know it’s super hard and takes a lot of skill
I have a love/hate relationship with the mirror shine ! Sometimes I get it right other times I get it wrong ! Great video ! Here’s hoping to more right !
Just goes to show how talented you both are in your respective trades. 👍
Great video! A lot of information in a concise format. Cheers!
This has been the best episode I have seen for a long time.
Hey Dan love your videos but can you do one where you change the colour of the shoe completely using your leather dye please 🙏🏿 thank you
The way Dan treat the shoes it’s incomparable with anyone else, true passion.
Omg I was laughing so hard when Anders was cutting the stitch groove! Then the stitching!!!! 🤣🤣
This is incredible. First time seeing this method of polishing or shining shoe to bring out the mirror look. Wonderful work ❤❤❤❤🎉
It's exactly how we did it in the army
It’s incredible how easy you make shoe repay look. Even a shoe guy couldn’t do some basic stuff wow
When I was in the USAF in 1973 I used Aqua Velva after shave lotion to shine my boots. Enjoyed watching how to do a more professional job. Thanks Dan & Anders.
I can definitely respect someone who takes the time to became the best at shoe polishing. Now I'm inspired
I loved this episode. Lots of info and tips on shining. And a fun time at the end. Thanks for a great show.
This was a really fun video! Great idea!
I shouldn't say it on this forum. but I'm pretty sure the last shoes I shined were for school, i the 1960s. I know', I know, quite disgraceful. Anders' stitching had me in stitches though. Thanks for posting.
Brilliant channel Dan always enjoy your videos
Thanks!
Beautiful work 🎉
This was fun to watch. Great idea Dan!!!
Hi Dan love your show I have been watching your channel for a few months now and have learned so much, I never realized there is so much work to repairing shoes, anyway we are watching from Canada
A master class. I enjoyed this video, I’ll certainly give this a go.
Thanks now I need a nice pair of shoes
Top job, the both of you.
Fun to watch and a lot of info.
Thanks for that video.
What a really fun episode, Anders and William were good sports :) and also Anders did a good job demonstrating his skill ;) He will make a fine cobbler some day lol
Very Nice Video I Gained Lot Of Information Thx....
thanks for this one!
As a fellow Swede, I already know who will win the contest! Hyped for the video!
Haha I’m not surprised!
Experts are Experts. In their own line of work. This episode, I truly enjoyed every bit of it. Lovely tips on shoe shining from Anders. Great Judge who didn't go bonkers for his shoe becoming a 👡 sandal. Very good & entertaining one 😅👏🙌
Well, Dan, he may have beat you in a polish contest, but I know you could take him in a benchpress contest! haha. Great job you both did!
Always enjoy your videos, and admire your craftsmanship. 🇦🇺
This was well interesting, nice one dan 😀,thanks all the way from bristol.
Just love this! Can’t believe how happy I feel when watching your vids- must have been a cobbler in another life…
Your in love with him
Great questions to manage the interview - well done! Really enjoyed it - and to see how hard it is to re-sole a shoe (as well)
All your videos are great, but this was something else!
Watching him try makes me realize how much of a pro you are dan 😂👍 I always thought the sanding and groove wouldn't be that hard. I don't mean to take anything away from you and say your job is easy, but you sure make it look that way..anyway nice video as always
That was fun and interesting at the same time. Now I can polish my shoes “the proper way.🤓
Thank you guys it was really very very useful and I got fun in the and. Thank you ❤
Very entertaining 😊 watching him do the grooves & stitch the soles was hilarious 😂😂
Great video! That was pretty funny at the end. Anders does some amazing work shining shoes.
Hey, Great video!!, where was youtube when I was bulling my cadet boots in 1987!. THANKS.
Just bought some Saphir Polish, great stuff and is very good for the leather , if it needs softening that is, my boots now feel more like slippers!
If I want a quick shine, after you have a base you are shining the polish and not the leather, I would choose the harder Kiwi.
After you have a really high gloss shine then never use a brush, just let cold water from the tap run over the boots for a while and use some cotton wool.
You need a friendly Guardsman, or rather a Senior WO rank to show you what a pair of Bulled Drill Boots should look like, you should be able to peer into the boots as if they were a pool of clean water!
Great video though.
PS, just used some Saphir ``Canadian´´on a dried out Leather Jacket, it now looks like new and the leather is very soft.
Thoroughly enjoyed the video.
Now I know more about shoe shining.
😃🙌🏻👍🏻
Great video !! ❤
Really great/informative video!! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this video as much, but I really did!
Countdown to 300k subscribers…almost there! Continued success
Brilliant .... Anders was a great sport 😊
instead of only using water, use a 1/2 water, 1/2 rubbing alcohol solution, and use it sparingly. The alcohol allows the wax to meld together more effectively, and you'll get a mirror finish much faster.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing
Great polishing mate! All that practice has been paying off!
Greetings from Broken Arrow, OK, USA. Love your channel.
Dan, great video. Love the new haircut and mustache.
Good one. thanks
Oh this is something. I never knew there is a technique of applying wax on your shoes… nice!
Hey Dan ! You are guilty that i bought the military shoes brand new you repaired last time ! They are great , i dont regret it ! 🤗🤗Kind regards from Germany !!👍👍👍👍👍👍
This was a fun and different episode!
Cowboy is asking all the right questions, but in terms of pressure you want to think of it as you are molding the surface of the wax like clay going back and essentially rubbing it down smooth ,filling in imperfections that you cannot see with the naked eye each time you add and build up a layer making Even the surface , which is the shine., and the water helps to make your “clay” more malleable.
Thanks for another awesom vidieo and as a former millitery man yeah the hard vax are better for mirrowshine
Great video guys thank you 🙌
Dear Dan. I don’t know what it is about you but I have learned so much from watching your skills. I have such respect for your experience and skill and you are both great looking and a charming character. Thank you.
A general question:
Are you able to get soles from the original manufacturers?
Say, I have a pair of Timberland shoes and I want a sole replacement. Is it possible for you to get an genuine Timberland sole?
_(Timberland is just an example.)_
I am using shoe polish today, but to stain a 1:12th miniature table & chairs to give a 1930s/40s feel to the wood. I dont think I'll go for the mirror shine, though😅
When I was in high school, I had a class that I had to have my shoes polished once a week for inspection I discovered a lot of those tricks miss on my own the alcohol trick. I actually discovered because I put too much polish on my shoes and I was stripping it down. I would actually dip the rag and water and then I would dip the tip in alcohol and then I realized I was getting a really Nice mirror shine
See I use to cheat a bit but also I was maximizing my evening time. While in the usaf when we still had black boots I needed to have mine highly shined, being security forces we had to look better than everyone else.
So what I would do was apply polish, buff it and then heat gun it and final buff it with a cut up nylon legging bit.
Never hit mirror shine but it still came out looking good.
Really enjoyed the video 😂😊
Yea, solvent based polishes and paints, etc need time to flash.
Good vid ,,,enjoyed and learned
Great info.LOVE all your content. Worry when you are lifting stones .watch your personal stones.😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Hello from PA love your videos
At 24:43 it looks like he sandet the suede too 😔
edit:
Why did you destroy the Monkstrap? Did I miss something?
could we know how much you get for the scrap?
Good gob brother . From California
Can you do mirror everywhere on a shoe made of cordovan?
Exactly !
i just use my dremel to polish my shoes. works like charm
Спасибо за видео и за вашу работу
Hi Dan . Great channel!
Anders is a cool guy.
EXCELLENT !!!! AWESOME !!!!!!
Great video that was fun
Anders the ultimate Bond villain
Shoe shining is a lot more forgiving than those machines !!!!
Exactly.
Can you re sole chameau wellingtons
might have to pop in with a repair i need to some boots.
Why the hell am I watching this!!! 😂 but I did 👍👍👍 cool!!
In the army we used kiwi Polish and spit now I Polish my shoes with saphir and an ice cube Egyptian cotton nothing less than a 400 thread count per inch
Super fun video
Great guys
Great video.
Not one cigarette lighter was used 😂 The only thing that still gets my heart missing a beat with spit shine is scuff marks 😵Saphir Pate de Luxe bees wax polish is all I really need for my smooth leather shoes now 😎 Sorry Kiwi, you were a good friend in my Army days 😊
Why do you leave the laces in?
That reminds me. I need to replace all my yak hair brushes 🤣😂.