What are options to using oil based sealant on leather boots please

[Invicta]

It has rained so hard the past two days I've had to resort to a quick fix to waterproof my old army boots which I use every day gardening and coppicing.
The seam between the "sidewalls" and the sole has started to leak and without being able to get to a shop I needed to keep the water out. Shoe polish just wasn't doing it.
A builder working at one of my customers sites was sealing some guttering with an oil based black mastic "bitumen" from a cartridge so I used some of that.
The boots are now waterproof!

Will I need to get the bitumen off?
If so what is the most efficient cleaner and, bearing in mind the boots cost me £25 and I use them when digging borders, etc not just for walking about; what should I use instead of the bitumen?

I've seen refferences to Beeswax and Pine Tar mixtures. Are they any good /available in the UK and from where please?

Many thanks,
Bern

 

[santaman2000]

Bear grease.

 

[Perrari]

If the boots are waterproof just leave the Bitumen on. As you say they are a pair of boots for working in. No idea where to get Bear grease from though.

 

[Invicta]

Many thanks for such quick replies.

Bear Grease - sounds a bit exotic/expensive to me but thanks for the tip.

I'll see how the bitumen goes and keep looking for alternatives.

Cheers,
Bern

 

[grey-array]

I say if it work it works, but chances are it could crack with time an start leaking again, Beeswax works a treat when mixed with spruce resin/pine pitch.
But in order for it to work you do have to mix it in the right quantities, which are just over 90 % resin, or pitch with just about 10%ish of beeswax, I heard instead of beeswax Canadian natives used Bear fat for this mix.
the fat or wax is meant to keep the mixture supple and less brittle, usually there is also some powered charcoal in such a mix, but I have seen many recipes of this and if charcoal was in play it was usually used to glue wood etc, so I guess you could leave that out. and for where to get it, you could get spruce resin from a violin music shop, as they use it rough up their bows with the pitch. beeswax from beekeepers or buy some beeswax candles.
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[tiger stacker]

Have you thought about a rubber rand along the seam.After all if only for the garden it may do the trick.

 

[Teepee]

That gutter and roofline sealant goes brittle pretty quickly. I'd remove the excess manually and scrub the last traces off with meths.

Shoe goo works for mending shoes very well, as is McNett Seam seal. CT1 /Soudal fix all sealant works well too if you know people who work in the trades.

 

[Invicta]

Thank you for the suggestions.
The Sho goo and Mcnett seam seal might be the ones most readily available so I'll give them a go.
Kind regards,
Bern

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Whatever you use the boots should be bone dry first; other wise the leather will rot under the gunk, though prehaps it's not such a problem with cheap work boots.

 

[Invicta]

Bone dry boots -
Thanks for the tip I'll make sure I do this and get the bitumen off with Meths before putting the sealant on.

As for the running repair the boots have just done two hard days work in heavy rain and dew and my feet are still dry.

Many thanks for all the suggestions they are very much appreciated,
Bern

 

[AS90]

Just polish them every day for a couple of weeks, this will build up enough polish to water proof them. I have worn my Lowas every day for the last 7 years and they still look like new. I polish them every few days.

 

[wicca]

If you have no success with other methods, you might try one of the marine sealants such as Sikaflex. There are many different grades/types but a black flexible one is available and is used for caulking deck seams etc: where waterproofing is necessary.

 

[spandit]

I use Effax leather balm - as mentioned, continued use should build up protection