Need advice re: Hiking boots w/strange leather (PICS)

I came across some very vintage looking Tyrolean hiking boots that I would like to wear, but I'm having difficulty figuring out how to properly care for the leather. Can anyone tell by looking at leather if it is shell horse hide?

These boots seem to be late fifties or sixties vintage. The leather uppers including the tongue are cut from the same piece of hide. The outside leather is HARD. I can make a "knocking" sound on it with my knuckle. I put mink oil on them like I do withmy other boots, but the leather doesn't seem to accept it! The craftsmanship leads me to believe they didn't use cheap leather, but I'm having trouble putting a shine on them

If anyone with more experience with boot care can help me A) Learn how to identify the leather, B) Tell me how to condition it and C) How to make them look their best, I would be very thankful.

Do not think they are as old as that. Probably late 70's to mid 80's based on the styling.

For a boot like that the best treatment would be a beeswax product such as snoseal. Heat the leather gently with a hair dryer and rub the wax into the leather. It is meant to be stiff and stay stiff, and softening products such as mink oil are probably not such a good idea.

They're definitely not shell cordovan. They're probably just very dry.

I'd use a lot of conditioner/moisturizer.

Thanks for the replies.

My high school daughter did a little research and found they are from the late sixties.

Dunham's Tyroleans have been around for ages in many styles. In the mid to late sixties, the hiking boot models became very popular on college campuses.

In order to capture more market they started making a lot more of them under the model name "Continental" Tyroleans. The "Continental Tyroleans" seem to have been constructed for the college market as they usually had suede uppers, padded ankle collars and steel rather than brass lace hooks

These models are model #7531 and predate the "Continental Tyroleans" That became known as the "Waffle Stomper".

I found an ad in a Salt Lake City paper from 1968 that most closely resembles this model.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...yroleans&hl=en

Sweeeeeet. Now I'm going to hum Buffalo Springfield tunes whenever I wear them.

"Think its time to Stop, Hey, What's that sound? Everbody look what's going down."

I think they would look cooler if you just wore them, and didn't worry about making them look all shiny and new. Let them develop a patina, and just go from there.

I have a pair of Swiss boots from the 80's in a pretty similar-looking (and -sounding, when knocked) leather. I'm very fond of them. For me, care has consisted of a good rubbing with neatsfoot oil when I hadn't worn them in a long time, just to ensure they hadn't dried out, and a quick brushing and a wipe with Renapur when I want to smarten them up just a little bit.

Originally Posted by eafiii

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I'm having trouble putting a shine on them

If anyone with more experience with boot care can help me C) How to make them look their best, I would be very thankful.

they're not meant to be shined.

use saddle soap and then any kind of leather grease e.g. huberds or snoseal product.

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

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I think they would look cooler if you just wore them, and didn't worry about making them look all shiny and new. Let them develop a patina, and just go from there.

If the leather is dried out, then that could lead to the leather cracking and the boots being ruined. They're not something that needs to be shined, but they sure as hell should be conditioned.