Wolverine 1000 Mile Boot Review - Page 164

Originally Posted by Achilles_ 

I recently got the krause in rust from AE. I spent a few weeks applying black saphir polish. I love the darker red i have now!

Originally Posted by a bag of it 

I'm sure this question gets asked all the time...is there a similar looking boot that can be had for cheaper?

Originally Posted by acousticfoodie 

Pics!

Originally Posted by Cold Iron 

 

Yes. The Krause is Horween Dublin leather and is NOT the same as most leathers. Dublin is Essex leather (tanned like shell) with a waxy finish There is a reason AE is making the Krause. Dublin is also used in the AE rough collection which I have 3 shoes in, and all 3 leathers have a slightly different finish. Just as the Krause in russet is a different leather finish than the tan. 

 

A word of caution, I normally use Obenhauf’s leather oil on my bison leather boots, and occasional use it to touch up in between applications of HDLP on chrome tanned boots. When I was treating several pairs of bison boots I decided to also treat my AE rouch collection Black Hills with the leather oil. And the next day it looked like the leather Gods had puked all over my shoes. It took 2 weeks of saddle soaping them every night to get them back to normal. You have to be careful in using products on exotic leathers like Dublin.

 

I was hoping the Krause would be like the Elgin which is very waxy and a great color and finish IMO.

 

AE says for care of the Elgin: These types of leathers can be cleaned using a damp cloth to remove dirt and any residue. Follow by using a soft cloth to apply Allen Edmonds Leather Lotion , which has been specifically formulated for these leathers.

 

That is it, just water and AE leather lotion which is the same as Bicks 4.

 

For my McTavish it says: Use Allen Edmonds Conditioner Cleaner to remove surface residue and to keep leather soft and pliable. Follow by applying Allen Edmonds Saddle Soap which cleans all smooth leather shoes while restoring the leather's natural oils.

 

When I got my McTavish one shoe was a bit darker than the other, and yes they are firsts. The overall color was a bit lighter than I hoped just like the tan Krause. The leather between the McTavish and Krause is pretty much identical from what I can tell. seer had already treated his McTavish with neatsfoot oil to darken them so despite the issues with the Black Hills and oil figured it was safe. It was and by using a couple of extra coats on the lighter shoe I was able to match them both:

 

Elgin on left, McTavish on right with right shoe being darker out of the box:

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

After leveling out the color with neatsfoot oil:

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

The Krause were the same, one was slightly lighter than the other. Using saddle soap helps break the finish up so that any product applied can more evenly sink in. When dying leather shoes a deglazer is used but I would not use such a product on Dublin leather, the saddle soap is safe. In this case I used shoe cream instead of neatsfoot oil to even the color out. I was happy with the color that the cream provided and I finished with wax paste polish. It turned out very well. And they have a much better finish and protection against the elements than out of the box which is a lot more of a dress boot finish than a work boot.

 

Good luck and any questions shoot me a PM.

Originally Posted by Crane's 

Cross posted from my 721LTD review thread.....

Here's how you waterproof boots with snoseal or a similar wax oil product.

Get your unlaced boots, some rags, your snoseal, a brush, and a hair dryer.


CIMG0929 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Wipe off any mud or crud with a damp rag, brush them thoroughly and start applying the snoseal with your finger liberally. The first pic shows the nice thick bead being applied to the where the welt and the upper meet. This is the area where time well spent will reward you in dry feet even if you stand ankle deep in water.


CIMG0930 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Keep applying it liberally in every nook, cranny, along edges...


CIMG0931 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr


CIMG0932 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr


CIMG0933 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Once you have the boot completely covered it's time for the hairdryer. What you basically do is heat up an area of the boot until the wax melts. Keep heating it while keeping the hairdryer moving in small circles. DO NOT just blast a spot! It is possible to cook the leather but you would know way ahead of time from the smoke that you F'ed it up but good. LOL. Anyway once the leather warms up enough the pores will open up and the shiny hot wax will just get sucked into the leather. Move over a bit and keep doing this to the entire boot. The big secret to really waterproofing leather is to get the wax deep into the leather. Heat is the only way this will happen.


CIMG0934 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr


CIMG0936 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Boot on the left is done. While the boot is still warm take a rag and wipe it down and polish it a bit.


CIMG0937 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Another shot of the snosealed boot (left). You can see the wax on the surface. Don't sweat it, this is normal and it does buff up with a little elbow grease.


CIMG0938 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

The other boot getting it's very liberal dose of snoseal.....


CIMG0939 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Once you are done do it all over again. Yeah, that's right do it again. The wax will penetrate deeper into the leather and the addition of another coat of wax/heat will evenly distribute the treatment throughout the boot's leather. That additional coat along the welt area alone is worth the additional work. Once it's all said and done get ready to brush and buff your ass off. If you feel like it you can add a bit of color to the toe cap, vamp and quarters if you wish. If you do you'll get to be shoe shine guy for a bit longer.


CIMG0940 by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

Just for the fun of it here's some more food for thought.

How many times have you read on this board a horror story about water or salt stains on a brand new pair of boots or shoes? How about that great deal on vintage shell cordovan shoes and after one wear they cracked and self destructed? Same goes for leather jackets. How many times?

Here's a few facts about leather that's not well known or talked about.

You have no idea how old the new leather is that your item is made out of. You have no idea how long or in what environment your new leather item has sat around in. All you know is it's supposed to be new. New DOES NOT mean the original tanning oils or waterproofing is intact. Time and environment determine how long it takes for these critical components to dry out, deteriorate or otherwise be compromised. IF YOU DO NOT WANT NASTY SURPRISES WITH NEW LEATHER GOODS then take the time to condition them with the appropriate product BEFORE you use it. If you are going to expose leather to any type of water then waterproof it appropriately BEFORE you get it wet. This truly is a case of where an ounce of prevention is worth it. I wear leather coats in pouring rain, no issues or problems. I obviously put shoes and boots through the ringer. Again no problems.

There is one thing that should be noted. The color will darken. With light oils not as much and over time it does lighten back up a bit. Snoseal or other wax/oil compounds it's a different story. The leather will darken and tend to stay that way. It's a simple choice in my book. I want my boots, shoes, coats, saddles, wallets and whatever else to last as long as possible. That means I will maintain them properly with no regard to the color shift. The other choice in my book is neglect and well you'll pay for it in the long run and possibly much sooner.

Now the vintage stuff is a different animal. It's most likely going to be dry or worse dry rotted. If it's just dry that can be taken care of. It's a process that takes a lot of time and patience but it's doable. Again you go through the restoration process BEFORE you use it NOT AFTER!! Dry rot on the other hand is something that's not fixable. Good luck determining if a leather item is dry or dry rotted.

I digress.

Anyway there you have it. How I waterproof boots and shoes and why I do what I do.

Originally Posted by Brian Itzaina 

I had fun doing this and will definatly feel more comfortable about going anywhere in these now.

Originally Posted by milw50717 

For those wondering, it appears that you also need 3 beers as well as snoseal, brush, hairdryer, etc