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Joined: Jan 2005
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Hello all, I just got a pair of Cabelas casual boots with full grain, pebbled leather. It is not suede, but is not smooth either. What product should I use to make them as water resistant as possible without ruining the grain of the leather? Any and all help is much appreciated.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Really? I've used Neatsfoot oil.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Apr 2007
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Always been a Sno-Seal guy myself. Not sure it wouldn't mess up the grain though. WILL darken the leather but it works like a dream. DO NOT let the wife catch you heating your boots up in the oven to set it in though......
beati pacifici quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur Matthew 5:9
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,163 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Not sure what the leather surface looks like, post a picture or link. That being said, "Sno Seal" or Orbensdorfs for any smooth leather, Nik-Wax anhydrous for rough surfaces.
MOLON LABE
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Joined: Dec 2003
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,325 Likes: 31 |
Sno-seal is a temporary product. Google the forum HERE using "beeswax+boots" or something similar.
Last edited by ironbender; 12/15/13.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
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Joined: Apr 2007
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Sno-seal is a temporary product. Yes it is. I usually re-do mine every fall to keep them right. Pull out the laces, coat everything well, heat 'em up, rub them down & inspect the laces before returning them to service. It for sure isn't a permanent fix & needs to be redone occasionally.
beati pacifici quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur Matthew 5:9
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Joined: Feb 2001
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
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Sno-Seal is garbage as a boot dressing. Beeswax based with solvents to make application easy... But it fails miserably when actually used in wet stuff.
Plain beeswax is orders of magnitude better; longer lasting, makes leather very abrasion resistant, and never soaks up enough water to allow the leather to stretch. Sloppy wet boots in many places can be beyond dangerous...
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I always had good luck with Sno Seal. It will eventually cause full-grain boots to get hard and crack though, so its best not to overdo it, and, as noted, it is temporary. If you have an older style boot with a Norwegian welt, IE, visible stitches holding the soles on, this needs to be sealed with some sort of welt seal.
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Campfire Tracker
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Mink oil is the best. But can darken lighter colored leather.
Last edited by pira114; 12/15/13.
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Joined: Jan 2011
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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And any good treatment is temporary. Tried one "permanent" thing once. Dont remember the name, but it won't let the leather breathe. Reapply mink oil once a year.
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Joined: Feb 2001
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Campfire Tracker
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I treated my three year old Schnee Hunters with Obenauf's this summer and have used them on numerous hunt days with snow. The treatment has held up better than any product I have previously used by a significant margin.
I warmed them in the sun, my boots aren't going to see the inside of my oven. Although I do use the oven to heat and treat the leather products I make.
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Albert Einstein
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Joined: Mar 2010
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
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+1 on the obenaufs. I usually apply the oil, after that soaks in and dries I apply the LP grease. My current pair of work boots are just shy of two years old. Pretty good testimony for leather boots in a coal mine.
Steak, It's my favorite vegetable!
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If being stupid allows me to believe in Him, I'd wish to be a retard. Eisenhower and G Washington should be good company.
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Campfire Tracker
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+2 for Obenaufs - I haven't tried everything out there but used to use a lot of Sno Seal. Obenaufs works better for me than anything I've tried, though I'm intrigued with the pure bees wax treatment the Alaska folks swear by.
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Campfire Tracker
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I don't believe in permanent treatment. how log the leather last is as much a product of the quality of leather as the treatment. I wear only top quality boots made with the best leather. Wesco whites danner. tho the danners are not even in the same league as the former. I am on the 3rd soles and the leather is still pretty good. they mostly have been treated with obenoffs. tho my other boots have been getting whites bee oil hubbards and Montana pitch. im thinking I like the Montana pich blend the best but you wont go wrong with hubbards or obonoffs.
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Campfire Tracker
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Just clean your boots once a year with saddle soap, let them dry and then treat with mink oil.
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
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Campfire Outfitter
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I've usually used beeswax, but as a mechanic, oil and solvents usually ruin them in five months instead of four and a half. Just heat with a hair dryer or set them in front of the fire place. It will darken your boots though.
Sean
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Joined: Oct 2006
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Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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+3 on Obenaufs LP on the threads on the welt I get a small can of beeswax and rub into the seam, then melt it in with careful use of a heat gun(low setting& keep it moving) also use the heat to melt in the ob's
Roughly half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Mink oil is the best. But can darken lighter colored leather. Mink oil will REALLY soften leather, that may, or may not be what you are after. For mountain-type boots, that might not be a good thing.
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