I just tried rendering some deer tallow for the first time...what now?

[Tripplebeards]

After having soaked feet today I finally used some for my boots a few minutes ago. I smeared on two thick coats and heated Each time with a hair drier till all of the talo melted and completely soaked in. Don’t think I’ll see any deer tomorrow morning while I’m turkey hunting as they will smell me a mile away. It has a good smell. Kind of like a mild mink oil. Hopefully it puts a good waterproof coating on them. Who knows, maybe the deer will think it’s their long lost brother that went missing last November.

[Tripplebeards]

Well I just buffed my boots and dribbled some water on them and can tell you they sure aren’t waterproof from two coats of deer tallo. The water soaked right in.

[Thumbcocker]

Hubbards boot and shoe grease from McMinnville Oregon is hard to beat.

[webfoot10]

Well I just buffed my boots and dribbled some water on them and can tell you they sure aren’t waterproof from two coats of deer tallo. The water soaked right in.

You have to mix some beeswax with the tallow to make it shed water. Plain
tallow is used to soften leather, but doesn't shed water, mix with beeswax
for best results.

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks, I was thinking about mixing with bees wax. I used all I had a few years ago to mix up boolit lube I never used. Went to PC and never looked back. Think my mix was/is beeswax, Johnson’s paste wax, & and some marv’s mystery oil for transmissions if I remember correctly. I’ll have to find some bees wax. I have a Couple candles that are as big as a king cans. Can I melt a chunk of it and mix it 50/50 with my deer tallo to get the same water proofing affect as bees wax?

On the good side my stiff boots Softened up and slid right on my feet.

[Rich/WIS]

Still have a can of bear oil, per Ned Roberts it was the thing to use for ML patches. Rendered it down years ago and have never tried it.

[Markopolo]

trip, bees wax and tallow go together in the same amounts as apple pie and ice cream... it works great!!!

[Tripplebeards]

I took a chunk of my candle and melted it about 50/50 with the deer tallo. Brushed it on while it was completely melted and hot. The mix turned to a thick chunky cream on my boots. I used a blow drier and melted all of the thick surface cream looking wax&tallow into my boots. One looked a little drier than the other so I applied a second coat. Instead of melting with a blow drier into my leather boots this time I buffed off the hardened coat with a rag to leave a surface coat on them. I then used a shoe brush to buff off what I missed. I then rubbed my boots with the heat of my hand So the color looks nice and even. I’ll let them sit for a few hours to harden and then give them a water test. My boots look evenly dark and kinda waxy. They look good even if their not waterproof.

[Tripplebeards]

Just tried some water on my boot and it rolled right off. I do have a waxy feeling on the leather surface.

[SSGOldfart]

I vote BP Lube... works great with a bit of bees wax!!!

Yes sir that gets my vote as well,
should work great for wooden tool handles it you mix in a little linseed oil and the bees wax.

[Tripplebeards]

Let them sit for two days now. If I touch the boots they have a very light waxy feeling. I did buff them by hand. I think I’ll leave the exterior build up instead of trying to buff it all off. I applied two coats of tallow and a coat of 50/50 mixed with candle wax. Each time I heated them with a blow drier until each coat was completely absorbed into the leather. Then I applied a second coat of 50/50 and buffed off by hand so there was a nice even exterior shield. My boots went from a light tan to a dark brown. I would assume the exterior build up will eventually absorb? There is a faint smell of the tallow and candle mix if I take a whiff. If I touch or rub my boots I can feel and smell the mix on my hands. Should I buff the rest off or leave it?

[dverna]

Hubbards boot and shoe grease from McMinnville Oregon is hard to beat.

I'm thinking that is what I will use. Just isn't worth the stink and effort to save a few dollars. Thanks for the info.

[Tripplebeards]

Well, the deer like the smell! I wore my boots turkey hunting this morning and had a buck in velvet walk less than two feet from me and sniff my boots!!! I m sure it was the scented candle that I mixed in with the tallow that caught his interest. It smells like Carmel. It walked past me within shotgun barrel length and turned around as he caught my scent in the wind. I had my head against a tree and he peered around it. His head was at elbows reach from my head. He stayed there for a good thirty seconds and kept making loud sniffing noises looking and my boots. Lol...I could have pet the deer!