Shoe care and maintenance

[Mr.Tignor]

As some of you know(and helped with) i recently got my first pair of leather pc shoes (though i still want the loyalist shoe.....) They were all fine and confy after they got soaked on friday..but now that they are intirly dry, not so comfy. :/ is there anything i can do to soften them up(i believe someone suggested alcohol?) and also is there anything else i may need to do to make them last longer. i ran accros some stuff in the wal-mart thats used to soften leather catching gloves, but id like the opinion of more knowlegable folks. I think mink-oil was suggested but i dont want to ruin a good investment if i remember incorrectly. I already am ordering metal plates to save the heels, but im quite sure theres more that could be done.

[Dutchman]

soak em again and wear them dry. others here can offer better suggestions than I on the preservation of them, but a word on the metal plates. watch out for slick surfaces such as marble and ice in the winter, you'll bust your tail. also a lot of the boats we work around will not let you onboard with the metal for fear of dammaging the wooden decks. I would suggest letting them wear then replace with rubber soles.

[callenish gunner]

There is a product called Snow-Seal that is a beeswax based coating that will both save and protect your shoes for a long time. DO NOT USE NEATSFOOT OIL it will degrade the stitching in shoes and cut the life in half at least. Snow-seal 2-3 times a year and mine have lasted 6 years so far and show little signs of wear.... I do need to clean my brass buckles though

[Capt. Sterling]

I know folks like to keep their kit "aged and dirty" but I highly recommend polishing your shoes. Leather needs to be taken care of and a good polishing in between events will help do that, besides they will get dirty enough once you get to the next event. Personally I think that folks back then took care of what they had as they usually didn't have much of any given item of clothing and they certainly didn't run down the block to the local store and pick up what they needed when ever they needed it. Also since so many people could at least sew some what, I truly wonder how many folks actually walked around all the time with raggy hems and torn items....

[Silkie McDonough]

Also since so many people could at least sew some what, I truly wonder how many folks actually walked around all the time with raggy hems and torn items....

I would say the poorest of the poor that had no needle or thread.

[Guest]

I have an old pair of brogans that I used when I was doing American Civil War Reenacting, I cut them down to use for my Buccaneer stuff.... but they are about 20 years old, and for the most part still together....

Anyway, all I did (other than re-glue the soles on with "barge Cement"...it was that, or getting a new pair...) was to "goop" them with shoe polish (good old Kiwi) every so often......

I already am ordering metal plates to save the heels,

You can also pound in a bunch small nails around the outside edge of the heal.... But as posted above... they will be slippery on any smooth surface..... (Like inside Airports, and supermarkets)

[CaptainSatan]

(i believe someone suggested alcohol?)

DO NOT USE ALCOHOL!

The only things that will properly break in an traditional pair of shoes are time, friction, heat, and moisture

(from walking in the shoes). But you can cheat and add hiking boot inserts to make them more comfortable.

I prefer the Vasque inserts myself.

[CrazyCholeBlack]

I'd advise using blackball, a combination of beeswax, tallow & lamp black, that was used during both the F&I & AWI periods, especially by the military. Not only because it works well, but because it was a historically known product. But I'm not one to go using something modern on my historic items, your mileage may very.

It's also a good idea to let the shoes dry on your feet if possible, not to dry them too close to the fire (no matter how cold your feet are ) and to use a good stiff brush to remove any dried mud & dirt regularly.

I would also strongly suggest not adding a heel plate or hobnails, as most historic sites frown on them, if they haven't been banned completely. They do terrible damage to wood floors.

Chole

[blackjohn]

Two thumbs up on the blackball.

Najecki sells it.

Click and scroll down.

http://www.najecki.com/repro/Haversack.html

[michaelsbagley]

Okay, I'm convinced on the "Blackball"... But does anyone have a similar suggestion for tan, brown or natural leather shoes?

[Quartermaster James]

There is a product called Snow-Seal that is a beeswax based coating that will both save and protect your shoes for a long time. DO NOT USE NEATSFOOT OIL it will degrade the stitching in shoes and cut the life in half at least. Snow-seal 2-3 times a year and mine have lasted 6 years so far and show little signs of wear.... I do need to clean my brass buckles though

Callenish,

Is this true of pure neatsfoot oil, or just the cut stuff?

Thanks!

[blackjohn]

Okay, I'm convinced on the "Blackball"... But does anyone have a similar suggestion for tan, brown or natural leather shoes?

Somewhere on the inter tube Bloody Davy Cash had this to say...

Yes, Mark, I did tell you over oiling will cause stitch rot , esp. if you are using newer stuff with petroleum in it in any form , but even natural oil can cause it if over oiled. Of course, if its hand sewn with well waxed thread,this is much less likely to happen. For the most part, natural stuff is right for natural leathers.... and more modern stuff is right for modern leathers. Many are actually finished and impregnated with various plastics and such, so compounds with petroleum is usually good for it, a lot of silicones are used often, too. But the safe rule of thumb is what I just said, just keep like with like and you'll be just fine. There are still plenty of good, traditional leather dressings and polishes out there, and as long as there is still traditional veg tanned leathers out there, there always will be....

Things to look for:

Waxes of all types, as long as natural

Natural Oils

Natural Fats

Lanolin

Tallow

All those are good for trad. leathers..........

He always seemed to know his leather, so I'd go with what he had to say.

[Capt. Sterling]

Two thumbs up on the blackball.

Najecki sells it.

Click and scroll down.

http://www.najecki.com/repro/Haversack.html

Well thank you Blackjohn...

[Mr.Tignor]

Im all for the black ball, anything to make them last(thanks callenish). I also think i may not doo the metal, after all i do plan on being on a few boats so i cant say i want that problem to deal with(or floors for that matter). And i thank the good captn. Sterling for the cleaning advice it shall be headed, though im not sure if i had anything torn on,did i? (but my hems were shotty which i plan to fix) Thanks to all for the good advice, i dare say ill call on you guys again when in a jam

[MadL]

I have been using Montana Pitch Blend on all me own natural leathers for some time now.

http://www.mtpitchblend.com/home.html

*clipit*

What makes our products special?

Our leather care products utilize"pine pitch" which is the sap preservative created within pine trees. Pine pitch is the result of a tree's natural protective mechanism when healing itself of wounds or insect attacks. It is nature's most powerful natural preservative and gives our leather treatment products their unique anti-bacterial, preserving, long-lasting, and water-repellant qualities.

Our Leather Oil and Leather Dressing are made from our "Pitch-Blend" combination of Pine Pitch and pure Mink Oil for the conditioning and preserving of rugged leather. (Our Natural Ingredients page will help explain our unique ingredients.) The only difference between the two is that in our Dressing we add natural beeswax to form a soft wax/paste that offers the highest water-repellency of the two. (Please visit our FAQ page for an explanation on which one to choose.)

I do not think it would be well for 'polished' shoes that have shoe polish on them, and it will darken light colored leather so take that in consideration - but then just about any conditioner will darken light leathers.

I found out about this stuff from Sod Hoppers, a moccasin maker who uses all kinds of leather in his foot wear (buffalo, elk, deer, cow) and he highly recommended it. I used it on my Loyalist shoes when I first got them (th' second pair that fit) and they softened right up and after a few outtings they conformed right t' me feet; now I just give them a good brushing after an outting but mine are rough out. I use it on me belts, baldric, boots, bags, leather straps. A little goes a long way.

[blackjohn]

Two thumbs up on the blackball.

Najecki sells it.

Click and scroll down.

http://www.najecki.com/repro/Haversack.html

Well thank you Blackjohn...

My pleasure. It's worth the price. One "stick" lasts a good long time.

Fwiw, he also sells (or did at one time at least) heel plates and hobnails. But as was advised above, you are probably better off without. They drastically increase the chance of slipping and falling in hard surfaces.