leather shoe resuscitation

[artificer]

I'm hoping Artificer might chime in too...

You rang?



While not a shoe maker, I have done a bit with leather over the years. Shoes are somewhat unique in that certain areas bend CONSTANTLY. To a certain extent, the amount you should try to rejuvenate depends on just how dry the leather is.

Truly dry leather should be left alone, don't attempt to re-hydrate or it will swell and crack (it's basically mummified).

If the leather is still pliable and hasn't gotten to 'carded' (stiff and cardboard-like) you might want to consider neatsfoot oil, or neatsfoot blended with mink to help re-hydrate- a few treatments over a week or so before you plan on trying to polish and wear.

Then, instead of Kiwi paste polish, I'd try the Kiwi CREME polish HERE. It will help prevent the leather drying out a bit more than the paste will.

Also, don't wear them for a full day right away. You'll likely have to break the leather in again and re-soften them. If you wear them too much right at first you might aggravate the cracking problem or cause a tear in the leather.

To help disguise the cracking when you do polish, mix a bit of melted beeswax with the polish and use it to fill any gouges or scaling. Once it dries and hardens you can polish over it just like the leather. This DOES NOT work when the cracking is in the 'flex' are across the top of the toe/ball of foot area, as it flexes too much and the fill will work loose.