How to make a glazed shoe on your own?

Old shoes have lost their former luster, and the hand does not rise to part with them? Do not rush to throw away your favorite pair of shoes. Try updating it using a simple procedure called glassage.

Glassage is a French word and, like everything French, carries a certain chic and brilliance. Glassage is shoe polishing, which even makes old shoes aesthetically pleasing, giving it a pristine sheen and hiding wrinkles. Glassage also protects it from external influences, including water.

Glassage can be both amateur and professional. When you first encounter equipment, you can spend up to two hours polishing, but with proper dexterity, the time will be reduced to 30 minutes.

Professional glassing is performed only by a master with experience. It takes a lot of time for it, but the effect of it lasts much longer, and the appearance of the shoes usually turns out to be much more advantageous.

The service life of the glass depends directly on how well it was made and how often you wear shoes. With a rare wear of shoes, the effect can last even a year, with frequent - several months.

Glassass can be asked to make a master. But if you have a desire, then it is quite realistic to perform the procedure yourself at home. It will not only give the boots a fresh look, but also protect it from the harmful effects of chemicals that strew our roads.

It is important to consider that glassage is a long and painstaking procedure.If an experienced master can do this in 20-30 minutes, then An amateur novice may need several hours. Therefore, we stock up on patience, take perseverance, accuracy, a great desire to help and proceed to the preparation of funds.

For glass we need:

1. A small piece of cotton fabric. Some advise using velvet or fleece. The main thing is that the fabric is soft, but at the same time dense.
2. Gutalin. Try to choose the closest in color to your pair of shoes, if this is not, take a neutral one.
3. A small container of water.
4. Rubber gloves or fingertips (sold at the pharmacy).
5. Metal knitting needle, bamboo stick or tweezers.

The place where you will perform glassing should be well ventilated and have excellent lighting. Gutalin is not a French perfume, it is better to get rid of its smell quickly.

First, inspect the shoes for pollution. Mumps, specks of dust can make your work useless. But cracks and creases are easily eliminated through glassage. It’s better to “stuff” the sock with paper or cloth. Ideally, you can use a wooden or plastic form.

Some do it on the back, which is suitable only for large aesthetes. Firstly, the back is not so striking as the front, and secondly, constant friction with trousers or jeans do not allow to maintain the effect for a long time. Glassing on the vamp and berets is not done.

Stages of holding a glass.

1. We put on the index finger a fingertip or a thin rubber glove on the whole hand.
2. We wind the fabric on the index finger. It is important that it fits snugly, and the “tails” do not interfere with your work. So wrap your finger around as if you were making a tight bandage when stretched.
3. “Dip” a finger into a jar of shoe polish. Just do it very carefully. We need very little money.
4. We begin to draw circles on the cape of the boot. The movements should be soft, without pressure, counterclockwise. We continue the procedure for 10-15 seconds.
5. Apply a drop of water to the surface to be treated. Just a drop, no more. If there is no pipette on hand, do it with a knitting needle or a bamboo stick. We continue the circular motion.
6. Make sure that the bandaged finger always remains slightly damp. The keyword is a bit. As you already understood, glassage is a delicate matter. It does not tolerate rudeness.
7. Apply the next thin layer of shoe polish. Now movements can be not only circular. Rub the product both along and across.
8. A drop of water again. We repeat this cycle until the skin surface literally begins to shine.

• Excessive amount of shoe polish or water can lead to the opposite effect. The surface of the shoe "swells", covered with tubercles or stains.
• Too much pressure will cause cracking or creasing on the shoe.
• Cheap products may not produce results or even ruin the surface of shoes. Use shoe polish, the price of which is not lower than 400 rubles, you will have enough packaging for a long time. It is in any case cheaper than a new pair of good leather shoes.
• If at a certain moment you see that all your efforts do not give a result and the shoe does not become brilliant, continue the procedure the next day, when shoe polish and water are well absorbed.
• In case something went wrong, there were stains or shoe polish lay uneven, tubercles appeared, mercilessly part with the results of the work done.Remove the applied product with a hard brush and start all over again. In this case, as in the popular saying, only patience and labor will grind everything, and in the literal sense of the word. But the result is worth it.

So do not part with your beloved old pair of shoes, the glassing procedure can return it to its former appearance. Yes, and save a few thousand rubles on the purchase of new shoes will also not be superfluous. In extreme cases, seek help from a shoe store. The shoemaker will do this work for you, which again will prove to be much more profitable than going to the store and buying a new leather shoe pair.