Emily Post once wrote that a gentleman's white buck shoes "must be whitened and polished like a prize bull terrier at a bench show," advice I take to heart. And when after several years my probably irreplaceable white bucks got a bit dirty, I took them to my trusty shine stand for a good cleaning. That started a small odyssey that wasted much of an afternoon.
You see, the shampoo left my shoes a bit, well, tan instead of snowy white and the usually reliable folks at the stand had no idea what to do about it. So, thinking that I'd read somewhere that the way to whiten buckskin is to dust it with white chalk, I set out to pick some up. Try finding the stuff. I started with talcum, which essentially is not available in this country unless it's mixed with fragrance. And that was not the point.
After searching for a while I finally stumbled upon a reference to something called a buck bag. Made by a company called Fiebing's, it claimed to be a porous bag of powder that would do the job. A Google search turned up a couple of sources and, wonder of wonders, the price was only $2.69. I immediately added some to my shopping cart and started to check out only to find that my source had a $50 minimum. For a penny's worth of chalk and some burlap.
And so it was that, after seriously considering entering the buck bag resale business in order to get rid of a couple dozen extra bags, I eventually found the item in stock at Robert's Shoe Store in Minneapolis for the now reasonable sounding price of $6 each. Plus tax. And $5 shipping.
I got a couple because the product looks like something that was discontinued in 1933 and who knows how long it would take to find it the next time. Reasonable men will stock up immediately.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Maintenance: Cleaning White Bucks
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17 comments:
Go to local big box office supply store and get a box of white chalk, the kind the teachers used to use before whiteboards. Tie a few sticks into a bundle using cheesecloth. Bang the hell out of it with a hammer. Vola! Instant buck bag.
But how did it work out for you? My white bucks are more slate these days and hitting them with a buck bag, (same brand as yours) doesn't seem to help...
Maybe it is easier to buy a new pair of Bucks! Doesn't the chalk eventually come off or wipe off on carpeting, furniture or the like?
Scott, I'll let you know next week.
I don't have any idea where I could buy new shoes with white buckskin uppers and red rubber soles, even bespoke. And if I could have them made, a man could probably buy an entire Death Valley chalk mine for the price of a bespoke pair. So I'll give the buck bag a workout and see what happens.
I wondered how hard it would be to find white bucks, so I searched, and found this: http://tinyurl.com/64mcxm. Click on the illustration to enlarge it, and you'll see the very same Fiebing's buck bag pictured with the shoes!
The Bass Exeter is available online. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a white buck, as it looks off-white to me: http://www.shoes.com/Shop/ProductDetails.aspx?p=EC1106026
You can also look around for the Polo Barton. A quick google search can find some in boys sizes, but I'm sure they are available in men's sizes somewhere.
As for cleaning white bucks, I was able to find a suede cleaner at a Johnston & Murphy store. It's basically an eraser. It did an OK job, but not as good as I had hoped.
I'm not sure if this would work, but they put chalk or talcum in pouches for people who play billiards or bowling.
Will,
During the American war of independence from England, 1775-1783 era, French mercenary, horse soldiers were part of General George Washington's army on a march to Virginia. The French soldiers wore white tunics in order to intimidate the enemy and simply to look good, as they were French. At the end of a day's march the tunics were less than all white. The soldiers each carried a large bag of chalk dust and around the campfire at night they would restore the tunics to tout blanc for the next day's march.
Thanks for the update, Will. Sorry the cleaning yellowed them slightly. My understanding is that a buck bag will not necessarily restore the shoe to a like-new appearance, but should improve what you have. I’ve used the suede eraser mentioned with good success on colored suede. Several tan bucks and rust calf suede jacket. It might be more problematic if the entire shoe has discolored.
I’d take a shot with a non-metallic suede brush, (The brass ones oxidize over time and can discolor lighter suede.) Give them a good brushing and apply the buck bag liberally. Then I’d brush them again to help work the chalk into the nap and remove any excess, and then lightly apply the buck bag again. That will probably be about as good as you can hope. Reapplication as needed will slow what must ultimately occur. I’ve heard some rather enjoy a vintage look
White Bucks at O'Connell's:
http://www.oconnellsclothing.com/shoes_casual_slippers.php
Here's the correct link:
http://shop.oconnellsclothing.com/
casual_shoes.php
With all due respect the shoe's at O'Connels are the same one's Brooks sold last year and Jos Bank. They are not suede but nubuck and look, for lack of a better adjective chunky with a sole that reminds one of a running board.
I successfuly relplaced mine this year at the Alden store in NYC. They are suede and are made up specially for the NYC store.
Hi Will,
Tim's got the trick down. I use a copper wire brush and the buck bag and get them fairly spiffed up.Not new looking, mind you, but whiter. I'm sort of hoping it carries the same caché as the yellowing, "champagne-stained" DJ.
I do enjoy this shoe ...
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=523&Product_Id=974861&Parent_Id=522&default_color=White#
It comes with a bag!!!
Orvis has some as well:
http://tinyurl.com/6qgcdp
They're likely the same as the O'Connell's nubuck, and I make no claims as to their elegance, but options are always good...
Actually, the chalk idea is Ok except it basically covers up the dirt and doesn't really remove it. But there's another way. I used to have an eraser bag years ago. You can't find them today but you can make one, more or less, using an art eraser, the kind that crumbles and leaves a lot of shavings.
I am looking at a soft, tan-colored eraser, 2" long by 1" by 5/8" thick. It is marked "General's Fine Art and Craft Gum Eraser No. 136E U.S.A." I think I got it at K-Mart for $1.00 but they are generally available.
Find some burlap or loosely-woven cloth. Not sure if cheesecloth would work. Burlap is probably the best. Chop or otherwise scrunch up one or two erasers into chunks say 1/4". Make a small bag about 2" by 3", fill it with these pieces and sew it shut.
As you rub the shoe, the small fragments of the rubber shavings come thru the burlap and provide cleaning and erasure of the dirty marks. The burlap brushes the buck at the same time.
You can also keep a spare eraser and use it directly but carefully on any stubborn kicks or smudges. The result will be a worn but well cared for pair of white or off-white shoes with plenty of chartacter but no really distracting dirt.
DO NOT use a copper or wire brush on buck shoes. It works on suede but will do more damage than cleaning on white or tan buck or nu-buck leather.~~
Have a two tone buck with a white leather and brown around the lace-up area. Just tried something I had been wondering about. I just used Mr. Clean Magic eraser. (Stores sell it as a way to get scuff marks off the wall.) Worked great at removing the dirt and dust that had settled into the creases and restoring the cleanliness of the shoes. I would caution anyone to test out in a small area before applying to shoes. I may not do this with suede. Mine are all leather so I took a chance.
Also people were talking about erasers and using them on a shoe. How about this: http://www.cutting-mats.net/eraser-cleaningpad-3277.html I used them in drafting classes in college. Basically ground erasers in a porous bag. Think that would do quite well actually.
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