Despite appearances, one of my legs is not shorter than the other. But you shouldn’t be noticing that; you should be noticing those gorgeous resurrected-from-the-grave hiking boots.
- Hosed them off with warm water and removed dirt and grit with a vegetable brush.
- Saddle soaped the leather, which dirtied up the rag rapidly.
- Nor-V-Gen oiled twice. They soaked up a lot.
- Saddle soaped again. They were still too dirty. Rag was cleaner this time.
- Hand-rubbed in two coats of Smiling Mink.
- Hand-washed the laces in dishwashing liquid.
Total time: probably two hours. They’re on my feet and they feel fantastic. Not so much heavy as substantial.
I know some boot aficionados don’t like mink oil. They claim it causes the leather to stretch, disintegrates lacing, causes warts, boils and possible death. I dunno. Maybe Sno-Seal is better, but remember, gentle readers, that these boats boots are 34 years old. They have been mink oiled since I got ’em. If mink oil is harmful to anything but a mustelid, I sure can’t tell.
I think I’ll leave these on for a while and let them get some foot time. After all, it has been a while, and my boots need some reassurance that this isn’t a passing fancy.
Respectfully submitted,
Canoelover
Wow! Those look fantastic…I want to go dig mine out now. Mine are 32.5 yrs old and lace-less however. I hope they look half as nice as these after I get done with them. Lace color decision will ave to wait.
“Maybe Sno-Seal is better, but remember, gentle readers, that these boats are 34 years old. ”
Freudian slip here. I know you love canoes, but this post is about BOOTS, not BOATS.
I thought I’d correct the typo, but I think I’ll leave it. 🙂