deeksofdoom Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Hey All,After experiencing a bit of disappointment with a pair of Meindl hunting boots which are splitting and cracking I decided to buy a new pair of boots.So I've purchased a pair of new British army gortex lined boots for £30 on ebay, to experiment with.I want to use them for shooting, they will be used to walk muddy wet fields and boggy glens and ****e in general.I would like to know what the best way to protect the leather is.Is it dubbin,nik wax meindl boot wax or what?Would you recommend soaking the boots letting them dry on your feet and then applying dubbin etc.I'm not in any hurry to start wearing the boots so i don't mind taking my time to waterproof them properly, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 I use this. http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/kiwi-mink-oil-426-p.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 I use this. http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/kiwi-mink-oil-426-p.asp How do you apply it? How do you proep the boot before applying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 When i was in the army any new boots we got we soaked them in the bath for a few hours then wear them for a day whilst they are drying out and periodically tightening the laces. thus forms the boot to your foot . then stuff them with newspaper to aid drying. as they start drying start applying whatever polish/wAx you intend to use we all used just kiwi boot polish initially then a wax type waterproof after if you like.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 As they are goretex lined they are already waterproof. I use dubarry leather cream, but any leather cream or saddle soap will work fine. By the look of that picture they are a hard almost plastic coated leather? Quite smooth? Until they have worn in and got a few scuffs most leather conditioners won't soak in. Your best bet it to go out and wear them as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 I bought the same pair of boots recently and even knowing they are gortex lined still did as i explained. belt and braces if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 No I don't believe they plastic coat leather. I think I'll try the mink oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 They look like pro boots to me throw them in a Luke warm bath for an hour or so newspaper in to soak up the worst and polish them stick them on your feet while still wet and wear them until they dry out. Polish them lots to start with then I use Aqueous NikWax job jobbed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 +1 welshwarrior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 They are pro boots alright. But why the need to polish them, surely the Nik wax/mink oil will do the job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 A polished surface allows water to run off and is good for morale! Ha ha! You would need to use bog standard kiwi polish to get a shiny finish. you will get a slightly dull waxy finish with many other products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 I use a similar pair for all my shooting and beating, I wore them for a couple of days to break them in, I then polished them with kiwi black polish and left them overnight, in the morning I polished the kiwi off and gave them a good thick coat of dubbin, I left that on in a warm room for 24hrs, they have been watertight ever since, all I do after wearing them is let them dry naturally then repeat the kiwi and dubbin treatment, they have never let water in and I,m beating twice a week in all sorts of mud and water and I also use them for all my shooting in all weathers also, they have never let me down once but I do coat them at least twice a week with black kiwi polish and dubbin, they have proved to be the best boots I,ve ever owned, they cost me £43 when new 3yrs ago and they are still like new, one thing I always do though is wear gaiters over my pants and boots as extra protection, just use polish and dubbin and you wont go wrong atb Evo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 Dubbin will block the gore tex lining from breathing where as nikwax will let it breath. The polish is to keep them black and not turn grey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeksofdoom Posted November 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 Not too worried about blocking the goretex. I have a pair of BA gaiters they are the only thing that would fit over my Meindl Dovre Extremes. So dubbin and Kiwi it is then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 I didn't mean they we actually coated in plastic, rather that the leather looks to have quite a shiny finish. In my experience that kind of leather doesn't really soak the conditioners in until it has scuffed and worn a bit. The goretex will keep them waterproof and breathable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saddler Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ko-Cho-Line dressing is the best stuff I know of for leather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicdmb Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 I had a pair of these bought used about 6/7 years ago used nik wax leather proof and kiwi black polish. just binned them as the steel shank snapped in one of the boots. Never had them leak shame cause they are a really comfy boots dam sight better than what I was issued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 i wear british army boots most of the time. plenty of kiwi seems to work for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 I'm with welshy on this, still got my boots somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andysniper Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 a goretex boot is fine however if you go deeper in water than the top eyelet the water will track down your sock into the boot and gortex boots take a long time to try naturally. always dry boots naturally as using a radiator of fire will dry the leather too much and then they will crack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busa2003 Posted December 30, 2013 Report Share Posted December 30, 2013 Polish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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