Quote from: Grumpy on July 02, 2011, 08:31:45 PM

Quote from: Major Lord on July 02, 2011, 07:45:41 PM
Most shoe polish is pretty flammable already, since they have synthetic and organic flammable solvents ( Naptha, turpentine,etc.) to keep the wax as a near-liquid paste. ( I also noted that UPS considers Kiwi to be in one their Hazmat categories!) I think in the old days, shoe polish was much more like saddle wax ( Carnuba, bee's Wax, etc.) and might have benefited from adding solvents that gassed off to make them a little easier to apply without as much elbow grease; the most expensive kind of polish! If you have smooth leather boots ( the kind meant to be polished) I would not think that lighter fluid would help much, since although it would thin the mixture, it would leave organic greasy residue ( The only organic greasy residue you should have on your boots should come from the enemy) I have used lighter fluid in my youth on surfboard wax to help layer a thick coat, but thick coating on boots just leads to cracks.

Major Lord

What do you mean by, Old Days?

If you have to ask.........

Major Lord

Oh man. . . .

I have never stripped off the factory polish, however, I have lit my kiwi on fire, put it out and then use that kiwi to polish my boots.

Quote from: mclarke on July 03, 2011, 12:36:09 AM
I have never stripped off the factory polish, however, I have lit my kiwi on fire, put it out and then use that kiwi to polish my boots.

Why?

Quote from: Major Lord on July 02, 2011, 07:45:41 PM
( The only organic greasy residue you should have on your boots should come from the enemy)

Nice.   :clap: :clap: :clap:

 Man, how come people are so aggresively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recongize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggressively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recognize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Back in the day when we wore white hats, bloused boots with white laces, and took time to look sharp when working the main gate we did all that.  Now days, mediocrity is the norm.  That's why you have people who push to have no winners or losers.  Because somebody may feel bad if they didn't do well enough.  The heck with striving for excellence.  Heck, our squadron was just told to stop winning so much.  It's time to give somebody else a chance.  So I guess we're going to start looking at ways to lower the bar.

Quote from: Grumpy on July 03, 2011, 11:08:30 AM

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggressively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recognize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Back in the day when we wore white hats, bloused boots with white laces, and took time to look sharp when working the main gate we did all that.  Now days, mediocrity is the norm.  That's why you have people who push to have no winners or losers.  Because somebody may feel bad if they didn't do well enough.  The heck with striving for excellence.  Heck, our squadron was just told to stop winning so much.  It's time to give somebody else a chance.  So I guess we're going to start looking at ways to lower the bar.

It's not about mediocrity. It's about only having so much time in the day. I would rather use it to do something useful than waste it making my boots glow which does nothing to advance the mission.

Quote from: davidsinn on July 03, 2011, 03:40:50 PM

Quote from: Grumpy on July 03, 2011, 11:08:30 AM

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggressively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recognize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Back in the day when we wore white hats, bloused boots with white laces, and took time to look sharp when working the main gate we did all that.  Now days, mediocrity is the norm.  That's why you have people who push to have no winners or losers.  Because somebody may feel bad if they didn't do well enough.  The heck with striving for excellence.  Heck, our squadron was just told to stop winning so much.  It's time to give somebody else a chance.  So I guess we're going to start looking at ways to lower the bar.

It's not about mediocrity. It's about only having so much time in the day. I would rather use it to do something useful than waste it making my boots glow which does nothing to advance the mission.

It takes the average person 30 minutes (15 for each boot) to get their boots shined and looking great with just some kiwi, water, and muscles. If somebody doesn't have 30 minutes of time in their week, then that is different. People just get lazy, and don't want to look like they really care for their uniform. Really, it is all about discipline.

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:20:04 PM

Quote from: davidsinn on July 03, 2011, 03:40:50 PM

Quote from: Grumpy on July 03, 2011, 11:08:30 AM

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggressively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recognize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Back in the day when we wore white hats, bloused boots with white laces, and took time to look sharp when working the main gate we did all that.  Now days, mediocrity is the norm.  That's why you have people who push to have no winners or losers.  Because somebody may feel bad if they didn't do well enough.  The heck with striving for excellence.  Heck, our squadron was just told to stop winning so much.  It's time to give somebody else a chance.  So I guess we're going to start looking at ways to lower the bar.

It's not about mediocrity. It's about only having so much time in the day. I would rather use it to do something useful than waste it making my boots glow which does nothing to advance the mission.

It takes the average person 30 minutes (15 for each boot) to get their boots shined and looking great with just some kiwi, water, and muscles. If somebody doesn't have 30 minutes of time in their week, then that is different. People just get lazy, and don't want to look like they really care for their uniform. Really, it is all about discipline.

I don't wear corfam shoes because they don't breath and they hurt my feet.  I've given 3 or 4 pair to cadets because of it.  Now I have a great base coat on my "navy oxfords" and I can get them looking as good, if not better, that corfam in just 30 minutes a week while watching the news on TV.  Not only is it discipline but also "paying attention to detail" as they profess to do at encampment.

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:20:04 PM

Quote from: davidsinn on July 03, 2011, 03:40:50 PM

Quote from: Grumpy on July 03, 2011, 11:08:30 AM

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggressively against polishing and shining boots. I remember talking to a few folks after an event and they pointed out how good my boots looked compared to the standards of "just polished" sitting and standing around. Looking professional is a key in being a professional. There is nothing to argue with that if, in the eyes of the public, they recognize shined boots compared to just polished, with shined boots being considered professional and just polished looking bad. It has nothing to do with how the person functions with their job, but people will respect you more if you look like you respect and take good care of yourself. Of course, I don't wear the boots I shine onto exercises, but when I'm representing CAP, I want to send off the professional image to those who do see me, with knowledge in mind that they do see a real difference.

Back in the day when we wore white hats, bloused boots with white laces, and took time to look sharp when working the main gate we did all that.  Now days, mediocrity is the norm.  That's why you have people who push to have no winners or losers.  Because somebody may feel bad if they didn't do well enough.  The heck with striving for excellence.  Heck, our squadron was just told to stop winning so much.  It's time to give somebody else a chance.  So I guess we're going to start looking at ways to lower the bar.

It's not about mediocrity. It's about only having so much time in the day. I would rather use it to do something useful than waste it making my boots glow which does nothing to advance the mission.

It takes the average person 30 minutes (15 for each boot) to get their boots shined and looking great with just some kiwi, water, and muscles. If somebody doesn't have 30 minutes of time in their week, then that is different. People just get lazy, and don't want to look like they really care for their uniform. Really, it is all about discipline.

The REAL military realized that this was a waste of as much as 6.5 hours per week in training/productive time and really served no purpose.  They are called COMBAT BOOTS for a reason.  They are by definition going to get dirty and no one wants to wear a reflector on their feet when trying to maintain concealment.

Your limited experience in CAP wearing boots for just a couple of hours each week does not make you the authority on being lazy. 

WIWOAD, I worked 6-7 days a week 10-12+ hours a day and had to see myself in my boots as a rule.  I had 3-4 pairs of boots always shined and ready to go.  The only problem is that in my limited time off I had to spend HOURS each week shining boots that could have been better spent on things like sleep, family or even school.

Lazy?  I think not!

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 04:54:19 AM
Man, how come people are so aggresively against polishing and shining boots.

You need to stop right there, as your statement is inaccurate. No one is against polishing or shining boots. They're against wasting time for mirror shines that don't provide any benefit.

You've already made to point as to why you do it: compliments. If that's what you're concerned with, that's you. I polish mine to preserve them, as originally intended. I've Leather Lustered boots for the simple reason that with that particular shine, I don't have to do much.

Shining to mirror finish to get compliments is the wrong reason, but if that's what's important to you, have at it. Don't exaggerate to the point that you're not speaking the truth.

Quote from: cap235629 on July 03, 2011, 06:12:27 PM
The REAL military realized that this was a waste of as much as 6.5 hours per week in training/productive time and really served no purpose.  They are called COMBAT BOOTS for a reason.  They are by definition going to get dirty and no one wants to wear a reflector on their feet when trying to maintain concealment.

Your limited experience in CAP wearing boots for just a couple of hours each week does not make you the authority on being lazy. 

WIWOAD, I worked 6-7 days a week 10-12+ hours a day and had to see myself in my boots as a rule.  I had 3-4 pairs of boots always shined and ready to go.  The only problem is that in my limited time off I had to spend HOURS each week shining boots that could have been better spent on things like sleep, family or even school.

Lazy?  I think not!

Agreed.

I think its important to Cadets that their uniforms and footwear make them look like "Garrison Troops" , since this is a big part of the identity of the Cadet Program. For Senior Members, to worry about looking like parade ground troops ( unless they are a pall bearer or something similar) is just a little ridiculous. Your BDU's should be clean and presentable, your low quarters should be shined, but not to the level of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Your boots should be uniformly black. Whats the argument about? These boots are made for walkin'! Ground teams, for instance,  don't need to polish their boots, they just need to appear professional, fit well, and withstand actual operations without leaving you discalced in the woods.

As for Cadets, how many of us have seen a cadet show up at a high activity adventure in a brand new pair of unbroken boots? The boots look great; The feet look like they were chewed by wild dogs!  Or the cadet that must hop from place to place, since the 1/4 inch think layer of parade boot gloss they slathered on will crack if they actually flex their foot! Boots are protective gear- its not what they protect you from, its what they allow you to do.

Major Lord

Quote from: eaker.cadet on July 02, 2011, 07:25:11 PM
It works , since I moved to the NE from FL, I have a hard time finding kiwi in the produce dept.

Try The Foreign Dept.
That is where I found it in CT

 My arguement was that, in public, my boots should look greatly shined for the reason of looking professional. I never once said that you are automatically lazy if your boots aren't shined well. I said, if youhave 30 minutes of available time, which means that if you have other things to do, like school, like sleep, like family, than that is different. In quotes of myself "If somebody doesn't have 30 minutes of time in their week, then that is different". I was inferring free personal time, like you are bored and have nothing important to do, or you are not doing anything and want something to do.

Hawk, you misconecpted my comments in public has a shining being a method of getting compliments. No, you got it all wrong! It is about looking like, like I've said before, a professional. Even if nobody ever told me it looks good, I'd still shine. I do admit to misconcepting some of what you said. I'm sorry.

I have boots meant for getting dirty. All the have is a little mink oil on them to keep em waterproof. It'd be stupid to be in the field with a set of shined boots meant for drill, inspections, and parades.

Quote from: Littleguy on July 03, 2011, 07:25:07 PMHawk, you misconecpted my comments in public has a shining being a method of getting compliments. No, you got it all wrong! It is about looking like, like I've said before, a professional. Even if nobody ever told me it looks good, I'd still shine. I do admit to misconcepting some of what you said. I'm sorry.

That's how it came across, but I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that is not what you intended based on your response.

I put wax on boots for the purpose of preserving them, and I do shine them. But there are many people stuck on a shine that has the depth of glass to it. That's too much. If the polish is too thick, it can start cracking, and that looks really unprofessional. There's a great deal of irony in that when you think about it.

Thirty minutes a week is perfectly reasonable to shine boots. Mine do tend to look better than most people's boots, but to me it's about maintaining my boots, not looking for compliments. I tell the cadets in my unit that I expect them to have boots that look at least the same as mine. Any less, they get dinged. Any more is fine as long as the polish isn't cracking. This can show that some people spend too much time on something which can be just as bad as not spending enough. I know that if their boots look about like mine, their footwear should be able to handle the majority of things we're expected to do.

Balance is important. As I referenced above, some people can spend so much time on their uniform that they neglect other things. While active duty, this could be someone that looks nice, but doesn't know their job. I personally knew someone that failed his End of Course because he was spending too much time on his uniforms. He didn't even trust the cleaners to press his uniforms properly (Which to be fair, was a legitimate concern, the cleaners did have a habit of literally pressing wrinkles into the uniform.)

For a cadet, it could mean that there are tests not being studied for because they are overly concerned about their appearance. The uniform is not the mission, it's part of how you conduct the mission.

I have a set of Ropers that I wear daily to work, school, out, etc., and I put Lincoln on them once a week to take care of them. Some people remark that they look nice, and I'll say "Thank you" to be polite, but I don't really care about their thoughts. I do it to prolong the life of my boots, not really for looks.

My first day on the job I showed up with spit shinned boots, after one foot pursuit through a wooded area the shine was done.  After that it was a quick shine paste and buff.  Now I have a pair of boots for CAP BDU'S that are shinned very nicely and one pair for doing utility work.  The easiest pair of boots I had to shine were jump boots, heel and toe rest of the boot was like a glove leather. When the day comes we can wear no shine type boots I will be happy.

Quote from: eaker.cadet on July 03, 2011, 10:21:08 PM
My first day on the job I showed up with spit shinned boots, after one foot pursuit through a wooded area the shine was done.  After that it was a quick shine paste and buff.  Now I have a pair of boots for CAP BDU'S that are shinned very nicely and one pair for doing utility work.  The easiest pair of boots I had to shine were jump boots, heel and toe rest of the boot was like a glove leather. When the day comes we can wear no shine type boots I will be happy.

Son, that's why they have trusty's at the station.  A buck a pair of shoes.  Two bucks for boots.   

Quote from: eaker.cadet on July 03, 2011, 10:21:08 PM
When the day comes we can wear no shine type boots I will be happy.

+1
I dont mean to start an argument, but I personally think that the army's tan boots and the air force's green boots would look fine on BDUs. Might take a little getting used to at first though.

Quote from: titanII on July 04, 2011, 02:58:28 AM

Quote from: eaker.cadet on July 03, 2011, 10:21:08 PM
When the day comes we can wear no shine type boots I will be happy.

+1
I dont mean to start an argument, but I personally think that the army's tan boots and the air force's green boots would look fine on BDUs. Might take a little getting used to at first though.

They look fine. Seen the green boots with BDU's (on Air Force personnel), and wore the tan boots with BDU's when I first rejoined the Guard. Both look just fine.

I'd be happier if the Air Force would get smart and go with tan. I've got about four pairs already broken in.