That’s the way I used to spit shine my combat boots back in the day, great video!

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@garyh4458

4 жыл бұрын

Same here but we both know that they scuff easily. You have to shine them every time you wear them to keep them looking that way.

@crewnash9017

2 жыл бұрын

i would suggest flixportal. You can find it by googling =)

The wait allows the wax to set up and harden. Before mirror gloss came out I had two neutral waxes. One that I left the lid off for a day and another that I kept capped. Letting solvents evaporate used to be a big secret.

The breath method is something we learned in USMC boot camp shining our low quarters for inspections. I also think waiting a day or two before continuing a mirror shine helps because it allows the waxes to fully harden before adding more layers.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@uppitywhiteman6797

4 жыл бұрын

I learned the same things in the Navy. Coldwater trick on my own. lol

@RWebster325

3 жыл бұрын

@@0278fmoran And you are missing the point of the whole exercise.

@samlopez6721

11 ай бұрын

I agree. I wear the shoe for a few days and go again. Has produced a very high shine

Did the exact same thing today on a couple pairs of shoes and it worked exactly as Preston stated.

That color on with that shine as well as the style of the shoe is definitely the GOAT. Loving u and ur great passion for this business, just Brillant Everytime. Thank U Preston.

I really appreciate your videos bring me to another level even 42 years of shining shoes!

Glad you were able to connect with Kirby. I'm looking forward to the videos of that.

Hey Preston- I've seen most of your vids and bought some product from you. This is an older video, and I used to get frustrated just not "getting there" with the mirror shine until frankly I bought the Saphir line of products for black and light brown shoes. Although expensive compared to other products, you get what you pay for, and the product goes a LONG way and nothing compares to it. Recently, I figured it out. Even on boots. It's all in 3 or 4 things. 1) Renovatour (or however you spell it) to condition the leather. 2) the cream (put on by by finger WITHOUT the t-shirt). 3) buff that with horse hair brush and then 4) the same fingers using the mirror gloss with layers, but not as many as you may think. I found the most success with your "old-fashioned ice cube/alcohol" method when buffing the wax with the cotton t-shirt (starting dry) and then buff and then tap the gloss and continue doing it. Frankly, I've found vodka (yes vodka) has helped expedite the mirror, maybe because it isn't "rubbing alcohol". I literally took a pair of boots I had never tried to mirror shine and I had them mirrored in less than 15 minutes per boot. Almost all of my "training" has come from your videos, so thank you!!

As usual, your videos are a pleasure to watch and motivation to get going with a worthy project.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I loved your video. Kirby spends a huge amount of time ti explain historia method, and He makes it look like if you don't have the same products and materials it won't work. Thank you!

I was actually debating that for the last two days. I got a mirror shine 3 days ago and I was debating whether I should try to add more layers. Well, I got my answer, thanks!!

Thanks a lot for sharing your secrets One of the best KZread Channel for me.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I’ve never been so happy t be early for a video. This should sure,y impress my sgt with my parade shoes :))

Thank you so much for sharing your secret, i did this in the night and next day morning noticed that it's really shining like a mirror, thanks👍

I use my breath for mirror shine also. Absolutely beautiful job of shining shoes. You're very handsome. Love the perfectly trimmed beard. Thanks for a great video.

I was in the Canadian Forces for a while and I, of course, had to shine my parade boots for inspections. One time (one time) I did a "burn shine" where I applied the polish, melted it over the boot with a lighter, then polished it. Totally ruined the boots the night before inspection. Man, I caught hell for that, lol. Obviously, I never did that again. A friend of mine did it with great results, but was a disaster for me. Night before inspection was probably not the best time to experiment. Funny thing is, during inspection, after I got chewed out for my boots, my roommate then got chewed out for having a roommate (me) with bad boots. But truth was, he sucked at polishing so I helped him out by polishing his boots for him. I just didn't use the burn shine method on his boots. I didn't correct the Sargeant, that would've been a terrible idea. I just let the Sargeant yell at me while my roommate tried not to smile. Good times.

Thanks bro. Awesome shine.

Thanks for the tutorial Preston. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to watch the new videos with Kirby.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Coming soon

Thank you for tips. I got my first mirror shine on my shoes.

Fantastic! Your channel is one my favorite beside Kirby Allison's, Jason Dornstar's keep up good work!

Great tips love the video!!

Wish to see ur work space too definitely must be shining as the shoes are😊😊

Very good tip. Thanks!

I love your Clark Kent personally, just mild mannered , easy going, and it’s about the details of restoring and maintaining a great dress shoe. Kirby is good and all but he is not you!!! Wish you the best of success, keep up the good shine. The beard surprised me, but great to see the wizard behind the magic. 😊

I get all of my shoe care products at the Hanger Project. I just love Kirby. I learned a lot about shining shoes from him.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

That’s awesome!

Love your work thank you.

Thank you Preston x

Another cracking vid preston..... keep it up :)

Thank you for the video. When I was in the military I used to use cold alcohol instead of water to shine my boots. Not sure if that actually does any damage to the leather or not. Being these were my fathers shoes who I just lost, I didn't want to chance using alcohol. He always took great care in his shoes and boots. Stellar video! Thanks again...

@TheElegantOxford

3 жыл бұрын

Alcohol would also work!

Very detailed - great video 👍👌😎

So pleasing to watch it😊

Yes I was right o wasn’t the only one doing it my wife and son looks at me with a something but yet I know what I’m doing. Thanks for showing this video. God bless and CONGRATZ see you with Hanger Project soon can’t wait for the video. More power!!!

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Nice! I’m going to try using my breath on my next mirror shine. I wasn’t keen on the idea of doing a spit shine but I’m willing to try this out.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Breath works!

Very helpful information. Great tips! Thanks for sharing your secrets...Ed

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I'm super glad God is blessing you with your Channel not too long ago I was celebrating Kerby's Allison 100000 subscriber can't wait to celebrate yours as well keep on doing what you're doing

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Is it something wrong with me. I’m not even a shoe guy. But I love watching this dude works with his hands and the restoration process. His work is amazing

@freddyfred7494

3 жыл бұрын

It is meditative!

Ive found that very little pressure is required too. Way less than I thought. Thanks for recent inspiration Preston.

4 жыл бұрын

That's the secret!

Thanks for the tip. I worked on my park avenues for a little bit today and put em away. I'll bust em out in a day or two and give em another go.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Great!

heyy..finally we got to see your face😀

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Haha yeah!

@ForeverSongMinistries

4 жыл бұрын

😁😁😁

Dope shine!

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Beautiful WOW

Thank you! 😊👍🏻

Yak-Hair Brushes. I Love this Brushes

Hey I just noticed the Preston Soto name on the trees! Pretty cool.

Here in SD too..

Yup, people don't realize but you always get better results when you let the wax hardened. I'm new to shoe mirror shine but it's the same principle as car wax. The longer you wait the harder it gets, and the better is the gloss. On a car you apply the wax and wait for a good 45min to an hour at least before buffing. On shoes, it's not typically done because most people don't have the time. Usually you put down the wax. Wait a minute. start to buff. Essentially 85-95% of the wax is back on the buffing tool, leaving only a thinner coat of wax on the shoe. A little heat helps dry which is why when Buffy the friction helps the wax dry. But not as well as time :p To get mirror finish texture surface must disappear. No way around it. Thinner the wax. Lesser the shine.

So from the time you receive a pair of shoes to when you ship them how long (with the waiting period) does it take to mirror shine? Also, with the new techniques (50/50 alcohol/water and ice // 10x coat and polish) does the wait time still apply?

I used Lincoln black polish on my low quarters and my boots. I put water and ice cube in the lid . After I got a good mirror shine I would use just a little bit of neutral to top off the mirror shine on the whole shoe and boot. Old school Army

This video is like is eureka moment for me. My grandfather used to say this all the time. He was in police and for him shoe shine is what separated a solider and an officer. He used to say - shoe shine takes ages to develop. You start when you are a soldier and you ’achieve’ it by the time you are an officer. And i used to think he was talking about getting better shoes but today i realised what that meant. Thanks.

Thank you so much 💯☀️

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

Thanks for the Great tip good ass vids brotha 🤙🏼

I tried Siegol brand yak hair brush, its outermost bristle is goat hair, while the inner is yak hair, but Kirby’s goat hair brush seems to give me a better shine. Siegol’s bristle feels soft, but doesn’t give the same shine. I’m guessing the bristle length is a factor since Kirby’s goat hair is a bit longer.

Waiting has to do with the waxes getting harder solvent evaporation. That makes it easier to polish the bumps into the pits, "melting"only the tops

At the end of my rope, after putting on a couple of coats of mirror gloss, I put some drops of water on it and gently polish the shoe in circular moment, but that alone just starts scraping the wax off again.

I used my breath and I melted my shoes ! Thanks a lot Preston

@reubengj

4 жыл бұрын

Puchito puchito : Oh! Didn’t see you there, Drogon!

I used to take the polish tin lid and put a small chunk of the polish in it. I’d then sit that on top of a flame to heat up the polish. Rub it around the lid and then dab my cloth in the hot polish to apply. Rub on a decent amount of polish then leave for an hour. Come back and polish out with the cold water. You could have a decent shave using my combat boots!

I’m so new to this, especially coming from boot care. Do you continually add more wax after a day wait? Or add anything else to get the shine?

Apply wax circularly but buff in straight line. Like you’re sharpening a knife. Also use best quality products like Saphir.

I want to learn how to shine shoes too just like what you did.. i wish i could find the necessary materials you used when you shine some shoes.. more power By the way, i am from Philippines

Ha! There’s the trick! A day or two + cold water= mirror shine! Nice!

I usually just apply and shine two coats to my shoes/boots, then leave them overnight in a cool room. I’ve found the black to be deeper and have more of a gloss tha next day. I took photos just to prove it.

This is helpful, thanks! Also, which shoe is this please??!

i cant wait to try all the techniques one day that you have shown us....i feel like if you use flannel as a buffing cloth it would also help with a faster and more mirror like shine no?

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

It could help! I’ve always had success with plain cotton but everyone has their own way

Great video ( as always ) could you possibly tell me what the material is that your mirroring cloth is made from please ?

Hi, i tried your technique as described and i really like it as it brings shine to my old shoes. But, i really don't catch the mirror effect or maybe should i use the "mouth fog" to achieve that?

As an ancillary, I find that if I wear highly mirror shined shoes, then when I return home, I brush them off and add one or two coats of mirror gloss, they just keep increasing in shine and gloss.

Just got my first nice pair of shoes, now what do I buy to make them look shine? Please advice

Do you think using a foam based shiner is same as using the cloth?

Have you done a video on rotary buffing a scuffed toe or heel to get it back to a smooth surface?

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

I haven’t made one YET

should I use neutral polish for black shoes or just black? Thank you

Preston, take some time in a video and talk about your polish cloths. How to get it without wrinkles in the material. Types of materials that work best. And anything else that you may know.

It would be great if you told us what the shoes were and showed us the soles...did you have sole savers on those?

Great shine! What color?

I just picked up a pair of Allen Edmonds Park Avenues in dark chili for $10 from my local Goodwill. The soles are original but in great shape. The leather is in fantastic condition except for one dark, water stain on the inside of the arch. Is there a way to mitigate that stain outside of stripping and re-dyeing the shoes?

Face Reveal!!! Skeeyah!!

Mr. Soto again demonstrating how is done and sharing his secrets with us. I want to add my own piece of advice to what he just said. You can replicate everything he did, exactly how he did it and precisely using the same products, cloth, shoe and even having a shoe with leather that came from the same animal (no, no humans where hurt in this video). But... even if you do those things, if you lack love and passion for what you do, you will not be successful (not entirely). You see..., passion for this art form provides perseverance and patience; necessary attributes. So just don’t replicate the mechanics behind shoe rejuvenation (that is what I call it and I am sticking to it), enjoy the process, be happy about it, immerse yourself into this hobby/art. This is when you will obtain the finish product as desired. You don’t believe me? Who caresses his shoes with warm breath? Only Mr. Soto. That is passion for an art.... May I have a witness and an amen? 👍🏻😊

@stevebustillo4342

4 жыл бұрын

AMEN!

@martinh.santana8187

4 жыл бұрын

Well said. He really does and I am grateful for his generosity, just as we all are, I think. Amen that Is.

Allowing the shoes to rest makes a big difference. Semper Fi

I found a finger bull to build up layers and leave to cool in a fridge Then go back to them There is no substitute for elbow grease I also finish brown off with a black layer And black finish off with brown I’m not going to go into beeswax and a flame gun because l wouldn’t want to scorch my own shoes I usually use min water and just breathe Sylvet is the best cloth Preferably well washed Also worth using high end product on your own shoes And a double tap sole keeps shoe well supported In the mob l would finish off by slowly running the boot up a slow cold tap which picks up the water held on by surface pressure.

Keep doing this till one day those shoes let you see the future through those glassy tips

What shoe polish did you use for your brown shoes? The brown polish I had turned my shoes red

What color of shoe paste did you use for these shoes?

I have brown oxfords they have never been shined I've had them for about a year I was pulled them out to get ready to sign themwhat brand of shoe polish and what color would you recommendthat I use like I said they are brown should I use brown or a neutral and what brand would you recommend

I assume the reason waiting a day has to do with the wax being able to dry, and then you apply another layer which even the surface even more. One thing I’m curious about is using something like a blow drier or heat gun instead of your breath which should also help the layer dry faster, allowing you to get an even glossier finish!

@juanmartinamayamartinotti2131

4 жыл бұрын

Using heat does not really help to dry the wax. The purpouse of the breath is to apply a thin layer of water uniformly over the recently applied wax.

Before you let the shoe sit, how long does it take you to bring the shoe up to it's first Mirror Shine? I have been shining shoes for a while but have always struggled with the High Shine. I have a Pair of Allen Edmonds that I would like to bring up to a High glossy shine and its just not working like I would like.

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

It can take 10 minutes or 3 hours. Some pairs just don’t cooperate. Just be patient and keep going!

What I found is that Boot Black products are much easier to achieve mirror gloss with than Sapphir, traditional high-tech Japanese shoeshining rules.

Question - can you still mirror shine a cheaper shoe? I have a pair of Clarks brogues (around £90) that I can’t quite get a mirror shine on.

Would you get the same level of mirror shine if you used the same brand of wax in neutral?

I had a mirror shine fail - I couldn't get a seamless, gradual transition from the mirror part into the non-mirror part; the mirror wax part seemed to end abruptly, even though I was pretty sure my rubbing was gradual so I could achieve that seamless transition. The shoes do not have a cap toe, so the fail is very noticeable. Don't know what I did poorly. Would you please do a video, or perhaps explain, how to achieve a seamless transition from the mirror part to the non-mirror part? BTW the leather of my shoes is not ultra smooth - the texture looks like very fine orange peel. This might be important. Dunno. Anyway - I couldn't transition. Thanks for your help! 👍

*Elegant Oxford:* _Turning busted dried out cracked leather shoes into patent leather one shoe at a time._ 👞

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks 🙏🏻

@AO-02

4 жыл бұрын

Hi I wrote you on IG can you check it there or should I email you?

@crisyorke1328

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheElegantOxford How to remove water stain from patent leather? I have used Saphir patent leather rife and can't be removed.

Can i use shoeshiner to mirror shine shoes

Maybe a high pile good quality microfiber rag would be beneficial too

what do the droplets of cold water do to help? thx

So I noticed all the shoes you shine have caps. Is it not recommended to mirror shine shoes without caps or do you just prefer shoes with caps?

How can I prevent the shoe shine cloth from pilling and fraying and leaving residue in the mirror shine?

Could you recommend a way to figuring out a shoe size for buying preowned? I have no idea and buy things that are probably not my size. Thanks

@TheElegantOxford

4 жыл бұрын

I recommend being sized properly by a Brannock device. That will you give you your true size.

Which materials are you used..... Give me full details plz

You are bearded 🙌🏼

But did you put some more wax when doing that second round?

FRUSTATION is the name of the game. I was looking at the Kaiser's shiny boots; my, my , my ….

I like the look if this, but who has time to do this a few times a week?