http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies en-US Wed, 30 May 2012 01:22:57 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://singletrackworld.com/forum/search.php http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117947 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:59:30 +0000 Smudger666 1117947@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>As a Para, we NEVER bulled our boots!</p> <p>However, whilst at uni, i was a Cr@phat and had to - RSM was Scots Guards and he had a hard-on for bulled boots. Never use Klear - gets wet and goes white - not a good look to have on Parade <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> </p> <p>Find a polish - normal Kiwi was my choice - and then wet cloth (yellow duster or cotton wool - start with duster, then cotton wool near the end maybe) and bull in SMALL circles. It takes time but will suddenly go from a high polish to bulled.</p> <p>And yes, make them do it themselves. Or do one boot for each of them really well and make them do the other to the same standard.</p> <p>And the Beret thing is vital for street cred - a well fitted/shaped beret is the muttsnutts in terms of street cred in the cadets.</p> <p>39 posts - suprised we havent had disparaging comments from the pacifist/lefties yet about how un-pc all this army willy waving is <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117915 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:47:41 +0000 molgrips 1117915@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Surely a buffing wheel on a drill woudl be good? </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117905 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:44:09 +0000 parkesie 1117905@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Good thick coating of polish on the toe caps.<br /> 1 can of lynx<br /> 1 lighter<br /> few quick blasts. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117892 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:36:17 +0000 beamers 1117892@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>I&#39;m surprised that no one yet has mentioned the <a href="http://www.globalmilitarysupplies.co.uk/inc/sdetail/2234">Sylvette polishing cloth</a>.<br /> <img src="http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2126964/i/selvyt.jpg"></p> <p>Any good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_%28military%29">Batman</a> should know how to do the following:</p> <p>1. Soak cloth<br /> 2. Wring out cloth<br /> 3. Place trigger finger and middle finger inside cloth and twist cloth round finger tips<br /> 4. Get some Kiwi (black / black / oxblood as described above - NOT parade gloss) on the part of the cloth on your finger tips.<br /> 5. Move you fingers in small circles until the shine appears<br /> 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the desired effect as achieved.</p> <p>I would agree with the points above though that you would only want to be investing time in a pair of shoes or boots which are only going to be used for parades. One brush with undergrowth and your hard efforts will be wasted. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117495 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:57:15 +0000 Surfr 1117495@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Spent many a lost evening with parade gloss and small bits of cotton wool on a newspaper laden dining table trying to get a decent mirror finish on my RAF Shoes from Silvermans. Never managed to get them as good as the guys who purloined a can of Tornado Nosecone paint from Conningsby when we re there on Summer Camp. They must have lucked in while I was servicing Tornados on the apron or checking the best before dates on a hercfull of NBC suits (it was Gulf War era). </p> <p>Boots were British Army 10 hole DMS and I;ve still got them now. Amazing boots and only required a basic brushing with kiwi black to keep them waterproof and matt. Noone wants shiny boots on exercise. Hell we even had blackened cap badges for such occasions. </p> <p>&lt;created new reminiscing post about ATC to save polluting this thread&gt; </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies/page/2#post-1117396 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:29:10 +0000 Boba Fatt 1117396@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>heat the polish first (just set fire to polish with a lighter) extinguish then apply with a slightly damp yellow duster in small circles, apply a few more coats then buff to a mirror shine</p> <p>get a seperate pair for exercises and what not and keep the other pair for parades</p> <p>teach them how to do it too, they&#39;ll need to if they go to any camps. When they get to their first camp tell them to buy proper RAF parade shoes, a much smoother leather and better placed for a mirror shine</p> <p>10 years in the ATC, best thing i ever did </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1117092 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:16:04 +0000 Olly 1117092@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>crikey this brings it back.</p> <p>Parade gloss, cotton wool, tiny circles and SPIT.<br /> the enzymes in spit work on the parade gloss, iirc.<br /> easy to do infront of the telly of an evening, </p> <p>if you reeeally bothered about a proper shine, youll need two pairs of boots for them.</p> <p>shiney boots get stamped on, and are as good as back to square one if they get in the filth.</p> <p>get a shiney pair for shiney days.<br /> and a pair more like walking boots for muddy days. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1117034 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:01:48 +0000 willard 1117034@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Ah yes... Nothing says &quot;dodgy officer&quot; more than having a beret that looks like a helicopter landing pad. Top tip: remove the plastic thingy from inside the beret first, possibly even the lining too, before shaping.</p> <p>Top tip #2: when wetting beret with hot water, do not get the leather bit wet or it will shrink too much to wear. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116744 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:48:39 +0000 wheelz 1116744@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p><blockquote>now, this ironing of shirts lark</blockquote></p> <p>For immaculate collars (this worked especially well with the old army &#39;hair&#39; shirts) always iron from the collar tips inwards.</p> <p>For creases in army jumpers, press once on the outside of the sleeve with the iron on high steam. Turn jumper inside out and run a damp bar of soap up the crease on each sleeve. Turn jumper right way out and iron the creases again, first with steam and then dry.</p> <p>This also works on shirt sleeves and trousers - but don&#39;t put a crease in combats, as a razor sharp crease can be spotted by an enemy sniper from 1000 metres (probably).</p> <p>For the shoulder and elbow pads on the jumper, use starch, but apply it in thin layers as you iron. Also use a handkerchief over the top of the pads to stop the starch going white. If the starch does go white then just wipe with a damp cloth.</p> <p>Correct shaping of the beret is also very important, as you look like Fred Scuttle if you don&#39;t bother. Alternately dip said beret into hot and cold water to shrink it, then mould it to the head and leave it there to dry. It should then retain the shape, even when you take it off!</p> <p>It all sounds a bit OCD, I know. However, the phrase bullsh*t baffles brains really is true of the armed forces!</p> <p>When I was &#39;loaned&#39; to the TA, the cadets who shared the centre were always immaculately turned out - unlike their instructors, who we had to have &#39;words&#39; with on more than one occasion! </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116713 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:44:39 +0000 epicyclo 1116713@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>At least they don&#39;t have a kilt to keep pressed and spats to keep blancoed. Not to mention the sporran. No brasses to polish anymore? <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116689 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:39:26 +0000 firestarter 1116689@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>lol oddly the ox blood is a polish (looks a very pink colour when you open it btw rather than what you would imagine it to look like) i used to get it from proper cobblers as it was hard to get. this method was good enough for hrh guard inspections <img src="http://singletrackworld.com/forum/my-plugins/bbcode-buttons/default/icon_wink.gif" title=";-)" class="bb_smilies" alt=""/> i also had the best shoes on my fire brigade training course when i left the forces (got me out of some crap that did lol) </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116672 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:35:04 +0000 iDave 1116672@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>great, so i have to slaughter a cow? surely that will provide a lot of blood for just 2 pairs? </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116661 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:23 +0000 firestarter 1116661@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>i used to bull mine up with different layers of black polish and dark tan and use many layers one after the other and as a final layer once almost happy a layer of ox blood (as above small circles i found a cloth as good as cotton wool but i used to do the first few layers under a running cold tap) </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116652 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:29:24 +0000 iDave 1116652@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>ok, thanks all, i will direct them towards damp cotton wool, nylon stockings and hours of effort. i will watch from a safe distance.</p> <p>now, this ironing of shirts lark...... </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116633 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:25:55 +0000 bigG 1116633@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Use a tiny amount of polish on a slightly damp piece of cotton wool. Small circles for hours and hours. (It is theraputic in a meditative kind of way)</p> <p>There are no long lasting shortcuts, just hard work to get good results.</p> <p>Unfortunately my naval career didnt last long enough for me to have a spotty oik to do them for me. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116608 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:19:05 +0000 TooTall 1116608@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>They are kids.</p> <p>The footwear will be used for everything, therefore get scuffed up.</p> <p>Your efforts will be pointless.</p> <p>Just teach them to get their footwear to &#39;well polished&#39; and they will be better for it. If you have a polishing fetish, polish a bike frame or something. Normal Kiwi polish, brush for hte welts, cloth for the rest, finish with a buff from an old pair of tights. Anything else is just silly. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116534 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:52:34 +0000 willard 1116534@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Do not use Parade Gloss. It leaves a fatty residue on the toe caps that makes them look smudged. Use normal Kiwi black and then have at it with the cotton wool (damp) in small circles using the &quot;fingers of fire&quot; method.</p> <p>When it starts looking like glass, walk them (carefully) to the kitchen sink and run the cold tap over the toecaps whilst ever so gently bulling. This will get of th last of any residue, but you have to blow dry th water off to make sure there are no marks.</p> <p>By the way, make sure the bots are worn in first, or the polish will just flake off when they walk. Unless the boots have been beeswaxed first, in which case, they will get blisters if they actually try to use them for walking. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116486 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:38:12 +0000 FuzzyWuzzy 1116486@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>When I was in the army cadets at school everyone used to try and stamp on each other toe caps 5 minutes before parade anyway so there really wasn&#39;t much point trying to be the shiniest as you just made yourself a better target... </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116483 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:37:44 +0000 wheelz 1116483@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p><blockquote>Is it shoes, parade shoes...</blockquote></p> <p><strong>Parade shoes</strong>? Only the virtuous ladies of the WRAC wore shoes when I was in the mob. I don&#39;t know, the youth of today etc... etc.. </p> http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sparkly-boots-calling-all-squaddies#post-1116459 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:32:15 +0000 kevonakona 1116459@http://singletrackworld.com/forum/ <p>Avoid parade gloss. IT will do short term but not long. NOrmal kiwi. Is it shoes parade shoes or boots? The new shoes, if new are rubbish best bet is meths the leather clean then hours of tiny circles. Failing that send them on camp and get them to raid the stores gash bin for old style shoes. Got mine from Honington, the joys of the smaller footed man.</p> <p>But simply polish shine polish shine polish shine. The only way is the hard way. Everything else will crack. </p>