Any one know how to care for Red Wing boots

[j.b.]

I didn't want to thread jack the post from earlier about leather care, so I thought I'd start my own.


I got a pair of Red Wing boots from Jcrew about a year ago. They were a lighter leather, similar to this, but maybe even a little lighter.


Anyway, I didn't treat them or anything and they held up pretty well.


It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I decided I wanted to clean them and try to take better care of them. I used Lexol (cleaner followed by conditioner) and now the boots are much darker. They don't look bad or anything...but I wish I knew how I could have taken better care of them, so they could have retained their original color. Do you guys have any suggestions? Do you think there is any way I can lighten them back up?

[jason_carreira]

Leather is just going to darken when you condition it. Learn to love it as they darken with a nice patina. I'd suggest a coat of Obenauf's LP on them to protect them from the elements... That might darken them even more though.

[greg_s]

I would recommend Red Wing's own mink oil. It only darkens the leather a bit and lightens with wear. It makes the leather soft and supple while adding some protection from the elements.

[JuniorGT]

Bumping an old thread as I haven't found a concrete answer to my question.

I just recently got the Red Wing Beckmans in Black Cherry Firestone (9011) and was looking for how to care for them and I'm getting conflicting info. Most people seem to recommend mink oil (for both Iron Rangers & Beckmans), but according to Red Wing's shoe care site they should be treated with shoe cream. Which is the correct answer?

If the answer is shoe cream, what color is appropriate as I can't find out whether or not it should be neutral or burgundy or anything else.

Also, can you use the shame brush to clean dirt off and then wipe off the extra cream/oil?

Thanks!

[JGL]

Bumping an old thread as I haven't found a concrete answer to my question.

I just recently got the Red Wing Beckmans in Black Cherry Firestone (9011) and was looking for how to care for them and I'm getting conflicting info. Most people seem to recommend mink oil (for both Iron Rangers & Beckmans), but according to Red Wing's shoe care site they should be treated with shoe cream. Which is the correct answer?

If the answer is shoe cream, what color is appropriate as I can't find out whether or not it should be neutral or burgundy or anything else.

Also, can you use the shame brush to clean dirt off and then wipe off the extra cream/oil?

Thanks!

Mink oil is for waterproofing, shoe cream is for conditioning/color. You'll probably want some leather lotion for conditioning and cleaning.

[greg_s]

Mink oil really does little to waterproof. It makes them a bit more water resistant. It really conditions and darkens the leather a bit. I would go with schnee's:

http://www.schnees.com/product/634/w...-and-shoe-care

This stuff is fabulous. Little water resistance, and a whole lot of conditioning. I much prefer it to mink oil these days as mink oil apparently can go bad and start to deteriorate leather. Read that on here right at the time that my boots were starting to look like hell (presumably from the mink oil).

If you want waterproofing, that's a different story.

You do not really need a brush in my opinion for this type of care. I wipe them down with a damp paper towel and let dry. I then apply the Schnee's with my fingers and then wipe the excess off with an old t-shirt or sock.

[jackbauer24]

i just use venetian cream neutral color on my IR and beckman. I don't use LP since i live in southern CA, so it doesn't rain that much here.

[yoyorobbo]

Here's another thread you may wish to read:
http://threads.dappered.com/showthre...-Wing-Beckmans

If not, my contribution to that one was the following:
"I applied some of their (RW's) *Naturseal* waterproofing & conditioner on my Beckman chukkas. This was following the advice of the owner/manager of a local RW shop near my work office. He wears several RWs (duh, right), especially the heritage line like these Beckmans, and said it was the best option for them, along with some shoe cream for polish.

I have not polished mine yet (I bought them during the Summer but have only recently started wearing the heck outta them), but I did waterproof them with the Naturseal, just to feel better wearing them without worrying too much. Again, mine have limited experience, so I can't speak personally on results. Of course he could just be pimping his own products - he *is* the shop owner and all - but I'm taking him at his word. We'll see..."


Since then, I have gotten mine slightly wet (mostly from rainfall), and although they did *show* the wetness initially (darkened spots from the raindrops/splashes), they dried up with no coloration issues straight away. Also, I did not experience any wetness internally (WOW!) in those situations. I have NOT gotten them severely wet yet, though; so YMMV.