Need help with shoe shining...?

preferably from someone in the military...I need a serious shine on my boots...I need to know what tools you use, what kinda polish, how you apply it, how long you rub it in for, how long you let it dry, how you remove it and with what and how long do you buff it out....In other words every detail? Thanks

Need help with shoe shining...?
Before I joined the Army, I learned boot shining from my Dad, who was an Airborne Instructor. Our method:





First, using a big boot brush, clean the debris from your boots. Apply a small amount of Kiwi to the leather using the smaller (dauber) boot brush. Your boots will be dulled by the unpolished Kiwi. Using your big brush, buff out the boots for a few seconds to work the Kiwi in.





Then, in the lid of the Kiwi, put a little bit of water. Wrap a soft cloth (old t-shirt, cloth diaper, etc) around two fingers... dip it in the water until it is moderately wet... rub the cloth in the Kiwi to pick up some more wax... and rub in small circles all over the leather. The wax and water will dry as a shine begins to develop.





Finally, to get that deep shine... we would use a pair of old pantyhose, and an ice cube. Put the ice cube in the lid with the water. Use the pantyhose the way you did the soft cloth... dampen, pick up some wax, buff in small circles.





I can't tell you how many strokes, or how much time. That is something that comes with experience. When I first started shining my boots, it would take forever, and I would end up using a lot of wax. However, the more you shine, the less wax and time it takes.





ALSO: I had an instructor in AIT who would follow my first two steps, then he would apply a light coat of furniture polish. I don't know how this affected the life of his boots, but they sure did look good!
Reply:ok boot this is what you do. the only tool you'll will need is an old toothbrush. 1) take you shoe polish( buy the kind thats in a can) 2) take a match and light the polish and let it burn a few seconds. 3) now take a clean cotton rag and dip it in the polish(make sure the flame is out in the polish also take a piece of plastic and wrap around your fingers,ie:the pointer and middle ones, 4)rub the warm polish over the boot 5) use the toothbrush to rub the polish between the leather and the sole.6) here's the fun part spit on the boot 7)take your rag hold it at both ends and buff8) it;s easier to shine your boots if your not wearing them 9)spit and buff until hte desired shine.10)if the boots are steel toes the toes and the heals will be the shiniest good luck
Reply:Kiwi black. Ignore the high gloss, or anything special. just Kiwi black (or brown, or whatever color).





Get yourself a cloth diaper. Put a tiny amount of polish on your boots. Wet the diaper. Rub in small circles. Repeat until you can see yourself. That's called a spit shine. Don't use actual spit, though. It's caustic, and will eventually ruin your boots. This is how we did it in the Marines, until we switched to the brown boots.





Of course, i'm a civilian now, and the only boots I typically wear are my Doc Martens, and those dudes haven't been polished in years. :)
Reply:Use KIWI. Cotton Balls. Water. Apply in "thin" layers keeping it slightly wet all the time. After 1st 5 layers, buff with soft cloth like t-shirt or cloth diaper. repeat until pores in leather cannot be seen. Strip off with neutral polish and stiff brush.



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