Many years ago, way back before i was born my country fought a civil war. During that war, my dad who happened to be a soldier was also an officer. They wore leather boots and just as you know it stood no chance against the weather and the elements. The soldiers had to walk through water, mud and God knows what as they moved. And that made the leather boots vulnerable to caking, cracking and tearing. Its also worthy to note that absorbing water made the boots heavy and increased the risk of fungi infections i.e athletic foot. So an ingenious means was deviced to fix this problem by dyeing and burning the leather with candle soot. I will like to state emphatically that this process helps me restore most of my foot wears. I also want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to the colour black for being a neutral colour for fashion, i have slavaged and restored alot of shoes through this process.

Step 1: Tool and Materials

The tools you will need are:

Applicator brush
candle
latex gloves
lighter or match

the materials are:

kiwi black polish
shoe dye
candle wax
and a pair of worn out boots or shoes.

Step 2: Prepping the Shoe for Dyeing

Before you proceed to the dying proper, wipe both pairs with a dry rag then wet it up. You can use a portable sprinkler can a spare brush or just your hand. Allow the water soak in for about 1-2 minutes. Allow the shoes to dry up abit. Tape the shoe using masking tape to safe guard the parts you dont want dye on and the flame from touching.Take the shoe lace off also and stuff the shoe if its not a hard top shoe or canvass.

Step 3: SAFETY FIRST

The dye is a harmful chemical and as such, should not be inhaled use in well ventilated area possibly outside or wear a face mask with filter. Wear rubber or latex gloves because the dye will stain your hands and also to prevent hot wax from dripping onto your hand. Do not stand facing a fan or the wind please and remember to read the instruction following your dye in reference to content and flammability.

Step 4: Dyeing Process

Use the brush that comes with the dye to apply one coat over the shoe working your way around the whole shoe. work fast directly from the bottle or pour out some quantity and use(the dye vapourises quicky). After full application set aside to dry. Light a candle and start the burning process gradually. when burning the dye into the leather or material, the soot flame is what is used before a general runover with the flame to incinerate all stray fibers. Allow to cool down polish again then set in the sun to dry, buff or sponge to a shine. A repeat coat is in order depending on the shade u want.