closure is a glaze you see only on tv screens

[meikuree]

a quirky incident: my partner ordered a democratic theory book online recently. the package came alright, but when we opened it it had a pack of walnut biscuits inside instead of the Oakeshott tome we were expecting. turns out the sender had mixed orders up, but if it hadn't happened irl it would've sounded like the start to a surrealist story. the sender said we could keep the biscuits; we enjoyed them. I felt sorry for the other recipient, who probably wouldn't find the same use or enjoyment from Oakeshott's writing.

recent happenings:

went to France for a short trip and met up with online friends transversely and bireaucracy IRL at a Kurdish restaurant, very Exordia-core. and an incroyable experience!

I've fallen ill with a sneaky cold (again!) I've been listening to illness classics I Want to Be Well and I Walked by sufjan stevens, and also lots of live Tori Amos songs -- there's a live "bootleg" rendition of Mother that sends chills every time I listen to it, no matter what's happening in my life. the simplicity of a piano and powerfully sad lyrics is something that can be so personal.

I was going to do a big reading round-up, but instead I will chat on about refurbishing shoes, aka "OP is now a shoe geek?!"

real answer: I'm not, but after all my BIFL reading from months ago I picked up some advice on how to make shoes last longer and care for them. well, it came in handy recently. last week I picked up a pair of secondhand leather COS sandals from a street market for 13 quid (original price £135). they were in decent condition and very comfortable, but obviously had a few signs of wear:

1. a mid-sized piece of black gunk? stuck to the bottom of the right sole, that looked like it could be peeled off
2. grey marks on the wooden block
3. light scuff marks on the leather upper
4. I also wanted to clean the soles up enough in general for me to add some cheap protective rubber soles, to help them last longer.

because I am incredibly sane and chill, I've spent the last few days not convalescing, but trying to DIY clean the sandals when I've been lucid enough, because I find it therapeutic. I used Google to track down the exact item and the materials used in its construction, so I'd know how to tackle them:

These sandals are designed with a contrasting wooden heel and chunky metal buckle details. Made from extra-smooth leather, they have nubuck foot soles and lightly cushioned insoles for added comfort.

I groaned when I saw the bit about nubuck soles, because nubuck and suede are a pain to clean (also, seems like a design issue? nubuck is durable but still a questionable material for outer soles), but I like a challenge, so: TLDR, I tested and experimented with different methods.

materials I had on hand included: black shoe polish, leather conditioner (mink oil + beeswax), antibacterial household wipes, a toothpick, a pair of old tweezers.

first I sanitised the footbed with antibacterial wipes. the black shoe polish took care easily of 3; the most complicated bit was simply avoiding the metal buckles and nubuck sole while applying it. the grey marks on the wooden heel (2) went away with antibacterial wipes and some consistent pressure.

1 was more complex. the common wisdom is that you shouldn't get nubuck wet/it should be damp at most, but since I got these shoes for £13 I had nothing to lose and was feeling spicy. I brushed off residual dirt, used a little foam to get rid of old dirt marks, and then used the antibacterial wipes to wipe off as much stubborn dirt as I could. I tested the wipes first on a small area to make sure it wouldn't remove any... nubuck dye... and then went all in and removed some of the dirt.

now for removing the black gunk! I used a toothpick first to do initial delicate work, as it was less likely to scratch the leather soles. and then -- I don't advise trying any of what I did with your shoes, but especially this -- I used the tweezers to scrape away at the black gunk, as it was remarkably more efficient.

it worked for a reasonable definition of 'work', because the black gunk is sort-of gone. and then I used the (apparently 'suede safe') leather conditioner to moisturise and waterproof the soles, and will add the protective rubber soles when they're dry. the mink oil darkened the nubuck, obviously, but since these are the bottom of the shoes and nobody will see them, I don't really mind.

and that's how I got my shoes looking as close to new as possible, on two shoestrings and a half's budget.

Comments

[blueshiftofdeath]

OMG-- is your online friend the same as bireaucracy / Elisha?? We're friends too although I haven't been able to see them around since I dropped all social media besides Dreamwidth. I'm very happy to hear you had fun together! (Apologies if this actually came up before and I just didn't remember it??)

I've been exposed to a lot of shoe geekery which I really enjoy-- how exciting you got to apply that to your sandals! I think doing that kind of care on your items is very satisfying. Congrats on your beautiful like-new shoes!

[nnozomi]

omigod, I love the biscuits vs. philosophy mixup. That actually does sound like the start of a short story. (At least it wasn't the book you wanted hollowed out to serve as a biscuit box?)

very envious of your short France trip! Sounds lovely. (and wait, transversely is the one who's written a lot of anime-related fic? I love their writing!)

hope your cold is better, summer colds suck. <3