Taking care of brogans

[Spinster]

Re: Taking care of brogans

And in a somewhat related matter.........

Traveling to and from Winter of '64, I wore a pair of nice period shoes (not the brogans I wore on site) . Between touring around Buffalo and getting to the airport, these black shoes now have an unsightly and probably damaging 'salt line'. I've wiped and wiped--it just reappears. They were well polished before this trip, and less than a year old.

What to do?

[fedguy]

Re: Taking care of brogans

OK, dumb question, but here goes. Dubbin is basically beeswax, tallow and cod liver oil, correct? I have mixed a bullet lube compound of 1/2 beeswax and 1/2 Crisco (substitution for the tallow) for my musket. Would adding the cod liver oil create something akin to true "dubbin", and would this be a good preservative/leather softener for my shoes?

[Dennis Deck]

Re: Taking care of brogans

I purchased my boots from missouri boot and shoe and decided to trust their experience on the best way to care for their boots.
This is thair kit:
BOOT AND SHOE CARE KIT

Perfect For Living History Enthusiasts,
Museums and Historic Sites.

Our Complete Boot & Shoe Care Kit.


Each Kit Contains:
2 - Large 7.5 oz. Cans of Huberd's
Shoe Grease
1 - Large 60 gram Can of Lincoln
Stain Wax
1 - Extra Large Can of Fiebing's
Saddle Soap
1 - Wooden Handled Horse
Hair Brush
Dennis Deck
Folsom, CA

[ACo.]

Re: Taking care of brogans

A couple quick thoughts...

When using Neatsfoot Oil or Mink Oil, one must be careful how these are applied to the leather, as they can prematurely rot the leather...thereby making the leather brittle and prone to cracking.

I reccommend using a good saddle soap to clean the dirt out of the leather regularly, letting the shoes thoroughly dry...and then following up with a good coat of Dubbin.

*Dubbin is essentially a mixture of beef tallow and cod-liver oil, and beeswax...this mixture is absolute in maintaining ones leather...and yes it's period.

If unable/unwilling to go through the tedious produce yourself...talk with Nick Duvall about obtaining some, as he has stocked some by the brand of J.E. Sedgwick & Co. (an English Leather Company in the business for the past 200 years).

Paul B.

Paul, I agree with everything you say with the exception of the statement on the neatsfoot oil - it is the BEST thing to use and, properly applied, will not damage the leather, in fact quite the opposite. Saying that, use only PURE neatsfoot oil. Commonly available "neatsfoot oil compound", like mink oil (bad stuff), has petroleum distillates and will eventually ruin your leather.

Brush the shoes when dry after every use to remove dust and other particulates from the surface. Once a year, wash the shoes using a good grade of saddle soap. Then, when almost but not quite dry, apply the neatsfoot oil. The presence of the light amount of water will help draw the neatsfoot oil into the leather. Do not soak the shoes (or other leather items) with the oil, you can use a small, soft bristled brush, rag or your fingers. Store in a place where the leather can get dry air circulation.

Spinster, have you tried saddle soap on the salt stain on your shoes? This will sometimes remove the stain. I have seen the white stain often and it can not always be removed. If it doesn't come out, you can dye the stained leather to match, and this will hide it but it will always be visible on close inspection. Be sure to apply oil to the leather, the salt has likely damaged the leather and will eventually cause the shoes to crack.

[erik]

Re: Taking care of brogans

Spinster,
Bruish the shoes or boots with soft brush to remove loose salt. Try some white vinager on a cloth directly on the salt stains and wash with a wet cloth after. Treat your shoes as normal when cleaned. It is likely, after this amount of time, that the salt may have damaged the leather beyond repair, but you should try at any rate. We get an awful lot of salt in Toronto which has damaged best parade boots, but with a light wash of vinager and careful bulling has never failed to restore the boots to their glory.
I have even seen cases where salt from sweat, especially in wet conditions, has created the same damage

Erik Simundson

And HRH, the Princess, said, "could you come to England and teach my son how to shine boots?"