Leather Treatment

[gbrown]

This is one of those JUST CURIOUS posts that I do. I just finished my yearly rehab/treatment of my hunting boots. I have 3 pair, (why? military taught me to alternate, 1 pair I keep at the house) 1 I purchased and 2 that were issued to me by the military. They date from 1991 (regular issue at the time), 1 from 2000 I purchased,(Matterhorns, cost about $150, Goretex and all that) and 2002 (military issue Matterhorn style). The 1991 I had resoled in 2003 with the big ripple sole in the Killeen area. Anyway, I try to clean and treat them yearly. I use Fieblings Saddle Soap to clean them, this is available at Tractor Supply Company or on the internet. After 2 cleanings with that, I use Neatsfoot Oil. It's what my father used on his boots, and I find that it works good for me, all I can say. Leaves them kind of oily, but I can live with that. I use the same treatments for my grandsons' baseball gloves, also works good. I have gloves that are like 15 years old, and they are still good. Just use a lighter amount of Neatsfoot oil on the glove. My boots are in good shape, and I hope to have them for 10-15 years. Take care of stuff and it lasts. I know that there are a lot of people out there who know a lot more about leather than I do. Don't be afraid, lets educate our members about leather preservation/treatment.

[John Allen]

gbrown, how do you like the matterhorns? I have been thinking of getting a pair.

[jmort]

I'm liking Chamberlains Leather Milk

http://www.leather-milk.com/leather-care-products/leather-care-liniment

[gbrown]

gbrown, how do you like the matterhorns? I have been thinking of getting a pair.

My only statement is that they are like the cat's meow. I wear them in winter and summer. It gets hot down here, but not my feet. Even with my treatments--Sno Seal (TM), Neats Foot oil and all, they still breath and leave my feet cool. Get them treated, and they resist any moisture--snow, rain, standing puddles, etc. Look at they way they are sewn--the tongue is sewn to the sides all the way to the top. Gives like you like 8-10 inches of seal. Remember, these were purchased like 13 years ago. Look closely at the new ones, everybody is cutting back on quality.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use Bear Grease

[Idaho Mule]

Nothing wrong with glyceren saddle soap and neatsfoot oil. It's about the best one can do. I try to do it about every 6 months though, as well as rotating several pair of boots. They will treat you well with that kind of care. JW

[mroliver77]

I have to treat my boots about 1 time a month. I have three pair work boots and a pair of tennis shoes that I rotate. Ohio is wet and hard on boots.
J

[country gent]

Ive always used Mink oil for leather gear slings holsters cases. When i was at cabellas i found a pair of danners in the bargain cave that were a perfect fit for my feet. The guy in the shoe dept recomended Obenaufs Leather Oil for them. It was desighned to treayt the leather goods of fire fighters. My Danners are 10 years old now and still look like new aside from a few nicks from work. I was told nets foot oils would allow leather to stretch. Im not sure its what you use but that you use it regularly. I treated my work boots every couple months. But we were in alot of oils,fluxes,hot areas.

[Pb2au]

Milk oil here.
I use it on my Justin's I wear every day, and the leather uppers of my Bean boots.
It works just like tooth paste, you grab the mink at the tail and start squeezing...........:shock:

[Thumbcocker]

Hubbared Boot and Shoe grease McMinnville Oregon. Just the best I have ever found.

[redneckdan]

Wish I could get that many years from a pair of boots. Get 3-4 years usually. I do maintain them, usually the stitching lets go. Last couple pair have been Whites. I have odd shaped feet and the smoke jumpers just fit so darned well. That and modern synthetics in mass produced boots do nasty things to my feet.

[DCP]

http://www.pecard.com/

Pecards is the best stuff I have ever used.
Read the FAQ

I would never use Neatsfoot oil.

[Springfield]

I suppose anything is better than nothing, but most oils will soften the leather and will also rot the cotton thread. I have had 3 leather covers on my motorcycle seat. Unfortunately it has to live outside, plus I ride in rain and cold. I have tried most everything and nothing will keep the leather from degrading at some point. I have found that products with beeswax tend to work better than oil based products, though. My father used to use plain old shoe polish in a can for his boots, they lasted him forever. I have a belt from my grandfather, was his duty belt from when he was a game Warden in the 30's-50's. He just used to polish it with shoe polish also. I now wear it as part of my outfit when I wear my kilt at scottish festivals, and it looks great. So I just polish my motorcycle boots with black shoe polish and ignore all the fancy preservatives out there, never worked for me anyway. My favorite pair is now 25 years old. Been re-heeled and re-soled but the tops look fine.

[Zymurgy50]

Sno-seal As far as i can tell is a mixture of vaseline and beeswax. Rub a goodly amount into the boot, heat it up with a hairdryer to melt the wax, wipe the excess off, and forget about it for a year

[MaryB]

Kiwi Leather Lotion on my boots and IWB holster I made

[Driver man]

Ive found that lanolin works for me. Ive got some boots 10 years hunting in and have resoled them twice but the uppers are as good as the day they were made. I use Lanolin on my knife sheaths, rifle slings, belts and pack straps. Old leather becomes supple and can be used again. I also use it in my boolit lube.

[starnbar]

I got a pair of redwings that are 10 years old and resoled 2x I use food grade silicone on em spray em down about 2-3 times a year.

[19112TAP]

Obenaufs LP & Skidmore's. Benn using them for several years and my boots still look great.

[sparkz]

I use Mink Oil and Neetsfoot both on our leather depending on where and what it is, and like mink for water / snow boots and neats for coat and saddles
(I like to set them near heater vent when usein mink oil for good soak into the stitching,
hey whats a neat and they must have big feet to fill that can up, can we hunt them?
hahaha




Going Huntin neets for der feets

patrick

Patrick

[Rick Hodges]

I'm a sno-seal guy. It just works. I usually clean then rub it in with heat from a hair dryer...then a second coat. I don't worry about rubbing off the excess....that happens soon enough with wear.

[C.F.Plinker]

hey whats a neat and they must have big feet to fill that can up, can we hunt them?
hahaha




At one time neatsfoot oil was derived from the foot and shin bones of cattle. Naturally there were specifications for it which described how it was to be made. After WWI the U.S. government specifications were changed so that they described what the oil was to do not how it was to be made. The manufacturers found that (surprise, surprise) they could meet the functional specs at a lower cost to them by using fat from pigs rather than oil from the shin bones of cattle. Today most neatsfoot oil is a liquid fat from pigs. Neatsfoot oil compound has mineral oils added to it.

I got interested in leather work several years ago and looked at this in more detail than I wanted in order to find a product that would soften and preserve my leather work without weakening or discoloring it. There are leather working and automobile forums out there which have some good threads on this subject. (Seems like leather is popular for automotive upholstery and they don't want whatever they use to come off on anyones clothes or to cause the leather to crack. ) Neatsfoot oil penetrates into the leather but not into the individual fibers of the leather. This is why it can come off onto whatever touches it if you use too much. It does, however, cause the fibers to swell. This makes the leather feel softer but can also weaken the leather. If you look up and read the threads on these forums you will find that each author has things that work for them and the type of leather work that they do. Sort of like us and boolit lubes.

The products that have been mentioned so far are all good and have worked for years. If you are going to use neatsfoot oil apply it sparingly by putting it on a dauber or even a piece of lambswool or paper towel and using that to apply the oil to the leather. After you have applied it to the entire article let it dry for a day or two before you think about putting on a second coat. It doesn't take much to keep your leather soft and supple.