Dried-up shoe polish

[JohnD]

I have a couple of colours of shoe polish that I hardly ever use (walking boots, for example)

After being in the cupboard for a long time, they dry up and become hard, cracked and crumbly. I can reform them a bit by melting on a hot radiator, then letting them set, but they are still hard

I understand that shoe polish is made of a mixture of pigment, wax and oil, and I presume the oil is evaporating in storage.

Does anyone know what sort of oil it might be? I am am wondering if I can add some and mix it in to restore these dried-up cans.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It's the turpentine oil that evaporates, this is cause of it going dry.

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

I heat mine up on the cooker, you will need to move it quickly. it will be as good as new without adding anything

 

[Johnmelad502]

Given its cost, buy a new tin

 

[JohnD]

It's the turpentine oil that evaporates, this is cause of it going dry.

Haven't see real turps on sale. I wonder if White Spirit would do?

 

[wotan]

paraffin, added and stirred in might help.

Wotan

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

as i said just heat it up do not add anything

 

[Chukka63]

kinell,do people still polish shoes????

 

[JohnD]

I found a Toxicology Safety sheet for Kiwi Polish, it says the contents include

Ingredient: STODDARD SOLVENT
Ingredient Sequence Number: 01
Percent: 67-76 f

I looked up Stoddard Solvent and it appears to be a kind of white Spirit, which makes sense, so I will try adding that. Apparently there is also lanolin, which slows the solvent from drying out until the polish is spread out in a thin film on the shoe.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

FFS!

 

[Chukka63]

do you squeek when you walk

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

as i said you do not need to add anything

 

[FrankE]

I heat mine up on the cooker, you will need to move it quickly. it will be as good as new without adding anything

This, when a simmering ring is cooling but with a wee drop of turps.


Good to see people not being wasteful.

 

[JohnD]

I put mine in the oven at 100C to melt, and stirred in some white spirit. Looks OK so far.

 

[Diyisfun]

I suppose these people that dont use polish, just havnt manged to find the right colour for their trainers.