Leather boot oil formula??

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by brewer, Jan 31, 2008.


  1. brewer

    brewer Monkey+++

    Anyone here have a homemade recipe/formula for a water proof/leather boot oil?? Such as lanolin/neatsfoot/parifin waxes?
    Thanks.brewer
     
  2. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    I cannot wait for monkeyman to find this thread...
    I have a mental image of 1/2 a bear, 2 goat heads and a black snake in a rendering pot...

    [ROFL]

    I would however assume that something like mink oil is really just mink fat with a fragrance?
    I use snowseal myself and dig the yearly ritual of placing my boots in the oven to melt the beeswax into them. Snowseal is a commercial version but I think plain beeswax would work too.

    I haven't used anything homemade though.

    Good topic!
     
  3. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    LOL [ROFL]
    I just had another image of monkeyman's Sheep-Bladder moccasins...
    fully waterproof and ready for the weather, right out of the sheep.
    [ROFL]
     
  4. BigO01

    BigO01 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Buy a pair of Rocky's and forget all that nonsense with sprays and waxes .

    I bought mine 4-5 years ago now and and they are still 100% water proof and yes they have been worn and quite a bit for that matter .

    Use them for hunting for all hunting trips with temps below 40 and everytime we get any snow for going out n about .

    Not cheap as I paid $150 for em but worth every penny .
     
  5. brewer

    brewer Monkey+++

    LOL big 1, Rocky boots is what I want to treat! We are only 30 minutes away from their outlet store/original factory in Nelsonville Oh. I really like this pair of boots I bought back in 03 even though Rockys went overseas a few years back and closed the plant.
    Well maybe I'll just start experimenting with my own boot juice formula.
     
  6. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    A few years back, I was looking all over the house for my mink oil. My wife asked me what I was looking for, told her. Her reply? "Done oiled them damned minks." didn't even crack a smile.
     
  7. TnAndy

    TnAndy Senior Member Founding Member

    She's a keeper.

    You, on the other hand, could be replaced...... :D
     
  8. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    LOL Well if you wanted a FULLY home brewed one then run the bees off and after you drain the honey for other uses use the comb (bees wax) slaughter a sheep and rend down the fat (lanoline) and toss in the drained honey comb to melt in with it in whatever ration wanted from 3;1 to 1;3, rub it into the boots, hit it with a hair dryer or set them by the wood stove to dry and melt in.

    Now you could also just use bagbalm and do the same thing or if wanted even add some wax, but just the bagbalm rubbed in then warmed will do pretty good for anything short of standing in water or walking along in a stream. Thats all I normaly do and retreat 1 or 2 times a year if spending a lot of time in real soggy stuff.

    Either meathod should also be good for the leather and soften it some while preserving it. Dont know that the black snake would be to helpful though unless it was a big one, then you skin it and make a set of dress boots and if I was going for the waterproof moccasins would probably just try and find a couple BIG opposums (I wear a 13 or larger and X wide) and try to hit them in the head then just case skin 'em, turn it inside out insert foot, tie leg skins behind ankle and have pre oiled fur lined slippers.[booze][troll]
     
  9. brewer

    brewer Monkey+++

    Hmmm, I thought lanolin was from the wool cleaning process, like the bees wax idea.Thanks
     
  10. poacher

    poacher Monkey+++ Founding Member

    I can't vouch for if it works since I've never tried it but my Uncle is a life long farmer. As such like most farmers it seems they try to find uses for things that have been reused before. When he buys a new set of boots the first thing he does is coats them with a thin coat of used 90 wt crank case oil.
    He's been doing this since I can remember. He sticks em in the cab of the truck and lets em set for a couple of days. Then he puts another coat on them, after two or three coats with a few days in between he puts em on and off he goes. I don't know what the oil does to his socks but he's 70 now and this is how he's always done it.
    On the other hand I use Norwegien. It's a great waterproofer and all my boots get a coat.
    Take care Be safe Poacher.
     
  11. FalconDance

    FalconDance Neighborhood Witch

    To clear up a total misconception:

    Lanolin is NOT rendered sheep fat. It is the oily stuff secreted in the wool - think of it almost as sheep sweat or like the oil we get in our own hair when we don't wash it enough. It is gotten from the WOOL, not the lard.

    An improperly processed carcass can be "contaminated" with lanolin and put the taste of the meat completely wonky. It's pretty easy if not careful - if you use the same knife to cut the meaty tissue as you have through the hide without several good hot washes ........... As with anything, it's the attention to details. Lanolin is highly water/liquid resistant (not water proof, however) and can be used to coat knives to help prevent rusting. Thus if you don't realize that and use the knife freely, you wonkify the mutton.

    (I'm a hand spinner with past flocks of sheep and goats and have learned about lanolin the 'hard' way - from being a shepard and craftsman.)
     
  12. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    We just rub lard on our boots it works well.

    OGM
     
  13. ozarkgoatman

    ozarkgoatman Resident goat herder

    I've butchered plenty of sheep and have never washed my knife between skinning and cutting up the carcass with no problems. [dunno]

    OGM
     
  14. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Ok, I guess the sheep fat isnt the lanolin, I misunderstood on that, but the fat rended down dose make a greese that like any other greese tends to turn watter and I know also softens skin living or tanned.
     
  15. FalconDance

    FalconDance Neighborhood Witch

    It's not near so bad in a meat breed which tend to have low lanolin in their wool. Try that with a Shetland or Romney or *shudders* a Ramboulliet (very high lanolin), and you get extremely perfumed meat (as in *gag*). The meat isn't as plentiful in these (and others) breeds since they're primarily raised now for their fleece, but meat is meat when you're hungry. :shrug:

    Monkeyman, any grease just about will turn water to some degree. Lanolin is antiseptic and, to a degree, humectant, so its better (best) use is on living skin, not the dead of boots.
     
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