View Full Version : Mink oil
Anybody ever mink oil their winter boots in addition to the statement that says they are already water proof or goretex?I use to coat mine in mink oil and then put em in the oven to ensure saturation.Anybody ever just use that water proof spray for tent proofing on their boots?
The controversy involves using products that inhibit Gore-Tex's breathability which some claim products like mink oil do. Here's what the official stance is straight from the Gore-Tex webpage:
"WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT
Gore recommends applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics, available at your local outdoor retailer. We do not recommend wash-in treatments as they can affect the garment's breathability."
Now you choose......
I use beeswax. Maybe it has mink oil in it also?
I soak them in water first, then the oven, then the beeswax.
Mink oil is for leather, not fabric.
When the Snow Seal product was in common use, over 40 years ago, Mink Oil came into favor because the leather was preserved and protected, the leather boots reasonably waterproofed, and yet, the leather could breathe.
If you wanted something more waterproof, you wore "packs" and then "plastic" boots.
Sorry I thought this was a leather boot thread. I wonder though, if you could treat trail runners, not to make them waterproof and unbreathable, but so that they will absorb less water and drain and dry faster. Some sort of oil or wax. Lanolin maybe.
Toolshed
01-14-2010, 08:53
Mink Oil is not a bad product, but there are several problems with it.
Problem 1. Mink oil will soften the leather of the boot, therefore relieving the boot of its structure and rigidity in areas you might need protection. All my life, my father would liberally coat his Wolverine leather work boots with mink oil (and as I got older it was handed down to me to do for his boots and later for my work-boots).
We would then put the boots by the heat register to warm up and allow the oil to spread through the leather better and soften it up immensely.
Problem 2.
Oil is lighter than water and even though mink oil seems to saturate the boot, it will wash off quickly over time leaving you with cold wet feet. Water will always quickly saturate through leather treated with mink oil.
As for spray on silicon (from a can) it offers a light silicon surface tension that causes water to bubble up, but it tends to wash off quickly. leaving the surface unprotected,
I became a big fan of Nikwax about 20 years ago when I first heard of it. It is truly a wax that goes on and forms a very protective waterproof layer over your - it too eventually washes out or tubs off, but not at the rate of mink oil and it does not soften the leather, so when you are hiking and scrape the side of your foot on a sharp rock or stick, you won't feel it the same as with a boot softened by mink oil..
the other product I used to use was BiWell Red or green (can't remember) but it was made of beeswax and seemed to last almost as long as Nikwax....
Tuckahoe
01-14-2010, 09:07
Pure mink oil is a fine material for oiling and preserving leather boots. Though I prefer pure neatsfoot oil.
The key issue though is to use PURE mink or neatsfoot oil. One should avoid products such as neatsfoot compound. Compunds have other oils including petroleum based, which causes the break down of natural fiber stitching and speed the breakdown of the leather itself.
I agree with Toolshed. Mink oil is a good product, but can soften leather over time. On some leather items, that is a good thing. I think Nikwax products are better waterproofing items, given you put them on correctly. I have used mink oil a long time, and for soft leathers, think it does a good job.
skinewmexico
01-14-2010, 22:03
SnoSeal is still a great product. I'd choose it over mink oil any day, fewer problems..
waywardfool
01-16-2010, 00:45
snow-seal here, too. Been using it since way back when. Always a fresh application before a longer section hike.
I never put them in the oven, though. Rule I follow is to treat leather exactly like it was your own skin. You wouldn't bake yourself in an oven, would you? (Or leave out in the sun for extended period, microwave, hit with a belt sander, etc...you get the idea).