Mineral oil and leather (boots).

J

Joshua J.

Joined
Feb 27, 2005
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So the topic of boot care came up in another thread and common opinion around the internet seems to be that mineral oil will degrade leather and or stitching.
I can't see any reason why this one oil would be more detrimental to leather than any other. Better yet, why would an oil that takes longer to break down be a bad thing? And then you have the fact that many shoe leather conditioners have mineral oil in them.
What gives? Is this just one of those myths that gets perpetuated as common knowledge but has no scientific backing?
 
I'm a big mineral oil fan (does that sound weird?). It is odorless, tasteless, cheap and foodgrade if you get the right kind. I slap it on knives, handles, tools, etc. I also use it on khukri sheaths that are leather covered wood frames. Also, it won't "go bad" like other oils that you might put on knives that might be used for food (vegetable and olive oils can go rancid).

That being said, I have found that it will soften and discolor leather. On my black khurki sheaths, it seems fine but on a couple of other regular light colored sheaths it stained them and made the sheath more "floppy" than I liked. I don't know if that is degradation; it might actually be good for working in stiff leather boots. But I'd stick with a treatment used specially for leather boots. I used neatsfoot oil on my baseball glove from highschool. Thirty years later its still in pretty good shape, unlike me.
 
Don't use that stuff on your boots. Use Lexol leather conditioner . It contains no mineral oil.
 
Joshua J. said:
So the topic of boot care came up in another thread and common opinion around the internet seems to be that mineral oil will degrade leather and or stitching.
I can't see any reason why this one oil would be more detrimental to leather than any other. Better yet, why would an oil that takes longer to break down be a bad thing? And then you have the fact that many shoe leather conditioners have mineral oil in them.
What gives? Is this just one of those myths that gets perpetuated as common knowledge but has no scientific backing?
Click to expand...

Too much oil will actually promote rot in the leather by not allowing the leather to breathe and expel moisture that can be absorbed.

If you want to treat leather, keep it soft, repel water, etc., use wax based leather care products.
 
+1 LEXOL.

Used on tack[saddles, bridles and reins] and gun leather..replenishes oils and keeps from drying out, cracking and breaking. Has been used to restore War Between the States era reins.

Would not use mineral oil on leather.

Probably a good idea to go easy on Neatsfoot oil..easy to over-do and wind up with soft/limp leather.
 
Ok, so we have "promotes rot" on the list of negatives.
On a pair of boots that will most likely never last longer than two years even with the best care in the world, I don't see that as being a huge issue.

Is that it?
 
Unk said:
Probably a good idea to go easy on Neatsfoot oil..easy to over-do and wind up with soft/limp leather.
Click to expand...

So, why is soft and limp leather a bad thing? My boots always crack apart at the toe joint first, as far as I can tell I want that leather as pliable as possible, no?
 
Huberds boot grease

Get boots warm before application

Petroleum will dry cowhide just like it will dry your skin
 
Joshua J, in my experience "soft/limp leather" in the gear discussed here is not strong leather and subject to failure [ breaking/cracking].

As to leather gear that doesn't last two(2) years I'd just guess it was getting soaked and then dried in heat as opposed to air drying....I'd be real unhappy at boots that only lasted two(2) years but then I'm no lumberjack just a hunter and occasional woods loafer.
 
I think I'm going to get a second pair of boots and try Lexol on them, along side my current pair using Mineral oil. See what happens.
Apparently alternating between pairs of boots also disproportionately extends their life because they get a full day to air out and not just overnight. Otherwise I probably should get a boot dryer.
I may be guilty of using a hair dryer in boots in the past, but that's only when I get dumped in a lake or something like that (and yes, I know better now).

The pattern is that something breaks or tears in less than six months on every pair of boots I have ever tried (six or seven pairs now). At leas this seems to keep them together for longer than that.
 
=I have used mineral as a leather boot conditioner for about 14 years....on the same boot and so far has made the leather more supple and water resistant. I see no leather degradation and will continued using this oil as a preservative.
 
Joshua J. said:
Ok, so we have "promotes rot" on the list of negatives.
On a pair of boots that will most likely never last longer than two years even with the best care in the world, I don't see that as being a huge issue.

Is that it?
Click to expand...

2 years?

I have a pair of all leather hikers that are going on 13 ears, and just need a resole.

Shoot, I have a pair of leather cowboy boots that is over 39 years old, and the leather is not cracked. I got them from my dad, and only wear them on a blue moon, because they are tight across the top of my foot.

I have a pair of winter Sorrell boots that the leather is still in good condition and they are over 25 years old.

Mineral oil is not for leather.

I use several conditioners. I have Aussie saddle treater, and also snow seal.

Look for bee's wax, or neats food oil. Some have both in them.

There are many other great leather care products. For leather jackets pine pitch products are recommended.
 
In 1955 silicone was added to the list of things to treat leather with !
IIRC snow seal and some other available boot treatment contain silicone !!
 
My only concern with using mineral oil is that it may break down some types of glue used to hold the boot together. On a properly stitched boot, that may not matter, but do we know that the boot was properly stitched?

that being said, I had a pair of workboots who's only oiling was used engine oil, and they held up just fine for a couple years, but then something got into them and they started to reek, had to toss them out, the smell was so bad you could taste it, and it spread via socks to another pair of shoes that also had to be disposed of, so maybe I just mutated the stink bacteria?
 
I have been using Montana Pitch Blend on my sheaths. Triple distilled mink oil with pine pitch. Mink oil is used in cosmetics. So far no complaints. Anyone tried this.
 
I use mineral oil for lots of things, but not leather. My understanding is that mineral oil is more of a water barrier than animal or vegetable based oils which allow for more sweat to be transferred than mineral oil. The moisture mineral oil can trap may lead to rot and thus is not ideally suited for leather boots. I have used Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP, which is a beeswax based treatment, on my boots for years with good results. I also use Saddle Soap for occasional cleaning and pure neatsfoot oil for restoration and dry leather issues.
 
i'm using mink oil on my boots. seems to help, though i keep them clean and polish them every couple of weeks, so it could be that too.

i had some silicon based stuff issued when i joined the forces. i haven't found it on civvy street, but i'd use it again for sure.
 
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