Thread: Homemade Leather Preservative / Waterproofing

If there's still some floating about I'd bee keen

Thanks for the delivery, I’ll sit down one evening and “puffin dubbin” all my boots and report back soon.

Cheers Puffin, for the 'brew', and 2post for the containers. Good buggers.

If you are wanting to re-melt it into a different container, top up the old tin or similar, then 80-90°C on the stove top will do it, heat applied SLOWLY. I'd avoid an open flame though as it might flash over? Just a note that the specific gravity of this blend is about 0.83. The piece of handee-towel on the top for shipment is just to stop the block from rattling around, I guesss you would have figured that out anyway.

As mentioned in some private messaging and earlier, this brew is a little firmer than the original, more like Nugget than a shoe cream, with the viscosity as expected being a function of temperature.

It will be reasonably easily extracted from the container onto a finger like the original blend if above 30°C.

If below 20°C then it will be necessary to rub the dubbin off the surface with either a stiff application brush as one might with Nugget, or instead initially scrape the dubbin to be applied from the block surface using say the edge of a table knife or an iceblock stick. Here is the interesting bit — any dubbin having been so removed from the surface of the block is then very soft irrespective of temperature. Rather odd actually.

So if you want to really layer it on thick, and are finding a brush is not transferring enough, then scrape a larger amount free and apply it that way.
I've done this and applied multiple thick coats, and as always it can be pulled into the leather quickly with a bit of applied heat with the hairdryer or (with care) a hot air gun.

I'm hoping with the higher % beeswax it then provides some good long-term water repellency.

I shall do my work boots..that will be a sort of torture test for them as they get wet 3-4-5 times a day with splash down onto them.
thanks again.

Thanks Puffin mine arrived Friday and will get into it next week as I work weekends.

Thanks @Puffin my ‘Dubbin’ arrived yesterday and I am thrilled to try it out on a new sheath soon
Will keep you posted!

Been meaning to give these a touch up for a year or so. Came up mint!