Best Proofing for Leather Boots?

[JimmyT]

Over the last couple of days I’ve been giving my winter boots their annual service before putting them into storage.
I prefer unlined leather boots and like to give them the best possible treatments to maximize water repellency and prolong life.

I start by washing all the surface dirt off and scrubbing the soles.
I use a combination of Nikwax Footwear Cleaning Gel followed by saddle soap for the outside leather.
If I deem it necessary I wash the insides of the boot by pouring in a Nikwax Tech Wash solution and leaving to stand, then rinsing out.

When the boots have dried I feed the leather with a Danish product called ‘Gold Quality’ which I've found to be excellent.
In the UK I used to use Connolly Hide Care Cream, but had the Gold Quality stuff recommended to me at a shop called Jorn Jensen in Norway. They sold me some Jörn boots and as they dealt in furs and leather goods - which they appeared to tan and prepare themselves, they seemed too know what they were talking about. It is a waxy type product containing Vaseline, beeswax, marrow oil, and other plant oils which one rubs in with the fingers:
http://www.roc.dk/page.asp?sideid=6&zcs=3

OK - you’ve been patient and the actual question is arriving!
i.e. what should I use to proof the leather? We can leave aside silicon sprays which are best left to fabric boots.
At Jorn Jensen they sold me a Norwegian product called ‘Prelle’ (translates as Repel) which contains beeswax but smells perhaps of paraffin. This is like a very soft white wax and is easy to apply giving excellent results. Couldn’t find Prelle among the current products on the parent company’s website (any Norwegians reading?):
http://www.bebel.no/produkter.html

In the past I have also used Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather. I've yet to test any of the rival Granger's products.
In Sweden Nikwax provide this product in a tin labeled especially for Lundhags boots.
This stuff used to come in a shoe-polish type tin, but is in a tube these days and is best applied with fingers.
I find it works well but needs to be re-applied quite regularly. I’m not sure exactly what it contains - Nikwax say it is 'water-based' which sounds odd.

In Sweden there is also an old-fashioned product called ‘Lädersmorning’ for feeding and proofing leather. Various companies have their own recipe, usually containing animal fats (bear + badger!) beeswax and pine tar oil etc. Lundhags make a lädersmorning as do Jörn, H. Enoksson and Trapperns.
It’s brown and smells a bit charcoaly. I’ve had fair results but have read about products containing animal fats (such as mink oil + neats foot oil) rotting boot stitching thread over time.

Lastly I have a jar of Sno Seal. This is basically unscented beeswax.
This is the most difficult to apply satisfactorily requiring the leather to be heated, and then the Sno Seal to be rubbed on before being heat-dried in. OK (just about) at home but I wouldn’t fancy doing it ‘in the field’.
Sno Seal make an excellent sales pitch on their website:
http://www.atsko.com/index.php?option=com_tienda&view=products&filter_category=3&Itemid=6
But on a closer read (and playing Devil’s advocate) I wondered about some of their claims.
On one hand they advise that one should apply several coats with a hair dryer until no more can be absorbed. On a separate page they claim that Sno Seal acts as a surface waterproof treatment rather than other products on the market which gets absorbed into the leather and clog-up its pores. What’s the difference?
They also wonder why anyone would want to put animal fats/oils back into the leather when the tannery has spent so much time removing them for the boot making process. I don’t really see why not.
Also, if beeswax acts as a waterproof coating – effectively sealing the surface of the leather on the outside – how does this affect the breathability of the boot? If the sweat/moisture within the boot cannot travel out then the leather will surely rot from the inside over time?
So – what is the recommendation?
My boots are awaiting their top coat of proofing but I’m undecided as to which way to go.

If there are any Forum members left who have stuck it out to the end of this long post, the two main questions are:
1) Do some animal fat based treatments really rot leather/stitching?
2) Does beeswax proofing adversely affect the breathability of leather boots?

 

[Miyagi]

Surely all animal fat products degrade over time?

Beeswax and even common or garden boot polish will affect the breatheability. Hence why you get salt marks as they eventually expell moisture?

Rub these marks with milk and they will go away/neutralise.


Liam

p.s. We use these boots as working boots, not parade boots.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I use Sno-seal. I apply it by hand on the leather then with a hair dryer (or in the sun in summer) I rub it in.( I only apply it a few times a year ) There after I use a shoe cream as general maintanance on top of the Sno-seal when needed..I use it on leather hats & leave it as is, just a brush now & again....

Animal fats do effect the leather more than waxes. They penetrate deeper, over soften it & can encourage mould....Sno-seal & bee's wax wll prevent the leather from 'breathing' as it forms a waterproof barrier on the surface...I don't find this a problem as I prefer to stop water entering the boots rather than prioritising the evaporation of moisture from the inside. ....I should add that I'm not entirely convinced that leather breathes in the true sense of the term. .....Also if you coat the leather before storage with sno-seal it will prevent dying out & the boots will be in good condition for the next time you use them.

 

[Greek1983]

I second Sno-Seal. I hit my head when I discovered it after military service, when we're issued solid varnish in a can which had to melt it, then apply it on the leather boots and in the morning remove any bits with brush or suede cloth.

 

[cappi]

I have been using boots made by Lundhags for over 20 years now and their boots are a mix of leather and rubber they do a product for re-proofing and it is amazing you can place it on wet or dry, warm it in water for ease ,smells like an old bonfire but by god it works

 

[JimmyT]

Thanks for the replies

blacktimberwolf swung me in the direction of Sno-Seal with his observations and the boots have duly received their coating. I still found it a fag to apply, but its an annual thing and when I bring them out again next Autumn I'll probably top-up with the Prelle stuff or Nikwax Wax for maintenance.

cappi:
Actually it's a couple of pairs of Lundhags I'm re-proofing, two older models - Forester and Alaska. Lundhags may be expensive which is why I make all the effort, but if looked after they can last for many years.
The stuff you're using is the lädersmorning I mention in my post. At the Lundhags factory in Järpen I asked the resident expert about it and she said it was OK to use a couple of times a year - perhaps for example storage, but generally they recommended the Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for leather.
Personally after weighing up all the various options I feel Sno-Seal may be the logical choice so will be giving it an extended trial.