Boot Oil vs Mink Oil - What's Best for Red Wing Heritage Boots?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
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Guys, don’t make the same mistake I did with my Red Wing Iron Rangers. Darkening your leather doesn’t damage it, but if you want them to maintain their color and attain a rich patina as they age, you need to use the right products.
There are a lot of mixed messages out there about how to properly care for your boots and which products work best for different purposes. To help clear the air, I spoke to no less than six Red Wing representatives around the United States to try and find out the answer, here’s what I found out.
Note that while you’ll get different advice for some of their fancier, smooth finished leathers like the Teak Featherstone, all the Red Wing reps I spoke to said these tips will work on any of the oil tanned leathers produced for Red Wing Heritage boots.
** Ingredients **
Mink Oil: Mink oil, lanolin, silicone, and some other ingredients. (Red Wing, like most companies, is cagey about revealing the precise formula of these products.)
Boot Oil: Mink oil, pine pitch, no silicone.
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** Effects **
For an animal fat, mink oil is really high in unsaturated fat but it’s very stable and unlikely to ever go rancid, so it makes for a useful fat for moisturizing boots.
Mink oil is generally used to make boots weather resistant: it clogs the leather pores and makes something of a barrier that helps to protect the boots from water and muck.
It also darkens the leather. Note that this doesn’t mean you’ve damaged the leather, it’s just changed color.
For many people, all they want is boots that can withstand a beating and they don’t care about the color darkening. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If you don’t want them to darken, is Boot Oil better? Not really, because it contains mink oil as well. The pine pitch appears to help the mink oil to last longer on the boot so it may require fewer applications and may be more useful for extreme temperatures.
** Preserving color **
Red Wing’s Leather Cream is what you want for that.
It’s made from neatsfoot oil - the rendered shin and feet bones of cattle - and it moisturizes the leather without darkening it. It’s a gentler product, the flipside of a cream that doesn’t penetrate the leather quite as profoundly as the other products is that it might need more frequent applications: every month or two, depending on how hard you wear them. And how much you care about all this stuff.
** The Takeaway **
Mink Oil and Boot Oil are great for weatherproofing and conditioning, and Boot Oil may last longer on the boot. (Red Wing’s Leather Conditioner, by the way, is the same as the Boot Oil with some beeswax added.)
If you’re more about lustre and patina, go with the Leather Cream.
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You’re absolutely wrong about ingredient disclosures. Not only does red wing provide full sds publications on their website, they also provide ingredient disclosures. The all natural boot oil is pine pitch and mink oil. That’s it, two ingredients.
I.e. red wing’s leather cream, they list:
LEATHER CREAM 97095
INGREDIENT NAME (INCI OR IUPAC) CAS # FUNCTION
WATER 7732-18-5 DILUENT
SPECIALTY AMINES WITHHELD EMULSIFIER
C11-15 ALKANE/CYCLOALKANE 64742-47-8 MOISTURIZER
NEATSFOOT OIL 8002-64-0 CONDITIONER
DMDM HYDANTOIN 6440-58-0 PRESERVATIVE
IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE 55406-53-6 PRESERVATIVE
They aren’t being “cagey” at all lol.
@@AUXdrone Dude if it's not on the product or on the product page on their website they're not being transparent. I shouldn't need to hunt so far to find that information out
@@Stridewise hunt so far? Dude, it’s clearly accessible on their website…in fact the link is on every, single page on their website. And as far as the all natural boot oil goes, yeah the information is listed on the product page as well, “Our All Natural Boot Oil blends pine pitch and mink oil…” How on earth is that not transparent? Lol
@@AUXdrone www.redwingshoes.com/accessories/care-products/Leather-Cream-97095.html this where are the ingredients on the product page?
@@AUXdrone www.redwingshoes.com/accessories/care-products/All-Natural-Boot-Oil-97103.html?cgid=care-products the boot oil just says it contains pine pitch and mink oil, not if that's all it contains
I only use mink oil, as it was recommended by the shop gal at Redwing. It works really well at conditioning the leather, keeping it supple, and I like the darker color anyway. My only concern is preserving the leather as long as possible, I don’t really care what shade of brown it is. I’ve had mine for 6 years, and I wear them probably 360 days a year, to work and on my motorcycle. I finally resoled them last year by RW, and they are going strong - just a small hole in the tongue where an eyelet grommet has worn through over time. No biggie. Love them. Mink oil for the win.
What style?
I worked in a concrete plant and put my boots through Hell. I was tired of buying Brahmas from Wally World every six months, but needed to make sure whatever I bought was gonna last If I’m spending 3-4x bargain basement footwear. Several coworkers whose opinion I respected recommended Carolina Boots and Mink oil. Four years later, and I still wear those boots daily. They are in need of a resoling at this point, to be completely honest. About every three months I have a three day weekend. When I get home I use dish soap and a stiff brush to scrub my boots down, laces out. After they dry in the sun or on a heater vent, the following morning I oil them with a hairdryer and a rag. Once they’re reoiled and wiped down, they spend the remainder of the weekend in the sun or on a heat vent. More than once I’ve been asked if I bought new boots after returning to work. And my legs and back feel much better with quality boots
As someone who has never been vain or judgey about my footwear beyond “That looks good, I’ll have that...”, I REALLY, REALLY ENJOY cleaning and oiling my boots. It’s very meditative... like waxing a car or building an engine. If I know spending more money means I’ll get more for my money, I appreciate that.
This is Nicholas I have the Carolinas and brahmas and a bunch of others but I needed a stronger boot for doing large construction and just spent the $600 on the Nick's custom boots out of Spokane Washington. U should check those out, custom built for your feet.
@@destineennicholasgallagher3315 I’ve heard only good things about Nick’s. But I couldn’t justify the cost relative to my income. And I don’t see how I’ll get any more life from them to justify the added cost.
@@redram5150 my thing was I go through 2 Sets of Ariats or Justin's a year so I'm already spending $600 a year in boots, mine get absolutely abused. So my custom hot shots r supposed to be a 5 year boot, so far I've got 1.5 years in them now and they are doing awesome , just gotta keep em clean and oiled and they look like they are still brand new the bottoms still have great tread on them and I got the tall logger heel and my feet haven't felt this comfortable in a long time. I'm in my feet for 16 hours a day and no pain.
I was a meter reader in Pennsylvania for 19 years. That was my favorite job of my life now that I’m retired and look back on it. They paid me to stay in shape. No two days were the same.I walked for about five hours a day.I learned a lot about shoes. One thing is, you cannot buy cheap shoes For work. I actually wore a new pair of cheap shoes out in two days ,Actually both shoes started to come apart at the stitching. They just fell apart. I think they were gorilla brand shoes,a copy of wolverine 6 inch shoes that were my favorites. They looked just like them and they were 1/3 the price so I bought them.
I have learned that if you use oil‘s on your shoes and the shoes are glued rather than stitched, the oil‘s tend to not only make the shoe grow and stretch on your foot And actually look like an old wet stretched out shoe.but it also softens the glue grip on the leather bond between the shoe and the sole..Sometimes using liquid silicone can act like a solvent and cause the glue to give up its grip on the sole also. I also learned that is
with cleated souls like Vibram soles with deep tread can cause you to trip on carpeting and they can catch as you roll over the edges of steps as you walk down causing you to lose your balance. I am not a big fan of the speed lace open hooks at the tops of shoes. They catch on your pant legs, and sometimes pull the threads out of your pants if they’re heimed..
Wolverine shoes used to make a 6 inch unlined buckskin Colored smooth leather work boot with a black hard rubber looking sole, it was softer than a hockey puck but it looked like it was made out of similar material. They were my favorite work boots, I went through about eight pairs of them over the 19 years, and I never wore the soles out on any of them. They had good traction, a soft quiet walk, and they broke in quickly. After lots of service,The tops would separate from the soles because my shoes were wet by 915 every morning walking in the grass reading meters. And then in the evenings being dried by a fan, I tried to keep up with leather conditioners to keep the leather from drying out from that harsh wet/Dry/wet/dry cycle they were in, but I usually did get two years out of a pair. I always switched to insulated winter boots for cold weather then Heavy duty winter boots for snowday, I would read average 500 meters at individual houses walking through the grass and on concrete up-and-down steps up and down lawns over fences through bushes,In and out of private homes, in and out of businesses and apartment buildings/in and out of mall utility rooms behind industrial parks, ECT. I walked fast because I got to go home and get ready to start my second job, so the shoes really got punished.
I have learned that you cannot have a flexible sole shoe. You have to have a stiff so shoe for walking on all types of services. It makes your foot flex and all directions if you have a soft soul and your feet will be killing you within two hours
I have also learned that there is no such thing as waterproof. I did have a pair of Timberland elk hide boots, they’re very dark brown, they were winter boots with calf lining. They were expensive, but they were the only boots I ever had that were actually waterproof by the factory. The inside of the shoes actually rotted out before the elk hide gaveup it’s water resistance. I had them for about 12 years, I only wore them on snow days. I guess I should have rinsed them out with a mixture of baking soda and water to get the acid from my skin out of the leather lining every year. But other than that, there is no such thing as waterproof except for rubber.
When you work outside, and you walk in grass, winter is not the time that your feet get wet, it is all summer, the grass is wet every morning up until about noon even if it doesn’t rain. And your feet are soaked from 9 AM on. Waxes that you apply with a hair dryer heating and work it into the leather helps with water resistance, but it also makes the shoe not breathe. I have also heard that mink oil can rot some shoes stitching...
I have been using a lubricant rustproofing product called fluid film, which is an extract from wool bearing animals, I suppose that means sheep. That is lanolin, and I’ve been using it on shoes and belts, and that works for reconditioning making the shoes look good and moisturizing dry leather.. I also use it on my leather motorcycle jackets, and wallets. I originally bought fluid film to rust proof my truck, and right on the label, in the applications for use paragraph, it’s suggested using it on leather.. and I have been using it on leather ever since..
I have learned that to break in work leather boots. This sounds crazy, but it worked for me. Fill them up with water and put them on and wear them for a day. They will fit your foot perfectly like a paint job. They were going to get soaked anyway walking in the grass, so I started doing that when I would buy a new pair of work boots/shoes and it works.I would not do that with a pair of wolverine thousand miles shoes or the red wing Rangers. But work boots that are all leather,
Some work shoes have a gimmick soul called a durashock absorbing sole..It has a heightened center that is not flush with the sole or on the heel. The problem with that sole that I have had is, I would have my ankle kickout sideways if I would step on something as small as a peach seed and I even fell a few times.there were a couple times I thought I broke my ankle because That durashock sole with that shock absorbing center is not as wide as the shoe sole. And I never bought those shoes with thedurashock soles again. I think they’re called Durashock soles.. they might be good for somebody working in a machine shop that doesn’t do much walking and they stand on concrete all day. But for someone that’s out walking on grass and up and down steps, I don’t think they’re very safe. I’ve turned my ankle many times with those shoes.
Don’t buy cheap work boots. Joe
The longest comment on you tube lol.
rubber ducky
Thanks ducky. I can’t believe you read the whole thing., when I attended those writing courses, none of them ever covered editing. I will be careful in the future to avoid over explaining.I will be careful to avoid multi syllable words for your benefit also in the future.
Черт, да это история всей жизни с уклоном на обувь!
I'm glad I read the last line 1st "Don't buy cheap work boots" haha
World Record for the longest comment on you tube!
Having using Red Wing Leather Cream for all my RW shoes, colour unchanged! Best shoe care product ever!
I’m literally watching this in front of a Red Wings store. Thank you for another great review! 🙏
You got it Chris! Glad to be of help.
I personally use a leather fat on my red Iron Rangers to prepare them for the fall/winter season. At spring repeat that and use a colour matching shoe cream every other month. They look great in their third year, the color is almost like new and they show some wrinkles and scratches from use. I use the same method for all my other boots and it works very well.
Amazing video!! I am getting a pair of red wings for christmas so this is just in time. 😁
Delighted it was helpful!
Thanks for the information. I’m definitely trying the leather cream.
Glad you liked it, Bruce!
Oil mink paste for everything. Clean up and making them loon pretty. Keeps me dry through the winter all year.
I’m 32 now and still have my same pair of danner I got when I was 15 . I now have quite a few pairs for work etc and I’ve always used mink oil . It softens the leather and my boots feel like a comfortable pair of slippers . I’m sure other products work well also but I like to stick to what I’ve always used . Although it’s become more difficult to find now due to animal rights activists etc .
Literally just bought a pair of Red Wing IRs without considering to by boot care products...your video helped. thx.
Note regarding the winter performance of these boots. When walking (NOT remaining stationary) they are comfortable at least down to -5C, thick leather is nice! The sole gives quite good grip on ice but is less suited for slippery mud and snow. Gravel doesn't seem to get stuck NEARLY as easily in mini-lugs as it does in real lugs.
I've chosen to use Red Wing boot chream on most of the boot to maintain the colour, but saphir renovateur on heel- and toe-cap. Both because the caps need more care And because I enjoy the variation in colour it creates.
Most informative video i have found on the RW boot care products. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Nick! Love your content and you probably saved me from making a big mistake. Just bought my first pair of Iron Rangers and also got the Mink Oil from the shop where I bought the boots. But I love the rough and tough look and absolutely don't want to ruin the look and the patina that I expect from it. So maybe I will try to get the Cream somewhere over here in Germany.
Buy some "Saphir Oiled/Greasy Leather Cream" made in France.
@@matttherrien9608 Thanks! I will give it a try. Meanwhile I found and bought the RW Leather Cream. I am really happy with the result. Only could last a bit longer.
@@madbrainmakesnosense8229 they're both neatsfoot oil based so it's basically the same shit. Saphir has a hell of a line of leather care products.
Hey Nick! You do great work and have a great channel. I was wondering if you can describe to me (or do a video) on medium to long term leather boots/shoe storage. Thanks!
Video was great. Was looking into which product would be best without darkening my boots so this helps out a lot.
Super glad it was useful for you, my man!
Redwing recently made a new product called heritage leather conditioner. Specificly for hydration without the darkening. Definenlty recommend it for anyone who specificly cares about the look. Great vedio once again. 👌
This. I use the Redwing leather conditioner on all my leather boots. I apply it as soon as I purchase the boots and it hydrates the leather allowing the leather to form to your foot and break in more comfortably. It also allows the leather to break in without cracking or developing creases. Super product.
@@roybatty- www.redwingheritage.com/us/USD/product/care/products/conditioner-all-natural-3-oz-97104 this?
Roy Batty how often should i use it on the boot?
Thank you for making this vid. I truly was wondering and doing my research for my first pair of Iron Ranger aka Reds
Glad I could help!
Stridewise upload 😫👌
It is cool. I also like Red Wing and it's helpful to watch videos as well.
Thanks man!
It's difficult to generalize, it really depends on the type of mink oil.. I've been using Angelus "Mink Oil" spray for years and it works great, especially against water. It does darken a little bit, but eventually the oil will wear off and the leather will retain it's original color.
Wow, great video. Very informative. I just bought a pair of Blacksmiths w/ the copper rough & tough leather, asked the Red Wing sales person about care and expressed that I wanted to preserve the color of the leather...and sure enough they said "use mink oil". Thanks for the help.
Living in Pacific Northwest, my boots go through a lot. Weather ranges from below freezing/snow about 20°+F, to hard wet rain, harsh wind, and blazing hot 120°+F. I ride a motorcycle as my only form of transportation most of the time, or I walk to work about 1 mile away. My boots are not for fashion, but for purpose. I have some Iron Rangers, Moc Toes, Supersoles, and a pair of steel toes. Leathers are a mix of Charcoal rough and tough, Oro, and some other plain work boot brown. The only products I will use on them is Safeguard bar soap for cleaning, and Huberds Shoe Grease fir protecting. Safeguard is antibacterial for cleaning with foamy lathery bubbles, and Huberds is made of some kind of sticky beeswax mix with pine tar for weatherproofing and durability. It does darken the leather, but I don't really care about that. I also use Huberds on my Harley-Davidson FLSTSCI leather seat, saddlebags, and leather jackets/vests.
That's very good to know! Thank you!
I've only ever used mink oil & love the results. I have a pair of boots that are probably about 18 years old and they still look new. Now, I primarily just wear them in the winter or when it's raining in the summer, so I guess they're only about 9yrs old LOL.
I didn't realize that every company has there own recipe. I switched to a different brand this year & noticed that it darkened a different pair of boots up quit a bit, probably 5 shades darker. The older boots are black, the newer ones are now a very dark brown. Oh well, as long as the results are the same.
Thanks for your videos brother. Love them
Thanks for the kind words, Pete! I love hearing stories about people's boots throughout the decades. So long as you don't mind the darkening, mink oil is great. The only annoying thing is a lot of 'mink oils' actually are just a small percentage mink oil. I reviewed Sof Sole's Mink Oil on this channel and they were 10% mink oil!
@@Stridewise thanks for your response.
I'll have to checkout that video as well. A small percentage ??. That leaves a lot of room for a slue of other additives. So is 10% a lot or a little in the grand scheme.
After leaving my last message, I retrieved my 2 different mink oils so I could compare. The older one that I've been using for about 20 years smells very strong, where as the new one has virtually no smell, hmmm. Does mink oil have an aroma that is incredibly chemically pungent LOL.
How does a company come up with there recipe. Is it based on any long term testing.
I'm thinking that I should switch back to my original brand. It's stood the test of time. If it ain't broke lol.
Thanks Again
Great video as always, quick question, Iron rangers or RM Williams Gardener boot?
Use saddle soap and give your boots a cleaning. It should remove a lot of the oil, might need to do it more then one time but let it dry before you wash again. Recondition with whatever conditioner you like. Remember to use just enough water to get a good lather going then wipe off the soap with a clean rag. They will probably always be darker then they started out when new but after some time they will break in nice a fade a little.
Great Review Man.
Very Informative...
Glad it was helpful Raudel!
I switched my conditioner from redwing boot cream to leather cream as you suggested. I'd suggest anyone would like to do they same and preserve the original color better, to first use redwing leather cleaner to clean your boots before apply the leather cream.
Hey Nick, after watching your video, I ran out a bought some Red Wing Leather Cream (with neatsfoot oil)...it's THE BEST things I've used on my amber harness Iron Rangers, by far. It brought the luster right back, and didn't seem to darken them at all. I used it on my copper rough and tough round toes as well with the same results. I really appreciate your advice...cheers for that!
Very helpful. Looks like leather cream in my future after a resole.
ahhh just the vid i was looking for good stuff thanks
You're welcome my man!
Thank you, good and useful information.
Glad you liked it!
I apply mink oil, then heat it with a hair dryer. It liquifies and soaks in, allowing for multiple coats. It does a fantastic job of water proofing leather.
If you are going to use mink oil, use it very sparingly. I just dab a little bit on my finger and spread it on the upper very thinly. As thinly as possible, just enough to hit all areas of the upper. This way, you minimize any darkening. My results doing it this way gives you the good protection of mink oil with minimal darkening.
That colour change from amber harness actually looks extremely good
Haha thanks man. I might try to saddle soap it out of it for a future video
Thank you for the information.
Great information. Thank you.
The Aussie sound coming through again, great review
Thanks mate
Cool video. Thanks. You can restore most of their original color by simply cleaning them with a saddle soap or simply some shampoo or washing liquid using a good stiffer brush and lots of warm water. Sometimes you need to repeat the process twice for the desired effect. I had a similar situation with my 8111s and i got bored by the dark color (from all the conditioning with boot oil and leather cream) and after repeating the before mentioned cleaning twice now they look incredible again.
I actually put so much oil on them before that even after proper cleaning they are still oily and supple, just with much nicer color now. In the future i plan on conditioning the inside of the boot more generously as my right footbed cracked at the toe area. Besides i think that putting decent amount of oil inside will help protecting the boots overall and won't darken the leather on the outside.
Maybe I'll try that! It'd make a good video. Thanks, Peter.
You are very welcome. I hope you try it. I'm looking forward to the video
I only use their leather cream. Works great and doesn’t change the color.
Good choice!
For smooth leathers (that will take a shine) I use Venetian cream. For all else I use Bick 4. Neither will ever darken leather, and work amazingly well.
I've used all of Red Wing's products...and don't like any of them. I agree with Venetian Cream, Bick 4 and Saphir Renovateur.
Leather cream and after that, Nikwax suede and nubuck waterproofing. Keeps the boots at the original color and protects them against water, snow and salt
Good information. Thanks.
Thank you for the enlightenment
Very welcome Razak, namaste :)
Awesome video brother. Are boot cream and leather cream the same? Thank you!
Just bought some Rangers used the rw mink in can. Darkened just a little with a reddish tint. Giving it the color i wanted. So i made the correct choice because i most went with the leather conditioner
I use the RW Mink Oil with the black cover (don't know if this is just a design change, but I thought I saw this one besides the one you show in the video). I use it for my cognac Chukkas and my brown Moctoes as well. I never noticed some darkening of the leather. In my experience it only moisturises the leather and helps to soften scratches. The Patina shows on my Chukkas much more as on the Mocs but I think the product is good for booth. In contrast to the Chukkas I would like to have the colorful leather cream for the Mocs, since they lost some color. Maybe I order them, when I get a new pair of Beckman's in the future.
I like the dark oiled look actually!
I have seen others use saddle soap to strip the oils from boots and return them to original color. I haven't had to do it, but Ive seen several posts on Reddit where others have and it looks to work well. You might try that to get the color of your IRs back.
saddle soap and bick 4. they look great with just saddle soap, especially the 8085s, but bick 4 doesn't really darken, but takes away the dry look.
What about the Boot Protecting Spray? Doesn't that weather proof the boot?
Could you spray the boot after applying the Cream?
Thanks again for another great video.
Great info. I’m a new subscriber and new to the boot scene and was wondering what if you use 100% Neetsfoot oil on a pair of RW Iron Rangers?
Yeah I think that's a good bet if you want to maintain the color.
I use rm Williams saddle dressing on my red wing boots. Comes up perfectly.
Really, the color stays the same? What's it made from?
@@Stridewise can't remember what's in it but it's on the website. From what i noticed the boots lightened a little bit as they dried after a couple months of ownership and i applied the saddle dressing and it darkened them slightly back to what they originally were. So no change from original imo. These were the copper. Can't speak to how it works on other leather.
Mink oil also softens leather. I've used it on leathers to make them more supple. Some leather don't darken with the mink oil, depending on the finish. As for the cream. Not sure if it would darken the leather, but pure neatsfoot oil certainly will, depending on the leather.
Yep, mink oil does soften! I must say you're the first person I've heard to say neatsfoot oil will darken leather though.
@@Stridewise I'll second it then: I use 100% Neatsfoot oil to deliberately darken boots and shoes. They always go a few shades deeper which does indeed "dull" the color, but I generally like it myself.
I use the rw boot oil and it darkened my amber harness iron rangers a bit with the original application. Now i apply it every 6 months, the leather darkens for a bit but then lightens in color to the original color after the first application.
Elle sont vraiment sympa vos iron ranger :)
Lexol leather conditioner is a great product to use if you don’t want to your leather. It was recommended to me by my local cobbler and you can use it on all types of leathers. As far as an oil you will get a lot more for your money just using Neatsfoot Oil.
did you ever try red wing neatsfoot leather cream? Im expecting my 5th pair of RW's this week, IR 8119's in oxblood, and these will be the first ones I will actually care about retaining the colour if possible. With my harvesters in amber, engineers in black and some vintage 956's I didn't mind to darken them so i used kinda anything greasy 😅
Cool thank you !
This is all spot on. Mink oil is all about toughness and waterproofing, but it is acidic, and changes the finish and color. I use the leather cream products for their looks, but before that use a leather conditioner high in beeswax and very light oils. Obenauf's is one of the best, and has little effect on the color.
Nooo I used Obenauf's on my Iron Rangers, that's why they're so dark! Why didn't yours darken?!?
@@Stridewise oh no, I have no idea. I have a pair of Thursday boots and they came out great. But they were pretty dark to start with.
bridgecross do you use Lp or boot oil?
Hi, great video. Just a quick question though- is that "leather cream" the same as the "boot cream" that's also made by Red Wing?
No. There is a reason they are different names, with different prices, and different pages on the website. It's because they have different ingredients. They are not the "same". The boot cream (neutral or tinted) has at least some content of wax, which helps facilitate shine and polish on the smooth leathers. Many of the heritage boots have a rough vintage looking patina that is best WITHOUT that sort of shine and polish, visually speaking.
I bought a pair of the non-mock toed Irish setters today, I haven’t bought Red Wings in 20 years the last product I used to protect them was mink oil. The guy at the store today told me to get the natural seal that red wing makes, it comes in nail polish style bottle but bigger and he said I’m basically supposed to paint the boat. Should I use this spray or old-school mink oil what’s the best for me?
I put mink oil on my charcoal RW blacksmiths and they’re now a waxy matt black . But I like the effect.
Lexol leather conditioner is another great product to use if you don’t want to darken the leather on your boots. My local cobbler recommend it to me it’s the only conditioner I will use on all types of leathers. As far as for an oil you can get a lot more for your money just buying Neatsfoot Oil.
Neatsfoot oil is the stuff! I hear a lot of good things about Lexol. What's it made from, do you know?
Good video. Wish I would have watched it before doing the same to my Copper Rough & Tough. Question: Do you think Saddle Soap would help for the guys that turned their light leather dark? Kind of a...do over.
Saddle soap is a cleaner, use that first and than some kind of oil
All Rough and Tough leathers from RW will dramatically discolor with oil and boot dressing. Haven’t tried neatsfoot on them yet, though.
Even though the leather darkens but it lightens up as time goes on
I'd love to see your "ruined" rangers get cleaned up. there are lots of videos showing how to get that dark oil color off the boot. it would make for a great video.
Great video Mate, when are you going to do a collaboration with CJ, also based in NYC. Just saying, you're both on the same Red Wing team....
I really like the super dark color :)
Thanks so much! There's no fixing it, we've tried
I use redwing products on my timberlands and honestly the redwing products made a better impact on boot life than my timberland boot care products
What are your thoughts on the Redwing Cream vs the Redwing All Natural Leather Conditioner?
What do you think of rubbing a black shoe polish into cheaper brown boots to make the leather look better ? Thanks.
I use mink oil for my Hawthorne Muleskinner 8113 Iron Rangers. It has darkened them significantly but I think they look better for it. There's actually Red Wing videos on TH-cam on how to care for the different leathers. Each one is only about a minute and a half long.
I saw those, but I figured if all the Red Wing people I spoke to said the same products are fine for all the boots...
@@Stridewise I was surprised Mink Oil was recommended in the video for roughout leather because it completely changed it. Luckily for me I like it. However I'm sure not everyone will.
I appreciate that you didn't stretch out this video with excess garbage to hit that 10 min mark.
I was just thinking the same thing the other day. I dont like that the mink oil darkened the area around the welt. O well. Atleast it protects.
The only leather conditioner to have shown to actually protect leather and slightly lengthen it's life is neatsfoot oil.
Now if you really want to go old-school and be the baddest hipster in your block, use beef tallow. You'll make so many doggy friends.
Nice video, BTW. Good to see content beyond just boot reviews.
Hahaha! Beef tallow is an interesting idea, I wonder if all the saturated fat would be a problem with going rancid? But I'm sure a lot of people have done it before and had great (and tasty) boots. Glad you enjoyed the new content my man!
Wish I watched this video before using the boot oil on my copper rough and toughs this weekend.
Ah, alas! At least they'll be extra rough and tough :)
Well done
Haha thanks Joey!
So what about the Red Wing Boot Paste? When I bought my Iron Rangers in Copper Rough & Tough the store employee recommend the boot paste. He also said Mink Oil would darken the boot. I really like this product style video, because I'm new to boot collecting, and really confused about what products I should be using to maintain my boots. I have the horse hair brushes and everything, but pretty clueless when it comes to maintenance for the different types of leathers and colors.
The leather cream ( neatsfoot oil) will help the most not to darken your leather.
Pine pitch is not used as medication in things like salve or shampoo. That is pine tar. They are the same but pitch has the moisture removed.
Personally, I think the look of your boots is improved.
What are your thoughts on shell cordovan boots? Do you own any? Any cordovan reviews in the pipeline?
Thats the cream de le creme of leather...... Cordovan leather is the strongest leather used for footwear and leather goods. Its made out of the skin of a horses ass.................
@@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo - Only Saphir Rénovateur for shell Cordovan. Cordovan has a very different care strategy than regular leather.
I personally love the darkened look way more than the standard leather
What color would you describe your Iron Rangers after conditioning with the Obenauf oil? I'm a bit color blind. They look a bit like dark brown but curious to how the color is in person.
I was told to use the all natural conditioner, very sparsely, to maintain colour
I have a pair of iron rangers. I wear an 8.5D. I am looking to get a pair of moc toes and was wondering how the size compares in your experience?
I've used both. Same results
I have seen some people strip shoes with isopropyl alcohol, they then restain and treat the leather. Would be interesting to see if that could lighten the leather back to or closer to its original color.
How often should i apply mink oil on my Redwing 8130 and Redwing 405? i use them 2-3 times each pair in a week in 8-10 hrs per day.
A moisturizer, a cream, and a protector are all you need for any and all shoes and boots. I would never use Red Wing shoe care on Red Wing products TBH. Saphir works fine for anything (in this case greasy boot cream, and if you want to go balls out, cream polish and neutral wax). The cream is really all you need.
Just use less rather than more. That's the problem with most people, they tend to overdo it.
I use Saphir renovateur & pomaider mid brown cream polish for my 8111. Horse hair brush after both of those.
I also put mink oil in my timberland. Is there a way to put back the original color or make the color lighter?
Hi. I've applied mink oil on my Redwing 8130 using my finger, how long should i wait for the oil be soaked in before wiping out excess oil?
I use boiled linseed oil. It works fine for me
I think that doubles as an Omega-3 supplement haha
Ok, important question for you Mr. RW IR Expert: Just bought the 8085's. Unlike what fellow 8085 owners say I actually want to make them (slightly) darker and shinier. Coupled with the patina that has to look great eventually. What do I need to do to get them that way, what to use; care intervals etc.? Thanks Bro...!
shoulda bought amber harness
With mink oil the natural color will come back....
I know this with my danner boots...I smothered them with mink oil day 1....day 2 wore em for 30 min and they hurt...day 3 wore them for an 1hr not comfy but better and threw another coat of mink oil....day 4 wore em again for another 1hr.....day 5 boots are ready for all day use...boots are noticeably softer and broken in to my foot
I am a wuss when it comes to breaking in boots....some take couple weeks (as well as danners I've heard)
When I break em in I cinch them tight as I can possibly lace them up....some wear boots really loose...since I do it in short periods I crank em down to break the leather down
I used Nokona baseball glove conditioner on my IR’s. It darkened them a tad but I have no clue what it’s made of and I’ve searched far and wide. I’m throwing this up here in case someone knows. I know at one time Nokona recommended using Vaseline to condition and or clean their baseball gloves so I imagine it contains petroleum?? Either way it’s the only thing I would put on my really expensive baseball gloves and it can help to condition for sure. $10 for 3.5 oz. bottle. I just got the 875 moc toe and am leaning towards leather cream to preserve color.
I so regret using RW Mink Oil on my amber harness Iron Rangers (supplied by the retailer as a “freebie”) - made them a lot darker than I wanted. I bought the Amber Harness for their lighter colour brown and now they are dark tan colour!!!. Still great boots, just not the colour I wanted anymore.
Coconut oil will darken your boots and fade, if you are curious to see how they will look darkened up a bit.
2 years later do you still recommend redwings leather cream to not darken their boots?