Shoe polish
Shoe polish, also known as boot polish and shoeshine, is a waxy
Types
Shoe polish can be classified into three types: wax, cream-emulsion, and liquid. Each differs in detailed composition, but all consist of a mixture of waxes and solvents. They often include dyes.[1]
Wax-based shoe polish
, and brown polishes.Owing to its high content of volatile solvents, wax-based shoe polish hardens after application, while retaining its gloss.[2] Poorly blended polishes are known to suffer from blooming, evidenced by the appearance of a white coating of stearin on the polish surface.[citation needed]
Cream-Emulsion shoe polish
These polishes may have a gelatinous consistency. They are composed of the usual three components: waxes, liquid vehicle, and dyes. Unlike wax-based shoe polishes, cream-emulsions contain water and/or oil plus a solvent (either naphtha, turpentine or
Liquid shoe polish
Liquid shoe polish is sold in a squeezable plastic bottle, with a small sponge applicator at the end. To decrease its viscosity, bottled polish usually has a very low wax content. Liquid shoe polish is a complex mixture. Polyethylene wax emulsion is a major component. Various polymers, typically acrylates, are the next major component, conferring gloss and holding the dyes in suspension. Resins and casein are selected to ensure adhesion to the leather. Fatty phosphate esters, emulsifiers, and glycols are also used. Pigments include titanium dioxide for whites and iron oxides for browns. Although liquid polish can put a fast shine on shoes, many experts warn against its long-term use because it can cause the leather to dry out and crack.[citation needed]
Manufacture
The process for producing shoe polish is very straightforward and the required equipment is relatively easy to acquire. The cost of establishing shoe polish manufacturing facilities has been estimated at
Shoe polish is manufactured in large, thermostated, stirred reactors. Steps are taken to ensure that volatile solvents do not evaporate. Typically, low-melting paraffin wax is melted, followed by the higher melting waxes, and finally the colorant-stearate mixture. The molten mass is added to warm solvent before being dispensed. Wax-based shoe polish is traditionally packaged in flat, round, 60-gram (2-ounce)
History
Before the twentieth century
From medieval times,
In the late 18th and early 19th century, many forms of shoe polish became available, yet were rarely referred to as shoe polish or boot polish. Instead, they were often called blacking, especially when mixed with
In London, the Warren brothers, Thomas and Jonathan, started making blacking around 1795–98, initially in partnership and then with competing companies. Jonathan Warren's Blacking company is noted as the first employer of the young Charles Dickens aged 12 in 1823.[6] The competitor to the Warren companies in London is the Day & Martin company formed in 1801.[7]
Details of the operation of Day & Martin in 1842 reveal that the blacking they produced was in two forms, bottled liquid, and a thick paste which was available in either small wide-mouthed stone tubs, slabs wrapped in oiled paper, or in "circular tin-boxes, about three inches in diameter, and half or three-quarters of an inch thick.". Tinned blacking paste was at this time exclusively for army use: "[…] a bottle of liquid blacking would be rather a burden […] yet, as the soldier’s boots or shoes must to some extent emulate the brightness and glitter of the boots of those who pay for battles instead of fighting them, a portable blacking apparatus is provided.".[8]
In 1832, James S. Mason of Philadelphia began the commercial production of shoe blacking and inks. In 1851, James S. Mason & Co. constructed a building at 138/140 Front St. where ultimately ten million boxes were produced annually, to hold tins of blacking produced by two hundred employees. Later, tins of blacking were labeled as Mason Shoe Polish. This business ceased operation in 1919 and the building was razed in 1973.[9][10]
Other early leather preserving products included the Irish brand Punch, which was first made in 1851. In 1889, an English man by the name of William Edward Wren, started making shoe polishes and
Prior to 1906, shoe polish was not well known as a purchasable product, nor was it particularly sophisticated. While sales were not especially high, a few brands, like Nugget, were available in the UK during the 19th century. The practice of shining people’s shoes gradually caught on and soon many shoeshine boys in city streets were offering shoe shines using a basic form of shoe polish along with a polishing cloth.[citation needed]
Modern polish
The first shoe polish to resemble the modern varieties (aimed primarily at inducing shine) were the British and British Commonwealth brands like Cherry Blossom,
Ramsay named the shoe polish after the
A rival brand in the early years was Cobra Boot Polish, based in Sydney. Cobra was noted for a series of cartoon advertisements in The Sydney Bulletin, starting in 1909, using a character called "Chunder Loo of Akim Foo." Chunder is Australian slang for vomit, and possibly originated through the rhyming slang of Chunder Loo and spew (another slang word for vomit).[16]
Surge in popularity
At the end of the 19th century, leather shoes and boots became affordable to the masses, and with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the demand for large numbers of polished army boots led to a need in the
Shoe manufacturing improvements in the mid-19th century allowed for factories to produce large numbers of shoes made of leather, and later synthetic materials. This increase in leather shoe production continued well into the 20th century and led to a surge in the number of retail shoe stores in the industrialized world, and subsequently a call for shoe polish by footwear consumers.[citation needed]
Shoe polish was to be found just about everywhere Allied troops ventured.[18] American war correspondent Walter Graeber wrote for TIME magazine from the Tobruk trenches in 1942 that "old tins of British-made Kiwi polish lay side by side with empty bottles of Chianti."[19] A story indicative of the rise in global significance of shoe polish is told by Jean (Gertrude) Williams, a New Zealander who lived in Japan during the Allied occupation straight after World War II. American soldiers were then finding the dullness of their boots and shoes to be a handicap when trying to win the affections of Japanese women.[15] U.S. military footwear of the time was produced in brown leather with the rough side out.
When the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces arrived in Japan—all with boots polished to a degree not known in the U.S. forces—the
G.I.s were more conscious than ever of their feet. The secret was found to rest not only in spit and polish, but in the superior Australian boot polish, a commodity which was soon exchanged with the Americans on a fluctuating basis of so many packets of cigarettes for one can of Kiwi boot polish.[citation needed]
Soldiers returning from the war continued to use the product, leading to a further surge in its popularity. While Kiwi shoe polish was what business historian
Modern day
Shoe polish products are low-value items that are infrequently purchased, as a single can might last several months for even the most frequent user. Consumer demand is
There are numerous branded products available, as well as generic
Kiwi was acquired by the American company
In recent years,[when?] there has been a rise in popularity of high-end shoe polishes, such as Saphir made by Avel and Boot Black made by Columbus.[citation needed]
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KIWI Shoe Polish canning machine in 1972 – empty tins being loaded
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Full tins from machine
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Staff fitting lids by hand
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Staff packing cans into boxes
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1972, KIWI Shoe Polish Warehouse Storage, at K&M Candle & shoe Polish Factory, Brockholes, West Yorkshire
Usage
Shoe polish is applied to the shoe using a
Shoe polish may be purchased pre-soaked into a hard sponge, which can be used to buff leather without needing to apply any additional polish to either the leather or the sponge. This is usually known as an applicator.[citation needed]
Related products
Many products are closely related to shoe polish, but not strictly considered as such. Other chemical products may be used to clean and shine shoes—in particular whiteners for white shoes, and a variety of sprays and
Although shoe polish is primarily intended for leather shoes, some brands specify that it may be used on non-porous materials, such as vinyl. The polish is generally the same colour as the shoes it will be used upon, or it may be neutral, lacking any colouring agents.[citation needed]
Safety and environmental considerations
This section needs expansion with: elaboration on what particular substances may be harmful, which specific ones have been removed, etc.. You can help by adding to it. (October 2021) |
Shoe polish is such a niche market that its environmental impact is negligible. Solvent evaporation is one issue. Dyes and pigments with "severe carcinogenic profiles"[vague] have been removed from most formulations. Shoe polish often contains unhealthy products, they can among some affect feet themselves.[1]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 3527306730.
- ^ Kiwi brands – shoe polish: Material safety data sheet. Health and Environment Resource Center. Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Conclusions Archived 2005-03-02 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). UK Competition Commission (1992) - Conclusions of a report on Sara Lee and the shoe polish market in general. Accessed November 26, 2007.
- ^ "Northeast India Database: Shoe Polish". National Informatics Centre, Assam, North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
- ^ History files, The Stockyards: Slaughterhouse to the world, Meatpacking technology. Archived 2007-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Chicago Historical Society. Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ISBN 9781463687908
- ^ "Day & Martin", Grace's Guide
- ^ Knight, Charles, ed. (December 1842). The Penny Magazine. Vol. 2. London: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. p. 512.
- ^ Philadelphia and Its Manufacturers: A Hand-book of the Great Manufactories and Representative Mercantile House of Philadelphia 1867, Edwin Troxwell Freedley, Edward Young & Co, Philadelphia, 1867
- ^ Susina Plantation: the Masons. Accessed June 11, 2015 Archived January 13, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Adressbücher, Center for Berlin Studies, Berlin, 1890: Gebrüder Kroner, Chemische Fbrk., Zintern, Lade, chem. Präper. Fette, S. Annenstr. 14 Pt. Inh. Hugo u. Siegfried Kroner (Translation: Kroner Brothers, Chemical Factory, Polish, …chemical preparations, fat, South Annenstraße 14, parterre, owners Hugo and Siegfried Kroner. Addresses listed in the phone books include: 1890-92 EOS:Annenstraße 14, 1893- EOS:Hagelberger Straße 6 Parterre (ground floor),1902-09EOS: Alexandrinenstraße 119, 120, 1911-34 EOS: Warschauer Straße 31-36
- ^ "Press advertisement: Wren's shoe polish | Details". www.hatads.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ William Ramsay. White Hat Tours (February 22, 2004). Internet archive version. Accessed November 11, 2007.
- ^ Going High to Hauroki. Archived 2005-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Kiwiphile, Volume XIII, No. 1, September 2000. Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ^ a b Imagination: 100 years of bright ideas in Australia Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Australian Government, chapter 3 (iv) 2004-01-22, p. 7. Accessed November 28, 2007.
- ^ Dodd, Robert. Sez you. Take Our Word For It, Issue 173, p. 4. Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ^ "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (full video)". Internet Archive. 1927. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ Information on the burial place of Kiwi founder William Ramsay. Accessed November 28, 2007
- ^ Kiwi Boot Polish Archived 2005-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, Kiwiphile Magazine, September 2000. Accessed November 28, 2007.
- ISBN 9780313357152.
- ^ "Kiwi Polishes Up Its Line Of Products". Orlando Sentinel. 11 March 1990. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ "Steven Anthony Hill Collection Guide". East Carolina University. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Sara Lee Corporation and Reckitt & Colman plc: A report on the acquisition by the Sara Lee Corporation of part of the shoe care business of Reckitt & Colman plc. Archived 2005-12-17 at the Wayback Machine UK Competition Commission (1992). Accessed on November 27, 2007.
- ^ Sara Lee's potential monopoly (annual report) (PDF). Federal Trade Commission (1994). Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ^ "Sara Lee Will Pay Record $3.1 Million Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Premerger Notification Requirements" (Press release). US Department of Justice. February 6, 1996. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008.. Accessed November 27, 2007
- ^ Morris, Theodore. "Protective Coating Compositions". United States Patent 3700013, FreePatentsOnline.com. Accessed February 05, 2008.
- ISBN 0-7621-0705-7.
External links
- Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. .
- How shoe polish is made (video)