Posted: 5/24/2006 7:49:52 PM EDT
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I need some help! 3 years in the Marine Corps and all I had were brown boots. Should I be scraping the polish from the previous shine off before I apply more? It is flaking off and now I cant get a decent shine on them. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, BJohnson Edit: Yes they are black boots. |
| If you are talking about black boots I always used Kiwi polish and never had to scrape it off, I didn't put it on so thick that it make a coating. You need a really good polish cloth and the more elbow grease with the cloth the better you can get the shine. If your polish is cracking and flaking then your polish is too thick. |
+1 And if you have gashes or scratches in the boot, I'll glob on some polish to cover it, then use a lighter and melt the polish to help smoothen it out. Kiwi, wet cotton balls, and small circles. |
I was the third or fourth platoon to go through MCRD with the digital cammies and brown boots... Thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it. -BJohnson |
WTF?!? learning how to polish shoes/boots was a rite of passage! I guess the "New Army" really IS soft! 
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+fking 1 |
Well, they had all those things in '99 at Fort Sill, and black boots that needed shining, too. I can't speak for anywhere else, or for any time sooner. |
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First they go to anodized brass and no Brasso. Now they go to rough out boots and no Kiwi. I am feeling old. Kiwi, water, and cotton. Ignore anyone who tells you to use floor polish, etc. - you will fuck up your boots. I'd worn black boots for 12 years before the switch - never had anything flake off as you describe if done right the first time - only when various "shortcut" techniques were applied. If you need to strip off non-polish crap - a lot will depend on what it was, but start with rubbing alcohol. |
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You need: Cotton balls Kiwi, regular old black polish!!! water Elbow Grease Wet a cotten ball, and pinch it so you get one flat side. Rub the wet cotton ball on the boot/shoe to remove dust or flaking old polish. Leave the shoe a little wet. Do another cotton ball, and this time get a liberal amount of polish on it. Rub onto boot with a circular motion. Repeat until boot is covered. Then rub in polish with wet cotton balls until you start to get a good base shine. Repeat! Then do the toe caps a 3rd time if necessary. Some guys use a woman's nylon for a final buff. Use Lemon Pledge and a soft cotton cloth to maintain/dust. DaddyDett ETA I was at the USAFA as an enlisted man, back in the 70's. My footwear was usually sporting a better shine than most Cadets', using this method. |
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clean out your boots...by burning out the old polish.... the easy way to shine is mop&glow..it last a while if you have access into the military..they sell liquid luster..its in a green metal can....last very long, however cracks in time....when it cracks...use scoring pad to clean ..and reapply
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I have to agree with Kiwi, cotton ball and warm water. Oh yeah, and a lot of patience as you rub small circles. Once you get a good polish on them and they take a shine, it is definetely a lot less work to keep them looking good. I remember the first part of training spending tons of time working on the boots and then it gradually declined over the course of time. I know some of the other guys used the lighter trick, I never tried it, so I can't comment on it. Of course you could cheat and use Leather Luster. |