Best waterproof for leather boots? ..

[gamekeeper1960]

Hi Guys and Gals, just a quick question what have people found to be the best waterproof treatment for leather boots. .

?...

 

Ps.  A Merry Christmas to one and all. ..

Edited December 24, 2017 by gamekeeper1960

[ips]

ko.cao.line.

available from amazon.

my gamekeeper mate recommended it, it is also used for saddles and bridles. Its brilliant.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002HJ4HU6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514108368&sr=8-1&keywords=ko+cao+line&dpPl=1&dpID=61BWU13rBvL&ref=plSrch

Edited December 24, 2017 by ips

[Eyefor]

I've used this on Meindl, Hanwags, Lundhags and Le Chameau boots (thats about 15 years of boots).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martens-Wonder-Balsam-Leather-Protection/dp/B000M3R2HE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1514110354&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=wonder+balsam

Brilliant stuff.

Sometimes cheaper on Flea Bay.

[clakk]

38 minutes ago, ips said:

ko.cao.line.

available from amazon.

my gamekeeper mate recommended it, it is also used for saddles and bridles. Its brilliant.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002HJ4HU6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514108368&sr=8-1&keywords=ko+cao+line&dpPl=1&dpID=61BWU13rBvL&ref=plSrch

+1 the dog,s dangles 

[39TDS]

I prefer Red Wing boot oil to Ko-cho-line (and I have used both) if it is waterproofing you want.

[Uilleachan]

Sno-Seal for waterproofing real leather. It's basically refined bees wax.

http://www.atsko.com/sno-seal-wax-8-oz-jar/

For laminate or breathable barrier made uppers it's always best to use the recommended treatment, but for traditionally constructed boots and shoes there's nothing better. When the boot or shoes won't take anymore bees wax, let them stand over night in a cool place, give them a buff to remove the excess and then polish, at which point shoe polish can be used for colour. Great stuff.   

[Zapp]

I find dubbin does fine for my boots.

[samboy]

1 hour ago, Zapp said:

I find dubbin does fine for my boots.

Dubbin for me too.

[Pigeon Shredder.]

Gore-tex liners.

[saddler]

Used to us Ko-Cho-Line, but the firm that make it now are bat**** crazy, so I now use a couple of Swedish leather dressings or the US made Fiebings Mink Oil Paste or their Aussie Leather Dressing.
Any of the above will do the job with varying degrees of success

[washerboy]

Doesn’t it have to contain silicon if the boots are gortex lined ? 

[gamekeeper1960]

Cheers Chaps all duly noted and I will be trying some in the new year I have been using leather genie for the past couple of years for both my hunting boots and work ones (both Haix goretex)  which seems to work well enough but I thinking there must be something better as this seems let the water sink into leather by the end of the day ..

[Yellow Bear]

Nikwax silicon is recommended for my gortex lined boots (grisport) and has the advantage that the boots do not need to be dry to apply.

[johnnytheboy]

Snow seal for me, leave the excess on it helps with abrasion resistance! Heat it once applied to smooth it out! 

[JimLondon]

I normally use dubbin, I pay particular attention to the seems and stitching i.e. Huge globs of dubbin i they put them under the grill and melt said dubbin and it absorbs into the seems etc.

job jobbed

[scotslad]

I used to swear by dubbin, but also tried neatsfoot hoof oil? (u just paint it on, but makes leather too soft in my opinion)

 

With modern breathable liners in boots I don't think ur meant to use dubbin as it will stop them breathing.

I use meindl sport wax on mine and it seems ok, but it does as u say and tend to let the leather get moist by end of day (but I imagine it needs to to let boots breathe)

[welshgun]

Aultberg leader gris wax oil ideal for waterproofing boots and cheap 

[Uilleachan]

11 hours ago, johnnytheboy said:

Snow seal for me, leave the excess on it helps with abrasion resistance! Heat it once applied to smooth it out! 

With hill boots for sure and certainly how mine were before the advent of composite hill boots and I gave up on traditionally made leather boots, on cost.  

On my welted brogues no. I'm heating them up then applying the sno seal, leaving it to set, tidying them up and then polishing to a mirror finish with a decent polish on top. That said I only re treat with sno seal when the shoes come back from a resole, as the wax doesn't move the brogues usually only require a touch up to keep them waterproof in-between.  

[johnnytheboy]

I don’t use sno sneal on my good shoes! I use renapur and renapur high shine then a polish like you do

Someone mentioned miendl wax, I liked that but this sno sneal is better in the longer term, it’s well worth a look! 

[39TDS]

Is it possible to waterproof brogues?

I have some Alfred Sargent boots which I expect were traditionally worn in fields (by posh folk) but can't think they would be waterproof.

[Uilleachan]

 

1 minute ago, Uilleachan said:

I've two pairs of Hogg's Roxbourgh veldtchoen made brogues.

http://www.shotgunuk.com/hoggs-roxburgh-veldtschoen-shoe.html (good price that too).

One pair for special occasions or work when I've got to be smart, the older other my everyday wear. Muddy wet and rural where I am so the waterproof veldtchoen style sole helps. Sno seal on the uppers sees the shoe fully waterproof.

My highland trainers. Those shoes have tramped the mountains of persia the deserts of arabia the red soil of sub saharan west africa and trotted a fair few bogs closer to home, in the 10 years I've had that particular pair. Ruined by a rogue brogue repairer in Inverness, saved and restored by the very good and helpful artisan shoe repairer at Sole Saver in Perth, on High Street. 

Of course originally the brogue was full of holes to let water escape, but now we favour dry feet. Even my last faux holed brogue style shoes, with all the extra stitching and little water gathering recesses, I could still get them more or less waterproof treating them with sno seal, it's just a case of taking the time to do it properly.

They're not wellies and I do try and keep out of wellie territory in my shoes, but I can, and have, stand for a couple of hours in an inch of water and the shoe is still dry inside and the water still beading and running off the upper, and did so recently having forgotten my wellies, although I had to choose my route carefully but there was no getting away from the water on that particular hillside. Thats plenty waterproof for me, any water getting in is getting in via the big hole at the ankle join of my foot. 

The other thing to consider with footwear is maintaining fit. All shoes and boots will stretch with time until adjusted to the individual foot. Once there it would be a pity to have them move further because you've used dubbin or some other leather softening product. Bees wax does nothing to the leather other than seal it and it stays put and won't migrate around the leather. 

For boots I'm a fan of meindl, for fit and for the fact that I don't have to do anything to them at all, nothing and they're still remarkably waterproof. 

 

Edited December 25, 2017 by Uilleachan

[Saltings]

old school use goose fat as dubbing water proofer, Aldi were selling last week cant remember how much as a kid we used this all the time way before modern brand names 

[JohnfromUK]

On 12/24/2017 at 22:51, scotslad said:

I used to swear by dubbin, but also tried neatsfoot hoof oil? (u just paint it on, but makes leather too soft in my opinion)

 

With modern breathable liners in boots I don't think ur meant to use dubbin as it will stop them breathing.

I use meindl sport wax on mine and it seems ok, but it does as u say and tend to let the leather get moist by end of day (but I imagine it needs to to let boots breathe)

Don't use neats foot oil; it rots the stitching.  I made that mistake and ruined a pair of boots. 

[shootgun]

Harkila mink oil works perfect on my Harkila boots... Might work on different boots as well.

[dipper]

Used Mars oil in a bottle with its own brush that was early 60s Dipper