by T. Haskett

Created on: May 17, 2008

There are many ways to shine your shoes and boots, what ever the case may be. Whether you want a clean look or that high gloss shine, different techniques yield very different results. In this article you Will learn how to effectively polish your foot-ware to the standard you want using one or more of the following techniques.

Things you will need:
1. Applicator Brush

2. Buffer Brush
3. Polish Cloth
4. Foot-ware polish
5. Lighter

Technique #1: Brush Shine

A brush shine is the most basic technique for a shine on your foot-ware. You first brush all the dirt and debris from your foot-ware and you apply your desired brand of polish sparingly, there's no need to plaster the shoe in polish. Personally I recommend Kiwi brand. Let the polish sit on the foot-ware for a couple of minutes before brushing. Once the polish has sit, then buffer the polish by taking your buffer brush and sweeping it across the shoe until all the polish has worked its way into the foot-ware. Keeping in mind that you should not keep the brush on the foot-ware while sweeping. Keep on doing this will maintain the overall life of your foot-ware. You can moisten your buffer brush for an extra shine

Technique #2: Spit Shine

A spit shine is for those who want a high gloss look on their foot-ware. This is for dress shoes or military parade boots. when doing a spit shine its important to remember that you need at least 5 base coats minimum of polish before you even start to spit shine. the more base coats, the better. For a very immaculate shine, I would do 30 base coats. Once you have finished your base coats, you can start to spit shine. Take polish cloth and wrap it tightly around your index finger. Dip your finger into the polish lightly and start to rub the polish on to the foot-ware. Then dip the same finger into some water and move your finger in a circular, fast-paced motion until the polish becomes smooth and shiny. Don't hesitate to dip your finger more than once into the water. Even though it is called a spit shine, don't use your spit because there's an acid in spit which actually dulls the foot-ware. Do this technique for the whole foot-ware, especially the toe. You have to do several spit shines as well before you can get to and maintain that high gloss standard.

Technique #3: Burn Shine (Warning: This technique can wreck your foot-ware if done incorrectly)

A burn shine will give you foot-ware a even better shine than a spit shine. In order to use this technique you will have to have foot-ware that has already been spit shined. To do this technique, do a normal spit shine coat. Once that has been completed, take your lighter and hold it directly under the spot of the foot-ware about 5 inches. Never hold the lighter in the same spot for no more than 2 seconds and never touch the flame to the foot-ware. Once the polish has been melted slightly, take your polish cloth and dip it in water and go over the melted spots in a circular motion. Remember by applying the flame to the foot-ware, or holding it in the same spot for more than 2 seconds, you run the risk of damaging that actual foot-ware material. If the foot-ware is damaged due to flame or anything else for that matter, then you will have to strip the entire foot-ware to repair it.

Things To Consider:

1. Because when using liquid polish on certain materials because liquid polish can crack you foot-ware.
2. Use a coat of neutral polish once you have obtain a desired shine to maintain that shine and protect it.

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