anything better than Sno-Seal for leather?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Another lifetime Sno-Seal user here.

I've never bothered to look too hard for another product. With a hair dryer and some time, Sno-Seal is excellent.
 
As a lifelong backpacker and hiker I've "tried" a lot of other stuff...and kept going back to Sno Seal.

Seriously, that's about all I have to say on that.
 
Well I tried this stuff out on my Redwing boots and it lasted longer than Snoseal, basically you need to find beeswax, mine is a cartridge tube like for a grease gun but is sold at the hardware store as a drill bit lubricant, its basically soft beeswax. I melted it in an old one gallon paint can and added about a pint of linseed oil and also some silicone spray, this mixture was originally for rewaxing my Australian drover coat but when I tried it on my boots it has lasted much longer than regular snoseal.

Trick is to get the leather warm so it soaks up the hot very liquid mixture, a hot air gun also helps. It smells just a little bit, get the good linseed oil.
 
mine is a cartridge tube like for a grease gun but is sold at the hardware store as a drill bit lubricant, its basically soft beeswax
Click to expand...
Can you post the brand and store you buy it from? Someone gave me a tube of that some years ago and it was a great drill bit lube especially for little jobs that you wanted to keep clean and not have a bunch of oil spread around. I used it up and lost the tube and can't remember the brand.
 
I bought it at a local place called Alaska Industrial Hardware in Wasilla, Alaska. I don't have the tube anymore, its a very fine grade of beeswax, I suppose you could use regular beeswax, basically which is what Snoseal is, but I honestly think its the addition of the boiled linseed oil that makes it stay more pliable instead of cracking and flaking such as when Snoseal ages. If you could try out getting several Snoseal tubs and then melting them down and adding the linseed oil it may give you good results.
 
If you have sno-seal cracking and flaking then I think you may be using too much. You are supposed to use as much as warm leather can absorb and then wipe off the excess once it cools a bit.
 
I have been using Sno seal since about 1975. It may not be the best "conditioner" for leather but it is the best waterproofing I have found and does not seem to soften or damage the leather with extensive use. As someone else stated, use a hairdryer on the lowest setting to "melt" it into the leather. It will darken light colored leathers. If it's "cracking and flaking off" then the leather has some kind of sealer that will not allow the Sno seal to penetrate so it is just building up on the surface. If you cannot clean that off then Sno seal is not going to help. If your leather was tanned with chromium salts and not oil I wouldn't introduce any linseed oil onto it.
 
Last edited:
I like Pecard's Leather Dressing for slings, knife sheaths, and moccasins. It works particularly well on any antique type leather, like old bayonet sheaths and stacked leather washer knife handles. It gets absorbed in and preserves the leather, without leaving any sticky residue on the surface to attract dirt and grit.
http://www.pecard.com/
 
Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP (Leather Preservative)

Used to use Snow Seal until I found Obenauf's - only thing that hits my boots now. Using a hairdryer to pre-heat boots and/or warm the surface after application helps with penetration/absorption. Just warm them not scald/burn them. I've also been known to occasionally put a freshly cleaned pair in the oven on very low heat before treating them. May want to clear that with the Better Half first....

I get it from The Supply Cache, but available elsewhere, just do a quick search.

http://www.supplycache.com/prodinfo.asp?number=510-41251
 
As a snowmobiler for over 30 years i use snow seal on all leather, even my suit...and there is a spray out there called snow proof that i use on everything else. I have even used it on leather also.
 
The only thing I've ever used on my long term stored leather is Neatsfoot oil. Now understand, that was 20+ years ago as well and with new technology and all some things are better. Some not so much.
 
I liked the old Gokey's leather treatment but you can't get it anymore. Every once in a while I will use some Neatsfoot, but 95% of the time it's sno seal. The leather really needs to be warm. I clean my boots and put them in the oven on the lowest setting and let them warm. Then remove and apply sno seal which will probably immediately soak in. Put back in oven so the leather will completely absorb. remove from oven and put another coat on. This allows the leather to become completely saturated and waterproof. I've never had to do more than 3 coats on very neglected boots.
 
As a lifelong backpacker and hiker I've "tried" a lot of other stuff...and kept going back to Sno Seal.
Click to expand...

Exactly my thoughts. I've spent many miles hiking up and down mountains and Sno Seal is the one sealer I know that will keep my feet dry.
 
Sno-Seal is good, but this is better.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Foot...97980&WTz_l=Unknown;cat104797980;cat104724180

Sno-Seal is about 65% bees wax and 35% mineral spirits. There are no petroleum products in the Obenaufs. Long term it is better for your boots. It seems to last longer as well.

Neetsfoot oil is not a good choice for boots. It is good for softening up a baseball glove, but boots are supposed to have some stiffness to them. Neetsfoot oil breaks down the leather and does not waterproof for more than a few minutes.
 
I used to go through 1 or 2- 8oz cans every winter sealing various equipment and clothes back in New England. One of those things that was invented years and years ago that still works great that nothing has beat yet.
 
Gor Tex doesn’t work well with wax based shoe polishes or bee’s wax water proofers such as Sno Seal or Camp Dry.

On some of the newer boots that are made using glues instead of stitching the beeswax will actually soak into the leather and either delaminate the boot completely or cause it to be impossible to resole it.

Using either Sno Seal or Camp Dry will void the warranty on Vasque Boots

I use strictly Nik Wax water proofer on my Gor Tex boots
http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/
 
Snow Seal with an occasional application of Meltonian Shoe Cream, a Kiwi product. The Melton adds a hard wax finish to leather.
 
Snow seal, nor any bees wax waterproofer will hurt gore-tex. The Gore-tex liner is basically a water resistant sock sewn inside the boot. No waterproofing materiaal will ever come in contact with it.

Your boots will be waterproof, but less breathable. They also won't soak up a ton of water.

Beeswax waterproofing will not hurt glued on soles either. If you get them too hot when applying, the heat will damage the glue.

The Ninwax waterproofer does not waterproof nearly as well as either Sno-seal or Obenouf. It does a decent job for short term use, and it is very breatheable when used with gore-tex boots. It is especially useful when used with boots that are leather with fabric inserts where beeswax is useless. It has it's place, especially in modern lightweight boots. But for all leather boots Obenouf is the best, followed by Sno-seal.
 
Sno Seal will ruin your boots

jrm40 said:
Snow seal, nor any bees wax waterproofer will hurt gore-tex. The Gore-tex liner is basically a water resistant sock sewn inside the boot. No waterproofing materiaal will ever come in contact with it.
Click to expand...

Bees wax won't hurt the goretex but it will plug the pores in the leather so that the Goretex won't breathe, which means the sweat from your feet will stay right there , on your feet.

Straight from the Gore-tex website
WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT
We do not recommend the use of waterproofing waxes or greases as they can affect the footwear's breathability. Apply only treatments, polishes, conditioners, and dressings recommended by the manufacturer.
Click to expand...
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/washing-instructions#tab_2


Fact or Myth?
Q: Mink oil is bad for leather boots.
A: Fact! Most hiking boots made in the last 20 years should only be treated with wax or silicone-based waterproofing and leather conditioning products. Dave Page says oil-based treatments (including mink oil) over-soften chromium-tanned leather. Modern, glued-on boot soles can also delaminate when penetrated by certain oils.
Click to expand...

http://www.poudrewildernessvoluntee...aking-your-gear-last-forever?showall=&start=4


Bees Wax isn't good however if you plan to resole your boots

From the REI web site

Q: What about using Sno-Seal?


A: Unlike water-based formulas used by Nikwax and Granger's, Sno-Seal is a beeswax-based waterproofing paste. Introduced in 1933, it is marketed at outdoor stores under the Tectron label.

Designed originally for boots worn by hunters and outdoor laborers (loggers, for example), Sno-Seal is a waterproofing product with a large following. It carries one drawback: If applied to the leather used in nearly all modern leather hiking boots, those boots cannot be resoled, says cobbler Dave Page.

"You just can't work on the boots after it's on the leather," Page says of Sno-Seal. "Most hiking boots today are made of dry-tanned leather that uses chromium salts and chromium sulfates. Modern uppers sit down on top of sole units and are glued on, not stitched. To get soles to stick to the glue line, you have to be able to get the leather absolutely clean."Sno-Seal, Mink Oil, Neatsfoot Oil are all products that work fine as waterproofing, but they're formulated for oil-tanned leather--leather from 60 years ago," Page says. "There's just something that's in Sno-Seal that gets impregnated in dry-tanned leather. I don't know what it is. Once it's in there you can't clean it out and the leather will just not accept adhesives."

Not every hiker considers resoling their backpacking boots. If you deeply love a pair of boots and anticipate a lifelong relationship with them, though, it's best to bypass Sno-Seal. "I think Sno-Seal is an awfully good waterproofing product," says Page, who does not carry Sno-Seal in his shop. "It works fine if as long as you put it on boots that you don't care if they ever get resoled."
Click to expand...

My job requires around 9 miles of walking every day If I lay out 300 bucks for a pair of hiking boots you bet your ass I want to be able to resole them.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

HoosierQ
  • Locked
Holster Treatment Products - Which?
Replies
16
Views
2K
HoosierQ
HoosierQ
HoosierQ
  • Locked
What products do you treat Leather Holsters with?
Replies
5
Views
1K
LAK
L
O
  • Locked
sno seal bees wax on a holster??
Replies
8
Views
1K
CraigC
CraigC
J
  • Locked
Moisture barrier for leather pocket holster
Replies
9
Views
1K
scbair
S
B
  • Locked
Holster wear?
Replies
3
Views
414
1911 guy
1911 guy
Back
Top