From time to time, I look back at the great comments and suggestions received on my post titled, “Not Your Ordinary Gay Guy’s Blog” and find reminders of subjects to write about. Thanks to Stephen who said,

I would welcome further commentary on, well…boots! For example, the qualities of various leathers, how they wear, … how various leathers are treated, and with what for particular purposes.

Okay, I’ll take a stab at it.

First, there are many different kinds of materials used to make boots. I will focus on animal hides — not synthetic products sometimes used to substitute for animal hides when making boots or parts of boots, like the shaft.

The most common animal hide used to make boots is the skin of a cow. That skin is thick, durable, and can be manipulated with machines or manually. It can be cut into thinner layers (called a split) easily. The hide is tanned — a chemical treatment process that permanently alters the protein structure of a hide to produce leather, which is more durable and less susceptible to decomposition.

One small pet peeve of mine — you don’t get leather from a cow. You get cowhide from a cow. You treat the hide with chemicals in the tanning process to make leather. (More here on tanning).

Once leather is produced, it can be dyed almost any color of the rainbow. Leather is easily cut, altered, and formed or molded to make the various parts of a boot.

Cow leather is about the most durable, long-lasting product used for bootmaking. It has been used to make footwear for over 9,000 years (if wikipedia is to be believed).

How do I treat (cow) leather on boots? That is another great quality about leather — it is a low-maintenance product.

I follow these general steps:

• Whenever I take a pair of boots off, I keep a lintless cloth handy and rub it over the boots to remove surface soil, dirt, and mold spores that are everywhere.
• If the boots got muddy or really dirty, I may wipe them down with a wet rag and have even used a scrub brush to remove caked-on mud on my work boots.
• I also check the soles of the boots to remove anything like gum, grass, sand, or dirt — especially in the treads of motorcycle boots
• I store the boots standing up where air can flow around them. Free flow of air (not forced air but open air) is the best way to ensure the boots will dry out from the inside after wearing them and prevent possibility of mold or mildew to take hold, grow, and damage the leather.
• If the leather on the boots looks worn, damaged, or has water spots, I will apply a little leather conditioner (like Lexol) onto a lintless cloth and rub it over the boot. Usually leather conditioner restores appearance and moisture to the leather to improve longevity.
• For most of my boots, this is all I do on a regular basis.

A note about “oil-tanned” leather

Oil-tanned leather is intentionally made to have a dull, rugged appearance. One usually finds oil-tanned leather on motorcycle boots. The leather is strong, tough, and durable. It can scratch but seldom is damaged by ordinary wear. The leather to make these boots is actually “vegetable tanned” and then “oiled” by applying neatsfoot oil or mink oil, which are animal byproducts and used to supplement the natural oils in the leather and add water resistance. Oil-tanned boots are not waterproof, but they do resist absorbing water such as if you have them on while riding a motorcycle in the rain.

Note: don’t let the name of the type of tanning process used fool you. Do not apply any type of oil — vegetable, mineral, or used motor oil — to oil-tanned leather. It clogs the pores and hastens deterioration.

How do I maintain a shine on boots?

Again, it depends on the leather, but if it is made to have a shine, I try to maintain the shine… well, sometimes. I am like most guys who just pulls his boots off and moves on. I do not make much time to shine boots. But every now and then, if all regular treatment described above does not work, then I will get out the paste wax, apply a very thin coat onto the previously-cleaned boots, and buff the leather to restore the shine. I know I am probably violating many rules by bootblacks, but the age-tested regular method of applying a very little “shoe polish” and buffing works for me (and doesn’t take that long to do.)

Other Skins

Goat: wears well, very durable, and can be quite shiny. This type of leather tends to be “harder” or less flexible than cow leather. I maintain goat leather the same way that I maintain cow leather.

Calf: calf leather is softer and thus more easily damaged by scuffing. Calf leather boots are usually more elegant in design and appearance and are usually made to have a good shine. I am more careful about walking in them (so I do not scuff them on concrete steps, for example) and I never wear them while riding my motorcycle because the leather is thin (thus less protection) and easily damaged. I apply a light wax polish a bit more frequently to calf leather boots than others due to the protective nature and shine that wax provides to the boot.

Kangaroo: Kangaroo leather is actually quite durable and very scuff-resistant. I have had a few pairs of boots made with kangaroo leather. They hold up well and are treated just like cow leather.

Ostrich: of all exotic skins, ostrich leather is about the most durable. I keep my ostrich boots clean and occasionally treat them with leather conditioner or exotic skin conditioner (which is about the same thing.) I do not apply wax or shoe polish to ostrich or any other exotic skin boots.

Snake: boots made of python, rattlesnake, cobra, or other types of snakes look dramatic. The “skins” show the scales of the snake when it was alive. Remember, though, that the snake on your boot is no longer alive, so the scales are no longer growing or maintaining moisture. You MUST keep snakeskin boots dry! When snakeskin boots get wet and then dry out, the scales curl and because the scales have lost all moisture, they cannot be uncurled. Treat snakeskin boots carefully so as not to damage the scales, and occasionally apply a little bit of leather conditioner — mostly to keep the scales clean and shiny. Never apply wax polish to the snakey parts of snakeskin boots.

Lizard: boots made of lizard skins were among the first type of “exotic” boots made. Lizard “leather” is usually thin and sewn to a thin layer of cow leather to form a boot. Lizard scales curl like snake scales curl, so do not get them wet. Treat them with an occasional wipe of leather conditioner and never get them wet or apply wax polish to them.

Crocodile/Alligator: boots made of leather from skins of these animals are very durable, but also usually quite expensive. These animals are farmed (like chickens) for their skins. The skins are relatively plentiful, but the marketers have tricked the public to believe that the skins are rare and thus the price for these boots is high. Croc or gator skin boots are sold to the high-end market and they are usually sold as dress boots. The skins are durable and not easily scuffed. Clean them with a damp cloth and occasional wipe of a little leather conditioner to restore lustre.

Eel/Stingray/Shark: boots made from sea creatures tend to be very durable but those skins are thinner than any other type of leather. Often sea creature skins are sewn onto a thin layer of cow leather (a split) which holds the sea creature’s skin in shape and provides suitable bulk and molding capability for a boot. Treat these like snakeskin boots — don’t get them wet and never apply wax polish.

Elephant/Buffalo: while not as prevalent as before, boots made from elephants or buffaloes are available. These skins are very thick and durable. They usually are not made to shine. The dull appearance is a part of the boot’s character. I will treat boots made of these animal’s leather with ordinary leather conditioner so the features of the animal’s skin — the intricate lines and character — are kept apparent.

More?

I am sure there is always more, but at 1400+ words for this post, this is enough for now. Feel free to add more suggestions or experiences in the comments section below.

Life is short: know your boots!