Spit and polish

[Michael Carter]

Same here. I was taught in Air Force tech school by senior ropes how to spit shine boots. Kiwi works just fine.

 

[dhermann1]

Me Kiwi, too. That's what we used at Parris Island. You can use a cotton ball or a cotton kandkerchief. The water makes the fibers get soft, and the circular motion gives the shine. You have to use just the right touch, just light enough, to make it work. The coldness of the water makes the wax harder, which makes it shine up better. And it really helps to see somebody else do it, to really get the hang of it.
One trick they taught us is to mash the wax a little with the damp cloth, so that the oil oozes out from the wax. Applying a tiny extra drop of the oil just helps a little more.
Good luck!

 

[bbshriver]

Does anyone have a good reference video? I'll check youtube when I get home, but just wondering if anyone knows of one that really shows it. I might take a pair of shoes over thanksgiving to get dad to teach me, even without Esquire wax.

 

[scotrace]

Threads merged.

 

[Boodles]

I was enjoying the spit shinning conversations so much I almost forgot...US Army, conscripted by Mr. LBJ, spent most of a year at Ft. Riley, then most of the second year in the Vietnam extravaganza. Shoe shinning was big deal at Ft. Riley but the skill seemed underappreciated in the area around the delta of the Mekong.

 

[bbshriver]

Interesting I see you're *almost* local to me (I'm near Greensboro).
Ft. Riley sounds very familiar. Some member of my family had something there. Don't remember what or who though.
Either my mom was born there, or my dad went to boot camp there (he was in the army before the navy).

 

[cookie]

I was enjoying the spit shinning conversations so much I almost forgot...US Army, conscripted by Mr. LBJ, spent most of a year at Ft. Riley, then most of the second year in the Vietnam extravaganza. Shoe shinning was big deal at Ft. Riley but the skill seemed underappreciated in the area around the delta of the Mekong.

Classic!

 

[bumphrey hogart]

I was taught by an uncle who was in the coldstream guards,he came out a sergeant,just kiwi and spit and a soft cotton cloth,I used to make a fortune at boarding school just before cadet inspections,everyone used to pay me to do theirs.Haven't done it for a while,must do it again soon,see if I've still got the knack.

 

[Boodles]

Ft. Riley must have been around a long time. I expect beaucoup people went through basic or were otherwise posted there. It was the base of the 9th Infantry Division for the window of time I was around. Look for Junction City on the map, somewhere in the outback of Kansas.

Interesting I see you're *almost* local to me (I'm near Greensboro).
Ft. Riley sounds very familiar. Some member of my family had something there. Don't remember what or who though.
Either my mom was born there, or my dad went to boot camp there (he was in the army before the navy).

 

[Feraud]

Someone should make a definitive spitshine video and post it on youtube. Post it here and we'd be all set.

 

[Michael Carter]

I forgot to mention for the first part of this thread now that they're merged that I'm a six year Air Force veteran.

I was an Electro-Mechanical Team Chief working on the Minuteman II ICBM Weapon System LGM-30F A/M at Whiteman AFB, Missouri back in the early to mid '80's.

My team and I performed maintenance in the upper and lower equipment rooms that surrounded the underground launch tube liner within the silo. We performed tape load start-up's and shutdowns, targeting (never knew where though), code changes, and general fault troubleshooting and analysis for the launch and support systems.

We were also Capsule Qualified which means that we also worked in the Launch Control Center where the missiles were monitored and launched from.

 

[bbshriver]

Someone should make a definitive spitshine video and post it on youtube. Post it here and we'd be all set.

Hear Hear!

 

[Lou]

I was enlisted in the US Air Force 1989 - 1994. I'm not a military buff by any means, but I appreciate the history and anecdotes.

My father, also an Air Force veteran, taught me how to shine my shoes. I use regular Kiwi, a brush, cloth, and water. I apply the Kiwi and brush and buff according to what feels right for the particular shoe.

 

[gliderace]

Prior U.S. Army active...armored. Currently, joint service ceremonial honor guard.

Shining shoes is a passion; Lincoln and cotton balls and water. Lots of small, circular motions with the wet cotton and wax, then repeat with a dry un-waxed ball.

I used to heat up the wax in the can, including the flame trick on top, but quit that business after a close call with burning wax on a kitchen floor one year. The things we try...

 

[bbshriver]

Has anyone here tried Saphir shoe care products? They're quite expensive, but supposedly good. Any comments?

 

[cookie]

Has anyone here tried Saphir shoe care products? They're quite expensive, but supposedly good. Any comments?

They rave about them on SF but I would stick with Kiwi. Saphir Renovateur is apparently good for renovating long unshined shoes.