Old boots, new lease of life

[thecompaqguy]

I'm wearing my Ramsey Blue out tomorrow - I thought about the Douglas but I think the Ramsey looks better... either that or my Denim. Going to see some friends near Northampton tomorrow

[TomFromBama]

I agree that some conditioner or polish would go a long way. Not necessarily to make them shiny but to preserve the leather from cracks and having too much of the finish scuffed off. There appears to be a lot of wear left in those boots and it would be a shame to lose them before their time. To me, they're perfect for a casual look: not too high, nice style, etc. a good find at the price.

Agree completely- and there are lots and lots of good products out there.

Personally, I'm a fan of good old-fashioned Saddle Soap and Kiwi shoe polish. But if you don't want the boots to look "polished", Dr. Martens Wonder Balsam seems to do a very nice job of protecting and nourishing the leather.

[t_challa]

Agree completely- and there are lots and lots of good products out there.

Personally, I'm a fan of good old-fashioned Saddle Soap and Kiwi shoe polish. But if you don't want the boots to look "polished", Dr. Martens Wonder Balsam seems to do a very nice job of protecting and nourishing the leather.

Thanks for the tip

[Benning Boy]

I can't count the number of pairs of boots I've taken care of over the years. The first thing I always do when dressing up a well used pair is to scrub them with a stiff brush and water. If they're good boots the water won't hurt them. Then, if I'm feeling nit-picky I'll follow that with saddle soap. Really lather the saddle soap and work it in, and rub it off with a dry cloth buffing as you go. Saddle soap by itself makes a pretty good leather conditioner, and will leave brown boots looking darker than when you started, but not like new. You could follow that with neatsfoot oil, but only use pure neatsfoot oil, and not neats foot oil compound. In Ranger School we applied neatsfoot oil to our boots until they were buttery soft. It made them more comfortable, as they molded to the foot better, somewhat water repellent and more stealthy. Oil will leave the boots darker, but still scruffy and used looking. You won't be able to polish them well ever again after a thorough neatsfoot treatment, but I don't think that's what you want. My boots were so soft and comfortable I wore them without sooks in the wet and in swamps. Snowseal is great stuff for water proofing. Warm the boot in the oven at a low temp, warm the Snowseal, wipe it on and watch it soak in, keep applying until the leather won't take anymore. When cool buff. The boots won't shine, but will have an even look, will be darker, but still look used. The boots will do well in wet or snowy conditions. Supposedly you should only use liquid silicone water proofing on boots that were tanned with a silicone treatment, but I've never see that it makes any difference.

[WillowEstate]

Not sure if it's still available but Dubbin used to be good for preserving the real leather soccer boots that we used to wear when the England team actually won stuff, rather than the "carpet slippers" they wear now! The Dubbin kept out the water, stopped them from cracking and did soften the leather a bit, without making them all shiny.

[t_challa]

when the England team actually won stuff, rather than the "carpet slippers" they wear now!

Made me laugh out so loud on the bus when I read it that I received several strange looks from other passengers!

Lots of useful tips on here about boot maintenance/longevity. It's obviously a topic of interest. I actually just bought a new pair of black combat boots. Changed the laces from black to yellow. Really comfy and look great with my new country shooting socks. I'll post some pics of them soon.

[McClef]

Thread closed at OP request.