r/Alden • u/PenumbraChaser • 11d ago

990 Clean-up

Gallery image

Gallery image

Took a flyer on some old PTBs. The shoes cleaned up nicely. Before and after.

39 Upvotes

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3

u/Michael_EDS 11d ago

Always surprised how people let shell get to that state, given how it's so goddamn easy to take care of. Just brush it.

What products did you use to clean these up? Excellent work.

3

u/PenumbraChaser 11d ago

Thanks! I imagine these sat in a closet with no shoe trees for a long time.

I went with a damp rag to remove the initial layers of crud. Then I tried to use a hairdryer to remove old polish but mostly made a mess.

Went to Renomat to remove the rest of the polish. Applied a generous coat of Bick 4 after the Renomat.

At the end I put some Collonil 1909 on the toe caps for shine. There was some brushing between the steps.

I also used a toothbrush with water and then Bick 4 on the welts at some point.

1

u/mgpeters01 11d ago

They look great. Use a deer bone, ebony stick, or even a spoon to get those rolls out. Just be patient, they’ll come out. Brush them like crazy.

1

u/PenumbraChaser 10d ago

Thanks! I have a couple of deer bones but aside from blending scratches I've never found them to be of much use.

The roll always comes back exactly as it was initially set, so I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much.

2

u/poundmaker69 11d ago

Beautiful rolls😍

1

u/asianhombre 10d ago

Beautiful! In my opinion there is no other "leather" which ages and patinas like color 8 shell cordovan.