Advice On Leather Boots

[eri]

Hello there! I'm a bit of a lurker on this site, but this is my first post. I would call myself more of a "crafter" than a leatherworker of any sort. I have a bit of experience tooling and sewing leather, as well as dyeing raw leather, but I could use some help with a new project.

I realize there are a ton of variables here and am having a hard time deciding how to proceed, so I wanted to get opinions from those of you who care to share them =)

I purchased an expensive pair of knee-high riding boots for an inexpensive price. The color "natural" turned out to be a hideous light peachy color instead of the naturally tanned color I was expecting. The price was good enough for the quality of the boot that I'm willing to use them as an opportunity to experiment and hopefully end up with a unique pair of boots.

The color right now is very, very light in hue, but appears to have a pretty heavy coat of dye. I plan to strip this as much as possible with a deglazer/preparer. Then, coat with a light coat of oil (olive, most likely, since I have plenty on hand. Also have coconut and mink). This is where I start to have questions:

1. What is the feasibility of developing a natural sun tan at this point since the leather's been treated so much?

2. If natural tanning is not a possibility, what is the best way to achieve a similar color to a natural tan? I'm thinking of using a spirit dye in a light tan, with a high ratio of denatured alcohol to thin. Any suggestions on specific colors with specific brands? I have a Tandy near me.

3. How should I seal and finish these using options #1 or #2? I live in a damp climate and while I wouldn't be using them as rain boots, they would likely become at least a little damp/wet on a regular basis.

Again, I realize there are multitudes of variables in a project like this, and I'm willing to accept that risk. Just wanted some opinions on how you would personally attack this project.

Thanks in advance!

[David8386]

I have never tried what you are talking about but I would deglaze them and then depending on what they look like go with the light oil. I have never used olive oil but have heard of it being used. Mink oil would give a darker look I think. I have used it on boots to help waterproof them and it made them darker. You can try sun tanning them it might work and if it doesn't you have just given the oil a little more time to dry. As for finishing them stay with something that won't crack and use light coats putting it on. If worst comes to worst there is always black. Sorry if I rambled I was trying to think it through. Good luck

David

[Chief31794]

I'm not much on sun tanning, I've seen it done and have done it on occasion, but I would use Fiebings Dye in Tan and cut it with Denatured Alchohol, till I got the tint I wanted. I cut some of them as much as 10 Alchohol to 1 Part Dye. I would start with a 2:1 ratio in a small quantity and try it on some scrap. I would finish these boots with Aussie Conditioner, it is a water repellent finish made from a base of beeswax, I put it on with a cloth and you can see it on the leather then I heat the finish with a blow dryer that I keep in the shop for various reasons (none to do with my hair since I don't have any). You will see the finish liquify, I then rub and buff it lightly to insure it doesn't "cake up", then when is is cool and dry, I buff it normally to achieve a sheen. This is a very good finish for outdoor use equipment.

I'm sure other folks have different ways of doing things, this is how I would tackle it.

Cheif

[TwinOaks]

If the boots are made by a boot/shoe company and not the result of somebody playing around, there's a very good chance that the boots are made from an analine leather. ....aka chrome tanned. The leather is probably drum dyed, and the only way to change it is to use a dye. Darker over lighter should be easy enough, but I seriously doubt that you'll be able to significantly lighten the color.

Sealing the leather shouldn't be much of an issue as far as protecting the leather, but if you are worried about keeping your feet dry, get some commercially available waterproofing products and use that.