question Trouble with my DMS boots!

[airportable]

Hello folks. I'm having a spot of bother with my boots, namely that over the last couple of years of polishing the natural colour of the leather is starting to show through the 'black' How do I correct this? I use a good qual. polish and soft cloth.

Thanks Andy.

[Topdog]

You can buy a leather dye to take it back to black but you will have strip all the polish off first and start the shine again. Cant remember the name but you can get it from tinsons or shoe repairers

[eddy8men]

bull em up'

lots of polish applied liberally then melted with a lighter and then you'll need a good rag and a tin of water, just keep making small circles with your finger in the rag and keep it wet hence the water, 5 minutes and they'll be like new. it's a great way to spend an evening if you've got no mates or you don't go out much

 

eddy

[Tony B]

Wipe down LIGHTLY with meths. that will take all the dead polish off.

Get a tin of GOOD polish I'd recommend Kiwi Parade gloss.

Open tin, now fun bit, apply match to the polish , when it alight and melted drop lid back on, before it solidifies work polish into bare patches.

Eddy's got the right idea, chose something good on telly or muxic, honestly a great way to wind down.

[REME 245]

Black Shoe polish by its very nature stains leather black so what you have been using?

[ferretfixer]

Wipe down LIGHTLY with meths. that will take all the dead polish off.

Get a tin of GOOD polish I'd recommend Kiwi Parade gloss.

Open tin, now fun bit, apply match to the polish , when it alight and melted drop lid back on, before it solidifies work polish into bare patches.

Eddy's got the right idea, chose something good on telly or muxic, honestly a great way to wind down.

 

And to think we got PAID when we did that in the Army!.....:-)

Now it's done voulentaraly for FUN?.....:nut: LOL!

[airportable]

From day one I used Kiwi Parade following instructions on tin. Will have another go t'night.

Another event tomorrow and a RAF event Sunday, so they must be right. Thanks.

[AlienFTM]

I understand why people are recommending bulling them, but it doesn't really address the issue of the leather fading and besides, unless royalty were visiting, no AV crewman would so much as think of wearing bulled boots in his vehicle, so from an authenticity angle it is just plain wrong.

 

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Edited to add:

 

Bulled boots with chunks out are a military mortal sin. Far better they are well brush polished.

 

---ooo0ooo---

 

In the RAC, it was accepted that boots got wet, muddy and oily, all of which came between the boot and a parade shine. On first parade, all the Troop Sergenat (Troop Leader, SSM or OC depending on who inspected) cared about was that the boots were clean and polished, the beret had been brushed free of fluff (most regiments wore dark blue berets and brushed them with the black offer boot brush) and that overalls were not dripping oil.

 

I would certainly consider the suggestion to dye the boots back to black. They must be very old boots, since the first standard issue Boots, CH started to appear around 84-85 (though I knew a LG CoH wearing prototypes as early as February 1976). So I imagine the leather is really struggling to hold its colour.

 

Do you brush your boots every day? In service, this would ensure that the stain in the polish always stayed ahead of the fading of the leather (but bear in mind I tended to get through a pair of DMS in six months). As stated, the squaddy would only ever use Kiwi (Cherry Blossom simply didn't shine) and when Parade Gloss came out ooh probably sometime about 1980, it became the only polish available from the NAAFI because it was just so right. The staining effect of brushing your boots daily (like any squaddy) may add to the retention of the black colour.

 

As to using Parade Gloss. I am in two minds there. Yes it's what we'd use, but I doubt your boots are getting as dirty and oily as ours did, so you may develop an excessive shine on your boots. Looks good, but again, authentic?

 

We never ever used dubbin in boots that would be worn on parade in the future because it dulled the leather. However, a buckshee pair (we all acquired buckshees so that parade kit never had to go on exercose and be ruined) might be dubbined if it was going to help keep the individual's feet dry. You might argue that using dubbin in the actual circumstances you would be wearing DMS would give a more authentic finish representative of the conditions you are representing.

 

IMCO of course.

Edited July 2, 2010 by AlienFTM

[airportable]

:-) Thanks folks. The toe caps of my boots are now 'black' again. The melted polish seemed to be drawn into the natural colour of the leather and a quick brush up brought them back fantastic. Very interesting about being clean in the field without being bulled up, which is how I want them ( I have another pair which dont get wet, muddy and scuffed for special occasions)

I clean them approx two times a week for events. Intresting about cleaning the beret.

Thanks Mark for getting me to join this forum. Fantastic info from you all.

Andy.

[Tony B]

:-) Thanks folks. The toe caps of my boots are now 'black' again. The melted polish seemed to be drawn into the natural colour of the leather and a quick brush up brought them back fantastic. Very interesting about being clean in the field without being bulled up, which is how I want them ( I have another pair which dont get wet, muddy and scuffed for special occasions)

I clean them approx two times a week for events. Intresting about cleaning the beret.

Thanks Mark for getting me to join this forum. Fantastic info from you all.

Andy.

 

Now you need a pork chop and a pair of sheer tights!:cool2:

 

 

Strictly speacking only full calf leather should be boned, and a Deer's shank bone is the best. But boil up a flat pork chop bone till all meat is removed (You can eat it first). The outside edge of the curve of the bone can then be used to wrok the polish into the leather, and also smooths out bumps in the leather. If you want to be cheap, nasty and quick about it, heat the bottom of a teaspoon and work over dents and bumps.

 

 

 

The tights? Once you have worked the polish in with a cloth(Brushes!! ARGGH, spawn of Satan!) Then use fast light strokes with the nylon, wear sunglasses to protct your eyes from the glare! :-D

 

To help preserve the leather waterproof ing and suple, for every three coats of polish add a very light coat of hard pure glycerine saddle soap. a lot of cheap polishes are spirit based, this dries the leather over time. Also helps to leave boots in the airing cuboard overnight before polishing, opens the grain in the leather.

 

Beau Brummel the Regency dandy recommends a mixture of soot, egg yolks and champange to polish boots and shoes.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Tony B