Boot cleaning / polishing / care of

[Kat Stevens]

Well, my "extrapolation" is,

-if you can't take care of your footwear, how can you take care of your uniform?
-if you can't take care of your uniform, how can you take care of a weapon?
-if you can't take  care of your weapon, how can you take care of your buddy?
-if you can't take care of your buddy, how can you take care of Bravo?
-etc....

It may be a really archaic way of looking at things, but it's worked for me in Civy jobs for 15+ years....
And worked well.


I get that from boots.

Sorry, I'm not making the connection.  I was never a postcard soldier, but my weapon was always clean, my vehicle was always ready to go, mechanical failure notwithstanding, and for the most part I could be counted on to have my comrades' backs.

 

[Hammer Sandwich]

Sorry, I'm not making the connection.  I was never a postcard soldier, but my weapon was always clean, my vehicle was always ready to go, mechanical failure notwithstanding, and for the most part I could be counted on to have my comrades' backs.

See, I commented on MY experience, and opinion....I was a PRes. fella who judged my peers on things like "Dress & Deportment"....(I know, it's gayer that Elton with a purse full of Rainbows)....

In my current/former situation, the way people present themselves is important.

As for SupersonicMax, & Kat Stevens, (and loads of other posters on here),.....I think REAL TIME performance is the important thing.....and you've proved that...but I don't think comparing boots to planes falling out of the sky is all that "valid".


Shoot, I see the whole "BOOTS" thing as a metaphor.

If you can take care of the "small" things, you have the capacity to take care of the "big" things.

That's what I was going for......

 

[ballz]

Well, my "extrapolation" is,

-if you can't take care of your footwear, how can you take care of your uniform?
-if you can't take care of your uniform, how can you take care of a weapon?
-if you can't take  care of your weapon, how can you take care of your buddy?
-if you can't take care of your buddy, how can you take care of Bravo?
-etc....

It may be a really archaic way of looking at things, but it's worked for me in Civy jobs for 15+ years....
And worked well.


I get that from boots.

But the boots are shiny and polished? How is it not taking care of them?

When I think of integrity and boots, I think of an NCO who uses "x" method of polishing his boots, which makes them awesome, and then telling his subbies they aren't allowed to use "x" method... and then of course gives it to them cause his boots are shinier.... Now that would be a lack of integrity...

Or sure, even if you were going against the dress regs, you could make an argument that you're lacking integrity (a somewhat lacking argument at that)... but as has been pointed out, that's just not the case....

Like I said, I use elbow grease because it works and I can attain and maintain the standard I need to... but if I could drop my boots off somewhere and pay 50 bucks and get them back looking like mirrors and only need to maintain them... I'd pay the 50 bucks... just like I pay the drycleaners to iron and put creases in my CF shirts and stuff...

Does anybody think I lack integrity because I go to the drycleaners instead of ironing my own shirts? Seriously, I'm curious...

 

[Hammer Sandwich]

So if I haven't shone/blackened my boots in 6+ months it means I cannot fly my airplane properly?  Or am I missing something?

Yup, no doubt about it

From what I understand as a Chemist, (obviously the first person you go to for flight dynamics), your flight will plummet.

Problem being, your aircraft load is ÈsupposedÈ to take into account the average weight of each crew member....including NTS.....footwear, and ancillary.......

If you are 6 months short on polish......whole dynamic changes.

 

[Hammer Sandwich]

But the boots are shiny and polished? How is it not taking care of them?

When I think of integrity and boots, I think of an NCO who uses "x" method of polishing his boots, which makes them awesome, and then telling his subbies they aren't allowed to use "x" method... and then of course gives it to them cause his boots are shinier.... Now that would be a lack of integrity...

Or sure, even if you were going against the dress regs, you could make an argument that you're lacking integrity (a somewhat lacking argument at that)... but as has been pointed out, that's just not the case....

Like I said, I use elbow grease because it works and I can attain and maintain the standard I need to... but if I could drop my boots off somewhere and pay 50 bucks and get them back looking like mirrors and only need to maintain them... I'd pay the 50 bucks... just like I pay the drycleaners to iron and put creases in my CF shirts and stuff...

Does anybody think I lack integrity because I go to the drycleaners instead of ironing my own shirts? Seriously, I'm curious...

Yup....total integrity fail.

You are an elbow grease advocate, but you take your shirts out.....

But.....this depends on your rung in the hierarchy.

New fella......no vendors.....its a course, treat it as such.

Seasoned.....shoot, you could probably get your whole kit ironed, and nobody would say boo.

IMHO, the standards set, like oh, I dunno....BOOTS......is part of that training.


Comparing untrained vs. trained vs. seasoned people is like comparing apples & roof trusses.

 

[Hammer Sandwich]

Sorry, I'm not making the connection.  I was never a postcard soldier, but my weapon was always clean, my vehicle was always ready to go, mechanical failure notwithstanding, and for the most part I could be counted on to have my comrades' backs.

Well then, you've proved the analogy.

That's exactly it.

 

[Kat Stevens]

I would say the opposite.  I couldn't give a flying rats rectum if or how a troops boots are shiny.  Is his gear squared away and does he know his shit?  Good enough.  This whole thing takes me back to my (first) CLC;

Course officer- " How can you expect to be trusted to lead Canadian soldiers into battle when you can't get your black socks rolled into little canoes properly??" 
Me- "Ummmm....."

 

[ballz]

Yup....total integrity fail.

You are an elbow grease advocate, but you take your shirts out.....

Well I'm not an "advocate" at all...

But.....this depends on your rung in the hierarchy.

New fella......no vendors.....its a course, treat it as such.

Seasoned.....shoot, you could probably get your whole kit ironed, and nobody would say boo.

IMHO, the standards set, like oh, I dunno....BOOTS......is part of that training.


Comparing untrained vs. trained vs. seasoned people is like comparing apples & roof trusses.

Now, that's interesting... seems to me that is the exact opposite of integrity, but I am just a New Fella...

Like I said, on a course like Basic where the point is about many things like hard work and long days, attention to detail, etc, I can see why it's an integrity issue... otherwise... I don't get ??? I will retreat back to observing...

 

[Nauticus]

If the CF regs don't specifically say you can or cannot paint your boots, then to me, it sounds like this should be up to your CoC.

So with that said, I believe the correct response would be to go to your chain of command and bring it up to them. They will give you a definitive answer on whether or not they accept boots that are shined in an nontraditional way.

 

[DirtyDog]

I had a coursemate in battle school take his parade boots into an auto body shop and they did a terrific job that seemed to resist cracking and was flexible.  Of course it was a little too perfect and the DS coerced him into a confession into what he had done before making him takes his gerber to the boots and destroy the finish.

I've always thought it was a decent idea and have thought about giving it a try on a spare set of boots.  I had never heard of Leather Luster but I am intrigued.

 

[Franko]

Enough is enough.

The fact that at least a few serving members think that it's acceptable demonstrates to me that there is a problem in the CF, in both discipline and leadership.

I suggest that if you think it's acceptable to paint your boots or not shine them at all, you'd better take a hard look at the Regs and at yourself as a soldier and as a leader; as pointed out by a couple of MWOs already.

If you can not or will not take the time to make yourself properly presentable to either your peers, subordinates, superiors or the Canadian public....you have been led astray by someone in your past. Full stop.



This is now locked.

The Army.ca Staff

 

[DominikEthier]

Will anyone care to share their best method for shining their combat boots? I have been trying alot of different techniques and I know they're not supposed to have a huge shine like parade boots but I still need them to look shinyish. ???

Thanks  ;D

 

[PMedMoe]

There's a few threads here on polishing boots, both parade and combat.

Here's two:

Mark III Boots - Polishing

How to polish new boots

Use the search function.  There's probably several more.

 

[DominikEthier]

Thanks alot !

cheers

 

[DominikEthier]

Well this thread was really usefull! 

 

[ModlrMike]

Will anyone care to share their best method for shining their combat boots? I have been trying alot of different techniques and I know they're not supposed to have a huge shine like parade boots but I still need them to look shinyish. ???

Thanks  ;D

Don't. I can't make it simpler than that.

Combat boots are made for combat. They should therefore need to be only clean and black. A can of Kiwi, a large brush, and elbow grease should be all you need.

 

[DominikEthier]

Sounds good, also what are the maple leafs below our profile name, I've seen people wit 5 red ones and such.

 

[kolkol]

So I kind of messed up a pair of my parade boots in basic, and need to start over, but don't know how to go about it...any suggestions?

 

[Task]

As long as you messed it up with just bad polishing hot tap water will work.

 

[Pusser]

And don't fall for that old wives' tale about using a lighter.