Bootblacks

[deeperstill]

Hi all. Any bootblacks on the planet? i am developing my skills to be of better service. Would love to get some basic advice, where to start, what to read, etc. Thanks!

[Rope]

Go to at least two different workshops on this---to see different styles. Pay attention to the how but then pay attention to the why <g>.

Rope--

[deeperstill]

R,

Thank you for the suggestion, great idea. Seems obvious now that you say it, but i would not have thought to do that :)


Go to at least two different workshops on this---to see different styles. Pay attention to the how but then pay attention to the why <g>.

Rope--

[tiggs]

~Rope you are very right in saying to pay attention to the why. Anyone can learn to polish a boot or shoe but boot blacking is so much more than the act of applying a good coat of polish.

~Deeperstill, there are many different techniques to boot blacking and each person will find their favorite method and what works best for them. I learned the skill while in the military MANY MANY moons ago lol so for me I have found that good old fashioned spit polishing combined with the occassional heating of the polish (either on or off the boot) works best for me.

Techniques will take time to get the hang of, I suggest not starting out on a pair of much loved boots but to pick up a cheap pair of leather boots from a second hand store. Start out by cleaning them up and stripping them of any old polish and make sure you have the essentials to start polishing:


kiwi cloth
boot polish (not the liquid stuff) I use kiwi brand parade gloss
a stiff bristle boot brush
a soft bristle boot brush
an old nylon
*some new laces are always nice too for older boots*

As said above the 'why' you are doing it is very important, when polishing the boots focus on why you are doing so. Why is it important to you? What are you giving in polishing the boots? Is it an act of service? Is it something you are doing for you or for the wearer of the boots?

Don't forget that not only can it be a wonderful act of service it can be a very erotic experience for both of you. :sunglass:

[deeperstill]

tiggs,

thank you!

i am very excited to begin learning techniques. and yes, i understand my purposes with absolute clarity.

p.s. the sometimes erotic nature of the act is something i'm already familiar with :innocent:

[PearlsNLace]

Deeperstill, Im so glad you started this thread. I *just* made a comment to someone in fetlife about this subject. I dont understand bootblacking. I had to keep my boots polished in college, when I was in ROTC. It was a pain in the ass to me. It kicked in some latent OCD where I wanted to get them to a level of perfect, and then of course, the next morning Id be running 3 miles in them and they would be messed up in a heartbeat.

I want to understand the "sexy" in bootblacking. Can someone help me "get it" PLEASE???

[deeperstill]

Hi PearlsNLace

The answer to your question may vary depending on the nature of the person answering it.

i am a submissive, and for purposes of this thread, my sexuality flows from the dynamic that i have with my Sir (i do not have one now, but when i do)

when i am in relationship, my love, my lust, my being responds to my Sir by wanting and needing to please and to serve. i don't have OCD lol, but i do like things to be the best, and if i am going to do something-- particularly if i am doing it on behalf of or for my Sir-- then it damn well better be perfect (my standards).

and if im not "feeling it" then i do it even more so an expression of my duty/loyalty/love and service to my Sir.

i am not a bootblack, but if there are any here on the planet maybe they'll come out of the woodwork and post a more complete answer.


Deeperstill, Im so glad you started this thread. I *just* made a comment to someone in fetlife about this subject. I dont understand bootblacking. I had to keep my boots polished in college, when I was in ROTC. It was a pain in the ass to me. It kicked in some latent OCD where I wanted to get them to a level of perfect, and then of course, the next morning Id be running 3 miles in them and they would be messed up in a heartbeat.

I want to understand the "sexy" in bootblacking. Can someone help me "get it" PLEASE???

[TenderKnight]

mmm.. Very cool thread! I can't claim the title of Bootblack, but I can claim and do claim the title of boot lover and licker :D

Pearls, to answer your question from my point of view.. the sexy in Bootblacking comes from my desire to serve and to submit. It is a physical symbol to me..

A symbol of Power: who can deny that someone wearing a pair of big black boots (or some tough ass spike-heeled throat pinners), is someone that is in power and knows how to use it?? (yes, I am aware that boots aren't what makes a Top or a Dom/me, as I said, it is a symbol..)

A symbol of submission: When I am on my knees, my face pushed to the ground under a Top's heel, or on my belly barely able to breath with the smell of leather and boot polish in my nostrals.. oh my my my.. That sends me into bottom boy heaven!

A symbol of Devotion: I once bought a pair of boots that were at a thrift store and found that they were way too small for me.. I held on to them for years until I met someone that I am now pretty close to. This person happens to have very small feet, just the right size for the boots that I bought. I pulled the boots out of my closet and set out to restore and polish them.. Took me a couple of days of stripping and then conditioning them, then several layers of polish and then finishing them off with spit, cotten balls and more polish.. At the end of it, my fingers ached and I was bone tired.. I gifted the boots to this Top and he loves them. He wears them and says that they are some of the best boots he has. That was my gift, my devotion that I put into those boots..

A symbol of Lust: Sometimes my head gets turned more by someone's boots then by the person themselves! I even started a thread about it here, lol. I totally get off on boots and the smell of warm leather and polish and the sound that boots make when someone crouches down next to you or is just walking by you..

:)

I'm not sure if that helps out any, but thought that I'd throw it out there. deeperstill, I hope that this post is on topic and isn't just me eroticsizing up in your thread, lol.

Look forward to reading more and just an FYI, there is a pretty cool yahoo group that I belong to on Bootblacking, some cool stuff shows on on the list at times :)

In Light and Leather,
Tony

[deeperstill]

TK--you are totally on topic and thanks for adding your perspective

see...i totally neglected to include the heady scent of leather, the view from the floor, the sight of a Dominant or Master in boots...*getting very warm in here*

[Cajun_dee]

Sir's boots represent him. They are durable, strong and leather (yum)... being at Sir's feet is the biggest honor and highest form of respect.. Keeping those boots in tip top shape is how I show honor and respect...allowing him to wear boots that were not clean and cared for would not represent me well.. and definitely not make Sir very happy, something I try to avoid..

As far as technique it varies a great deal but the sure WHY as Rope said is the key...the rest will flow...

[PearlsNLace]

To Tender, deeper, and sassy~ Thank you, each of you, for taking your time and thought to write this out for me. You have given me a starting place to look at this with, and I really appreciate that. Its a precious kind of mentoring you do, when you share your feelings like this.

Full of Gratitude

Pearls

[Tommi]

Hi all. Any bootblacks on the planet? i am developing my skills to be of better service. Would love to get some basic advice, where to start, what to read, etc. Thanks!

http://www.imsl.org/ <-- Go here
One of the The Ultimate Displays in Bootblacking won't occur till 2011 at International Ms Leather, but the website has some good links that may take one to deeper and deeper meaning.

Nothing like having one's boots properly serviced, loved and cared for.

[Pixie]

Deeperstill, Im so glad you started this thread. I *just* made a comment to someone in fetlife about this subject. I dont understand bootblacking. I had to keep my boots polished in college, when I was in ROTC. It was a pain in the ass to me. It kicked in some latent OCD where I wanted to get them to a level of perfect, and then of course, the next morning Id be running 3 miles in them and they would be messed up in a heartbeat.

I want to understand the "sexy" in bootblacking. Can someone help me "get it" PLEASE???


For me....

Boot blacking is erotic. Just the exchange. I see boots as a physical representation of that person's journey, their path, their story....in essence themselves. To have the gift of honoring their story and making it look their best...for what author doesn't have a second editor, what life story doesn't show growth beyond the events.... So here you are giving of yourself at the base level, cherishing the soul of their words and making them shine. Bringing the worn and dull, to a new glow while still loving the perfection of age.

For me...it is not the boots, but the person, the opportunity, the gift exchange, the appreciation, the adoration.......the story given anew.

[tiggs]

Bumpin' this yummy thread ;) and will be back later to add