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GIrene
07-04-09, 04:19 PM
I know you Old Salts know all about these but I'm wondering if there are any other Marines that are Active Duty that go with the normal leather shoes option. I'm tired of having to buy a pair of inspection shoes everytime an inspection comes up. Yeah the surface stuff on corframs comes right out, but when you get those deep gouges it scuffs them and it can't be removed, (believe me I tried everything).

So I looked at P1020.34G and found out that leather shoes shined to a semi-gloss are still allowed and now if I go to a Ball or scuff my shoes, I can spend an hour and some elbow grease and get all the scuffs out of them :D

Anyone else crazy like me? I just think its a cheaper and more viable option than damaging corframs everytime I wear them. I'm keeping a good pair of corframs for super special times and such but I think I got these leather babies spitshined up nice and good.

Alisium
07-04-09, 04:28 PM
Do they even sell them anymore?

We were issued the leathers in recruit training (1996) but i don't think they lasted much beyond that. Around 1998 all they issued was corframs.

It's a good idea though. You can spend a year wearing corframs and have nothing go wrong. And you can put them on right out of the box, trip and fukc up the pair within the first five minutes and there ain't no real repair for that.

GIrene
07-04-09, 04:33 PM
Believe it or not, they do. Bates makes a regular leather dress shoe. I bought mine at the MCX. They aren't plentiful though from what I saw.

I dunno, At times I think that super gloss is a bit tacky but thats just me.

Here was an "In Work" photo when I was done with my first shine session a month ago. Once a month I put on some movies, break out my shoes and WW2 Boots (Corcorans, and a pair of modern dress shoes that look close to the old ones) and shine them. Naturally I gotta keep my brown and black polishes/tools separate :D

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/gi-rene/DSC02842.jpg?t=1246743058

Alisium
07-04-09, 04:38 PM
Which PX did you go to?

I shine my civilian shoes. Sketchers. Spit shining is a meditative process.

GIrene
07-04-09, 04:41 PM
Here at Miramar.

I would want to say others have them too :D

skipper72
07-04-09, 04:43 PM
In the Old Corps (ca. 1953-62) our leather shoes (other than boots and boondockers) had to have FAR more than just a semi-gloss. Have to wonder if anyone under the age of 45 even gets how to do a so-called "spit-shine" (which those more in the know never did with spit, at all).
Anyone ?

GIrene
07-04-09, 04:47 PM
Well sir my methodology is to take the shoe and clean it, I was told there is some sort of protective coating on the leather and it'll make your shine not stick well, so I soap and scuz brush it.

Then its the base layer which is the biggest pain, trying to get a good foundation so I can build up on it. Thats simple apply polish, let dry, buff out with buffing brush.

Then we get to the fun part with water and a soft cloth. Super light layers with water interspersed and slowly circle buffed in.

Yeah its time consuming but it works and works well. My Corcorans are the shiniest brown I've ever seen. It just stinks that I also end up wearing them in the field and I have to clean, repolish and fill in the deep cuts.. I'll probably buy another pair for field use.

skipper72
07-04-09, 04:53 PM
Quite possibly only a few remember a certain polish, a lighter, a smooth animal bone, a water-moistened diaper, and an ice cube... All for making "mirrors" of leather, Marines !

Alisium
07-04-09, 04:58 PM
I've used a lighter to melt the polish onto the top of my boots.

I pretty much do/did what GIrene does. I make mirrors.

Supersquishy
07-04-09, 05:02 PM
I wonder how many hundred of thousands KIWI lost in shoe polish sales over last few years.

Supersquishy
07-04-09, 05:05 PM
Quite possibly only a few remember a certain polish, a lighter, a smooth animal bone, a water-moistened diaper, and an ice cube... All for making "mirrors" of leather, Marines !
Its all fine and dandy but as soon as some Marine comes around the corner of the hallway and steps on your foot, your mirror is cracked.

SlingerDun
07-04-09, 05:10 PM
I wonder how many hundred of thousands KIWI lost in shoe polish sales over last few years.They didn't sit around and die but expanded their line to include more waterproofing products. I've used them all trying to stay dry here in the PacNW

--->Dave

skipper72
07-04-09, 05:10 PM
Its all fine and dandy but as soon as some Marine comes around the corner of the hallway and steps on your foot, your mirror is cracked.

I only get "stepped-on" in online forums when, obviously, I do not "shine!"

:D

Zulu 36
07-04-09, 05:21 PM
If I were still in, I'd probably have to opt to wear regular leather oxfords for daily use. Corfam shoes don't breathe like leather and I get terrible foot problems. I know how to put a shine on those babies, combat boots too. No semi-gloss shines.

Taught my technique to my oldest daughter and she is always getting compliments on her shoes and boots in the AF Reserve (she still wears the old black boots as she hasn't been issued the new AF utility uniform yet). She can knock out a shine that almost rivals mine. :D

Remember when we had to also spit shine the bills of our barracks covers?

skipper72
07-04-09, 05:26 PM
Remember when we had to also spit shine the bills of our barracks covers?

Also the "frog" and other leather on sword gear. In fact, ALL leather !

Zulu 36
07-04-09, 05:47 PM
Also the "frog" and other leather on sword gear. In fact, ALL leather !

The only leather gear I did not use Kiwi paste on was my MP duty belt and gear. Paste would get all over the shirts and trousers. I used a Kiwi liquid polish that did a very nice job and dried well. No black marks on khaki shirts. I got into MPs just after they started using civilian style police equipment. Our buckles and snaps were all brass and had to be polished daily.

I never worked gates, so I didn't have to wear the white belt, white ammo pouches, old black leather flap holster and white diaper with it. Gate people stayed in that more "formal" uniform for a year or so longer.

skipper72
07-04-09, 05:57 PM
I hear that! Barracks life from 5am to 10pm was usually either wearing one's uniform and gear or else working on same.

HST
07-04-09, 07:42 PM
Mine were brown when we were issued them in boot camp, we had to dye them black. We **** shined them on Sundays until you could shave over them. I put them in my seabag in Oki when I went to Nam. They were Green with mold when I came back, I cleaned them up and wore them on the plane from Oki to El Torro to home and maybe a dozen times for inspections afterwards. I've still got them up in the attic with the rest of my uniforms but my feet are bigger now and so is the rest of me.

GIrene
07-04-09, 11:42 PM
Heh heh. I gotta agree maintaining real leather is a pain but I like it! Probably comes from my American Civil War reenacting. All that leather field gear has a nice "sweet" smell to it, I grew up with it and I'll never forget it.

I should post those jump boots. I never wear them much but I'm so proud of them.

Donut Brigade
07-12-09, 03:42 PM
I wear leather Bates as well, but I don't use Kiwi.

What you need to find is some Lincoln. I found it at a military surplus store in Pensacola, look a hell of a lot better with one layer than Kiwi with water/lighter tricks...

If you need to borrow some I live at 5114

Petz
07-12-09, 04:49 PM
they make the leather because the air force doesn't authorize corafams (according to my brother...) so they use leather bates... or the issue he got that looked like some ugly office shoes.

Old Marine
07-12-09, 05:46 PM
Believe it or not, they do. Bates makes a regular leather dress shoe. I bought mine at the MCX. They aren't plentiful though from what I saw.

I dunno, At times I think that super gloss is a bit tacky but thats just me.

Here was an "In Work" photo when I was done with my first shine session a month ago. Once a month I put on some movies, break out my shoes and WW2 Boots (Corcorans, and a pair of modern dress shoes that look close to the old ones) and shine them. Naturally I gotta keep my brown and black polishes/tools separate :D

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/gi-rene/DSC02842.jpg?t=1246743058

Sorry to say this, but those shoes look like you used a Hershey Bar/with almonds.

You need to find some Lincoln shoe polish and get a cloth diaper that has been washed many times and is very soft. If you cannot find a diaper these days, a snot rag that has been washed many times will do just fine. When you are starting from scratch as these shoes appear to be you have to keep at it until you have a very high sheen and this might take many hours to aquire. There is a knack to spit shining shoes and some can do it and a lot cannot. Practice, Practice and more practice and maybe someday you will succeed.

Petz
07-12-09, 06:33 PM
burn! haha.

GIrene
07-12-09, 08:26 PM
Sorry to say this, but those shoes look like you used a Hershey Bar/with almonds.

You need to find some Lincoln shoe polish and get a cloth diaper that has been washed many times and is very soft. If you cannot find a diaper these days, a snot rag that has been washed many times will do just fine. When you are starting from scratch as these shoes appear to be you have to keep at it until you have a very high sheen and this might take many hours to aquire. There is a knack to spit shining shoes and some can do it and a lot cannot. Practice, Practice and more practice and maybe someday you will succeed.

Burn but good advice. I've heard of the super soft rag. I actually have one, but I'm not keen on using it. The buffing brush and rag I use are my grandfather's from when he was a policeman after he got out of the Navy in WW2. Best buffing brush on the planet IMHO. But I don't want to muck up his rag.

You're the 2nd to recommend that shoe polish. Times I found it apparently :D

SlingerDun
07-12-09, 09:33 PM
http://www.widgetsupply.com/dremel/Polishing/buffing/BBB06.jpgBuffy Jr.

muslin (loose) buffing wheel approx 1' inch diameter (have at least one for each type of polish or compound used) . Attach to rotary tool or drill and you'll never care to hand rub leather, metal or "wood" heheh again, forever.

As it wears down close to the metal washer the cloth gets tighter and spins much faster at which point it can aggressively gouge, burn leather and cut threadhttp://www.leatherneck.com/forums/images/icons/icon9.gif

before it's reduced to that stage, the wheel should be retired or reserved for coarse material removal. About a $1 per each.

--->Dave

Wyoming
07-12-09, 10:48 PM
Slinger, you put that on a Dremel tool and it works like a champ.

DataRetread
07-12-09, 11:30 PM
Back when I was in AFJROTC (senior year of hs) we had 2 pairs of shoes. 1 were those ugly bates, the other were much less cushioned, but took and held a shine better. The bates were what you wore every day (boarding school) the others were worn on inspection days and for parades and such.

I took a lot of pride in my inspection shoes, and never got less than a perfect rating on them. They even impressed my FTO (basically a resident director like you'd have in dorms, only an actual adult, and in my case, a former-CWO3).

The whole time I was active in the Marines, I hated my corframs. They don't breath at all, and simply suck to wear for more than 5 minutes. As soon as I left Camp Pendleton, I tossed those pieces of plastic garbage in the trash.

I'm in the process of going back in now, so as soon as it's time to swear back in, I'll be getting a pair of leather oxfords to wear instead.
Wish I had known they were allowed back then, pretty sure I still had the old AFJROTC shoes around somewhere back then.

Petz
07-12-09, 11:33 PM
Slinger, you put that on a Dremel tool and it works like a champ.

at 25,000 rpms...... It'll work like Zeus himself buffed those shoes!

DataRetread
07-12-09, 11:35 PM
at 25,000 rpms...... It'll work like Zeus himself buffed those shoes!

Dremel's high setting is 35k rpm. I just used one on friday to cut a whole in some ductwork.

GIrene
07-12-09, 11:42 PM
ROFL... I ain't got no dremel or anything...

I'm a elbow grease and long hours kinda guy :D

But I use those to help my friends shine up some of their old WW2 brass items. Some of those are so corroded they're impossible by hand but simple with his Dremel and a buffing attachment.

Petz
07-12-09, 11:43 PM
Dremel's high setting is 35k rpm. I just used one on friday to cut a whole in some ductwork.


you must have a new model... mine only goes up to 25,000...

kentmitchell
07-27-09, 06:33 PM
GIrene
Those shoes look like you shined them with a Hershey Bar. Spit shine, Marine, spit shine.

Petz
07-27-09, 06:44 PM
I retract my last statement... it's 35,000

Roger Shepherd
07-27-09, 07:58 PM
The old way is the best way

Sgt Leprechaun
07-28-09, 11:20 PM
I still wear my spitshined leather shoes with my Air Guard blues and honor guard uniform! And my police dress.

Plastic corframs screw up your feet.