Cordovan leather

[Cufflink79]

I know Cordovan leather belts are made, but are gloves made as well?

Or at least in the Cordovan color?

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[rjman]

I know Cordovan leather belts are made, but are gloves made as well?

That would amaze me, but I've seen alligator gloves so anything's possible. I'd imagine cordovan may be too thick and/or stiff for gloving use, though.

Or at least in the Cordovan color?

Certainly, if you mean a sort of bordeaux color -- check with Chester Jefferies, Merola, or in France, Lavabre-Cadet.

[dopey]

. . .
Or at least in the Cordovan color?

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

My daily wear gloves, until it gets much colder, are a pair of unlined Dents. They were marked as brown, but if I didn't know that, I would say they are Cordovan colored. Very close to No. 8 (though that is a moving target).

As RJman said, real shell seems unsuitable for gloves.

[RWS]

I'd not be surprised to learn that cordovan has been -- might still be -- used to make gloves for rough work that doesn't require "fine motor skills".

[Sir Henry]

Use as stiff a brush as you can find. I have seen cordovan leather polished on a motor driven belt polisher with nearly sand paper like brushes attached. The same treatment would turn calf leather into shredded carrot salad. So brush the daylights out of it and the natural oils will polish the shoe for you.

With a new pair of shells, sometimes the leather needs a few waxes so that the colour can become satisfactory. A recent pair of mine were alittle off colour so l had no choice but to use coloured wax.

S.H

[ROKI]

Attracted to the straightforward simplicity of the Alden method, I decided to run a field test on a pair of brown cordovan chukkas, armed with a Chinatown kitchenwares shop's coarsest brush, better suited to scrubbing stone floors than polishing leather.

Two minutes of vigorous brushing later, the cordovan looking scuffed and scraped beyond salvation, I thought I'd made a terrible mistake. Desperate, I tried remedial work with a soft brush, which miraculously removed every trace of abuse after about ten minutes. All of the "damage" had been to the waxy outer coating rather than the material itself. Many additional minutes of polishing with the horsehair brush never really yielded the soft glow I was hoping for, but I can confirm cordovan's toughness and resiliency.

I'll try again later with a brush somewhere in between these two extremes. In the meantime, any advice on my technique is most welcome.

Robert

[NicolausN]

Use as stiff a brush as you can find. I have seen cordovan leather polished on a motor driven belt polisher with nearly sand paper like brushes attached. The same treatment would turn calf leather into shredded carrot salad. So brush the daylights out of it and the natural oils will polish the shoe for you.

I second this! After receiving this tip in the Q&A forum I took Mr. Alden at his word and found a stiff nylon-bristled brush that is usually used on our tile kitchen floor! I took a deep breath and let 'er have it. Beautiful... and it didn't ruin the leather at all!

[Winot]

Can anyone let me know why cordovan wallets are so expensive? Surely less leather and skill is required than for a pair of shoes?

[yachtie]

My oldest shoes are a pair of #8 Alden cordovan chukkas that are about 20 years old. They are on their fourth soles and I can't even remember what's the heel count. N.B. these aren't some seldom worn prima donnas but were worn a few times a week, in winter, for years. They're still my go-to shoes for a quick trip out when it's sloppy. As someone who is rather hard on shoes, I find shell to be an amazing economy.
I've found that a very infrequent application of Saphir Renovateur is helpful followed by a paste wax applied very sparingly. Especially for the "old ones".

Not looking too pretty in this picture but they do still shine up nicely and boy are they soft.

[jamesbd]

Very interesting thread, gents. Thank you

I think the reason that English makers avoid cordovan, is that the only reliable brand is Horween, which must be imported, and is thus proves expensive. I recently bought a dark burgundy shell here in the UK and it cost £90+. I have made a pair of monks and have enough left over for some quarters or possibly a pair of vamps (but that will only work as a two-tone style).

If anyone can point me in the direction of another manufacturer, I would be grateful.

I love cordovan. When you get the shell, it is dark and lustrous; thick and hide like; but when you come to lasting, it transforms into a supple and thouroughly compliant friend. Also, it lightens in colour on the points of most tension, resulting in an almost antiqued finish.

And yes, it is very hard wearing and easy to maintain

Lastly, what is the difference between using cow and horse leather? Pure sentimentality.

[h. richard]

I have several pairs of shell cordovan shoes by Alden, in #8 and cigar. I read on Will's blog that due to the nature of the material these shoes are excellent to wear in the rain, and this seems to be confirmed by a few posts on LL.

My question is whether they can be worn without harm from the sort of road salt and sidewalk salt that is put down when it snows. I do a lot of walking on city streets that are very frequently salted, and I've been told that this salt can damage some leathers. Is shell cordovan exempt? Is there anything that can hurt it? (I pretty much abuse them and haven't found anything yet that does, but I'm just asking..)

[Cufflink79]

My question is whether they can be worn without harm from the sort of road salt and sidewalk salt that is put down when it snows. I do a lot of walking on city streets that are very frequently salted, and I've been told that this salt can damage some leathers. Is shell cordovan exempt? Is there anything that can hurt it? (I pretty much abuse them and haven't found anything yet that does, but I'm just asking..)

I grew up in Minnesota, and during the winter I'd wear overshoes to protect my shoes from snow, salt, and sand.

Salt can do great damage and even just pain old snow can do damage as well.

Also, the leather souls of the shoes can absorb water so i'd wear the overshoes in the rain as well to keep my feet dry.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[Sir Henry]

needn't anything be done to replenish the natural oils?

Cordovan leather is very rich in its own oils. You just have to heat it with brushing to get the oil to the surface. I have 20 year old cordovan shoes that have never seen wax or oils, they are supple and shine with a bit of brushing. OK, let's define a bit of brushing. Best is a pretty coarse brush and you need to really go at the leather vigorously. Don't be gentle, you cannot hurt the leather with the brush. Try it..

One thing that worries me about vigourously using a hard brush is the ill effect it might have on the stitching on the uppers, especially the wingtips. Wouldn't all this hard brushing fray the upper stitching?

Cordovan also make my feet noticably more heated.

[DonB]

My boots took quite a beating due to the harsh weather conditions. I would like you to take a look at the attached photo:

http://bars.rug.nl/download/7c0f62ae134639a3

As can be seen on the photograph the weather left its marks. I have (repeatedly) tried to remove the stain using soap and water, letting them dry and brushing, but alas, to no avail.

[yachtie]

My boots took quite a beating due to the harsh weather conditions. I would like you to take a look at the attached photo:

http://bars.rug.nl/download/7c0f62ae134639a3

As can be seen on the photograph the weather left its marks. I have (repeatedly) tried to remove the stain using soap and water, letting them dry and brushing, but alas, to no avail.

Try Renovateur- use a good deal and rub in. Adding brown wax to the wet Renovateur will even up the color nicely. The dye your shoemaker used ran and needs to be evened out.