Leather Care

[Fifty150]

Share your tips and experiences. What do you girls and guys like to use, or not use. Silicone spray. Neatsfoot oil. Mink oil. Saddle soap. Lotion. Beeswax. Any brands?

 

[handymike]

We have a pretty decent thread on this in Outerwear.
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/ultimate-leather-conditioner-comparison-on-reddit.101735/

 

[Peacoat]

And another one in Outerwear:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-leather-conditioner-do-you-use.44676/

 

[ERZA]

Teinture à l'huile A2 Eastman j'ai un problème comment détacher tache noire en haut a gauche

huile de pied de boeuf utilise

 

[Bamaboots]

leather conditioners fedora lounge - Google Search

 

[jordan1776]

Use this leather cream: https://vonbaer.com/products/premium-neutral-leather-cream. It doesn’t contain dangerous chemicals, glycerin, or silicone. Only a mix of natural ingredients.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I'm sure I posted in one of those other threads, but...I don't care for straighter oils. I might experiment with them a little if I found something vintage that was cracking, but I'm sure I'd go another route prior to that last resort. I lived in the upper Midwest and worked in extreme cold and slush a lot, and for the sake of money, I used Snoseal. Again, I consider it a last resort, or an economic decision, when you're constantly treating your leather. It was 50% the cost of the better stuff, and with the "you get what you pay for" saying, it's true with it. It's cheaper, but you're also re-applying it more often. I swore by the Vasque weatherproofing for a long time, which was made by Red Wing, but they changed their recipe years ago (really, there's no reason I should be talking about it now). It's not all that different than Snoseal at this point.

With suede, or the rough inside of boots, I like Lexol Leather Conditioner. I like the spray for the convenience and cost. I wouldn't claim that it is ideal, but I like it well enough to continue to use it. Because this stuff can be so pricey, I haven't experimented with a ton of brands, but I really like Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP. It's what I've been using since becoming disappointed in the Vasque conditioner.

 

[Fifty150]

I don't care for straighter oils.

I've been using it since I was a kid, when we put it on baseball gloves.

So far, I have not had any bad results. I've used it for every type of leather item. Jackets, boots, gloves, etc. I try to use as little as possible. I add a drop or two, then spread it out as much as possible. With shoes, 1 or 2 drops at the toe, then spread it across the front, 1 or 2 drops at the heel then spread it across the back. The same process for both sides, and the tongue. Same with boots. The boot shaft only needs a few drops. A few drops of boot oil goes a long way.

Horween's suggestion for Chromexcel care is neatsfoot oil. I use both mink oil and neatsfoot oil. No preference. I have not found any conclusive evidence that one is better than the other. It's just pricing and availability. If I happen to be somewhere where only one was available, that's what I get. If I can wait, then I'll search for the best price.


What I do like about oil is that you can use it on all leather, including roughout and suede.

Because I have the luxury of owning more than 1 pair of shoes, I just added the second coat of oil to my new shoes. I oiled them once right out of the box, wore them, and now is the second coat. This will help with the breaking in process. I like to allow the oil at least 24 hours to soak in. Which is not ideal if you only have one pair of shoes.

extreme cold and slush a lot, and for the sake of money, I used Snoseal

Without a doubt, Sno-Seal is one of the best products. It appears to be mostly wax. And you have to heat the leather to apply it. The finished job is amazing.


I don't use it on most of my shoes. It's just not needed on most of my shoes. I have 1 pair of boots with Sno-Seal treatment. That's the pair that I wear for going to the snow. I don't live in snow. For me, I actually have to drive for hours, if I want recreation in the snow. So I have 1 pair of boots that's is Sno-Seal treated.

 

[Fifty150]

2 treatments of oil, lotion, and polish. 3rd time wearing it. From hard and stiff, to soft and comfortable.

 

[Fifty150]

When shoe polish is on sale for less than $1, I buy it.

Even if it's white.

I apply just a little dab. Sure, it's not the right color. But the end result is that I have a layer of polish to protect the leather from my environment - washing dishes at Panda Express. Heat, steam, hot water, jumping in the garbage bin to compact it, a sharp knife being dropped on the steel toe, harsh corrosive chemicals......

​

 

[rattlesnake501]

For boots, I swear by Obenaufs Heavy Duty LP. I beat the snot out of my boots with industrial schmoo, plus some abrasion and occasional sharp edge contact. My brother's trade is so mechanically abusive to boots that it would make your head spin. Obenaufs keeps our boot uppers alive for as long as we can manage to keep the leather from being cut to ribbons.

Dressier shoes or shoes that otherwise don't live as hard a life get red wing mink oil or sno-seal depending on what I'm expecting to be doing in the boots in the coming season.

New enough to leather garmentry that I don't know what I'll use yet. I figure I've got a good decade before I need to make a decision.

 

[Fifty150]

Obenaufs

My brother in law likes it. He's the kind of guy who will buy a gallon of it.

I tried it. I don't know if it was any more beneficial to my boots. I couldn't tell the difference. I'm just saying that I don't know the difference. I'm not fighting Wildland fires. I'm just a dishwasher at Panda Express. I oil my boots. I add conditioner. Then I polish. Shoe polish is made with wax. Different products have carnauba and bees wax. I lack the sophistication to appreciate the product's superior performance. The same way I don't appreciate Caviar, fine wine, and fat bottom girls

.​

It's oil and wax. Which you can buy from other sellers. Many oils are sold in wax paste.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Products like Obenauf's HD LP can really benefit from a hair dryer. I should have mentioned that in my above post. I used to use one with my Snoseal too, but it didn't as readily soak into warm leather as Obenauf's. Still helped though.

 

[Fifty150]

When you used it, how many coats did you apply?

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

When you used it, how many coats did you apply?

on first application, I do it as long as the leather keeps soaking it in. a little at a time, as it is pricey, and why make the mess, only to have to buff it off? usually only takes two. I do sometimes hit the welt stitching a third time. I did have a pair of Corcoran boots that I think I hit a 4th time because all the stitching on the upper didn't want to fill, being that waterproofing is as much the goal as leather care. after that, just maintenance coats that usually only require a single pass. it's nice to stick to a single product because you learn how much to use, how it spreads, etc. It also obviously matters what kind of leather it is. I had some Viberg logger boots that drank waterproofing, while like those Corcorans, I almost had to force the leather to take the Obenauf's, which is why the hair dryer was really handy.