Geek Next Door

Part of my NJROTC career is to wear the uniform. That also means keeping our shoes shiny. Looking at the cadets on top staff, we all felt mediocre at first, until we all branched out in our own ways to get our shoes to a mirror finish, which is ideal. Some techniques I've heard are melting the polish, heating the polish after applying it with a steam iron, etc. The technique I use is the one that I've felt to be the best, and to produce the best results. The only drawback is that the first time it takes a LONG time, but the results are soon reaped when you find it takes only minutes to return your shoes to a fantastic luster. I'd recommend taking a free Saturday for this, because depending on the dullness of your shoes and how shiny you want them, this could take several hours.

Note: This is only on how to polish black shoes. The same technique *should* work on brown shoes, but I have not tested it. Do so at own risk.
Also, I can't post pictures right now, since I just got done polishing my shoes, and can't exactly show you the procedure =P

What you'll need:

* An old T-shirt
* A pair of scissors
* Kiwi Brand Black Wax Polish (the stuff that comes in a tin, not liquid polish)
* Kiwi Brand Neutral Wax Polish (again, in a tin)
* A small glass of water frozen to the point that there's a thin layer of ice on top (the freezing is optional if you're short on time, but recommended)
* A cotton pad (the kind that comes in this, or a makeup remover pad. If you get the little kit, I would still recommend a larger tin of black polish, since the polish in the little tin tends to break easily)
* Dull, black dress shoes
* Some old clothes to put on, if you're messy

Method:

1a.. Put your cup of water in the freezer for roughly 1hr-1.5hrs. Check regularly after an hour, since you do not want a thick layer of ice. Again, this is optional if you're short on time, but it speeds up the process a bit.

1b. While the water is freezing, gather your supplies. Cut a strip out of the t-shirt roughly 1ft long and about 4in wide. Put away the scissors and the remaining t-shirt.

2. When the water has the little layer of ice, remove from the freezer, and sit somewhere that's comfortable and has a side table. Put your supplies on the table.

3. Here's where it gets a bit time-consuming, especially if the shoes are new or haven't been polished. Take a shoe and set it on your lap. Open your black polish. Take your cotton pad, and pick one end or a new makeup removal pad. Put the end over the index and middle fingers of your dominant hand, and make three little circles in the polish. It really doesn't take much. Crack the ice with your polish fingers so the the cloth with the polish is barely damp. Cover the first third of the shoe (the tip) with polish so it looks really dull. Wait 5-10min. Tightly wrap your t-shirt strip, like you were wringing out a wet cloth, and buff the polish until you can't see polish.

4. Repeat. You'll know you're done when you can't see what's called orange peel. Orange peel is the texture on the shoes that haven't built up layers of shine. When you can't see any orange peel, not even the faintest bit, on the tip of the shoe, you can move on.

5. Take the other end of the cotton cloth, or a new makeup removal pad, and repeat step 3 with the neutral polish. This protects the black polish's shine, while making it like obsidian. Continue until you have a shine you like.

6. This step depends on what you want to do. Our inspecting officers only require the tip be shined, so this is where I start the next shoe. If you're shining dress shoes, keep moving down the front of the shoes, only doing a bit of a shoe at a time, until you reach the laces. After that, shining the rest is a bit of a waste of time, unless you have nothing better to do, or are stressed. Shining shoes is quite Zen for me.

7. If you shined the rest of the front of the shoe, start the next one. Repeat steps 3-5 until the next shoe is comparable.

There, you're done. Chances are, unless you're in the military, have shined shoes before, or own Corframs, you're holding the shiniest shoes you've ever had. Congratulations, now go impress your peers =).

If you notice in a few hours that your shoes have lost some luster, panic not. Apply 1-2 more coats of neutral polish without water, and you should be ready to go!