Boot polish

-boris

Can anyone reccomend a place in cork city where i would be able to buy kiwi polish?and while i'm on the subject,which is better guardsman gloss or kiwi parade gloss,?if they are indeed the best!Thank you.

Poccington

Kiwi is far better, I personally think Guardsman is ****e.

-boris

Poccington wrote: »

Kiwi is far better, I personally think Guardsman is ****e.

What a relief!it wasant my polishing technique that resulted in my boots looing the exact same after using guardsmans!

iceage

Kiwi. And patience.

Lockstep

One of the lads on camp had some stuff from Lidl which was amazing.
Nice guy too so he'd always let us use it.

Dunno if you can still get it.
Kiwi works great though.

Peppapig

Why on earth would you want to boot the polish :rolleyes:

arybvtcw0eolkf

I use the squeezie, spongy stuff in a bottle

.

iceage

Hehehe..Theres also a well known car dashboard cleaner in a handy pad, thats popular with some of the lads in Kickham, Shuuuush don't tell any one.

Was gonna name and shame a certain relation who would bring his boots to ME! when a big inspection was due....you know who you are

bunny shooter

Poccington wrote: »

Kiwi is far better, I personally think Guardsman is ****e.

+1 & a pair of womens tights (unused of course )

marco murphy

Ariel Thousands Dreamer wrote: »

I use the squeezie, spongy stuff in a bottle

.

Lazy bassa

Kiwi cloth instead of a brush does a good job.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Best is kiwi, after u have a nice base, bull it like a basta*d, then pop into Tesco and buy KLEAR FLOOR POLISH (see below) and COTTON WOOL BALLS...(ha, i said balls), this will be in the cleaning section.

Once you have a lovely bull, put a small bit of klear on a cotton ball and put one layer of the polish onto your boot. Apply a thin layer in one direction ONLY, do not apply a second layer until it is completely dry, make sure to properly cover all the toe of he boot, experienxed people will notice if you have missed a spot! Do it the night before an inspection.

DO NOT PUT KLEAR POLISH ON JUST BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT ON PARADE, IT WONT DRY IN TIME, IT WILL JUST CRACK AND THEN ALL YOU HAVE IS A WHITE FLAKEY BOOT!!

pmg58

If you're an RDF recruit, your boots will not have to be bulled just clean and polished will do, you'll be able to shine up the boots nicely without having to resort to floor polish or anything like that.

bunny shooter

pmg58 wrote: »

If you're an RDF recruit, your boots will not have to be bulled just clean and polished will do, you'll be able to shine up the boots nicely without having to resort to floor polish or anything like that.

That would depend on what their training NCO/s says :P

arybvtcw0eolkf

Perestroika wrote: »

Lazy bassa

Kiwi cloth instead of a brush does a good job.

Lazy me arse, I do it every Monday morning and I'm soo efficient at it that I follow it with a quick buffing with the ol' beret and I'm done for another week!.

iceage

Thoughts from Maki's CO " There he goes, fine fellow he is and so well turned out, how does he keep those boots so shiny? And I must ask him some time how he shapes that beret!

NoQuarter

benwavner wrote: »

DO NOT PUT KLEAR POLISH ON JUST BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT ON PARADE, IT WONT DRY IN TIME, IT WILL JUST CRACK AND THEN ALL YOU HAVE IS A WHITE FLAKEY BOOT!!

Myth in my opinion!

arybvtcw0eolkf

iceage wrote: »

Thoughts from Maki's CO " There he goes, fine fellow he is and so well turned out, how does he keep those boots so shiny? !

"By keeping 'em up on the desk all day, sir"...

:P

Praetorian Saighdiuir

king-stew wrote: »

Myth in my opinion!

Well take it from me.......its fact! Learned that the hard way.

NoQuarter

benwavner wrote: »

Well take it from me.......its fact! Learned that the hard way.

Well i must have had special boots cause i had floor polish on them in front of the president and the shine nearly blinded the poor woman!

Never flaked on me!:cool:

minidazzler

Ariel Thousands Dreamer wrote: »

Lazy me arse, I do it every Monday morning and I'm soo efficient at it that I follow it with a quick buffing with the ol' beret and I'm done for another week!.

I can't wait until an RDF Lad with a Green Beret takes this advice:D!!!!

Praetorian Saighdiuir

king-stew wrote: »

Well i must have had special boots cause i had floor polish on them in front of the president and the shine nearly blinded the poor woman!

Never flaked on me!:cool:

I must give u my boots the next time..........you can teach me your ways!! Klear is ok for the aul boots....


... but the best stuff is the floor polish that comes in white a drum, y'know the ones your given when you have to clean the lines. Feckin magic!! Lasts for months!

iceage

Ahhh the smell of leather and red hot spoons! Sounds kinky don't it!!!:p

Fallen Buckshot

nother trick is to heat the kiwi can just slightly makes it sink into the leather a lil easier during polish

also light coatings of mink oil in between

minidazzler

Boris, you will get the Parade Gloss in Yorke Hill on the Table that is slightly left of the door when you walk in. Not the Glass table, the wooden one. I think it's 2.50 or something.

There are other places to get it but that's where I go for most my RDF related stuff, the guy who owns it will usually throw something in for free if you spend enough.

superref

its not the polish is bad you have to know how to to bull them properly dont think you need to in the rdf even the new no1 boots they are just highly shined .

redman

Fallen Buckshot wrote: »

nother trick is to heat the kiwi can just slightly makes it sink into the leather a lil easier during polish

also light coatings of mink oil in between

aie thats the job, set the tin on fire and put er out quick. then slide er on with a bit o muslin

Poccington

Don't listen to this lot telling you to use floor polish and all that craic. Put the effort in, bull them properly and they'll look far better than they will with any floor polish on them.

Lads, you're a bad influence on all these youngsters :pac:

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Poccington wrote: »

Don't listen to this lot telling you to use floor polish and all that craic. Put the effort in, bull them properly and they'll look far better than they will with any floor polish on them.

Lads, you're a bad influence on all these youngsters :pac:

I do agree with putting the effort in........but sometimes you dont have the time! i.e getting caught for a GOH or GOC's.....especially when u lent ur boots out the last time to some goon that scuffed the top of them.


Improvise, adapt and overcome, sometimes u do what u need to do.

iceage

If the boots are new, hot spoon the leather, take top off the tin, wee drop of water in the lid.

When you've finished spooning the boots, thin layer of Kiwi put on in tiny circular motion all over the cap and heel until its worked in, dip the cloth(I used soft yellow duster and finally finish off with cotton wool) into the water buff it in till it gone, another thin layer of Kiwi, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat and...................

KISS guys, worked for me, and I've plenty of mates who've used the same method. Trick is small circular motions. So crack on

minidazzler

iceage wrote: »

If the boots are new, hot spoon the leather, take top off the tin, wee drop of water in the lid.

When you've finished spooning the boots, thin layer of Kiwi put on in tiny circular motion all over the cap and heel until its worked in, dip the cloth(I used soft yellow duster and finally finish off with cotton wool) into the water buff it in till it gone, another thin layer of Kiwi, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat and...................

KISS guys, worked for me, and I've plenty of mates who've used the same method. Trick is small circular motions. So crack on

This is only to be done on parade boots. They have a rough tip which can be melted to make bulling faster, it's not necessary however.


DO NOT do this to Magnum's or any operational boot. ONLY The Ceremonial.

It will ruin the leather on the Magnums and Op's boots.

Particularily do not do it to any Goretex boot, especially the Haix Safe-toe.

It is possible to get a good bull on Magnums, but not necessary, do not under ANY circumstances burn the tip of them though.

iceage

Fai point and very true Minidazzler, before any of you lot start taking red hot spoons to your newly issued magnums:eek:. I'm talking about parade best or in my case DMS or NI's.

minidazzler

iceage wrote: »

Fai point and very true Minidazzler, before any of you lot start taking red hot spoons to your newly issued magnums:eek:. I'm talking about parade best or in my case DMS or NI's.

Exactly. I have actually seen people do it to magnums and have the leather peal away a few months later, after I had told them not to do it. But their answer, the Cpl. is always right!!! Lol.



On Parade Boots it does work fantastically though.

pmg58

Ha! Wouldn't fancy being that Corporal when the Quartermaster finds he has to reissue a load of personnel with boots!

iceage

Funny, I offered to do a mates boots for him a while ago, hes a guarda for some parade. And he reckons the bull is still on em. Not sure what they're issue boots are.

minidazzler

pmg58 wrote: »

Ha! Wouldn't fancy being that Corporal when the Quartermaster finds he has to reissue a load of personnel with boots!

Was on Bere Island in 2007, the Cpl went on to bigger and better things, (he's now in the BA last I heard), so I doubt the QM's involved will be able to do much!!!

minidazzler

Army Bargains will rip you off, it would be cheaper to go to the Army Surplus Store in Midleton, Cork. Even with travel included.

iceage

+1 on the place in Cork.

Lockstep

My boots are nice and shiny (I know few people in the RDF who bother polishing their boots after recruit camp)

Simple enough way is just use boot polish on a brush and then get ahold of your girlfriends old tights and give it a quick buffing over.
Gives it a nice shine although I'd imagine it's insufficient for PDF standards.

pmg58

kickoutthejams wrote: »

I know few people in the RDF who bother polishing their boots after recruit camp

What unit are you in!!!???

In my unit, people polish their boots, they wouldn't get away with not doing it, and rightly so.

Lockstep

pmg58 wrote: »

What unit are you in!!!???

In my unit, people polish their boots, they wouldn't get away with not doing it, and rightly so.

I agree; I like being well turned out when wearing my uniform (also, I find polishing boots thereapeutic)

THeres a fairly laid back attitude in most of the RDFers I know though.

pmg58

Same here, a lot of people find it therapeutic...that is, unless they're caked in muck.

Hate that attitude, the way a lot of people seem to think once they finish recruit camp that being turned out well is below them, but fair play to you if you keep the standard up when the people around you don't.

Morpheus

Anyone care to give the definitive guide to "properly" bulling your boots - minus the lighters, hot spoons, floor cleaner and bunsen burners!!???

Ive always cleaned the boots first, let them dry, then taken a small piece of cotton wool - dipped it in a tiny amount of water in the polish lid, taken a small bit of kiwi or punch polish, small circles (anti clockwise) all over starting at bottom and working around the front and back the other side then up over the top and repeat, do a few layers like this until its shining, yes its hard work but well worth it. finally i do the same with a layer of guardsmands gloss and its shining.

always remember to polish the heel the same way and to polish the rest of the boot and the upright edges of the sole as you would normal shoes.

ill just use old tights to buff it just before going on parade.

any one else care to comment!?

The new magnum working dress boot doesnt take a buff well and dont think its supposed to anyway!?

Local-womanizer

Morphéus wrote: »

Anyone care to give the definitive guide to "properly" bulling your boots - minus the lighters, hot spoons, floor cleaner and bunsen burners!!???

Ive always cleaned the boots first, let them dry, then taken a small piece of cotton wool - dipped it in a tiny amount of water in the polish lid, taken a small bit of kiwi or punch polish, small circles (anti clockwise) all over starting at bottom and working around the front and back the other side then up over the top and repeat, do a few layers like this until its shining, yes its hard work but well worth it. finally i do the same with a layer of guardsmands gloss and its shining.

always remember to polish the heel the same way and to polish the rest of the boot and the upright edges of the sole as you would normal shoes.

ill just use old tights to buff it just before going on parade.

any one else care to comment!?

The new magnum working dress boot doesnt take a buff well and dont think its supposed to anyway!?

I do the same minus the cotton wool. Put a bit of polish o the tights,small circles anti-clockwise,followed by a bit of water anti-clockwise and repeat. Takes ages but having it done before camp its easier to just top-up every day. I also buff at the end with a clean pair of tights. Gives it a great shine,even on the magums.

PeterIanStaker

kickoutthejams wrote: »

THeres a fairly laid back attitude in most of the RDFers I know though.

I just spent a good hour and a half pressing my SD#1, including taking off collar badges, name badge & medal, and brasso-ing them. Also, you could shave in my boots. Repeat process tomorrow and Paddy's day morning.


Look good, do good, for the one day of the year I wear a shirt & tie.

thermo

the best way to bull your new boots is hamorite (spelling?) gloss black paint.

Morpheus

Would you recommend a roller or paintbrush?

iceage

For what its worth, I'd recommend you didn't. Kiwi,water,patience. (Nylon tights,yellow duster,cotton wool etc thats up to yourself) Simple.

Morpheus

em... i WAS joking ya know! lol

P.S. anyone got white spirits??????

Merch

What was the whole idea behind bulling boots anyway?

Keep the men troops occupied, too busy with their boots to be grumbling?

iceage

It focuses one's Chi..and looks the bollix under a pair of flares.:)

thermo

Morphéus wrote: »

Would you recommend a roller or paintbrush?

brush! heavly doused in paint, it was a tip passed passed on to me by a guy i once knew in the RMC.