I’m sure I read somewhere reliable that you shouldn’t use dubbin on decent leather shoes but can’t find the link anymore. Although none of the articles I have just looked at it mention it.

Dubbin wont buff to a shine.

not for actual polishing sorry but as a layer to ‘protect’ the leather

mink oil. not the stuff that leaves white marks, then polish.

Kiwi Parade Gloss.
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depends on the shoes, parade gloss is too shiny for brogues imho and best for more plain black formal type shoes.

so dubbin a useful addition or not?

No. Use a Nikwax treatment for protecting leather – or something similar. far better for the job. Dubbin will do, but not as good as modern stuff. Polish for a shine – and parade gloss is for people who can’t polish shoes.

If a polish isn’t important, but proofing is, then Renapur wax is excellent. Really good on wax cotton coats, too. A small pot lasts ages, you just warm it up a bit then apply with a small foam pad. I put a complete new coat of wax on my Belstaff Trialmaster tonight sat on the sofa in between feeding CD’s into iTunes. Whole jacket took about an hour, a pair of boots or shoes about ten-fifteen minutes. Good stuff, all natural ingredients like Jojoba and beeswax.

Kiwi Parade Gloss.
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This.

can’t find the thread?

Dubbin rots stitching – Urban myth or truth?

and parade gloss is for people who can’t polish shoes

This.

Any decent polish applied with a brush and buffed with a cloth will do just fine.

I use Nikwax on my smart casual brown shoes and they don’t shine but they’re in great nick. And don’t let the water in either 🙂

heh! My dad was a soldier. As a result of his teaching, I can polish shoes so they look like a mirror.

Spit and polish. Use good Kiwi polish, rub it in a little with a brush, spit on the shoes, rub that in too. More polish, more spit. Once you’re confident the shoe is completely covered, change brush and get scrubbing. More spit may be required. Fast scrubbing.

Good luck!

Spit and polish. Use good Kiwi polish, rub it in a little with a brush, spit on the shoes, rub that in too. More polish, more spit. Once you’re confident the shoe is completely covered, change brush and get scrubbing. More spit may be required. Fast scrubbing.

You’ve missed out the bit where you coat the shoe in about half a tin of polish, then use a hot spoon to smooth it out. And the enzymes in spit mean that the shine doesn’t last so well – tap water better.

Andy