How to Hot Wax leather boots, knife sheaths with Sno Seal

[Beacon Hill Ben]

As modern camping and hiking equipment uses much less leather today than it did a few decades ago, many people I speak to about hiking equipment just don't know how to treat leather in order to make it waterproof, more supple and make it survive many more years of hard use. So I made this photo How-To:

I am originally from Holland, one of the wettest countries in the world, blessed with hot or wet summers and freezing cold or wet winters, depending on whether the winds are from the East (hot/cold) or from the West (wet). So we know a few things about treating leather there. My all-time favourite product for leather treatment is the all-natural bees wax, Sno Seal, made by Atsko from Orangeburg, South Carolina (http://www.atsko.com) in . This stuff is great, I use it on all my leathers. You can buy it from good outdoor-shops, motorcycle shops (bikies still wear leathers!) or just find a retailer on the Australian importer website: http://www.ansco.com.au. I just called my local motorcycle shop and asked them to order me a 200g jar, the largest package size. It arrived a few days later and I paid $10. That jar will last me a few years...

So here goes, you need a work surface that can be allowed to get dirty, an old rag, a few plastic bags and the Sno Seal. Place all the leathers you want to treat, and the Sno Seal, in a WARM spot for an hour or so, so that it all warms up nicely, ready to soak up the wax. The Australian sun in january will do very nicely, but people have used warm ovens, hair dryers, etc.

Now use your fingers to generously apply the Sno Seal. Your fingers should be warm as well, to help the wax melt a bit. USE LOTS!! The more the leather soaks up the wax, the better! Especially on the seams, folds and stitchings. LOTS!!

Once the Sno Seal is applied, place small object like knife sheaths, leather shoe laces etc in a plastic bag and back in the sun. Let them sweat it out for a few hours, allowing them to soak up every last drop of the wax.

Once the sun has set, get yourself a cold beer. Take the sheaths, laces, etc out of the bags and wipe any excess wax off with a clean rag. Wipe down the boots hard, giving them a bit of a polish. All leathers will stay darker after this hot wax treatment. But enjoy their improved performance: watch those water drops just bead down your boots, the suppleness. Leather is a great outdoors material. Just give it a hot wax once a year.

I'd be interested to hear from other people how they treat their leathers.

[Ent]

Hi

I find that RM Williams saddle cream great. Easy to apply in colder climates and the leather loves it plus water beads nicely. I now alternate between Snow Seal and RM Williams cream. Also like you I remove the laces and ensure that grit is removed from the creases. Result, sole wear or glue failure is the only things that decommissions my boots. Apart from watch bands and Leatherman carrying case leather has all but disappeared from my gear due to manufacturers not using it much.

Cheers

[Beacon Hill Ben]

Ah, saddle cream...would never have thought of that. But makes perfect sense. I shall keep an eye out for that.

And below a photo of the result, happy leukas and happy boots! Ready for our trip to the Blue Mountains this week.