View Full Version : Shining Combat Boots
LittleDevilDog
02-12-06, 06:03 PM
What is the best, quickest method of getting a good shine on your combat boots (regular black leather).
I know there are many methods and different tricks many come up with, but I'd love to know what some of you have picked up over the years.
Any tips and tricks for this would be greatly appreciated by this Young Marine.
Thank you.
outlaw3179
02-12-06, 06:08 PM
you wont need this anymore in the fleet ( something wich I am totally and completly agains) , but I always used spit. and small circular motions. Always left a pretty good shine.
LittleDevilDog
02-12-06, 06:11 PM
you wont need this anymore in the fleet ( something wich I am totally and completly agains) , but I always used spit. and small circular motions. Always left a pretty good shine.
Forgot to mention, Sir. I'm asking because I'm getting a new pair of combat boots for my Young Marine unit, and I need them shined well before next Tuesday.
Anything that get's them shiny as possible. I've always wanted to have that "black glass" look. Any short-cuts you know of?
outlaw3179
02-12-06, 06:17 PM
lol....not really any shortcuts that i know about . if i remember correctly what you do is get a scrub brush , break them down and then start polishing . I dont want to say a whole lot just cuz i dont remember exactly what I did and the last thing i want to do is give you bum scoop. but I know that whatever you do there really arent shortcuts. it just takes time .
LittleDevilDog
02-12-06, 06:19 PM
lol....not really any shortcuts that i know about . if i remember correctly what you do is get a scrub brush , break them down and then start polishing . I dont want to say a whole lot just cuz i dont remember exactly what I did and the last thing i want to do is give you bum scoop. but I know that whatever you do there really arent shortcuts. it just takes time .
Understood. Thank you, Sir.
ringoffire
02-12-06, 07:19 PM
I remember the Husband used his spit; first he brushed with the scrub brush, then rubbed them with boot polish and would then put his spit on the boot, mixed w/the polish. After that he'd buff them with cotton cloth, cloth baby
diapers work well. It's been a couple of years, they've since issued different boots.
The Sandman
02-12-06, 07:36 PM
Not that i feel like i owe you help with anything Gill but.... I was a shoe repairman for 6 years. there are several different "methods" (we never called them shortcuts). the safest (relatively speaking) is to open your can of wax and set it on fire (be safe when you do this. dont do it indoors or around anything flamable.) when it turns to a liquid (dont let it burn too long) put the lid on it to put it out. you cant blow this fire out, trust me. then quicly lift the lid off and you have liquid wax. tax your brush dip it in and spred it around as fast as you can (its going to harden fast). then buff as normal. once you get a good shin on it you can optionally do one of two more things. light the boots on fire and be prepared to blow them out before they burn (instead of the wax) which i dont recommend for a novice. or take a hair dryer on max setting and melt it again (what this does is turn it to semi-liquid so you hide your mistakes) again, be careful and i am sure as h311 not responsible for any damage you cause. be advise this IS a shortcut and NOT the best way to do things. when i turned my shoes in on the last day of NJROTC you could literally see your reflection in them and the juniors auctioned them off for whoever wanted them next year. This was a spit **** using the hair dryer method.
The Sandman
02-12-06, 09:57 PM
wow, i have a lot of typos there, and i cant seem to edit my posts. anyways im sure you got the point.
GySgtRet
02-13-06, 05:42 AM
The Sandman,
What are you doing with a hair dryer...??? The above method does work however. But like the sandman said be very careful. If you try blowing out the flames it just spreads it like napalm.
The Sandman
02-13-06, 08:16 AM
The Sandman,
What are you doing with a hair dryer...???
Even I had a mother once, Sir. :p
bigdog43701
02-13-06, 08:26 AM
ok guys...quick tip from an ol' sarge. 1st, with brand new boots use your fingers and rub in the polish, don't use a rag for this, you have to fill in the pore of the leather and make them smooth. once you have a good base, then start applieing polish using very small circular mothions. let set to dry and apply again. once you have a "fair" shine put a small amount of lighter fluid in your watter and change to using cotton balls and again use small circular motions. (the lighter fluid melts the polish and makes it easier to work with). buff your boots with a soft boot brush and let them sit and dry for about an hour. then take a soft terry cloth rag and buff them.
LittleDevilDog
02-13-06, 11:32 AM
Thank you all for the advice.
------
Not that i feel like i owe you help with anything Gill but.... I was a shoe repairman for 6 years. there are several different "methods" (we never called them shortcuts). the safest (relatively speaking) is to open your can of wax and set it on fire (be safe when you do this. dont do it indoors or around anything flamable.) when it turns to a liquid (dont let it burn too long) put the lid on it to put it out. you cant blow this fire out, trust me. then quicly lift the lid off and you have liquid wax. tax your brush dip it in and spred it around as fast as you can (its going to harden fast). then buff as normal. once you get a good shin on it you can optionally do one of two more things. light the boots on fire and be prepared to blow them out before they burn (instead of the wax) which i dont recommend for a novice. or take a hair dryer on max setting and melt it again (what this does is turn it to semi-liquid so you hide your mistakes) again, be careful and i am sure as h311 not responsible for any damage you cause. be advise this IS a shortcut and NOT the best way to do things. when i turned my shoes in on the last day of NJROTC you could literally see your reflection in them and the juniors auctioned them off for whoever wanted them next year. This was a spit **** using the hair dryer method.
Sandman,
Thank you for your advice, but I'm curious why you felt the need to add the first sentence you did. Don't feel as though you HAVE to give me advice.
Although, I do appreciate your advice.
:marine: In 1964 while in boot camp we were told not to spit shine our boots but just to buff shine them. It stayed the untill I got out in 1971.:yes:
bigdog43701
02-13-06, 02:03 PM
GGY,
in boot (1970) was told the same thing, however by 1981 (got out) they wanted them "highly buffed" which ment they had to be damn near spit shined.
Wyoming
02-14-06, 08:18 AM
.
What is the best, quickest method of getting a good shine on your combat boots (regular black leather).
Go to any major airport.
Stop at the shoe shine kiosk.
Wiggle a 20 buck bill in front of the 'shiner' and tell him he keeps it all, if they shine like a diamond in goats arse, once he's through.
Works for me, even today, on all the boots I wear.
.
Echo_Four_Bravo
02-14-06, 11:13 AM
That is an outstanding method to shine boots. I may have been known to pull that stunt a time or two myself. Of course, you can't get to the shoe shine stands in some airports unless you have a ticket... behind the check points and all.
jryanjack
02-14-06, 02:48 PM
Papasan in the PI did wonders with boots - $5 if I remember correctly.
Note of caution on brand new boots, walk in them for awhile before polishing, if you polish first and then walk the shine is gone! I've used the melting method in the past and it works good. Also then used water vs. real spit for the shine.
outlaw3179
02-14-06, 03:03 PM
what about good ole' mop n' glo :)
Rdy2gopoolie
02-14-06, 06:49 PM
Haha. These are great tips. I thought you were not allowed of the island to get even your shoes shined?
LittleDevilDog
02-14-06, 06:54 PM
Thanks for the tips, keep 'em coming if ya'll have more, by all means! :)
Rdy2gopoolie
02-14-06, 07:25 PM
Do you have access to lighters during bootcamp?
Radiofantry
02-14-06, 08:03 PM
Do you have access to lighters during bootcamp?
We won't need lighters with the Drill Instructor's lighting a fire under our asses ;)
Rdy2gopoolie
02-14-06, 08:07 PM
Haha!! How true! They should be careful though i have been known to expel extreme amounts of methane in short busts. :D
Wyoming
02-15-06, 02:40 AM
Haha. These are great tips. I thought you were not allowed of the island to get even your shoes shined?
Oops, sorry, I misunderstood.
Of course you can get off the island to get your boots shined. Weekends and Tuesday and Thursday evenings are pretty much free.
Same with your rifle. Take it with you. Any decent gun shop in town can clean it up real nice for you.
JEEZ!!!
.
PFCLake
02-15-06, 06:19 AM
Do you have access to lighters during bootcamp?
Nope. You get matches in MRE's sometime towards the end, but usually the DI's will take those away.
-Lake
VaMarine
02-15-06, 08:31 AM
The Corps no longer shines their boots.. is it that hard to comprehend?? I know someone else alreayd said that...
We have rough side out boots and your dress shoes are Coraframs.. which means again no shinning.. General Jones (like him or hate him) decided that Marines were spending too much time on their uniforms (not enough time causing a ruckus??) and decided that the new cammies cannot be starched, and the boots can not be shined... I believe there is still an order out there that if you starch your cammies you will face at least an NJP for violating a lawful order...
So again you dont have to spaz on polishing boots in boot camp.. worry about iping your PJ's and learn your damn knowledge..
outlaw3179
02-15-06, 07:27 PM
I dont care ..Im still gonna shine my new tan boots ! and my corframs too for that matter ! I dont care how long it takes me!
cjdoyle
02-16-06, 09:26 AM
outlaw, Me and a couple guys took a rather worn pair left behind in a barracks room and started shining them while wathching some movies and the came out pretty good I have since then got them in my mothers china cabnet with my other various awards and such if i get home on this 96 I will get some pics.
use Leather Luster 3 coats
Rdy2gopoolie
02-16-06, 05:58 PM
I thought boot camp was like jail being that you are ALWAYS watched and cant go ANYWHERE.
LittleDevilDog
02-16-06, 10:47 PM
use Leather Luster 3 coats
I read this review article at http://www.bootdog.com/luster.html
After reading it, I left with a feeling of not wanting to use it. From what I read, it was alot of hassle and not worth the price. Basicaly, it said it was cheap and harder than just using some spit for a good shine.
Anyone have any experience or advice on if I should give Leather Luster a shot or not? As of right now, a old fashioned spit-shine seems like the better idea.
Brooklyn
02-16-06, 11:08 PM
I read this review article at http://www.bootdog.com/luster.html
After reading it, I left with a feeling of not wanting to use it. From what I read, it was alot of hassle and not worth the price. Basicaly, it said it was cheap and harder than just using some spit for a good shine.
Anyone have any experience or advice on if I should give Leather Luster a shot or not? As of right now, a old fashioned spit-shine seems like the better idea.
I haven't read this entire thread but I believe a couple of the Marines have said, more then once, that shining boots is no longer part of a Marines life.
The tan leather boots can't be shined and the dress shoes have a permanent shine.
LittleDevilDog
02-17-06, 01:18 AM
I haven't read this entire thread but I believe a couple of the Marines have said, more then once, that shining boots is no longer part of a Marines life.
The tan leather boots can't be shined and the dress shoes have a permanent shine.
Right, I'm asking because of the program I'm in, the Young Marines, still require us to wear black leather combat boots, Ma'am.
The Sandman
02-17-06, 02:04 AM
its still a good skill to learn as well. Plus most JROTC units require it.
Rdy2gopoolie
02-17-06, 02:14 PM
Right, I'm asking because of the program I'm in, the Young Marines, still require us to wear black leather combat boots, Ma'am.
FYI Brooklyn is a male :)
Brooklyn
02-17-06, 04:41 PM
FYI Brooklyn is a male :)
LoL, yea, after reading his post I decided to just put it in my signature.
LittleDevilDog
02-17-06, 06:21 PM
My baaad. My girl is named Brooke, so I just assumed. My appologies.
Rdy2gopoolie
02-17-06, 09:41 PM
Hehe yea i did the same. :)
LittleDevilDog
02-17-06, 09:41 PM
Got the 4 coats of melted wax dried and buffed.
Going to work them in some more, and start the spit-shine Sunday.
brooklyn is also a city in new york.:banana:
LittleDevilDog
02-19-06, 10:13 PM
Spent five hours on the boots, spit-shining them.
Look real nice. Thanks for everyone's advice. Good to go!
The Sandman
02-19-06, 10:18 PM
I thought you had to have them done by last tuesday? Also, after all this fanfare id expect some sort of image to show us how you did ;)
jinelson
02-19-06, 10:58 PM
Im with The Sandman me too! We want to see.
LittleDevilDog
02-20-06, 11:56 AM
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/840/dscn10153wg.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn10153wg.jpg)http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6857/dscn10209kk.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn10209kk.jpg)
Click for bigger view.
Keep in mind, this was my first spit-shine coat of each boot. Plan on doing some more next weekend. I need them done by NEXT Tuesday, not this weeks.
This week's meeting/drill was cancelled for our Swim Qualification on Wednesday.
jinelson
02-20-06, 01:49 PM
Nice job Jon they are certainly taking shape, a few more shines and they may blind your inspecting officer. I appreciate and am proud of the Young Marines and the attention and pride they have in upholding our traditions and standards. Good luck on your upcoming swim quals, strive for the best possible score, and most of all have fun.
outlaw3179
02-20-06, 02:28 PM
Your boots look Good Devil pup, Now all you have to do is what we use to do in boot camp . Work on them forever , get the shine just right , and then when they were perfect and after they were inspected, go through the crucible and completly destroy them. LoL. Same thing happened with the rifle. Youd bust your ass for days working on it and cleaning it , and then youd drag it through the mud. I never understood it , but I guess I wasnt there to understand it.
The Sandman
02-20-06, 09:41 PM
looking good, Gill. To iterate what outlaw said in my own words... the real trick is never thinking you are done. Got some free time? bored? give it some more wax and some more shine. i used to watch tv and do it for hours and hours. Excellent result for your first time though.
LittleDevilDog
02-21-06, 06:05 AM
Yea, I'm going to do it whenever I get some free time on week nights and definitely for a couple hours on the weekends.
Got to run, thanks guys.
Shadowman777
02-24-06, 05:58 PM
Boots are looking good - but the real test will be on a hot sunny day. I have seen more then one pair of boots turn into a melted Hershey bar!! lol
Steve
KMichael
02-24-06, 06:40 PM
I thought boot camp was like jail being that you are ALWAYS watched and cant go ANYWHERE.
AND you have to speak in 3rd person...
"Sir, Recruit ________ is requesting permission to speak to the Senior Drill Instructor Sgt/ SSgt/ GySgt _______________ sir"
or in my case it would be ma'am...
Lookin' good Gill. I am in NJROTC and we wear leather dress shoes with our uniform every Wednesday to school. I got a brand new pair issued to me (My NSI liked me) and my dad showed me a way he shines his duty boots. I now clean them off with a shoe brush and then apply a small amount of polish to the entire shoe. Once I'm done I let them dry and then I light a candle and melt the wax on the shoe. After that I buff em' up real good and repeat the process. My Mom hates the smell of shoe polish and gets mad at me when I shine my shoes most days in my free time. I got them lookin' real pretty and my NSI told me he was blinded by the shine! Got a hundred on my uniform inspection that time! All the other cadets hate me because of my shoes. It sounds like the other Young Marines aren't gonna like you either. I hoping to join the Marines also. I'm thinking about choosing Aviation or Scout/Sniper as my MOS. Any way,
I tried to edit my first message but I cant figure out how to. I began to look around this website and I read some of the post of the Marines and I don't think I rate using Semper Fi on this website because I haven't earned the title. My apologies to all the Marines on this website. But I WILL earn that title.
Echo_Four_Bravo
11-22-06, 08:53 PM
Gabe, don't worry about it. Your apology covers your mistake. Hope you enjoy your time here. There are a ton of Marines and poolees ready to help you reach your goal.
Sir,
Sorry it took me so long to reply any way thank you again. I was out of line. I hope that I can continue to learn from all the Marines and poolies out there so I can get closer to obtaining my goal.
Thank you sir,
Gabe
jinelson
12-30-06, 09:16 PM
I like your attitude Gabe, make Leatherneck.com a daily reading experience and I guarentee that you will learn and learn well. OORAH!!!
Jim
Always use an old T shirt to buff out a good shine or better yet a new one. It will freaking come out awesome.
Make sure you don't over do it sometimes you think it is getting better then oh S%^& it looks worse.
Some guys used to strip of the original coating with shaving cream but it was too time consuming.
S/F,
CEYA!
I like your attitude Gabe, make Leatherneck.com a daily reading experience and I guarentee that you will learn and learn well. OORAH!!!
Jim
Aye Aye Sir! Thank you a lot.
-Gabe