Cleaning / Moisturizing WWII Leather Boots?

[stealthytyler]

Hey all,

I have a pair of WWII Double Buckle boots. The leather is not cracked at all but seems a little stiff and dry. Is there any way to bring back some of the flexibility without ruining the boots? Saddle soap? Olive oil? Anything? Thanks!

[Garandomatic]

Do a search for this. Most folks recommend nothing, because anything foreign seems to degrade the leather. Clean it with a damp cloth, that's all I did.

[Vinculus]

As someone heavily into high quality leather footwear otherwise, I would definitely not recommend not conditioning them at all. Get a jar of something like Venetian Shoe Cream or Lexol conditioner that you can apply to the buckle cuffs of the boots as well as the welt (sole stitching). If you do not want the dubbed look but still want to soften the uppers of the boots, you can actually apply the Venetian to the insides of the boots. If the boots are already dubbed and you just want to soften and waterproof them further, get some Sno Seal and apply it to the uppers. There are lots of guides on the internet on how to do this.

 

Do not use saddle soap or any type of vegetable oil - the former will dry out the leather and the latter will go stale!

[BROBS]

don't treat them.