Elephant boot care

[JDFred]

I have a pair of elephant boots that I’ve had for awhile, and I think I need to oil them.  They are starting to get a little stiff, but they limber up after a couple minutes wear. Not sure what to use, I’m not worried if it darkens them some as these are my riding boots, I live in far west Texas and I like them for their toughness against the mesquite and other assorted sticker bushes.  This is my first time around exotic leather so I’m worried I’ll break them somehow.  Any advice is appreciated.

[Tastech]

Do you want to oil them or condition them ? 

Personally i would condition them even if they are an oiled finish .

Conditioning preserves the leather and keeps it soft ,Flexible and a good degree of moisture resistance . A neutral conditioner would be suitable . Conditioners are not created equal some are heavy and greasy some are light . In my opinion as a shoemaker a conditioner that contains Mink oil is probably the best because it easily absorbed by shoe leather and is a good base for polish . Mink oil will not darken the leather . When first applied the leather may have a darker wet look but in a few hours it goes back to normal . The good stuff is  " renovatuer " By Saphir .  If you want to maintain the color Saphir also have colored conditioner which also contains wax and it shines and protects very nice .  Other conditioners that contain Jojoba oil , almond oil  are also good 

If choosing a heavier greasy look then  dubbin or a neatsfoot oil,  or lanolin conditioner is the way to go .

Probably the best oil for conditioning an preserving leather is Emu oil , but good luck getting that . I got a gallon of emu fat 20 years ago from a aboriginal hunter and was amazed by what it could do . I would joke that it would soften a brick . It's is mainly used in massage oils as a carrier oil because it draws the Eucalyptus oil  ( for example ) deeper into the muscle . However it remains greasy . Having said that  Goanna oil (Reptile fat) Has similar properties as a massage oil . Can you see where i am going with this ? Snake is a reptile and has similar properties to both emu and Goanna . So there is some truth to snake oil for therapeutic  Purposes . In Australia it is illegal to kill goanna, emu and even snakes except if you are aboriginal and you are going to eat it and you are on your own tribal land. They tell me that they use the lighter  emu oil to rub onto arthritic joints and the fat on their boots and harness leather . They also tell me that many a boot has been chewed up by a dog so they hang them up high on a hook when not being worn .

 I had never seen Elephant leather shoes ever . Until about a month ago where i resoled 3 pairs from 3 different customers in the one week . One of the pairs was a vintage pair and made from the elephants ears . Interesting . The other boots were only a couple of years old and if i wasn't told i would never have guessed elephant leather . I would have guessed soft buffalo . They were made in south Africa but i don't remember the brand . They were a lace up work boot style .

[chuck123wapati]

They are leather use what you would use on any of your leather boots dependent on the climate and use. But ask the elephants permission first of course.

[JDFred]

In my mind oiling and conditioning are the same I know they are not but both are preventive maintenance.  I have some mink oil I’ll try that.  Neatsfoot oil is my preferred oil for things. I ended up with some neatsfoot compound somehow, not sure if that is ok or not I’ve heard some different opinions on the stuff.  It smells like kerosene to me.  Had a friend that makes saddles tell me it’s ok the smell kinda keeps rodents away, but 100% neatsfoot is better.  That is more in a tack room setting not so much for boots that get kept in the house.  My thought was animals react different to different things in life was not sure if that affected the leather in some similar way. Thanks for the help.