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You are here: Home / gift ideas / Bronzing baby shoes is back!

February 27, 2019 By Sandra Gordon 18 Comments

Bronzing baby shoes is back!

mounted bronzed baby shoes with photo of baby in the backgroundBronzing baby shoes is a practice that has been around since 1934. Have you heard of it? It fell off the public radar for a while. But guess what? It’s back and it’s trending now.

Bronzing is a way to make your baby’s shoes into a lasting memento. The process uses electroplating–a magical combo of chemistry and electricity–to make copper accumulate on your baby’s actual shoes, preserving them forever.

BabyProductsMom does NOT bronze baby shoes!

Can you tell that BPM gets frequent emails and phone calls, even on a Saturday night, from potential customers, asking: How much do you charge to bronze baby shoes and pacifiers and Army boots? Clearly, BPM is in the wrong business! Oh well. But she knows who does bronze baby shoes. 

Go to The Bronzery: www.bronzery.com; sales@bronzery.com.

Want to know more what goes into bronzing baby shoes and what can/can’t be bronzed? Read on!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

First, a history lesson about baby shoe bronzing

Baby shoe bronzing started with Violet Shinbach, a Cleveland kindergarten teacher. As the mother of baby shoe bronzing, Violet was the first person to ever make a business out of it, in 1934. “My grandmother found a way to bronze baby shoes and improved on it, then spread the word by knocking on doors of the homes of people who looked like there might be a baby inside, such as a tricycle in the driveway,” says Robert Kaynes, president of the American Bronzing Company. “The business just took off.” (Update: After 80 years, American Bronzing Company closed its doors in 2018 when Kaynes retired.)

Still, baby shoe bronzing is more popular than ever and the baby shoe bronzing process has changed very little since 1934, aside from one thing: The coatings are more environmentally friendly. “We’re good neighbors. There’s no environmental safety issue with bronzing at all,” Kaynes says.

Baby Shoe Bronzing Process

To bronze baby shoes, the shoes aren’t doused in bronze. “If you dipped shoes in hot molten metal, they would melt,” Kaynes says. Instead, they’re sealed in a liquid material and coated with a copper-infused liquid that makes the shoes conductive.

Bronzed baby shoes are back!The next step? Baby’s shoes are suspended into electroplating tanks with special chemicals that make copper cling. The end result are shoes that are completely encased in metal, forever.

Most any type of baby shoe can be bronzed. Exceptions: fuzzy, absorbent shoes and knitted or crocheted booties. They aren’t good candidates for bronzing.  “Because the plating solution is liquid, fuzzy and absorbent shoes never dry out,” Kaynes says. Fluffy baseball gloves and teddy bears are also off limits.

 

But pretty much every other kind of baby shoe is fair game, including flexible shoes, like Robeez, Pediped, baby sneakers, and more traditional hard soled shoes like Stride Rite walkers.

The best time to bronze baby shoes is whenever. “The golden age is babies who are 9 to 15 months old,” Kaynes says, because that’s when they’re outgrowing their first shoes. But Kaynes has bronzed shoes that moms have saved for 10 to 20 years. It’s never too late to get your bronzing on!

Where to get your baby’s shoes bronzed: Bronzery

Now that American Bronzing is out of business, your best bet is to contact Bronzery (that’s the bronzing company Robert Kayes recommends) by calling 800-909-7523, sales@bronzery.com. They bronze everything from baby shoes and pacifiers to sneakers and combat boots!

Bronzing a pair of baby shoes at Bronzery starts at $65. It’ll cost you more if you want your bronzed baby’s shoes mounted or displayed with a photo of your baby on a plaque or as bookends.

 

bronzed shoes on the Christmas tree

Bronzed shoes make memorable ornaments.

Bronze them as is. If your baby wore a hole in her shoe, all the better. If that’s how your baby wore it and that’s the memory you should preserve.

A recent trend is to have the bronzing professionals drill a little hole in the back of bronzed baby shoes to lace ribbon through so you can make an ornament out of them for your Christmas tree.
Cool!

Baby shoe bronzing makes a great gift too.

Mementos that Literally Last Forever

What makes bronzing so special? The difference between bronzing your baby’s first shoes and a photo of your baby on your computer is that the shoes are tangible. Whether you display them on your mantel, a bookcase or a coffee table, they’re out for everyone to see. “Every time you go into that room, you’ll notice the shoes and boom! You’ll trigger a quick memory of your child as a baby,” Kaynes says.

More Ways to Capture Your Baby’s Precious Moments:

Baby shoe bronzing is just one way to preserve your baby’s mementos. If you’re the DIY sort, check out the Luna Bean Deluxe 3D Prints Baby Casting Kit with acryllic metallic bronzing finish paint, to make castings of your baby’s precious little hands and feet. It could be a fun addition to your baby registry.

Pin it!

mounted bronzed baby shoes with photo of baby in the background

 

 

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Filed Under: gift ideas, Proactive Parent Tagged With: babies, baby, baby gear, baby products, baby shoe bronzing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cissy B. says

    November 30, 2022 at 1:27 am

    i just cleaned up a bronzed baby shoe that was my grandmother’s. Bronzing baby shoes is older than 1934 – these are from 1915!

    Reply
  2. Trenia says

    June 17, 2022 at 7:23 am

    Would like to know where you r located live in windsor ont

    Reply
    • Sandra Gordon says

      August 23, 2022 at 2:18 pm

      BabyProductsMom doesn’t do bronzing, but The Bronzery does: https://www.bronzery.com/.

      Reply
  3. Meloney says

    January 23, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Thank you for directing us to the place that does bronze shoes. Google sends everyone to you for some reason. LOL
    Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Susan Kupfer says

    October 15, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    I would like some information about bronzing my daughter baby shoes

    Reply
  5. Linda says

    August 2, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    I have my son’s first pair of cowboy boots and would like to have them bronzed. Where would i get this done. Also aadded picture frame 8×10

    Reply
  6. Charles Jones says

    September 24, 2020 at 5:00 pm

    I have a bronzed baby shoe I need striped and re bronzed The shoe is approx: 4″ lg X 2″ W X 2″H

    Reply
  7. Tammy Petrey says

    September 4, 2020 at 12:12 am

    I would like to get my grand baby’s shoes bronze with a 5X7 picture frame and I would like to have the pacifier on the same base what does something like that cost

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    July 3, 2020 at 9:44 am

    Sandra I wouldn’t have even heard of the bronzing company without you I hope you’re getting a kickback or at least a free pair of bronze shoes for your baby?!! Lol

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      July 3, 2020 at 9:45 am

      And you’re right I can tell from the comments below no one reads goodness gracious bless your heart!!

      Reply
  9. Karen Guerin says

    June 9, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    Send me any information you have advancing baby shoes

    Reply
  10. Susie Chisolm says

    May 16, 2020 at 6:51 am

    how do I remove bronzed baby shoes from its ugly wood platform?

    Reply
  11. Tammy Petrey says

    February 24, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    I want to get a pair of baby shoes and pacifier bronzed with a frame for a picture how much and how long would it take

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 1, 2020 at 2:47 pm

      I want To bronze my child shoes
      How do i get in touch of you

      Reply
      • Linda Sieracki says

        June 8, 2020 at 2:21 am

        I want a pair of my grandsons shoes bronzed
        How do I do it?

        Reply
        • Sandra Gordon says

          June 8, 2020 at 8:49 am

          Hi Linda:

          Contact sales@bronzery.com. Bronzery is my go-to baby shoe bronzing source.

          Best,

          Sandra

          Reply
  12. Tammy Petrey says

    February 24, 2020 at 10:54 pm

    I would like to get my granddaughters shoes and pacifier bronze

    Reply
  13. Eloise Sexton says

    February 4, 2020 at 4:03 am

    How do i get my grand daughters first shoes bronzed

    Reply

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I’m Sandra Gordon, baby product and safety expert. I’m on a mission to help you buy the best for your baby and your budget. Want to know more? Read on!

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