Now that winter seems to be settling in on most parts of the country we thought it might be a good time to re-post this video.

So many have asked us how to treat and protect their boots for winter that we’ve decided to put together a short video. Caring for your boots is not very difficult and if you take a little time to work on them it’ll go a long way to help protecting them.

The frequency of dressing your boots depends on the weather. You can’t over do it but you don’t have to go gonzo either. If it’s very wet do it more say once a week, if it’s not then once a month should be fine. If you live in a cold area the dry heat in your home will require you to dress them more often. There’s no definitive schedule but you’ll begin to know when just by looking at the condition of your boots.

The Stag shoehorn features a handle made of stag antler for a solid grip. The dauber brushes are carved from bone and come in two color bristles. They’re excellent for applying polish to those hard to reach areas. And lastly this handsome brush with inlaid horn is ideal for shining shoes or for use as a clothes brush.

You wear quality shoes why shouldn’t you have quality accessories to go along with them?

Long Horn $105 – 18 inches

Stag Handle $120 – 16 inches

Medium Horn $70 – 12 inches

Small Horn $35 – 7.5 inches

Daubers $15 Brush $90 6.5 inches

*No animals are ever killed solely for the horn; they are a by-product of the meat industry.

Designed in Norway, Swims embody the intersection between style and practicality. Made of a unique rubber compound that allows for durability and flexibility, and with a low friction flocking for easy application during the multiple trips of a busy rainy day, Swims are built for convenience and longevity. A textured sole helps to keep you from taking a seat on unexpectedly slippery terrain.

With a sleek, simple design and lush velvety interior that helps maintain a shine on your shoes, Swims allow one to be both prepared and well dressed. We stock them in black, brown, and navy, ready to be easily matched with any color of shoe.

Built to fit almost any shoe in your size, these galoshes will be your icky weather workhorses for precipitation of any kind.

Sizes: Medium (8-9), Large (9.5-10), Extra Large (10.5-11)

Swims Galoshes – Black, Brown, Navy – $95

This tutorial is a “basic overview” of how to clean and polish your cordovan shoes; we hope you find it helpful. Like everything else there are many variations and everyone has their own personal preferences. It’s kind like asking how you like your steak cooked to each his own. The point is start with the basics; keep working at it and in time you’ll begin to develop your own technique.

Available in 4 & 14 Ounce Size

We’re proud to be a stockist of this fine handcrafted artisanal leather care product. We stock MPB in 4 and 12-ounce tubs. This is an exquisite conditioning preservative paste for maintaining and protecting all types of rugged leather. This rich conditioning paste has the very highest water repellency, the ideal product for protecting your Wolverine 1000 Mile boots, Alden Indy boots or Quoddy moccasins.

The last post featured a picture of some old longwings that generated a fair amount of questions regarding patina, polishing, and the general care of Shell Cordovan.  Maybe I should say re-generated, as we do get a fair amount of inquiries on the subject.   In response, this will be the first in (at least) a three part series addressing these topics (and we’ll get on to something other than just shoes in the future – so if shoes aren’t your thing don’t give up on us).

Someone had recently asked if there was “a way to make shoes patina faster?” The short answer is, no.  The long answer is, kind of.

They both started as the same color…

Patina, at least in my mind, is something that is produced by age and the level of care.  How much sun the leather receives, how often it is polished, the climate, and an array of other factors will effect how a shoe (or a piece of furniture) will wear over time.  The first picture in this post is two different shoes both made with our Color #8.  The only difference (besides style and shoemaker) is that I left the Cap Toes in the sun for a couple of months.  Both pairs have been well worn, but to the extent that the shoes on the left have lightened is very dramatic.  I could have reduced the exposure if I’d wanted them to lighten less.

Same color, different shoe, different exposure.

The lightened shoes, with the shoe on the left polished.

In the picture above of the cap toes, the shoe on the left has been conditioned and then simply polished with a burgundy paste wax – the first picture in the post is also the polished shoe next to the longwing.  You can see that the polish and conditioner have re-darkened the shoe to a degree, but it is still very light compared to the original color.  The fading and then polishing has yielded yet another color with marked highs and lows.  I find the new color appealing but it may not be for everyone.  Also, this doesn’t necessarily fit my definition of a true “patina,” but it does illustrate the effect that wear and exposure has on shoes.

The same color again, the left is #8 after about 4 months of direct sunlight.

As a disclaimer, I do not really recommend doing this”.  As some people have heard or read, the “lighter” and “darker” colors of cordovan are that way for a reason.  The leather, being a unique medium, has highs and lows in terms of natural color.  The darker shells are many times that way because this makes for the most uniform finished product.  As our shells are stained with fully aniline stains (meaning no pigment to provide coverage of any kind), fading your darker colored shells may cause these color “differences” to become detectable, if they even exist at all.

A client of ours recently came in wearing a pair of Leffot Ivy loafers in navy shell cordovan. The shoes were well worn and when we asked him about the condition he told us he had worn them to hike along a volcanic trail in Hawaii. An interesting choice of footwear we initially thought but as these shoes are so incredibly comfortable we thought why not?

The shoes were covered in dirt and ash and were very dull with salt stains. We asked him to remove the shoes so we could clean them.

First we wiped them down with a slightly damp cloth, next we used Saphir Renovateur with a clean cloth to remove grime and condition the leather. We wiped down again with a clean cloth and buffed with a large horsehair brush and voila!! The whole process took less than five minutes.

Maintaining your shoes is not complicated or difficult just use common sense and quality products such as Saphir. Shell cordovan is one of the easiest leathers to maintain because it cleans up well and produces a beautiful luster in no time.

Leffot Ivy Loafer Navy Shell Cordovan Before

Leffot Ivy Loafer Navy Shell Cordovan Afer

The best way to combat the stain is to rinse the shoes off while they are still wet. If that’s not possible the salt will dry leaving a white stain, and the longer it’s left on will begin further damaging the leather.

Yes there are products made to remove salt stains, but I’ve always used a 50/50 mixture of warm water and white vinegar. Use a soft cloth and wipe away the stain, after the shoe is dry proceed to a leather conditioner such as Saphir Renovateur then polish.

If your shoes are soaking wet stuff them with newspaper (not trees) lay them on their sides if they have leather soles and let them dry away from direct heat. Once they are dry replace the trees and use the conditioner and polish. Never polish shoes while they are wet!!!

]]> http://leffot.com/2011/02/06/salt/feed/ 1 http://leffot.com/2011/01/26/get-you-thru-the-snow/ http://leffot.com/2011/01/26/get-you-thru-the-snow/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:01:28 +0000 steven http://blog.leffot.com/?p=14131 Winter! When will it end? Not anytime soon, one month down but two to go. If you find yourself behind the snow curve we’re here for you. And for maximum water protection be sure to use Montana Pitch Blend Leather Dressing on all your rugged leather boots. Viberg, Peanut Bullhide, Vibram 132 Soles  Quoddy, Woodsman [...]]]> Winter! When will it end? Not anytime soon, one month down but two to go. If you find yourself behind the snow curve we’re here for you.

And for maximum water protection be sure to use Montana Pitch Blend Leather Dressing on all your rugged leather boots.

Viberg, Peanut Bullhide, Vibram 132 Soles 

Quoddy, Woodsman Brown Chromexcel, Sheepskin Lined Crepe Soles

Viberg, Ink Blue Reverse Chromexcel, Vibram Christie Soles

Rider, Hobo Boot Rough Out Mohawk Leather, Sestriere Soles

Alden, 404 Indy Boots, TruBalance Last in Kudu Leather on Vibram Lug Soles

Wolverine 1000 Mile, W05300 Black Chromexcel

Edward Green, Galway 82 Last, Dark Oak/Walnut Country Calf, Dainite Soles

For this demonstration we chose a pair of Edward Green Claverton’s in Dark Oak. Not all manufacturers use the same materials inside the box but the same steps apply for any pair. Edward Green happens to package their shoes very nicely. They use excellent packing materials and make a very good solid box.

The key is to lay the shoes in opposite directions, the first shoe with the arch facing down and the second facing up; that’s the way the boxes are designed to fit the shoes.

Lay open the covering.

Left shoe with arch facing down.

Cover the shoe.

Add protective padding if applicable.

Lay right shoe in the opposite direction with arch up

Cover again.

Lay Dust Bags on top.

Edward Green care guide on top of that.

And close the lid.

Of course not all shoes have cloth coverings and padding but almost all shoes have paper to layer between the shoes. Shoe trees can be kept in the shoes as well and if you don’t have cloth or paper to lay between the shoes keep them in the dust bags but lay them in the box the same way. It’s that simple….