Boot/ Shoe Care (Products, Methods, and Suggestions)

[demonito]

i swear by pecards. i swear theyre the best

i only use mustang on my horsehide jackets. theyre too expensive for boots.

pecards pecards pecards

[JCMx800]

Today I used the Obenaufs LP the very first time on my RW875. I must say, the LP looks very good!!! The leather looks and feels great after the first use, I´ll repeat it when they are "dry" enough
Next up is the leather tag on my well worn 634S.

[mclaincausey]

With the impending IHVB-XX, and the wide divergence of opinion on roughout care: thoughts on roughout care?

[Seul]

No care…

[demonito]

true noc are just reverse brush care

[Giles]

@mclaincausey:

With the impending IHVB-XX, and the wide divergence of opinion on roughout care: thoughts on roughout care?

I just wear em…..

[Megatron1505]

Stiff brush as and when required. That is all.

[Chris]

Yeah, I don't think there's really a divergence of opinion on this one.  Just wear them, and if they get really filth encrusted, then brush them off.

[mclaincausey]

See I hear everything from no care to exactly the same care as for smoothout… Hence my confusion. I have never conditioned suede personally, but I've always babied my suede shoes. These I won't be babying.

Nick's Boots, for example, was recommending the latter. During 80-100 hours of break-in, spray with 50/50 isopropyl/water and rub that in by hand, then obenauf's LP and oil as needed. This makes sense to me since it's still leather, just the flesh side of it, but I'd like to understand why this is or isn't wrong. As for aesthetics, I like the look of roughout oiled and scrubbed or left alone, so that's not a huge factor for me.

http://www.nicksboots.com/faq.asp#care

I also hear tell elsewhere of using silicone-based water repellent on sueded/roughout surfaces (openauf again has an example product).

Mine will be liberally exposed to snow and ice. I'll try to keep them it of the mud but I spend a lot of time in the woods and some at farms, and I'm pretty rough on boots. I have Red Wings for that but you never know. I'd like to know how to clean them and keep the leather well-conditioned.

[JCMx800]

Rough-Out care is a pretty interesting topic. Is there a special brush for rough-outs? RW do offer one:

[mclaincausey]

Ah seems to be a strong accord while I was typing that last.

[mclaincausey]

RW had care instructions pimping the use of their LP for roughout, but otherwise sounded like most of the responses on this thread, certainly different than Nick's. I did ask viberg's opinion on the matter when I sent in my trace too.

[vintage_engineer_boots]

Bring life back to those worn soles.  All it takes is water and some canvas.  Dip your index finger in water and rub it along a small portion - about two to three inches at a time.  Let the water set for at least twenty seconds.  Using the canvas, quickly rub it back and forth over the treated area.  The friction will cause the area to darken back up and gives it a nice shine.

[Snowy]

Thanks for the tip, had no idea about that.

[Finn666]

this thread is going to be pretty badass if VEB keeps on sharing such useful informations
thanks a ton mate…

[superfuzz]

That's crazy! What kind of canvas do you use?

[vintage_engineer_boots]

I just use a heavy grade canvas from the local fabric shop (Joann's in SoCal).

[Simon]

Mink oil on my Vibergs, yes or no?

[simonc]

What's the goal here Simon?

[Simon]

I washed the dirt off and now the leather seems a little dry. I suppose my question should be: should I just leave them alone or treat them with something, if so what, my normal goto is Mink Oil?