Waxing Nostalgic: Angelus Shoe Wax Polish

I just received a shipment of a few cans (or 'pots' as the Brits say) of shoe polish. It's Angelus Shoe Wax Polish and I'm expecting big things. I'd never heard of it before and found out about it while looking for another, even more obscure, English wax polish.

Carr Day & Martin (or 'Day and Martin' on old cans) is an ancient English brand that can apparently be found online under "Hens Teeth and Other Extremely Rare Things." I came across a couple of trial-sized cans at an estate sale and thought that I'd give them a try. Well, I applied a coat to my beat-to-hell Gokey Chukka boots and was amazed at the results. Wow, what a hard shine that appeared on my desert-thirsty, undernourished workhorses.  I was hooked.

I can assure you that, if you want some, you will have to purchase it from the U.K, Spain or  Australia from a tack shop that carries Carr Day & Martin horse grooming products. -Seriously. So, until I can fully devote my time to attaining this, let me recommend another brand.

Angelus shoe polish, or 'Angelus Perfect Stain Shoe Wax No. 400,' was created in 1907 and the contents of your can will be exactly the same as in 1907. -How many brands can boast that? It contains a mix of Carnauba wax, bee's wax and other propriatory stains, waxes and oiles. -One thing I've learned. This kind of heavy Carnauba wax mixture is to my liking. It's not like my previous favorite (and probably yours too) Meltonian. Meltonian is kind of a pigment-rich creme that goes on easily with a rich color. I've found that going with Angelus provides a dense, hard shine that can actually cover leather cracks in worn-out shoes.