boot maintenance

[Nhoro]

I recently aquired a pair of elephant hide Corteney boots and need some advice on how to keep them in good order. I have the brush from Courteney but not the polish.

You can use any normal leather polish-usually based on parafin wax. Or parafin floor polish for that matter. Otherwise, Courtney boot polish is beeswax with some additives. I am sure you can find something in a local shop. Most PH's here in Zim use one of the parafin wax boot polish. Dont overthink it, the boots are tough and made to work.

I have seen many blisters come out of Danners and they are very loud in a stalk. There are many options other than Courtney boots but Danners-you can keep em. Plain trainers or running shoes are way better. And as a positive,aparently athletes in their 20's wear them so we are trendy,youing and fit. Mine never gave me a blister and I wore them from brand new for half days during hunts (swopping in my old boots for the afternoon.)

 

[steve white]

The thing I have against mink oil is it makes leather floppy soft. I don't usually need that. I like snow seal sometimes, but it doesn't breath.

 

[Fark]

You can use any normal leather polish-usually based on parafin wax. Or parafin floor polish for that matter. Otherwise, Courtney boot polish is beeswax with some additives. I am sure you can find something in a local shop. Most PH's here in Zim use one of the parafin wax boot polish. Dont overthink it, the boots are tough and made to work.

I have seen many blisters come out of Danners and they are very loud in a stalk. There are many options other than Courtney boots but Danners-you can keep em. Plain trainers or running shoes are way better. And as a positive,aparently athletes in their 20's wear them so we are trendy,youing and fit. Mine never gave me a blister and I wore them from brand new for half days during hunts (swopping in my old boots for the afternoon.)

Cheers,I might be too worried about boots that are tough. I`ll use beeswax and a leather polisher.

 

[rookhawk]

Dos and don'ts with Courteney elephant boots:

DON'T use their cream. It creates milky patches in the elephant grain.

DON'T use Lexol for protection, it is a lovely gentle cleaner that rejuvenates dry leather (its lanolin) but it is not a protectant.

DO use a greasy paste and buff it thereafter, selecting one that is clear or light in color and one that drys without leaving a very greasy residue.

Elephant should have a glossy look when finished applying the leather dressing. It will go dull in the bush when it picks up some dust.

 

[Fark]

Dos and don'ts with Courteney elephant boots:

DON'T use their cream. It creates milky patches in the elephant grain.

DON'T use Lexol for protection, it is a lovely gentle cleaner that rejuvenates dry leather (its lanolin) but it is not a protectant.

DO use a greasy paste and buff it thereafter, selecting one that is clear or light in color and one that drys without leaving a very greasy residue.

Elephant should have a glossy look when finished applying the leather dressing. It will go dull in the bush when it picks up some dust.

Thanks mate,sounds like good advice.

 

[Fark]

Dos and don'ts with Courteney elephant boots:

DON'T use their cream. It creates milky patches in the elephant grain.

DON'T use Lexol for protection, it is a lovely gentle cleaner that rejuvenates dry leather (its lanolin) but it is not a protectant.

DO use a greasy paste and buff it thereafter, selecting one that is clear or light in color and one that drys without leaving a very greasy residue.

Elephant should have a glossy look when finished applying the leather dressing. It will go dull in the bush when it picks up some dust.

Do you have a name for the greasy paste? Hopefully available in Australia.

 

[rookhawk]

Do you have a name for the greasy paste? Hopefully available in Australia.

Pecard leather dressing?

Search for a paste high in lanolin as an option.

Or search for a product made by Fiebings if they distribute in Oz.

Avoid any product containing Neetsfoot oil as it is acidic and dissolves stitching over time and may interact with the natural rubber soles as well.

 

[Dewald]

I just spent a wet and cold winter’s weekend cleaning and polishing 5 pairs of Courteneys, a few shotgun cases, belts, knife pouches, my wife’s handbags and a bunch of other leather things. The Courteney cream leaves a very dull colour and doesn’t really protect well. I use their beeswax product as well as a South African made version called Ballistic Wax by G&G Varminting. Apply the wax with a brush, then leave them in front of the fireplace and buff them to a nice sheen a few hours later.

Try RM Williams down under, or whatever product the chaps from Bluntstone, Redback or Rossi advise.

 

[Dewald]

I just spent a wet and cold winter’s weekend cleaning and polishing 5 pairs of Courteneys, a few shotgun cases, belts, knife pouches, my wife’s handbags and a bunch of other leather things. The Courteney cream leaves a very dull colour and doesn’t really protect well. I use their beeswax product as well as a South African made version called Ballistic Wax by G&G Varminting. Apply the wax with a brush, then leave them in front of the fireplace and buff them to a nice sheen a few hours later.

Try RM Williams down under, or whatever product the chaps from Bluntstone, Redback or Rossi advise.

 

[fourfive8]

Of course Kiwi neutral shoe polish maite

Or experiment with some lanolin based mix. Maybe beeswax and lanolin with a small quantity of olive oil carefully heated until melted... then whip blend. That may be fairly close to the Courteney cream conditioner. Pecard dressing in small quantity is good as already mentioned. Microcrystalline wax like Renaissance wax- apply then buff off as should be done with any wax including Kiwi . I would avoid Johnson's paste wax even though it is similar to microcrystalline wax. Unless I'm mistaken, it has some odd additives. Avoid neats foot oil, as has also been mentioned.

 

[Fark]

Pecard leather dressing?

Search for a paste high in lanolin as an option.

Or search for a product made by Fiebings if they distribute in Oz.

Avoid any product containing Neetsfoot oil as it is acidic and dissolves stitching over time and may interact with the natural rubber soles as well.

Unfortunately,Pecard is cheap but with an $80 shipping cost. I`ll keep looking for something high in lanolin.

 

[fourfive8]

Understood! Shipping costs are high with poor reliability everywhere and getting worse! Too much lanolin might excessively soften leather. So no matter what you use- use sparingly and buff off excess.
Regular neutral shoe polish of known brand might be as good as any. Clean well, apply, let dry, buff. Most shoe polishes have some form of wax so they will buff. Shoe/boot treatments without wax may not buff but still remove any excess with a rag.