Waterproofing test: This time a bit more scientific

[esantoro]

Here's a bit more scientific waterproofing test.

Waterproofing conditioners involved:

A Aussie Wax

S Sno-Seal

O Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP

P Pecard Leather dressing

Results:

1st..... Aussie Wax

2nd.... Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP

3rd..... Sno-Seal

4th..... Pecard

The following pictures show how well a water droplet beads immediately on leather with one application of the respective dressing. Dressing was wiped on with no buffing. Use the above letters for reference. The water droplet is in the upper-left corner of the picture:

Edited October 18, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

The following pictures show how well each respective dressing held up after 20 minutes, then after 30 minutes:

Edited October 18, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

The following pictures were taken after 30 minutes and after the water bead had been wiped away to reveal the presence or lack of a water spot:

[esantoro]

The first application of dressing was followed by a second application. This round of pictures is better annotated than the first. Again, dressing was wiped on with no buffing.The following pictures were taken immediately after second application was done:

The pictures that follow are annotated with "I" to indicate that they were taken after about twenty-five minutes:

Edited October 19, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

The next pictures of the second application, annotated with "II", were taken after about 45 minutes:

Edited October 18, 2008 by esantoro

[TwinOaks]

Well, I guess this pretty definitively shows what's best (of those tested) at water repelling. Thanks for this thread, esantoro, I know a lot of people will find it very usefull.

[esantoro]

The following pictures of the second application, annotated with "IIW" were taken after 45 minutes and after the water bead had been wiped away to reveal the presence or lack of a water spot:

Edited October 18, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

I've put the marked veg tan sample squares aside and will test them again in a week without any additional treatment.

Ed

[Rawhide]

I've put the marked veg tan sample squares aside and will test them again in a week without any additional treatment.

Ed

[wildrose]

Thank you. I use Aussie Wax on almost everything. I've been applying it on mystery braids I've been selling, and my coworkers, who've worn them around the coffee shop, have experienced some dye/stain bleeding. Of course, some of them were dunking their hands in the dishwater...

[Echo4V]

I'm new to this leather working stuff so I could be off the mark here but I thought tan kote was what everyone prefered. I wonder how it would stand up to this test? I was just about to order my first bottle of it but now I'm thinking I may want the Aussie Conditioner instead.

[Rawhide]

Thank you. I use Aussie Wax on almost everything. I've been applying it on mystery braids I've been selling, and my coworkers, who've worn them around the coffee shop, have experienced some dye/stain bleeding. Of course, some of them were dunking their hands in the dishwater...

Holly, do you buff the dyestuffs off before you put the wax on? In talking with Peter Main, he says you have to buff the dyed leather after dying. For stains I use sheeps wool so I can get into the crevices. But just use a t-shirt rag and buff til your arms get tired, then buff some more until the dye stops rubbing off. Then you shouldn't have any bleed off, unless they get them soaking wet.

Marlon

[MADMAX22]

Good reveiw.

Ive been using obenaufs LP for a while now on my boots and jacket (motorcycle stuff) and it works great even when riding in the rain. Ofcourse it doesnt last to terribly long under those conditions but oh well. Im pretty happy with it.

[Gibbsleatherworks]

Great info.

I have a question though, Pecards has been recommended to me for motorcycle leathers due to its chemistry having no long term effects on the break down of leather. Are the other three similar in makeup? And how would the other three compare with longevity in mind?

[Happycrow]

Eagerly awaiting these results, as my old trick (hot-stuffing with lard) isn't usable now that I'm using dyes and such.

[MADMAX22]

Great info.

I have a question though, Pecards has been recommended to me for motorcycle leathers due to its chemistry having no long term effects on the break down of leather. Are the other three similar in makeup? And how would the other three compare with longevity in mind?

I dont know where the thread is but there was one that included a discussion on what was in alot of these products. As far as I know its the petroleum additives that some companies use that is bad for the leather and causes the breakdown. I cant for the life of me remember which companies had additives and which didnt and such. All I know is that pure neatsfoot oil didnt have anything in it.

Sorry not to useful but maybe try some searching around or someone else will remember what Im talking about and know where to find it.

[esantoro]

The Nine-Day Update

Nothing additional was added to the leather samples.

The following pictures marked with the Letter corresponding to the respective conditioner show how the water droplet beads immediately on the leather. One thing you notice is that the leather conditioned with Pecard and Obenhauf's begins immediately to absorb the water.

Edited October 28, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

The Nine-Day UpdateNothing additional was added to the leather samples.The following pictures marked with the Letter corresponding to the respective conditioner show how the water droplet beads immediately on the leather. One thing you notice is that the leather conditioned with Pecard and Obenhauf's begins immediately to absorb the water.

This next set of pictures shows a time-elapse of 5 minutes. I forgot to amend the labels for clarification.

The next set of pictures shows a time-elapse of 5 minutes. I forgot to amend the labels for clarification.

This next stage of pictures shows a time elapse of 20 minutes:

Edited October 28, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

The next set of pictures, amended with "1W," shows the water stain left behind after 20 minutes of exposure and the water bead wiped away:

This last set of pictures, amended with the "1W" underscored, shows a time elapse of approximately 40 minutes after the water bead had been wiped away.And....Our Survey Says?????????????????????????????????

Edited October 28, 2008 by esantoro

[esantoro]

This simple test doesn't do and can't do anything to test how well each conditioner affects the composition of the leather. It tests only the ability of the conditioner to repel water.

My review of the results, after nine days, suggests that the two least expensive conditioners -- Sno-Seal (first place) and Aussie Wax (second place) -- performed the best. Sno-Seal, which smells as if it has petroleum products that might not be very good for leather, apparently has none, according to its website, which states that the ingredients are all natural and completely healthy for leather. It even takes a stab at the higher priced conditioners as being just a bunch of hot air.

Ed

[MADMAX22]

Good job, sounds like I may have to start using something else on my riding leathers.

Thanks for the relatively controlled experiment.

[Workinman]

I know this post is from 2008, but, hopefully Ed will see this question and reply.

First of all, great test Ed !!  Very helpful.

I did a much smaller test to waterproof some coasters I made, but the best product for waterproofing the leather made the coasters very stiff and shiny.   How did the Sno-Seal and Aussie Wax leave the leather ?

Thank you !!

[Northmount]

59 minutes ago, Workinman said:

I know this post is from 2008, but, hopefully Ed will see this question and reply.

Ed hasn't visited the site since July 13, 2017.  @esantoro

Tom

[Workinman]

Bummer !!  Was afraid of this.  Hopefully someone else might have a suggestion.

Thanks Tom