Question about protecting leather workboots

Walking Man

Walking Man

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I just bought a pair of leather nubuck Wolverine workboots, and I'd like to protect them as much as possible. My wife is somewhat opposed to putting ren wax on them, because she says they'll look like crap, and prevent them from breathing, but it's the strongest protectant that I can think of. (realistically speaking.) There's also mink oil. (While it would be nice if they breath, I think it will be nicer if they don't disintegrate)
The reason I'd like to protect them is because I work as an ink mixer/color matcher in a printing shop, and I'd like to just wipe off ink with the shop towels. I don't want the boots to be multicolored, (because of the constant barrage of ink drops and splashes) as long as they are mostly brown, I don't really care if they look as good as new. Also, I work with solvents.... laquer thinner, isopropyl alchohol and screen wash (not exactly sure what's in there) and I'd like to keep them from drying out quickly because the solvents. I need your advise as to what I should do.
Thanks.
 
good quality mink oil will not rot your boot leather. I recommend montana pitch blend leather conditioner(oil) and dressing(wax). They're a blend of mink oil, pine pitch, and in the case of the dressing beeswax. They don't prevent the boot from breathing when applied correctly, and work as good as anything I've used to soften and condition the leather. An added bonus is that they smell nice. http://www.mtpitchblend.com/
 
Use blue masking tape on them while you work.....you can get it at Lowe's or Home depot in the paint dept.
It is not as sticky and is made to repel paint....no residue when you remove it.
Take the tape off when you leave work....so you won't look like Fred Munster......or you could leave it on and start a new fad!
 
Use NikWax; it is far superior to greases, won't deteriorate the leather... I even prefer it now to SnowSeal, my long-time favorite, for boots. There are several varieties, for smooth leather, for Nubuk, and for fabrics. It uses water, not solvents, for a carrier. Much less messy than traditional leather waterproofing and won't wreck the look of your boots.
 
I'd like to be able to do something tonight if possible. I know renwax might ruin the look, but how well will it protect them?
 
Microwax stuff aside, I think renwax is pretty close to equivalent to kiwi shoe polish, going by smell/texture/melting point. You can probably find snoseal locally, which is pretty good and may work just fine for your purposes. IIRC walmart used to carry it a little while back in the sporting goods dept, though I haven't seen it since.
 
yoda4561 said:
good quality mink oil will not rot your boot leather. I recommend montana pitch blend leather conditioner(oil) and dressing(wax). They're a blend of mink oil, pine pitch, and in the case of the dressing beeswax. They don't prevent the boot from breathing when applied correctly, and work as good as anything I've used to soften and condition the leather. An added bonus is that they smell nice. http://www.mtpitchblend.com/
Click to expand...

When I saw this thread, this is the exact product I was going to recommend. I used it on my work boots when I used to fight forest fires for a couple of seasons.

Apply it to clean boots the night before you need them; works for about a month of daily moderate use; less so if you walk around burnt forests for 12 hours a day. ;)

and it does smell nice...
 
SnoSeal brand leather protectant works wonders. It contains beeswax and really penetrates into the leather. Beeswax was used to preserve mummies from way back when! I have used SnoSeal for many years and they preserve the leather from snow, salt, water and dirt. Really good tested stuff.

N.
 
I used to use the snow seals and the like til I found out they were rotting the threads that held the boot together. Now all I use is camp dry from wally world.
 
I have hunting boots that are over 20 years old that I have used snow seal on. Retreated every day during hunting trips. They are still in good shape and no thread rot.

Leon Pugh
 
Just as a reminder, as I see recommendations that apply to oiled/wax infused leather, use a treatment for nubuck leather.

Treatments for other types of leather will cause that crappy look mentioned.
 
Mink oil does eventually break down leather. Just ask some of the quality leather sheathmakers around here. Anything that "conditions" the leather is breaking it down somewhat. The best method to break in a pair of boots is to wear them.

I'm a fan of the NikWax on boots, though I do use SnoSeal (bees wax base) on sheaths.
 
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