Give your boots a mirror-like shine with hard work and patience.
Nothing says squared away more than a deep, reflective shine on your black leather duty boots or shoes. There's no magic to it. To achieve a mirror-like finish, you have to build up a perfectly smooth shell of shoe polish on the exterior that fills in all of the leather's imperfections. It takes a bit of heat and a lot of elbow grease, but with some patience you can give your boots or shoes the ultimate shine.
Instructions
Build the Base
1. Remove any old polish from the boots using mineral spirits and a cotton cloth. Let the boots dry for 30 minutes, then brush them thoroughly to remove any remaining debris.
2. Rub a generous layer of black shoe polish onto one of the boots. Work on one boot at a time so the polish does not have time to dry or settle while you are working. If your boot has a leather sole, be sure to apply polish to the edge of the sole and the heel. Use a cotton swab to apply polish to the seams where the sole and leather uppers join.
3. Set the hair dryer on a high heat setting, then blow hot air over the boot. Move the hair dryer around slowly to cover all of the boot. Note that the shoe polish briefly melts under the heat and soaks into the leather. Continue to blow hot air until the polish has uniformly melted over the boot's entire surface.
4. Set the first boot aside to dry and repeat Step 2 and Step 3 on the second boot. Polish and heat both boots a second time to build a good base of polish. Older boots may require a third treatment of polish and heat.
5. Put the boots on and walk around in them for five or 10 minutes. This flexes the boot and forces excess polish out of the creases. Take the boots off and lightly dust away any flakes of loose polish with a horsehair brush.
Mirror Shine
6. Moisten a cotton cloth and wrap it around one or two fingers. Dab a small amount of polish onto the cloth, then work it into a small section of a boot. Use only light pressure to apply the polish.
7. Dab on more polish as necessary. When you feel the polish thicken and become harder to work, spray a little water on the area where you're working. Concentrate especially on the toe and heel of the boot. Areas of the boot that flex during movement won't display as deep a shine as the toe and heel.
8. Continue lightly polishing and adding small of amounts of water until a glassy shine begins to appear beneath the polish. Resist the temptation to stop and brush the boot. Any polish swirls that appear will disappear after a few moments. Some patience is required; expect to spend about an hour applying very thin layers of polish to each boot until they achieve that perfect, glassy shine.
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