Dubbing help

[Piperjohn]

Hello all, I have a new pair of double buckle boots on the way and wanted to ask you guys about dubbing them. Anyone have any tips or do I just pop open a can and start rubbing the stuff in???

Any advice will help.
Thanks,
John

[jonprince]

In a nut shell, yes. I usually apply directlly by hand rather than with a cloth or brush as the heat from your hand will help the dubbing soak in a little, you can use a brush to get into the corners around the stitching etc.. I have been known to place the sealed can in a little warm water before applying the dubbing which will soften it and again make it soak in that much more easily. Just make sure you use a good quality dubbing rather than that vintage can of shoe impregnate etc..

[Piperjohn]

Thanks Jon, when you say quality dubbing, is there a moder one?? I have the smaller cans and one of the big shoe impregnate cans. Is there a new version of this stuff?

[jonprince]

Well there is here in the U.K., dubbin is still readily available from cobblers and shoe-repair places amongst others, you may find it somewhere that sells outdoors and industrial clothing or on the internet. The only one that seems to come up on E-Bay your side of the water is 'Tarrago' and seems to be hellum expensive, you want the nuetral/clear stuff for brown boots as it also comes in black. If you don't get any luck then drop me a pm and I'll try and fix you up with some.

[Lil Beav]

90thidpg.us/Research/Original/DubbingETO/index.html
Lil Beav

[Piperjohn]

Thanks Guys....I knew I could count on you.

[jonprince]

One thing I would mention, the article on the above site says about using a hair dryer or heat gun to make the compund ('sno seal' in this case) soak in, I would advise against applying heat directly to the boot, it will damage the leather, causing it to at least dry and often bake and harden, this will also make it shrink and overall shortens the life of the leather. Such waterproofing compounds will soak in eventually anyway, it may take a while but either working the product into the leather by hand (if safe to do so, and I'd hope it would be safe to do for most products) or leave the boots air-dry somewhere warm but away from a direct heat source like a fire or radiator (same goes for drying wet boots). I personally soften the waterproofing by submerging the sealed tin in hot water as this usually helps it soften and soak in faster, then work it in well with my hands, though I use 'Dubbin' so I don't know if the same works for other products. I wouldn't advise heating anything over or near a naked flame etc. or getting any product 'hot', 'warm' should be good enough.

I notice the mention of 'Neatsfoot oil' type products aswell, some swear by them but many just swear when they are mentioned. I know at least one leather worker who would probably try and stab you if you put neats foot oil anywhere near his leather! Strangely the original field manuals advise to use it, though many modern sources advise against it for long term use as a leather preservative. I assume as mentioned in the article that really long term use was not a consideration for the Army as most items have a comparatively short projected service life of months or at most a few years before natural wear and tear gets the better of the items anyway. I had never heard of neatsfoot oil until I started collecting U.S. kit, other forms of preservative/waterpoofer like 'dubbin' seem to have been most common over here in the U.K., which is almost an interesting fact!

Also I have heard a little against the use of any wax based products and leather dressings as they apparently block the pours of the leather, which again can apparently damage it and shorten it's life even if there are shorter term advantages.

[1stltgregc]

Piperjohn,

I have always used the dubbing from WWII for my boots (smallgreen can) and they have lasted almost 10 years now. All I know is the stuff works great and I won't use anything else. The key as it has been stated is to work it in good and get all the seems coated. You can then step in puddles and all types of stuff and not get your feet too wet.

Greg

[sdfoster]

I use Huberd's Shoe Grease. It's all natural (or so they say) and has waterproofed my boots very well for 5 years or more.