Allen Edmonds – Old Shoes, New Finish

Good shoes are pricey, there are no two ways about it.  You get what you pay for.  If you’re willing to hunt a little though, you can find really great second-hand shoes for next to nothing.  But, they may require some loving though to get them back in tip top shape.

I’ve been lusting after a pair of Norwegian Split Toes for a while now.  I’ll admit this is in no small part due to how good Mr. Guido Wongolini over at Most Exerent Brog makes them look.  Before you get excited for me, no I didn’t acquire Edward Green Dovers, but instead picked up some Allen Edmonds Bradley’s on ebay for less than $50.

They came in nicely packaged, and both the heels and soles (neither original) have a good amount of life left in them.  The only downside was a few cosmetic issues with the uppers.  The color was a medium to dark tan, and the creases left by the former owner has begun to lighten even more.  There was also some residue from some unevenly applied polish.  Nothing some elbow grease can’t fix.

You’ll see the uppers look a little dirty, and before doing anything else I used some toothpicks and rubbing to get as much of that off as possible.  Then a good coat of Saphir Renovateur vigorously brushed in with a dauber, polished up with a cloth, and then brushed clean with a dry brush finished the cleaning phase.  They weren’t perfect, but certainly a huge step up.

Then came the polishing.  I opted for a darker, cherry-hued brown polish to try and turn the wear-marks into patina.  The key is to slowly build layers of polish, buff it up to a moderate shine, and then start again.  If you don’t make sure you have smooth, flat layers, you’ll get clumps, not just color.  Finally some water and hard work got the toes gleaming pretty decently for shoes that an hour or two earlier had been dull as dust.

Again, the job still isn’t done.  The shoes were pretty saturated with water and polish, so I had to stop.  At a certain point you’ll start rubbing off polish instead of adding.  Just stop, let the shoes dry and the polish set and start again another day.  I’m going to give these a few wears, and then give them another good going over to keep adding to the effect.

So with a little effort, both in searching out the right pair and working on them afterwards, you can find a very nice pair of shoes for a fairly modest sum.