Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

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Johnny
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Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by Johnny » Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:53 pm

Leather Ski Boots Care and Maintenance Wax and Oil.jpg
Leather Telemark Boots Care
Source: LilCliffy The Cobbler & Researcher

Oil-based treatments do wonders for conditioning and maintaining leather. But there are two results of using the oil that may cause problems:
  • 1) It greatly softens the leather- so much so that the boot may become so soft it loses its supportiveness.
    2) The oil will impregnate the liner of the boot as well. This is a good thing if the boot has a leather liner- but, if the liner is meant to act as breathable and/or waterproof layer, the oil will impregnate the pores of the liner and cause it to no longer be breathable (= sweaty, wet, cold feet), nor waterproof. Once the liner is impregnated with oil- it is for life.
I do not use oil-based conditioners on leather boots that I want to be supportive (e.g. work boots/logging boots/hiking boots/mountaineering boots/ski boots). I also do not want to destroy the effectiveness of the liner.

Wax-based treatments do not condition and maintain leather- they simply create a waterproof coating. It does work. However, apparently wax reacts with adhesives used to glue and resole boots. So- if you think you would like to resole your boots- DON'T use a wax-based product to waterproof the leather. Some boot cobblers won't even try to resole a boot if they find out it has been treated with wax.

I use water-based leather treatments to condition, maintain and waterproof my leather boots. You can absolutely saturate the leather with the stuff- without over-softening the leather and without ruining the liner. And with the leather regularly conditioned, it almost lasts forever- unless it gets cut.

Anyway- I may seem a bit nerdy and obsessive about this- it is based on 25 years experience- and experiment/research- wearing quality leather boots in the field in all seasons and all climates, as a professional faller, forester/field technician, and backcountry skier. I have spoken to many cobblers and leather boot manufacturers about this as well.

High-quality leather boots with synthetic liners that insulate, breathe and even repell water are the BOMB man. And the way to maintain them is with a water-based treatment.

I worked as faller on the West Coast in the mid-1990s- temperate rainforest. I bought a pair of high-quality, old-school, full grain leather faller's boots, with welted soles. Based on the tradition- I treated them with mink oil- constantly- it turned them into slippers, and my feet were wet for two years straight...
Zamberlan HydroBloc.jpg
Zamberlan
The Zamberlan HydroBloc cream is the exact stuff that I use religiously on all of my leather boots. I cannot say enough good stuff about it. It is water-based, designed to both condition and maintain leather- as well as keep it waterproof. There are a number of other manufacturers of similar products including Scarpa, Nikwax, etc. The only reason I prefer the Zamberlan product is because I have been able to get it easily (MEC), and at a good price.

To get maximum absorption you actually need to get the leather soaking wet. I do a thorough saturation about 2-3 times a season (the last one being before I store them). I wrap my boots in soaking wet towels and leave them in a utility sink/bath for a few hours. The absorption of the cream is amazing- when the leather is wet. Other than that- I spot treat the flex points of my boots every time I take them off- just to prevent eventual weakening and cracking of the leather. The full-saturation of the leather will make them completely waterproof and protect the leather from drying, cracking, and abrasion (even the typical abrasion caused by crust and vegetation).

The fact that it is water-based is important and confusing. The water-based products have at least two key attributes. One (as others have pointed out): it doesn't over-condition the leather and undermine its strength (i.e. the boot will maintain its stability). Two: it doesn't alter the characteristics of the boot's inner liner. On the second attribute- if your leather boots have an inner, non-leather liner (i.e. designed to improve comfort; wick moisture; insulate; water-proof; etc., etc.)- a water-based treatment will not damage the liner. For example- the Alpina Alaska has multiple inner liners and foam designed to: insulate; provide support and stability; a custom fit; moisture-wicking; and waterproof. Of course other manufactures have similar designs. An oil-based product will saturate these inner layers and they will fail to insulate properly; they will no longer be waterproof; and they won't breathe. In other words- your feet will be wet and cold.

At first it seems counter-intuitive to apply leather waterproofing treatment to wet leather...for years I used to make sure the leather was as dry as possible- with mediocre results. Then I got instructions for applying to wet leather (from the manufacturer)- and the improvement in absorption was like night and day. Not only is the absorption more effective (i.e. it penetrates deeper)- I also found that I end up consuming less cream, and doing less applications per season.



Cream versus Spray
The spray products are designed to waterproof suede, split leathers, nubuck, etc.- with a focus on preserving the aesthetic or cosmetic qualities of the leather (i.e. look and feel). The spray products will "waterproof" the leather (only temporarily)- but they will not condition the leather, nor protect it. I have never gotten more than a few hours of waterproofness out of a spray product. However- a cream product will completely change the aesthetic of a split leather- it will darken and become smooth (and your Alaskas will become red). To be honest- I am somewhat convinced that the split leather of a boot like the Alaska is actually purposely designed to encourage absorption of cream treatments (many mountaineering boots have a split-leather outer as well). As alternate example- my current pair of heavy-duty backpacking boots are thick nubuck. Although the nubuck is beautiful and tough- I find it frustratingly difficult to treat (if the boot didn't have a GTX liner I kinda doubt I would be able to keep it waterproof). Unconditioned full-grain leather (i.e. not nubuck), and split leather is much more absorbent.

Oil-based products will over-condition the leather (as others have said) making it soft and weaker (this may be desirable in an extreme boot like a heavy-duty leather logger's boot). For a ski boot it would turn it into a floppy slipper.

Products like "sno-seal" are made from beeswax. Beeswax is an excellent waterproof treatment- but it will not maintain and condition leather. Another note- and this is important: if you plan on re-soling your boots don't use a beeswax product. According to the manufactures and the cobblers- beeswax will prevent proper adhesion of glues, when putting on a new sole. And apparently- once you have applied beeswax- it is impossible to get rid of the residue. So if you've got a boot with a traditional welted sole- I would not recommend a beeswax-based treatment.

With the leather wet- the water-based creams fully penentrate deep into the leather. Oil-based treatments are equally effective, but have all the negative side effects.
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Underdog
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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by Underdog » Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:06 pm

Is Zamberlan's hydrobloc leather conditioning cream a silicon based boot treatment like Scarpa's Hs12 Cream?
Water based " Nikwax Conditioner for Leather" does not mention wax, oil, or silicon as an ingredient however Nikwax is listed as safe for Goretex. If I cannot find "Zamberlan's hydrobloc" would "Nikwax Conditioner for Leather" be a suitable substitute? According to Nikwax "while our products use the word “wax” they do not contain those materials. Our products do not impair the breathability of items, and are great to use on anything with a GORE-TEX membrane."
nikwax.JPG
nikwax cream.JPG
https://www.zamberlanusa.com/product/97 ... ning-cream
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P7 ... 3P9X&psc=1
https://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/w ... er-liquid/
https://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/c ... r-leather/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U ... 0DER&psc=1
https://www.blackovis.com/clothing/foot ... fing-cream



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bgregoire
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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by bgregoire » Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:19 pm

@Underdog, Go for the cream.
I live for the Telemark arc....The feeeeeeel.....I ski miles to get to a place where there is guaranteed snow to do the deal....TM



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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by fgd135 » Mon Jan 04, 2021 2:11 pm

I've used the Nikwax in the tube on my full grain leather boots, it works fine but requires frequent reuse, as most products do. Can't just use any product once, and then expect it to last all season. Ski, dry, clean, apply new coat. Repeat as needed. Wearing supergaiters over the leather helps, too.
"To me, gracefulness on skis should be the end-all of the sport" --Stein Eriksen



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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by Frere_Du_Rat » Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:52 pm

Alico Tele-Tours, old and not used often. Last trip resulted in chunks of the rubber midsoles falling out about 1-2 inches behind the tip of the duckbills, both boots, both inboard and outboard edges. Some additional cracks indicating greater delamination possible as well. Need suggestions on glue (barge cement is my default) but also filler for the chunks that fell out to rebuild the edges as possible. Caulk of some sort for its flexibility? Thanks.



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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by Cannatonic » Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:44 pm

"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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fgd135
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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by fgd135 » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:24 pm

Frere_Du_Rat wrote:
Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:52 pm
Alico Tele-Tours, old and not used often. Last trip resulted in chunks of the rubber midsoles falling out about 1-2 inches behind the tip of the duckbills, both boots, both inboard and outboard edges. Some additional cracks indicating greater delamination possible as well. ...
I think you've reached the end point for these boots unless you have them professionally resoled. If not, ski close to the trailhead so you won't have to walk very far when the toes crack off.
"To me, gracefulness on skis should be the end-all of the sport" --Stein Eriksen



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emilyresmi
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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by emilyresmi » Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:22 am

Oh, that's what I was looking for all this time. I'm wondering why my boots are slippy when I get onto the ice. Read some articles and understood that I need to take special care of them. Found a lot of suggestions, and one of them is on this topic. I need to run to the nearest ski store and get all that stuff.



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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by randoskier » Wed Dec 29, 2021 5:48 am

Why not just use an over-boot gaiter? I ski on Alpina Alaska's (NNNBC). I put a thin coat of Granger's or Niki wax on them and I have Berghaus Yeti Attak gaiters installed over them. I glue the toe of the gaiter to the boot toe and front sides of the boot with a non-marking flexible glue (easy enough to remove). My boots are never ever wet and these un-insulated GTX gaiters breathe fine. Their rubber toe is articulated so even deep snow will never cool your toes by directly radiating cold (see pic 1). My wife gets colder feet so on her 75mm Svartisen boots (blister machines!) she has installed the Berghaus Yeti Extrem Pro Insulated gaiter, she also glued the gaiter to the boot toe in the same fashion- her gaiter has Thinsulate insulation on the legs and is made of Goretex Pro. Berghaus is a brain-dead company and seems to have produced millions of these gaiters in size XS and S which are widely available. My wife wears a size 39 boot (6.5 US women) and the Medium fits perfect but it was really hard to track down that size, On her Berghaus rands it reads M (40-41). I have a size 45 boot and the gaiter is size xxl which fits fine. I think their size chart is off and I size up at least one size on the gaiter. I tried to put size S on my wife's boot and it was a no go. There are a lot of videos of Brit Army-surplus types putting these on after boiling the gaiters to soften the rubber- totally unnecessary and probably not great for the GTX membrane (if you like I can link a video that shows how to put them on without that amount of fuss, still some work!). You can find the Attak gaiters in all sizes without too much trouble (even Berghaus UK itself has them in stock for a change) but their other models are still tough to locate unless you have tiny paws. I communicated with Berghaus CS in England and find they are clueless about most everything. Pics are after three weeks daily usage in Lapland. If they ever need to be re-randed LCR in Lancashire, England does it with genuine Berghaus rubber rands for 33 Pounds a pair.
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Re: Leather Boots Care, Treatment and Maintenance

Post by jyw5 » Wed Dec 29, 2021 10:09 am

randoskier wrote:
Wed Dec 29, 2021 5:48 am
Why not just use an over-boot gaiter? I ski on Alpina Alaska's (NNNBC). I put a thin coat of Granger's or Niki wax on them and I have Berghaus Yeti Attak gaiters installed over them. I glue the toe of the gaiter to the boot toe and front sides of the boot with a non-marking flexible glue (easy enough to remove). My boots are never ever wet and these un-insulated GTX gaiters breathe fine. Their rubber toe is articulated so even deep snow will never cool your toes by directly radiating cold (see pic 1). My wife gets colder feet so on her 75mm Svartisen boots (blister machines!) she has installed the Berghaus Yeti Extrem Pro Insulated gaiter, she also glued the gaiter to the boot toe in the same fashion- her gaiter has Thinsulate insulation on the legs and is made of Goretex Pro. Berghaus is a brain-dead company and seems to have produced millions of these gaiters in size XS and S which are widely available. My wife wears a size 39 boot (6.5 US women) and the Medium fits perfect but it was really hard to track down that size, On her Berghaus rands it reads M (40-41). I have a size 45 boot and the gaiter is size xxl which fits fine. I think their size chart is off and I size up at least one size on the gaiter. I tried to put size S on my wife's boot and it was a no go. There are a lot of videos of Brit Army-surplus types putting these on after boiling the gaiters to soften the rubber- totally unnecessary and probably not great for the GTX membrane (if you like I can link a video that shows how to put them on without that amount of fuss, still some work!). You can find the Attak gaiters in all sizes without too much trouble (even Berghaus UK itself has them in stock for a change) but their other models are still tough to locate unless you have tiny paws. I communicated with Berghaus CS in England and find they are clueless about most everything. Pics are after three weeks daily usage in Lapland. If they ever need to be re-randed LCR in Lancashire, England does it with genuine Berghaus rubber rands for 33 Pounds a pair.
overboot gaiters are too warm and heavy. it defeats the purpose of feather light setup!

I wear OR crocodile gaiters occasionally when its cold, wet, or when the snow is deep. That helps alot. But a permanent gaiter is a great solution only if you frequently encounter these described conditions.



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