Yuya Hasegawa's Ardent Shoeshine Dojo: Mirror Polishing Technique

This is the "Yuya Hasegawa's Ardent Shoeshine Dojo" series. In this 18th installment, Yuya Hasegawa passionately discusses the maintenance of shoes after mirror polishing, which is a problem for all customers who use shoeshine stores.

I myself often receive questions such as "I can't polish my shoes by myself" or "How should I take care of my shoes after they are polished? I often receive questions such as, "I can't polish them by myself afterwards. Even if they don't, I feel the importance of mirror polish when I see mirror-finished shoes that have had the wax scraped off the surface.

Some people have become tired of mirror polishing because it makes the scratches stand out. We, as shoe polishers, feel a responsibility to inform our customers about the after-sales maintenance.

So, let's talk about the mirror-finishing technique. Shoes with a mirror finish will show some scuffs and scratches after a day of wear, even if you are careful. For such minor scuffs, you can use a goat hair brush to fix the mirror finish. First, brush the scratched area with a goat hair brush.

Apply a little pressure to make the scratches disappear and brush until the scuffs are no longer noticeable. The image you get is that you should brush the scratches as if you were blurring them.

The scratches will then become much less noticeable. Then, put a drop or two of water on the tip of the goat hair brush. After spreading the water over the entire brush, let the brush absorb a little with the palm of your hand. Brushing again with a slightly wet goat hair brush will restore the mirror finish. The wax will react with the water and the slightly cloudy wax will shine again. This completes the process.

Please do this mirror-finish touch-up technique every time after you wear them. By doing so, the shoes will stay beautiful for a long time. However, if the shoes cannot be repaired in this way, there is a different method of mirror repair. This is the mirror repair technique using a cream.

If the film of the mirror surface has been cut off deeply, the entire surface of the shoe can be reworked by dissolving the film once and then blending it back in. Wax can be used for this, but it is a little tricky and may result in a thick coating.

The cream used in this method is an oil-based cream. In this case, we will use Saphir's Creme. This is because oil-based cream blends well with wax and is easy to use.

First, wrap a cloth around your finger (the best way to do this is to wrap it around the mirror polish) and remove the cream. Apply the cream to the mirror polish area to be reworked, and apply a little pressure in a circular motion to slightly dissolve the curtain of the mirror surface, making the scratches less noticeable.

After that, apply a drop of water and go directly to the mirror polishing process. In the case of oil-based cream, the ingredients are almost the same as those of wax, so the mirror finish is achieved by applying water and polishing. When the mirror finish is restored, the work is complete.

This is a very convenient method that we hope everyone will adopt. The use of cream is also gentle to the leather, so it is not necessary to apply a thick coat of wax, which is good for the mood.

If the mirror finish has become too rough, we recommend that you remove all of the mirror finish and redo it again. It can be easily removed by using "THE CLEANER for Mirror Shine". It is a very strong cleaner, but it is a paste type that is gentle to leather. In this case, it is not necessary to do the entire shoe, but only the part you want to fix should be mirror polished from scratch again.

There are three stages of mirror refinishing depending on the degree of wear and abrasion of the mirror finish.

1. Rebuild with a goat hair brush
2. Rebuild with oil-based cream
3. Rebuild from scratch

Mirror polishing has the highest luster at the moment it is finished. As time goes by, the luster becomes duller and the light becomes duller. In fact, I think it is at that point that it is most attractive.

Just like a haircut, the hair is best when it is freshly cut, but it is more comfortable when it has grown a little longer about one or two weeks after the haircut. I think it looks cool when the mirror finish has become a little dull, so please use the technique to make the mirror finish even cooler.

That's all for this lesson! See you next time! See you next time!