Real Top Grain leather shoes (not crappy Genuine leather) will last a
very long time IF cared for properly, that’s a big if. Leather is like
our skin, it needs oils and moisture but unlike our skin there is no
natural way for leather to get it which requires us to take part in
this ten minute process every 6 to 9 months!
The photos shown are in order of the process. These shoes have had a
full summer of cabin playing, mountain biking, trailbuilding, welding,
and many more abusive activities. They were looking pretty hammered
(photo 1) and this process made them new again.(photo 7)
Step 1- Clean the shoes. With good leather you don’t even have to
wash the product to get it clean in most cases. Just use a shoe brush to
clear all the dirt and dust away, then I used a sponge to clean the
side of the sole. (photo 2)
Step 2- Warm the shoes. To help the oils penetrate the leather we
must open the pores of the leather with heat.(photo 3) I’ve put 100s of
leather products in this very oven and as long as you don’t forget about
them and leave your leather in there longer than 10 minutes your shoes
will be just fine! Here I did 170 degrees (lowest the oven will go) for
about 6 minutes. They were warm but not so hot I couldn’t handle them
with my bare hands.
Step 3- Apply the the oils. There are a thousand different products
available, most often I use Snow Seal (photo 4) on almost all our
leather products. Snow Seal comes in a 7oz. Jar for $5 and if you only
use it for shoes, it will last 10 years. It’s mostly Beeswax and other
all natural ingredients. It will last longer than creams and liquids
that are sold for this purpose.
To apply the oils, take one shoe out of the oven and while its nice
and warm, using a piece of cloth rub a generous amount(photo 5) of the
wax all over the leather. Take care to get it into all the tight areas
because the waxed leather will darken more than the areas that get
missed. Once you’ve covered everything immediately take a new clean rag
and wipe off any excess wax.
Step 4- Finishing. Repeat step 3 on the second shoe. Once that has
been done you may want to take the clean cloth, not the applicator cloth
and go over the shoes again to make them shine more. You will see the
leather darken a lot while the wax is melting into the leather, but over
the next few days it will lighten up somewhat. Also as you work the
shoes you will see the scratches disappear. By the time your done your
shoes will look new, smell great and be quite water resistant!
Shoes shown here are Vans OTW Native American Pack.
