Good boots are not cheap. Cheap boots are not good. As a utility lineman, I spend a lot of time outside under harsh conditions at work. My boots, while tough (they have to be), often pay the price as I slog through mud, water, snow, salt and rocks, not to mention the beating they take while wearing steel climbing hooks and abrading against a telephone pole. There is, however, a way to delay the inevitable and preserve your boots to survive at least as long as this crappy economy. NOTE: This 'ible is for regular tanned leather boots only-'rough outs' or suede type boots like UGGs, etc. will not respond as well to this treatment.
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Signing UpStep 1: The Basics. Start With Oil.
Maintaining your boots is not difficult or expensive, but it needs to be done at regular intervals. I have found a good pair of steel-toed work boots (like those made by Red Wing and other work boot specialty companies like Hall's Line Supply) will generally survive a year and a half to two years with good care under rough line work conditions. Your boots or shoes may not be subject to such harsh conditions, and may go much longer. If you are just looking to make your Doc Martens last longer for more concerts, etc. you could expect to double the life of them by doing regular maintenance. A friend of mine had a pair of Doc's shoes for five or six years, wearing them nearly every day, and through regular oiling (and I think at least one re-soling) was able to keep them until they fell apart at the seams, literally.
Here's what you need:
Neatsfoot Oil-there are plenty of oils and creams out there that all promise to do various things. For my money (and probably yours if you are on here, we are a thrifty lot!), nothing is better than good old Neatsfoot Oil. My company supplies us with Fiebing Brand, and we keep a bottle in the office to work on our boots when we have the time. Additionally, I keep a bottle at home, as I like to oil them right after I dry them overnight. The 32 ounce size shown here will probably last a lifetime unless you have an army.
Store your oil bottle in a zip-loc bag-the design of the bottle creates dribbles and it always ends up on the bottom of your bottle, leaving a nice oily rectangle wherever you put it down. NOTE:it is important to know that Neatsfoot oil will darken the finish of your leather-if your Docs are that perfect shade to match your handbag now, oiling them will change the shade substantially.
Here's what you need:
Neatsfoot Oil-there are plenty of oils and creams out there that all promise to do various things. For my money (and probably yours if you are on here, we are a thrifty lot!), nothing is better than good old Neatsfoot Oil. My company supplies us with Fiebing Brand, and we keep a bottle in the office to work on our boots when we have the time. Additionally, I keep a bottle at home, as I like to oil them right after I dry them overnight. The 32 ounce size shown here will probably last a lifetime unless you have an army.
Store your oil bottle in a zip-loc bag-the design of the bottle creates dribbles and it always ends up on the bottom of your bottle, leaving a nice oily rectangle wherever you put it down. NOTE:it is important to know that Neatsfoot oil will darken the finish of your leather-if your Docs are that perfect shade to match your handbag now, oiling them will change the shade substantially.
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This is how the military "trains" it's new recruits (or at least did 20 years ago when I joined.) Note, combat boots (the old leather ones) cost about $8 to make. They were CHEAP boots. But they lasted well because soldiers always had to polish them and keep them clean and rotate wearing them.
As for the DuraShok soles, do they make a military boot? I still got a few years before the Army tells me to go away, and I know I have LOTS of ruck marches left in me. I'd like to try a set if I could find a pair that were authorized. Thanks for the 'ible again!
http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Boot-Warmer/
They are leather, but the cover over the steel cap is synthetic. They also have a zipper up the other side, unseen in the picture.
what would you recommend for this?
www.gothicshoes.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/RIOT_20_48c385af5ba94.jpg
If you want to keep the shine, you'd have to do polish, preferably a "spit shine"-look here on the Instructables site for a good 'ible on polishing if that is what you want. I burn my polish into boots I want a shine on, with a butane lighter, then polish them by spraying water as I go. It's a process, but the results are amazing. Polishing those babies looks like it will take some time, getting around all the straps and hardware :-). Hope this helps, and good luck.
second, DO NOT USE OIL ON LEATHER!!!!
I can not repeat this enough. Oil breaks down the leather causing it to become soft and mushy. It basically reverses what was done when the leather was originally tanned. You want to use a product that has wax in it, such as carnuba or bees wax. NO OIL. This is one product that works very well:
http://casanovasadventures.com/catalog/misc/p2006.htm
Note how it says "Lubricates And Conditions Leather Without Softening". This is what you want. One advantage of using wax is it waterproofs your boot as well.
Note: I am not affiliated with the above product in anyway, merely giving advice on good products.
if your boots get wet, towel them dry, and stuff newspaper into them loosely, pull out the damp newspaper and repeat until it's not coming out noticeably wet, then put more in, and come back in a few minutes, repeating and increasing the time until they're dry to the touch inside. it's much easier on the leather.
keeping a good polish on them is the best thing you can possibly do, it helps seal out salt and grime. (and why the military insists on it) some leather finishes (wax) may not take neatsfoot, and want a non-standard polish. a good cobbler can tell you what to use on your boots to keep them polished. often a tack shop (horse saddles and the like) will be able to reccomend a cobbler.
also make sure you're using actual neatsfoot, not something that contains additives, as these can damage the leather over time.
imho, keeping things working IS green. it's a lot better to wear your waxed leather linemen's than to throw them out and buy new plastic.