what do you guys do to protect and preserve your leather boots that see alot of moisture before and after? my boots often get soaked totally with water and i know the leather will eventually get hard and start to crack...whats the best way to protect/preserve it? if its any help the boots im using are the Danner Desert TFX Rough-out GTX military boots.
- Thread starter kentactic
- Start date
Re: boot maintnance
mink oil to waterproof and saddle soap to clean and condition, works great,
mink oil to waterproof and saddle soap to clean and condition, works great,
Re: boot maintnance
ok thanks guys.. i dont think i need to waterproof the leather as the boots have gore-tex liners.. if i understand correctly that liner is water proof not the leather. ive stood in water over my ankles for over 30 mins and not got a drop wet but i could feel the water had totally penetrated the leather.
ok thanks guys.. i dont think i need to waterproof the leather as the boots have gore-tex liners.. if i understand correctly that liner is water proof not the leather. ive stood in water over my ankles for over 30 mins and not got a drop wet but i could feel the water had totally penetrated the leather.
Re: boot maintnance
water proofing the leather is NOT to keep your feet dry, it's to keep the leather from rotting away
water proofing the leather is NOT to keep your feet dry, it's to keep the leather from rotting away
Re: boot maintnance
Clean with warm water allow time to dry and use SNO SEAL its a beeswax treatment for leather.
I have used this on my military field boots, and personal Danners to great effect. It treats the leather and seals the water out.
Clean with warm water allow time to dry and use SNO SEAL its a beeswax treatment for leather.
I have used this on my military field boots, and personal Danners to great effect. It treats the leather and seals the water out.
Re: boot maintnance
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: force_multiplier</div><div class="ubbcode-body">water proofing the leather is NOT to keep your feet dry, it's to keep the leather from rotting away </div></div>
good to know
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: force_multiplier</div><div class="ubbcode-body">water proofing the leather is NOT to keep your feet dry, it's to keep the leather from rotting away </div></div>
good to know
Re: boot maintnance
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krm375</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Clean with warm water allow time to dry and use SNO SEAL its a beeswax treatment for leather.
I have used this on my military field boots, and personal Danners to great effect. It treats the leather and seals the water out. </div></div>
sweet i have sno-seal...but man is it going to make my boots look like shit..
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: krm375</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Clean with warm water allow time to dry and use SNO SEAL its a beeswax treatment for leather.
I have used this on my military field boots, and personal Danners to great effect. It treats the leather and seals the water out. </div></div>
sweet i have sno-seal...but man is it going to make my boots look like shit..
Re: boot maintnance
yeah they are suede.. i already treated them with sno-seal... its not that bad... in time it will look normal again. i sat the boots out in the sun for a while to warm them up and then rubbed it on. and then scrubbed the leather with a dry rag to soak up any excess... should work ok. even on smooth leather boots that stuff makes it look pretty bad. i treat my work boots with it and get a similar result. the main thing is to keep the leather in good condition for me.
yeah they are suede.. i already treated them with sno-seal... its not that bad... in time it will look normal again. i sat the boots out in the sun for a while to warm them up and then rubbed it on. and then scrubbed the leather with a dry rag to soak up any excess... should work ok. even on smooth leather boots that stuff makes it look pretty bad. i treat my work boots with it and get a similar result. the main thing is to keep the leather in good condition for me.
Re: boot maintnance
Bannana Peels....swear by them....
Bannana Peels....swear by them....
Re: boot maintnance
Boot Grease
Beeswax
Good luck
ETA - knock the big stuff off / saddle soap / let them dry completely / stick a hair dryer in the boot and warm it up from the inside out - keep it warm / heat up either the boot grease or the beeswax / clean dry rag / multiple thin applications. Don't just smear either of these on the outside of the boot when both are cold.
Boot Grease
Beeswax
Good luck
ETA - knock the big stuff off / saddle soap / let them dry completely / stick a hair dryer in the boot and warm it up from the inside out - keep it warm / heat up either the boot grease or the beeswax / clean dry rag / multiple thin applications. Don't just smear either of these on the outside of the boot when both are cold.
Re: boot maintnance
I was put onto this product OBENAUF'S Heavy Duty Leather it is a great wax. And this is a good time of year to wax them. As others have said warm cloth to clean up all the dirt, then I stick both the boots and wax in the car, it takes no time to warm up the boot and melt the wax.
Once the boots are sufficiently warm and the wax has melted I take a paint brush and apply the wax to the boots. The heat from the boots and the liquid wax are easily absorbed. Once the wax is applied you should see a film build up that needs to be rubbed into the boots once you have completed the process your good to go place the boots someplace dry or leave them outside for a few hours. Your done I have found this method to work the best it beat using the hair dryer and microwaving the wax during the fall.
I was put onto this product OBENAUF'S Heavy Duty Leather it is a great wax. And this is a good time of year to wax them. As others have said warm cloth to clean up all the dirt, then I stick both the boots and wax in the car, it takes no time to warm up the boot and melt the wax.
Once the boots are sufficiently warm and the wax has melted I take a paint brush and apply the wax to the boots. The heat from the boots and the liquid wax are easily absorbed. Once the wax is applied you should see a film build up that needs to be rubbed into the boots once you have completed the process your good to go place the boots someplace dry or leave them outside for a few hours. Your done I have found this method to work the best it beat using the hair dryer and microwaving the wax during the fall.
Re: boot maintnance
+1 for the Obenauf's. However I 've used their leather protectant oil instead of the wax and it has worked well for me. I'll also mention skidmore's leather products, they also work really well and will keep leather supple and moisturized no matter what you throw at them.
+1 for the Obenauf's. However I 've used their leather protectant oil instead of the wax and it has worked well for me. I'll also mention skidmore's leather products, they also work really well and will keep leather supple and moisturized no matter what you throw at them.
Re: boot maintnance
I used to use mink oil, bear grease, and snoseal. But I changed to Nik Wax products based on the recommendation from a company that made some custom boots for me. The boots are leather w/o gortex and my feet have always stayed dry even when using them in constant rain or snowy conditions. I've also used Nik Wax on suede and combo leather/fabric boots with good results.
The link for the Nik Wax product for suede is http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=260&activityid=1
In my experience it doesn't change the color or texture of the of the leather much if at all.
I used to use mink oil, bear grease, and snoseal. But I changed to Nik Wax products based on the recommendation from a company that made some custom boots for me. The boots are leather w/o gortex and my feet have always stayed dry even when using them in constant rain or snowy conditions. I've also used Nik Wax on suede and combo leather/fabric boots with good results.
The link for the Nik Wax product for suede is http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=260&activityid=1
In my experience it doesn't change the color or texture of the of the leather much if at all.
Re: boot maintnance
I have a couple of pairs of Danners and I use their Danner boot product. It's probably just some sort of wax. One twist that I employ though is to gently heat either the wax or the leather using a blow dryer - I don't get the leather really hot but I do warm it up a bit. I figure using a blow dryer will help the wax get into the leather more.
Didn't notice the MoZamBeeks initial comments. "Great minds" and all that other stuff.
I have a couple of pairs of Danners and I use their Danner boot product. It's probably just some sort of wax. One twist that I employ though is to gently heat either the wax or the leather using a blow dryer - I don't get the leather really hot but I do warm it up a bit. I figure using a blow dryer will help the wax get into the leather more.
Didn't notice the MoZamBeeks initial comments. "Great minds" and all that other stuff.
Re: boot maintnance
Weirdest method I ever saw, then or since, was what the DI's made us do with our boots in Parris Island.
Starting new, we began by beating the leather with the backs of the polishing brush until all the stiffness was gone. We did this every night for the first two weeks of Boot Camp. The squad Bay would sound like a carpenter shop.
Each night, we would finish up by daubing and brushing the boot leather, with <span style="font-style: italic">saddle soap</span>...!
After the first two weeks the clubbing was terminated, but the saddle soaping continued every night.
A week before graduation, we were finally permitted to use regular boot polish.
The process converted the rock-hard boot leather into something resembling a pair of gloves.
We were told to put the boots away until we got to 'Nam, and use the other pair for everyday wear. We were also told not to polish the boots in 'Nam, but rather, to work in Vaseline whenever they appeared to be getting dried out.
When we got to 'Nam, if we had the opportunity, we were supposed to do the beat'n soap trick with the second pair of boots from Basic.
Also, the boots we got in PI were equipped with speed hooks, but I never saw another pair like that once we got into the units. We were instructed to save the hook boots for combat, that the time they saved could save a life.
I've used Mink Oil and it appears to work fine. But Wow, the cats go wild for it when I'm using it in the house.
Greg
Weirdest method I ever saw, then or since, was what the DI's made us do with our boots in Parris Island.
Starting new, we began by beating the leather with the backs of the polishing brush until all the stiffness was gone. We did this every night for the first two weeks of Boot Camp. The squad Bay would sound like a carpenter shop.
Each night, we would finish up by daubing and brushing the boot leather, with <span style="font-style: italic">saddle soap</span>...!
After the first two weeks the clubbing was terminated, but the saddle soaping continued every night.
A week before graduation, we were finally permitted to use regular boot polish.
The process converted the rock-hard boot leather into something resembling a pair of gloves.
We were told to put the boots away until we got to 'Nam, and use the other pair for everyday wear. We were also told not to polish the boots in 'Nam, but rather, to work in Vaseline whenever they appeared to be getting dried out.
When we got to 'Nam, if we had the opportunity, we were supposed to do the beat'n soap trick with the second pair of boots from Basic.
Also, the boots we got in PI were equipped with speed hooks, but I never saw another pair like that once we got into the units. We were instructed to save the hook boots for combat, that the time they saved could save a life.
I've used Mink Oil and it appears to work fine. But Wow, the cats go wild for it when I'm using it in the house.
Greg
