How to Make Your Jump Boots Shinier

The military requires jump boots to be very shiny.

The spit shine is the best method to use to get military jump boots as shiny as humanly possible. Military regulations call for exceptionally shined boots. Jump boots or Corcoran boots are high, laced, military-style boots, originally developed to provide extra ankle support for U.S. paratroopers in the World War II. These days they are used only for dress purposes by many units, although some specialized airborne military units wear them with their A uniforms. A good spit shine not only makes the boots look better, it also helps protect the leather and make it last longer.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• Saddle soap
• Sponge
• Toothbrush
• Water
• Old towel
• Regular shoe polish
• Hair dryer
• Extra high-gloss shoe polish
• Cotton cloth; 5 inches by 5 inches

Instructions

1. Clean the boots. Remove the laces and place the boots on a sheet of newspaper. For newer boots, wipe a damp sponge across a bar or cake of saddle soap and rub the boots all over, working up a lather. Wash the soap from the sponge and wipe it over the boots to remove the soap. Dry with an old towel. Use a scrubbing brush for excessive mud or dirt, and do not forget to clean the tongue.

2. Strip old layers of polish. For old boots, saturate a cloth with mineral spirits and rub the boots to soften and remove the old polish. Repeat until the boot is smooth and feels clean. Rub the boots with a towel.

3. Rub shoe polish into the boots with your hands. Make certain the polish covers every part of the boots, including the tongue. Brush polish into the area where the sole meets the upper boot leather with a toothbrush if your fingers are too big to get into the cracks.

4. Melt the polish into the boots. Run a hair dryer on high heat over the boots until you see the polish melt. Melted polish flows into the pores of the leather. Apply another layer of polish and repeat the process another two times to make a total of four thin layers of melted polish.

5. Spit shine the boots. Stretch a damp 5-inch-by-5-inch 100 percent cotton cloth (ideally from an old, often-washed T-shirt) around your first two fingers and dip it into a high-quality polish. Rub it lightly in circles around a small section of a boot with your fingertips until a high-gloss polish develops. Dip the cloth regularly into a bowl of water to keep it damp and repeat the process over every part of each boot until they are as shiny as you can get them. Wipe all traces of polish off the soles of the boots.

Tips & Warnings

• Spit polish the boots to maintain the shine until the layers of polish get too chipped or flaky, then strip the polish and start again.

• Smooth out small cracks with your finger dipped in mineral spirits to melt the polish.

References

• Stompers Boots: The Perfect Spit Shine: Ian Turner
• The Art of Manliness: Shine Your Shoes Like a Soldier
• Military Shoes: Spit Shine Polishing