Mmmm, mmmm look at those boots…!

by Kestrelle

1. Introduction

1. What do you think of when you see a pair of shiny boots
1. Hot, sexy
2. How do they get them so shiny
3. What’s the big deal about boots
2. How would you identify yourself in terms of boots
1. Want my boots to attract attention when I walk in a room
2. I want to spend time shining a tops boots
3. I want to lay down and lick those boots
4. I just like the look of them on me or others
5. Don’t even think about it
3. What you can learn tonight
1. Some history of boots
2. A basic understanding of boot polishing/blacking
3. What do boots mean to leatherfolk
4. So how do I get more involved in this as a fetish
4. Getting Started
1. History of boots
1. Worldwide (emphasis was on function not fashion)

• Protective footwear originally – Attila the Hun (5 ^th Century), Moors (8^th Century), Genghis Khan (12^th Century), Spain & Europe (through the 19^th Century)

• High Heeled footwear – boots with higher heels then ordinary footwear – was considered a sign of nobility or of a profession on horseback (the term "well-heeled" came from this)

• In the United States, cattle ranching has existed since 1767 when Indians and Mexicans on horseback were engaged by the Franciscan Missionaries to work with cattle in California.

• A boom in the cowboy lifestyle (and the boots they wore) exploded in the spring of 1867 when the incomplete transcontinental railroad reached Abilene, Kansas. This provided a viable cattle market for the United States and cowboy images flourished.

• Texas cattle ranching started about 1870

• Types of boots that influenced this time period

• Wellington – worn by the British first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellsly at the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1810 – plain black or brown boot with side seams, one inch stack heels with squared of slightly rounded toes. They had leather pull straps on the sides and were cut across or curved while being slightly higher in the front

• Hessian – an under the knee boot with a "V" cut in the front about 1785 was worn in England by German soldiers. These soldiers were also part of the US Revolutionary War (now these boots are seen on high school college drum majorettes or drill teams)

• Coffyville – about 1870 a combination of the two above boots was created in the United States. They were unlined, flesh side out, waxed black leather boots with leather pull straps on the side. They had low Cuban heels and became the standard for cowboys

• Bootwear became fashionably after 1870 with the majority of boots being made in Texas and Kansas – other styles seen were:

• Stovepipe/Stogie Boots – working boots with front and back at the same height

• Ranger Boots – for farming

• Calvary Style boots

• Lace up boots

• In 1880 boots cost about $3-$25 (average was $12)

• Since then there has been much variation in styles of boots:

• Heels – low to high

• Toes – wide/narrow or pointed/squared

• Soles – thin/thick

• Plain or fancy art work

• Shined or unshined

• Boots had a resurgence in the 1920/30’s with the advent of movies about cowboys (Tom Mix etc.) and the boots were central to the image

2. Leather Community

• Military gay leather community – after the war created a community based on military ways including appearance (read – the boots) and this is where the "Old Guard" standards of attention to detail grew

• Growth of motorcycle riding using boots as a means of protection but also the look

• Pro Domme image of high shiny boots – image of power, seductiveness and plays into foot fetish, worship

1. Types of boots
• Two types of finishes: wax-based and oil-based. Properly done, wax-based finishes will polish to the glassy sheen expected of military recruits. Oil-based finishes will not. It is easy to tell the difference. When you first purchased the boots, were they shiny (wax-based) or dull (oil-based)?
2. Why boots

• Boots connote power, fear and a degree of intimidation.

• With that in mind, to a sub they put smiles on our faces, dreams in our minds, songs in our hearts, faith in our souls, wings on our spirit –

• What better way to start an s/m scene than with a good, old-fashioned spit shine? Ensconced in his chair, high above his boi (girls shine boots too and it’s just as hot!), the top is afforded an opportunity to sit back, relax and be serviced. For the bottom, his pleasure is double, knowing that he is serving both the practical matter of providing the master with well-polished boots, as well as giving his hard-working top a psychological and emotional respite.
3. Boot Blacking – caring for or shining boots has been around since the start of footwear to preserve them. Shining not only gives shoes an appealing glossy finish, but also preserves their workmanship and quality by moisturizing the leather, adding years to their life. Left untreated, leathers dry, crack, and fall apart. you can go back to Charles Dickens books or Horatio Alger’s stories about youth on the streets shining boots – for now, we’ll focus on how it got into the leather community
1. History

1. Military "spit shine" - Boots as part of leather life – many gay men who came out in the military and then formed the early gay SM community were out of the military. Anyone in basic training knows you will learn how to shine boots well. I still have a pair of combat boots that are 24 years old that are the high quality shine boots – you can look at them and they shine. It is part of the image and reflects an attention to detail (old Military Instructors can spot a poorly shined boot across a parade field when you’re at a dead run!)

2. Old Guard – reflect your walk - From an old guard perspective, the boots are the foundation of your leather walk – if you don’t care enough to take care of your leathers, how can you be expected to carry out whatever orders/directions/tasks you’re given. You attract the attention of a whole different crowd if your boots shine. Many a submissive – male or female – has begun their journey caring for the tops leathers – boots are part of that. Many tops expect their sub to not only take care of their boots but their own as well. A shiny boot reflects how seriously you take the lifestyle – it reflects your leather walk (ever wonder why you never see white tennis shoes at most leather events???)

3. High Femme thigh highs – a fantasy maker for years

2. Setting up – boots should shined at least once a month, more if you’re in a dryer climate – however, this is a case where more is better so if you want you sub to shine them every night – bring it on! We are talking about smooth leather boots here – if you have suede or nubuck – see the section at the end on other leather care

1. Conditioner: Huberd’s Shoe Grease – created in 1929 and made of pine tar & beeswax – totally digestible – conditioner/waterproofing – very good for leathers but may discolor them – puts on a good shine for a while but uneven drying and soaks into the leather after a while

2. Shoe polishes come in four basic premixed forms: waxes, pastes, liquids, and creams.

• Using wax will give you a glossy shine and also prevent moisture from seeping into the leather. Wax polishes are used on shoes that are exposed regularly to outdoor elements, such as hiking and combat boots. Wax can dry shoes too, causing them to crack with age. If using wax, it's important to use a leather conditioner first, to preserve the quality of the leather.

• Creams and pastes add moisture to your shoe by soaking into leathers as they work. Because they actually penetrate the surface of the leather, creams and pastes cover scratches and other imperfections. Creams and pastes work well on all types of shiny or smooth leathers.

• Liquid shoe polish is easy to apply, but like wax, doesn't penetrate or condition leather. Use liquid "quick fix" polishes seldomly.

3. Here’s the recommended options on polishes

• Kiwi Shoe Polish – good high gloss shine but dries boots out – Parade Gloss is the best but most drying

• Lincoln Stain Wax – works on leather and corfam (poromeric material with a high gloss) – doesn’t dry out the boots as much

4. Edge Dressing – best is Kiwi Honor Guard

5. The rest of the stuff

• Boots – there are a couple of ways you go here – if you have a new sub and want them to earn their boots they can get new boots or designate a pair of boots that will be their "leatherwalk" boots. This is starting from the ground up so to speak and provides lots of hours of work with little return (you have to want it to make it happen). The other option is to have good pair of boots with a shine on them already (after they’ve been struggling with new boots and have the technique down) and let them shine them – the feel of the smooth, easy shine catches most peoples attention and hooks them on boot shining

• Shoe Trees or body in the boots (their body heat helps with the shine) – also good to store boots with tree since it helps them keep their shape

• Small plastic bowl

• Cotton/flannel (t-shirt or flannel shirt works great – clean)

• Toothbrush

• Boot brush – stiff - horsehair works best

• Terry cloth

• Nylons – silk is the BEST – great ways to get them from the owners

• Newspapers, paper towels

• Warm water (helps to melt the wax and get wax into boots – don’t soak them down)

6. Positioning the boots – shoe trees or person in a chair – ideal is having the boots at about waist level (roll up pants to avoid getting polish on them) – remove laces - freshen drink, turn the music up, whatever feels right to set the ambience

3. The Polishing

1. Brush boots off – use toothbrush to get the seams and at the soles some people use saddle soap to clean but you get them too wet most of the time to get a good polish up)

2. If you do wash the boots down use the hot tap water – softens wax – dry with a cloth or paper towel – getting the dirt/grime off is a key to doing good boot

3. Apply wax (I don’t light the wax – makes it hot and easy to apply but also dries it out – use fingers, cotton rag (if you don’t want wax on your fingers do safer shine and put on a glove or it will soak through the cloth), or wax applier (lose all the tactile fun stuff though) – dip into warm water if you use a cloth – moist/not soak – should be thick but not so it cakes up.

4. I put one coat on the uppers of the boots just to care for them (since if you build up too much polish in this area, it will stain clothes worn over them. Most of the effort goes into the part of the boots that will show under jeans.

5. Go all around the boot and then put it down and do the other one (repeat process two more times)

6. Some people fire the boots here – I avoid that – easy to make a mistake and dries – if you do, you want to get it glossy looking (melted) and then it turns dull again as it dries

7. Look at the boot – your goal is to fill in the all the crevices on this uneven surface of the boot – if look at the boot from the side and see the leather pores your wax base isn’t deep enough to bring up a mirror polish – they’ll look good – but they could look BETTER! Keep doing the wax on process until you get to this point (it can take 50-60 coats to get a good base on new boots)

8. Let the boots dry - best is overnight but at least 20-30 minutes.

9. Now comes the fun or frustrating part. Put warm water in the spray bottle or you can use human spit (come is not recommended, as it tends to leave unsightly stains) lightly on the boots (DO NOT SOAK). Take the brush and lightly go over the boots. If you have enough wax on, you’ll go from dull to shiny very quickly and the brush will slide over the boot (this works especially if you have waxed based boots – oil based will look better but not shine near as much).

10. That’s not the end though – you can buff the shoes with a buffing cloth if they weren’t real smooth and then you can start over again with applying wax. Truly 50-60 coats are needed to bring up a really good mirror shine. Don’t rub hard – that only takes the wax off and you have to start over. If the brush felt very smooth you can move on to the nylon stage.

11. Use your breath (exhale warm air on the boots) and the nylon in small areas, circles work best and watch the shine come up even more. Usually you can get the heel to come up the fastest, toe next and then the middle part takes a while. Keeping polishing and perfecting this technique until you can see yourself in the shine. If you get to that, you will be noticed next time you walk into a room with them on. Maybe not by everybody but by those who see you’re serious about the care and feeding of your leathers.

12. Edge dressing comes at the end but be careful you don’t get it on the leather – just the sides of the sole. If you put the boots down on newspaper after this step – the dressing will dry, stick to the paper and will be a pain when you pick them up – hold them until almost dry and then put them down.

4. Care & Maintenance – see section below on Other Leather Care for problem areas

1. Other leather care

   • Coats, chaps, hats and other leathers - clean like you would do boots, using saddle soap and water. Then rub on Huberd's boot grease for a lustrous shine. If you chose, you may also use Mink Oil (which seems to be a preference by many); and

   • For latex - clean with warm, soapy water. Then apply Black Beauty and rub off with non-linting cloth. (A bandana works great). Then spray Kingco's spray and watch the shine come forth!

   • For Corfam or Patent Leather are a popular means of maintaining a glossy shine on your shoes. However, they are much more susceptible to scratches and scuffs then their sturdier leather counterparts. Here are some tips to keep your corfam leathers looking fairly new:

   • Small scratch and scuff removal. Small scratches and scuffs can be removed with rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad. It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but after some work the scratches will eventually fade away. Another product that works well is Bates Poromeric and Corfam Leather Cleaner, which is sold in most military installations or try www.aafes.com.

   • Cleaning. A glass cleaner (like Windex) and a soft cloth will restore some of the shine that the shoes take away. A wood cleaning and waxing chemical (like Windex) also works too. If you use the Bates chemical mentioned above, then it leaves a shine after application.

2. Edge dressing. Kiwi Honor Guard edge dressing (sold in a glass bottle with brush applicator) will take care of the dull finish on the edges of your corfam leathers and improve the overall appearance of your shoe.

3. Some special cases for cleaning leather:

• SALT STAINS can be removed from shoes with a mixture of 1 cup hot water and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Mix well and apply to shoe with a soft rag, gently scrubbing affected area. Allow to air dry.

• MILDEW can be removed from leather shoes with a cup of rubbing alcohol and an equal amount of water. Sponge on, working into the leather, and allow to air dry. Then, clean, condition, and polish as usual.

• SHOE ODOR can be treated with baking soda. Sprinkle a fine amount of baking soda inside shoe and allow to rest overnight. In the morning, shake out. CEDAR BLOCKS can also be placed in leather shoes to help control and combat odor problems.

• NEW PRODUCTS – all work good for a quick fix but don’t replace a good shine

• SHOE WIPES, sold in small pouches and containing a small cotton fibered cloth pretreated with cleaners and polishers

• SPRAY CLEANERS are also new to the market. Sold in a metered spray, cleaners can be sprayed directly on to leather shoes or a cleaning cloth.

• SHINE SPONGES are convenient and effective in-between shoe polishers. Pretreated sponges can instantly give a new glossy coating to tired, old shoes. Use only between cleanings and polishings.

4. Suede shoes require special attention. Suedes, roughout leathers, patent leathers, and nubuck should NEVER be shined. They can be cleaned, waterproofed, and conditioned, though. Rubbing stains and imperfections with a common pencil eraser or small piece of fine grain sandpaper can clean suedes. Once cleaned, rub suede with a bath or kitchen towel to help restore its nap and remove any shiny or damaged spots. Condition with specialized suede or nubuck conditioner.

5. Boot Worship – When you put that much time and energy into taking care of boots, it’s like working out and it can become a fetish – arrive upon the scene – boot worship –

1. The art of boot worship – if you can suspend your squeamishness and let go of your ego – dropping down and using your hands or your tongue on a boot can become an incredible turn on and way to drop into deeper submissive space. It is a slow meditative time with a deep intimate connection. Done right it can be incredible foreplay or a great wind down in a scene. Many a sub has fallen asleep curled up around their master’s boots while lying at their feet.

2. The practical aspects – now you’ve just done all the polish stuff – that’s probably not the time you want to do boot worship. Using your hands will put oils and dull the shine and although you can use the "spit shine" concept to bring up a higher gloss, you risk removing the boot polish if you’re too enthusiastic in your tongue work. So what can you do:

• Most tops, unless they’re into raunch scenes, keep their boots in good shape.

• If you can’t get over those boots have been walking all over the place. Keep a brush or a cotton cloth nearby and begin by wiping down the boots.

• If you are going to wax the boots before, the best product to use is Huberd’s shoe grease. All polishes are actually edible but Huberd’s is the most "natural" product and doesn’t stain the skin as much. You can also apply and spread Huberd’s around with your tongue since it is very soft. Pine tar and beeswax won’t kill ya! Try it.

• You don’t want to devour the boots (well, you do but you shouldn’t actually do that) or get them too wet - drooling all over the boots usually isn’t a turn on for a hard earned shine on a tops boots.

6. The erotic touch – play by play

• There are two ways to get into a boot worship scene – you’re told to or you offer it. Being pulled by the hair, collar, ???? to your knees towards a tops boots is a good sign you need to do something. Many tops will emphasize that by pushing the boot toward you or lifting the toe as permission to get started. You can also drop to the ground – lying flat is about the most comfortable way to do this – in front of the top and move your arms toward the boots – if no doesn’t come out of the tops mouth you can assume that they like what you’re doing

• You can start by using your hands or keeping them out of the way – personal choice but if you have the balance and can kneel with hands behind your back and bend down to lick the boots – you get a woof from most tops (being naked is even more of a bonus – although expect a smack or two on the ass in this position – double bonus!)

• Start gently with your lips first and just kiss the boots – this is also a good way to ease into the "taste" of the boot. Once you get it moist, most of any strange tastes will be gone and your tongue will be happier. Be sure to cover the entire boot – if using your hands, wrapping them around the tops legs and pulling yourself around seems to have a very good reaction.

• Usually stay on one boot until the top directs you to switch. After the lips, use the tongue on the tip of the boot – it’s like oral sex with the boot – don’t jump on it or you’ll scare the natives. The top will feel the pressure. Here’s where you want to have your tongue slide over the surface but don’t have drool running down the boot. Monitor the tops reaction and you’ll know where the sweet spots are – some tops may be ticklish so a heavy pressure can be used to keep them from going crazy (read – directed at you)

• Some tops like to play with genitalia and licking come off boots can be very hot but watch the warning that come (both male and female) can stain the boots (if you have a really good base shine on those boots, no problem because you’re not getting to the leather but be sure the possibility of staining is not a problem for the top.

• Most tops will shift feet and give you the other boot to work on or verbally tell you to do the other boot – start over again with the same pattern and enjoy. Your tongue may get tired but then switch back to lips or hands to recover.

• When you finish the boots may be a bit dull but you can touch them up with a brush or nylon if you need to head out right away. A good touch is when directed to stop is to place your forehead on the tip of the boot and wait for further instructions (or being hauled off to bed to taste the results of a good boot worshipping session). If it’s after a scene try to send all the thanks and love you can through those boots, most tops don’t mind if you doze off at this point because it shows you feel safe and owned by the top (always a good combination!)

7. And then…

1. Resources

• Cowboy Boots – The Art of Boots – Tyler Beard, 1999, Gibbs Smith Publisher

• International Mr/Ms Bootblack – IML/IMsL/ILSb web pages  - International Mr. Leather - International Ms. Leather - International Leather Sir & Leather boy

• HotBoots!!! - For the man who enjoys wearing BOOTS...for work and for play... and who likes to look at 'em, too! Boot photos! Links of interest to bootmen! Calendar of events where you're sure to find men in boots! http://www.hotboots.com/gallery.html

• MAsT Washington DC - Boot Black Training - SITE INDEX INTRO MEETINGS MEMBERSHIP BOOT BLACK SLAVE AUCTION MAL RECEPTION MEMBER LINKS LINKS PAGE RETURN TO MAsT.NET Masters And slaves Together (MAsT) -- An organization for adults who live the Dominant/submissive lifestyle PICTURES TRAINING

• Atlanta Boys of Leather with brotherhood, boyhood, respect & integrity... - Executive Board Bruce Tidwell - President Bruce "Dandi" Tidwell is 37 years old, a native resident of Atlanta, and has been a leather boy for over ten years. As well as being a founding member and current Vice President of the Atlanta Boys of Leather

• MASTER'S RETREAT -- 5 - An information site on The Leather Network's MASTER'S RETREAT, a pansexual training, learning & discussion weekend for those who identify as Master or Daddy

• TES - The Eulenspiegel Society - Site Manager Events: Calendar Special Interest Groups Workshops Parties Special Events Publications: Prometheus Newsletter The TES Weekly TES Info List Membership: Join TES Discounts Personals Members Area Elections Board Member Columns Volunteering

• Beyond Vanilla XI Workshop Schedule - NATIONAL LEATHER ASSOCIATION - DALLAS CHAPTER PRESENTS BEYOND VANILLA

• Boot Worship Night - Bootblacking at the Eagle

• The Tribe - Educational Outreach - Educational Outreach The Tribe is committed to providing speakers who will travel to communities within roughly a 250 mile radius of Atlanta, Georgia, to teach subjects ranging from the basics of safety in BDSM play to edge play activities.

• NewsLink Article - 'Shine your boots, Sir?' - 'Shine your boots, Sir?' The Art of the Bootblack By Vincent What better way to start an s/m scene than with a good, old-fashioned spit shine? Ensconced in his chair, high above his boi, the top is afforded an opportunity to sit back, relax and be...

• http://nifty.nisusnet.com/nifty/gay/military/... - Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 19:20:13 -0400 From: usmcbb@hotmail.com Subject: Semper Fi Son Chapter #1-4 Semper Fi, Son Chapter I Don Garsten was not easily distracted but today he was. There was something gnawing at the back of his head, making him a...

2. Practice – it takes a long time to get a good shine on a pair of boots – that’s good when you can enter into boot polishing as a form of meditation. I know when I feel like I’m not sure where I am in my life, sitting down and getting all the boot stuff out is familiar, a skill I can without much thought and it helps to center me back and remind of who I am in my leather walk. Doing your own boots is a service to you, having the skills to do another’s boots is a service to them. Even boot worship can be done with your own boots. I have a very hot picture of a young man, in his jock and socks only, bent over, hands behind him back worshipping a boot placed before him. For a long time, it spoke to me of submission – probably to someone else but over the years I’ve come to see that those boots could well be his and he could well be submitting to the standards, values and life that boots can demand of you.