Bootblacking 101

I've recently gotten into bootblacking and I find it really enjoyable! Getting to do the boots while the person is wearing them generally leads to a surprising and pleasurable energy exchange.

Your basic kit doesn't have to be very fancy:

* a couple of horsehair daubers (round)
* a couple of horsehair brushes (rectangular)
* toothbrush
* saddle soap or glycerin soap
* leather conditioner (4-Way, Cadillac, Huberd's, Obenauf's)
* cream polish or wax polish
* shine cloth or old cotton t-shirt
* nylons/pantyhose
* spray bottle with water
* low-lint towels (cut-up old t-shirts or t-shirt cloths, sold in packs in the paint dept., are commonly used)

For polishes, Meltonian, Angelus, Lincoln, Saphir, and Kiwi are popular. Really, main thing is that you want cream or wax polish and should avoid those liquid polishes with the sponge applicator bottles. Also, you'll want one rectangular horsehair brush per color of polish in your kit. You want to avoid using a brush with dark polish on lighter leather.

Notes on cream vs. wax: 

• Cream polish contains less wax and is meant to nourish, and add color to the leather (if desired). When buffed, it will give a light shine.
• Wax polish comes as a solid puck and is what you want if you're trying for a nice, bright shine on boots and shoes.
• Cream polish sinks into the leather, whereas wax polish sits on top.
  

If you start to do research, you'll see that everyone has their own way, so it can get a bit confusing. The first thing is determining whether you have a polishable ('high shine') boot or whether it's oil tan leather. This is probably the hardest thing in bootblacking, because it takes a little experience with feel and the appearance of the leather to determine quickly. I read somewhere that if you put a drop of water on the boot, let it sit for 30 seconds, and wipe it off, if the leather is darker where the water was, you're dealing with oil tan. Some types of boots, like harness boots and cowboy boots, are generally oil tan, but not always.

Most high shine boots will have a smooth finish and appear glossy, although sometimes, there is too much dirt to tell. However, finished leathers aren't always hard like on high shine boots; with a softer coating, the leather will feel softer and supple. Because the leather is coated, usually with resin, it will feel cool to the touch when under your hand.

Oil tanned boots generally have a pitted look to them, a bit of a nap when you feel the leather, and are either dull or medium shiny (low luster). This type of leather will warm easily under your hand and is often described as 'buttery soft'.

I know this is very confusing when you start out, so rest easy in the knowledge that every working bootblack has accidentally polished oil tan boots at least once. The good news is that it's not harmful to the leather and is simply a sort of embarrassing novice fuck-up, so if you do polish oil tans, don't fret! Just apologize, clean the polish off, and condition.

Step 1, remove laces and set aside. If doing on someone's feet, roll up their pant legs and try to remember how they like their boots laced because you'll have to do them up again at the end.

For oil tan boots:

Get a dauber wet and mist all over the boot with the spray bottle, as well as the surface of the saddle soap. Rub the brush in the soap, then apply it to the misted surface in small circles. You're going for a nice, satisfying lather... not too much water, but not so little that it's not soaping up. You don't want the saddle soap to dry on the boot, so if you're quick, you can do the whole boot at once, but if the leather is really dry, you'll have to work in sections because the soap will dry super fast. Spritz a clean t-shirt cloth until damp and wipe soap off thoroughly. Get all up in the crevices, the tongue, straps, etc. If a boot is really dirty, I'll repeat this process. Having a small bowl of water is helpful to rinse your brush once it gets dirty, as is a cheap toothbrush to clean the catwalks and other details. When you finish one boot, set it aside to dry a little and start on the other.

Starting on the first boot, work in your conditioner, gently massage it in if you can. If you like the person, make it a foot and ankle massage through the leather. Pay extra attention to the creases because it'll help maintain flexibility where the leather gets stressed. You don't really want to use tons, necessarily. Sometimes, leather is thirsty and may take a lot of conditioner, but overall, you're aiming to leave no excess on the surface. Huberd's can take a bit to fully soak in, depending on how dry the leather was. I would condition the first boot, set aside to soak in a bit, do the second boot, and then use my grease brush (used only for conditioner) to buff off the excess. You could likely use a lint-free cloth like a t-shirt to buff off the conditioner. Too much conditioner can actually weaken fibers. Also, keep in mind, if you have non-black leather, some conditioning products might darken the leather leather a bit.

For polishable boots:

Same beginning steps as oil tan boots, but I've been cautioned against using Huberd's before applying polish. Some experienced bootblacks do it, but the idea is that Huberd's is oilier than the other products and polish won't adhere as well. I'm a baby bootblack still, so I haven't much personal experience in this matter, but a very experienced bootblack busted out some science to explain it and I'm convinced. So, basically, you can use anything but Huberd's if you're planning on applying polish. Obenauf's is maybe a bit pricey, but it's natural, soaks in quickly, and can be polished over.

Once you've cleaned and conditioned the leather (don't forget to buff), apply polish to the boot in an even coat. You can use a dauber for this, a smooth damp cloth, or your bare fingers. Get it in all the cracks, creases, etc., and be careful about getting dark polish on non-black stitching. If you do get polish on light stitching, a cosmetic (pointed) q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol generally helps a lot. Or you can sort of cheat and get yourself white and yellow China markers, which is what the veteran bootblacks all stock in their kits to brighten up stitching. Depending on the design of the boots and the color of the laces, you may or may not want to polish the tongue, as polish will wear off against the laces. Do this on the first boot, set it aside for the polish to dry a little, repeat on #2.

Lightly mist your polish brush -- barely damp, not wet -- and starting with the first boot, lightly brush the boot in quick, repetitive strokes over one area, then change angle and do the same vigorous brushing motion while going across the same area (like an X). I find I need to do this longer than I think I do, but I suspect that I might be using more polish than necessary.

What this does is knock off extra polish, but it also is building up heat via friction to melt the polish a little and make it smooth. Keep the brush barely damp and repeat until you're satisfied. Set the boot aside and do #2.

With the first boot, take out your buffing cloth. I have a shine cloth with a soft side and a hard side, but some people use t-shirt cloths, which I've heard works just fine as long as it is laid flat with no creases. I buff lightly with the soft side, then I flip the cloth over and buff lightly with the rougher side.

To get a better shine on high-shine boots, people tend to use nylons. A little pressure is required in this step. If someone is wearing the boots I'm doing, I'll flatten the nylons like a cloth (no creases) and do the classic shoeshine back-and-forth thing on the toes and heels. You can put your hand into a leg of the nylons and it makes it much easier to rub the sides, or if you're trying to polish empty boots. You're aiming for friction and you know it's good and polished when it starts to squeak.

You can repeat the polish step as many times as you like, or even just do extra on the heel and toe.. additional layers will increase shine to make the toes and heels stand out against the rest of the shine. I personally don't do the nylon step with every pair of boots because I've found that it's best on high shine boots, and can actually reduce shine on other finishes.

Drought

19 months.

It has been 19 months.. 19 long.. dry.. and very sad months. That is almost two years, people. Like a desert, I lie dry and dusty, awaiting even the barest sprinkle of rain. All life and hope shriveling in the absence of clouds, not a single drop to slake my deep thirst.

Okay, yes, I'm being intentionally dramatic here. However, for someone as sexual as I am, 19 months is painful torture.  Don't get me wrong, I am pretty patient and I can go months without. It's far from my preference, but I can manage.  It's at about the six month mark where I start to squirm a bit.

Oh-ho, the six month mark has come and gone.. three times.

My sex life, much like my romantic life, appears to be the universe's idea of a joke. Here, have this enormous sex drive, but not be able to do anything about it! Haha!  Through much trial-and-error, I've discovered that it makes no difference whatsoever if I am proactive or if I am passive. It is 100% dependent on luck and, apparently, on whatever is meant to happen at any given time.

I'm pretty sure this is the longest I have ever gone without sex and, frankly, it's very much starting to wear on me.  To my credit, I have tried to deal and to not take it personally. I have been patient and trying to send out the right energy to attract what I'm looking for.  It's just, apparently, not meant to be...

I'm starting to feel a bit bitter about it, frankly. There's really only so much masturbation a person can do, you know?  It's not at all a substitute for what I want, which is the slow and sensual touch of another person. Making love, kissing, savoring another person's body. Fucking. Mouths, tongues, skin, the taste and scent of a woman's nexus. Being penetrated by someone else, feeling them, the weight, the wholeness of both our bodies connecting, on top of me. I want to run my fingers over someone's skin for hours, to lick and bite their neck, to make them squirm, and to hear their breathing and soft moans in my ear.

On the humorous side, I'm actually a bit anxious about it having been so long because I'm pretty sure whoever gets me next is going to have something akin to a teenage boy on their hands. Like... the barest anything will likely set me off into ridiculous, overblown paroxysms. On one hand, that might be fun, but on the other, it might be kind of embarrassing.

Anyway.. I'll be the one over here in the corner praying for rain and contemplating doing a rain dance. Wish me luck...

Food for Thought

BDSM’s Dirty Secret – The Real Risk of Kinky Sex
By: Midori 
Published: August 15, 2011

As kinky folks, most of us have heard of the risks associated with certain activities we like: rope cuts off circulation, bruises invite suspicion and speculation, infected wounds or bites just plain suck and breath play can flat out be deadly... but there's more.

Kink and Sadomasochism come with a load of risks. The list is long enough to make your eyes glaze over. But, I'm not here to trot out the usual suspects. Yes, they're real and no, you shouldn't ignore them, but there's another set of dangers that often go unmentioned. They are intrinsic to kink and yet so potentially threatening to some that they do everything within their power, subconsciously, to avoid them.

That danger inherent in SM is….

(Cue horror movie soundtrack….)

Intimacy and human connection.

Yes, intimacy.

Because, at some level, SM demands participants to be true to their desires and hungers, vulnerabilities and savagery. Fully engaged kink insists on full presence without pretense and willingness to connect the raw humanity to another’s raw humanity. The elegant defenses and social rules of appropriate behavior are built up by civilization and maintained in culture to insulate ourselves from that dangerous primal state. SM, along with some sports, is one of the few remaining semi-sanctioned arenas where the raw emotions and connections are permitted and even celebrated. To engage in this behavior may lead to a flood of emotions, elation and even risk failure to achieve connection, with the added danger of feeling genuine loneliness. It takes guts, skill and personal risk to fly high with another person.

This is a mighty scary proposition to some people.

But there’s a solution for people who can’t bear intimacy or potential failure. Highly technical scenes with clear standards of tangible procedural success can minimize the risk of messy emotional authenticity.

Over the years of I’ve been to more than a few dungeon parties – big and small, public and underground, posh and sleazy. Usually the scenes I see make me hot, but a few would leave me troubled, cold or deeply sad. Were they too shocking or taboo for me? No. Were they technically incompetent? No.

Instead, they were highly technical, well-executed and fascinating to watch. Multiple floggers fly and spin, wowing the crowd, in a spectacular choreography of Florentine flogging. Single tails and bull whips snap and dance stunningly on the skin delivering subtle strokes and deep cuts. Ropes wrap around limbs suspending flesh in complicated mid-air acrobatic poses. We gather around for these and other skill intensive scenes to ooh and ahh. But eventually I’d walk away, wondering why I was suddenly overcome by sadness. As I step away, people get in line to be the next to bottom, as the top processes yet another through an exquisite set of maneuvers.

I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not watching two people sharing an experience, but rather two strangers having separate thrills over one activity. The top feels satisfaction in displaying competence in a set of measurable standards (The ropes go on. The person goes up. They come down and they’re still in one piece), while the bottom gets to have a self-contained experience delivered by a competent technician. The human factor of the other person seems irrelevant in either case.

When I see this, it feels like SM is reduced to an amusement park ride, and people choose if they’re the rider or ride operator. Or maybe it’s the bungee jump. When I’ve gone bungee jumping, I looked for a service provider with qualifications and a good reputation. I certainly didn’t expect, nor want, any raw human connection with the dude strapping me in. I wanted him out of my head and heart. I wanted a thrill and to be able to talk about it to my friends. Maybe that’s what some people are seeking in their SM.

Recently someone came to talk to me about the suspension he did. Breathless with excitement, he talked to me about the thrill of doing it. Never once did he mention the other person he tied up. There was that sinking feeling in my heart again.

The more difficult the technique is, the harder it is to establish that human connection. But the more technical the play is, the easier it is to visibly ascertain a level of success and external validation. Emotional and mental states are, by nature, nebulous and not easy to determine success. There can always be doubts if the other person flew as high as you did, or if they flew at all. “Was it good for you?”

The greater the technical demand, the further at bay you keep the risk of intimacy, vulnerability and disappointments. To experience emotional connection in highly technical scenes is truly challenging. I’ve seen it done and it’s hot, but their biggest expertise went well beyond the complicated ties or whips. It was their willingness to be naked to the soul with the other person. Sadly, the intangible emotional scene success seems rarely celebrated as we’re distracted by flashy and tangible skill standards.

Firmly establishing a set rules for play where disconnect is the norm in, effect lowers the bar, guarantees and redefines success. Super difficult techniques can protect the players from biggest risk of all in SM – intimacy.

But if you play hard with nothing more than the most distilled, simple techniques, with teeth bared, sweaty, breathy and entwined with your partner as you expose your darkest desires to them, leaving you exhausted and elated in one another’s arms, congratulations – you are truly a pleasure artist.

'What is it about service?'

I borrowed this from a thread on FetLife, where the original poster, a dominant, inquired, "I would really like to hear other people's take on what makes receiving domestic service so fucking hot."  


I liked the following answer from another dominant so much that I wanted to put it here.

It is, for me, this undeniable feeling of dedication to the one being served. Our distractions are stripped away.

Ego is absent.

It is the depth of our discipline to that that is able to remove these distractions. What remains is the sole focus of carrying out a complete and selfless act of dedication to that one's needs, wants -- to its completion. This act may be simple, but its simple gesture is likened to one paying homage.

Homage is very intimate.

This act builds the dynamic. It is an opportunity to display, with grace, what has been practiced, whether it be in boot blacking, formal tea, food service, or holding grace through stance and postures.

Why is this so important? Why the dedication and small rituals when presenting service? Partly it separates us from simple acts one would receive as courtesy (say, from a family restaurant or the grocery kid at the supermarket), partly because in our vanilla lives we don't often get that opportunity to be in a space to fill that empty vessel.

We are starved and for those moments, the act of service and receiving it restores that balance. We are kings, we are gentlemen and ladies, courtesans, cicisbeos, and chevaliers. whatever part of the spectrum we play in, we are cherished and valued.

We are fed.

Handing someone a cup of coffee is just handing over a cup of coffee, but present that with genuine grace, structure, poise and you separate yourself from a whole group of others. This is the difference. This is what makes genuine service, service.

I am afforded the opportunity to sit back and breathe in, to anticipate the service, to really receive it, as I witness it. I am able to see distinct motion and see that what is expected or shown, has been displayed correctly.

Receiving a feeling of genuine care from service, displaying it in a flawless manner, having needs be the focus, stripping away one's vulnerabilities and distractions and seeing that person thrive from their act, this is the reward for me.

 -- TheDisciple

Vulnerability

My goal at the start of this year was to work on caring less about what others think and, to that end, I have made great strides. Still a work in progress, to be sure, but I'm pretty pleased with myself. Recently, a new theme has presented itself in my life and will take over my personal growth focus: vulnerability.

I could write a book on myself and how I defend from displaying even the barest hint of vulnerability. How I find being vulnerable to be unbearable, terrifying, and excruciating, so I avoid it at all costs.  The result is that I live in my own personal kind of hell, with everything locked in tight, to be dealt with quietly, alone, in the dark recesses of my own personal fortress.

I had a dream the other night, about running into JC, which brought up all of those related emotions and which has given me food for thought over the past few days.  She and I were together for two and a half years; by far the healthiest relationship I've had to date.  Our break up was devastating to me, then I healed, then I saw her again and the wounds were ripped open, then I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to re-heal and trying to stop pining and wanting something that never really existed in the first place.

I did succeed and I did get over her again. That is why this dream took me by surprise, but it was very interesting. In the dream, we flirted while we caught up, but there was no desire, really, to be with her in a romantic way. There was, however, a real desire to be with her sexually. That, I feel, will never go away entirely.

JC and I will always have a deep and caring friendship to fall back on. Our split was highly amicable, just both of us admitting that as romantic partners, we weren't a good fit. One of her chief complaints about me is my inability to be emotionally intimate, especially in a verbal fashion. She has a PhD in psychology, so talking about feelings is obviously huge for her.

I just... as much as I trusted her and loved her.. I could not bare myself like that. I would draw a blank in discussions and have no idea what to say.  In some ways, it's very frustrating because the feelings are there, but I can't manage to get them out in words or in ways that most people expect. Not to mention, I have a legitimate personality quirk (alexithymia) that makes it difficult for me to find the words to match what I'm feeling, so that combined with the person sitting there, staring at me, waiting with bated breath for what's to come out of my mouth next... it's terribly nerve-wracking, full of pressure, and not at all conducive to my opening up and sharing the most tender and sensitive parts of myself.

On the other hand, what made our sex life so hot, was due greatly in part to the fact that the only time I was able to be completely bare, open, and vulnerable with her was in bed.  We had loads of mind-blowing sex and I was over-the-moon delighted to discover what a dirty, experimental, and sexual creature she was. I think about all the various moments we had together and the biggest thing to stand out was how open, giving of myself, and completely vulnerable I was. And, subsequently, how fucking HOT that made things.

My feeling that comfortable to be so bare with her is absolutely why it was the hottest sex either one of us had had to date. JC is still my benchmark for 'hottest sex ever' and while I did have one experience after JC that surprised me by coming close, the lack of vulnerability, love, and caring was what kept that experience from being as good.

I had hoped, in a small part of my heart, that my vulnerability during sexual intimacy would be enough. That she would see that I was completely open and giving her everything that I had. That she would be able to see how deeply I felt and cared and wanted her, and that that would be enough.  Obviously, though, sexual intimacy is generally not enough to fuel a real, healthy, adult relationship.

A lot goes on in my head and most of it I keep to myself. I'm going to be working on courage, which is living with my heart. Vulnerability is one of the keys to happiness.






(If you are on a mobile device, you probably can't see the video above, but you should come back and watch it. It's a superb and funny TED talk on the subject of vulnerability.)

Fairness

The way I was raised, by my mother's example, no gift is given freely. Drilled into my head and extremely difficult to shake, even when it upsets my partners and doesn't serve me well, is that every gift given garners some sort of debt.  I've thus spent my life with a mental tally sheet -- not so much because I'm concerned about whether I'm getting my share, but because I want things to be fair and that everyone involved be happy and satisfied.

When I originally broached the subject of providing service in exchange for beatings, it took the form of 'trade'.  And, as trade, it is important to me that Mistress feels that I am working adequately to pay for her time and energy.  With weekly playdates, it put me well behind in terms of hours worked and what I would owe for a session.

Things have evolved, I feel, into more of a personal service relationship rather than a tit-for-tat straight trade.  What I mean by that, 'straight trade', is strictly business.  I recently had a brief discussion with her regarding how I feel that things are perhaps more fair now that I have play dates every other week, in terms of the hours I'm able to work in that time.  She thought about it and, bless her, she told me that she didn't think of it that way.

So, even though things were originally broached as a trade situation, to my delight, things have, in reality, become more of a personal service situation.  After talking with her, I feel I can relax somewhat on keeping a mental tally, of fairness, and know that she's satisfied.

Safety

One of the most unexpected things I've found while exploring this whole service thing is how comfortable and how safe it feels to be fully myself. Not just the parts of me that are silly or dorky or that I often keep to myself for fear of judgment or whatnot. I mean that I'm free to fully be myself, in the broadest sense. Most surprisingly, what I'm finding is how freeing and safe it feels to be as giving of myself as I want.

It's 'weird', but I have a deep need to give and to do. I need to feel helpful, useful, and wanted. I'm someone who really enjoys giving, making others happy, and, honestly, I enjoy putting others ahead of myself. I don't know how to describe it, other than it just doesn't feel right any other way. Not to mention, I have difficulty expressing my feelings, so the primary way that I show people I care for them is to do things.  I realize now that I am a service-oriented submissive; I love being helpful, useful, needed.  I love to make the lives of the people I care for easier and I want them to know that they are loved and appreciated.

The problem has been that it has, historically, been extremely unsafe for me to be this way in most of my vanilla relationships, including my familial ones.  It's tough being a person who thrives on the things I do, particularly when people can be so selfish and so easily take advantage.  I've spent a lot of time trying to please the people I care about, but never without danger and rarely in a healthy manner.

I started this life very idealistic and naive and I've had to harden myself up quite a bit. I learned that I had to withhold things and to stay guarded.  I look back over my life and there's a lot of being taken advantage of or being taken for granted. Being manipulated or even abused by those who recognized the right buttons to push.  It took me way too long, but after all the shit I went through in my last romantic relationship, I finally reached my limit and found the balls to stand up for myself. I am honestly totally fed up and no longer willing to take shit off of people.

So, it's ironic to me, that after becoming so guarded, that I suddenly feel really safe being open, giving, and totally myself.

I don't know why I'm this way, but it gives me great pleasure to make other people happy.  I love showing people I pay attention to them by attending to their desires. I particularly love if I can read someone and provide what they want or need without them even having to speak a word. The reward of someone's delight, the awe of my remembering their preferences, is so worth the time and energy!

I have worked in the service industry for a very long time and I don't think it's any coincidence that a) I am drawn to this line of work or b) that I'm pretty good at it.  Being thoughtful, anticipating someone's desires, remembering the things they like or how they like them, going a step or two beyond what is expected with the hope of putting a smile on someone's face... all of these are things I naturally do for those I care about.  It's just that it hasn't always worked out very well for me.

Perhaps it's because I have empathic tendencies, but another thing is that I can't be happy if the people around me aren't happy.  It also feels selfish to put myself ahead of someone else and I just feel much more comfortable if I let another person have first pick over me. I do have self-sacrificing tendencies, in that I'm happy to put myself second if I can be of service for someone or something greater than myself. I'm drawn to service, to helping others, and I'm most happy when I can do that.

A couple of my friends have cautioned me to be careful, afraid that I might get taken advantage of. I assure them that they don't understand because if they did, they'd see there's no worry at all. Mistress is so wonderful and has only my best interests at heart. She is extremely giving, kind, and thoughtful, so it is my absolute pleasure to look after her. I know that I can approach her with any concerns and I also know that she has my back and is looking out for me.

What they also don't understand is the amazing feeling that comes from being fully recognized. For the first time, I'm free to be myself because someone finally sees who I am and understands my need to give. Not only that, but I feel like Mistress knows that what I have to offer is given of myself as a gift. It's this difference of perspective -- gracefully accepting someone's gift, rather than taking what's on offer without any thought -- that makes all the difference.

It's really the most marvelous feeling and so freeing to be able to be totally myself! I can do what I love -- giving, doing, putting others ahead of myself -- and feel totally safe and comfortable.