Want to prep, protect and clean new Docs

[birdinthenorth]

Hello -

I've just purchased two pairs of Docs (Dr Marten's) boots - decades after purchasing my original Doc faves, and I want to make sure that I treat them well, right out of the box (unlike the ones I bought as a student when I didn't know the value of investing in the care of expensive footwear!)

• 1 pair is a semi-Analine Nappa leather in black. (Eviee Sendal Leather Heeled Shoes https://www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/e...ack/p/27371001 )
• 1 pair is hair-on "cow print" (white with black) leather. (Jadon Hair-on Cow Print Platform Boots https://www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/j...ots/p/31094934 )

I'm trying to find the right products to:

1. Help me to break in these shoes (I can still recall the pain of breaking in my previous Docs, decades later!) My feet are wide and Docs tend to be narrow - I will need to put significant effort into breaking them in, especially widening them without damaging them.
2. Protecting them from basic day-to-day risks. (Generally, these will be indoor shoes - I live North of 60, and like Mr. Rogers I change in and out of footwear suitable to the environment whenever possible!) Some moderate water damage protection, stain protection if possible.
3. Cleaning products for when the inevitable dirt, etc. gets on the footwear.

I'm particularly concerned about the Jadon Cow-print hair-on boots. They are white - which is an inevitable invitation to stains - and although I read some of the material on the Leather Doctor site and the forums about hair-on-hide, it was all pretty specific to rugs, etc. I don't know enough about caring for quality leather to be certain how much is transferable to shoes vs. rugs. I've never had footwear that was hide-on leather, and I do not trust the run-of-the-mill info on big retail sites in regard to its specific needs.

Docs are costly, and I also have some nice (and very expensive!) Fluvogs that need some conditioning and TLC. At half a century, I'm stodgy enough to worry about spending money and experienced enough to be willing to invest what more I can in protecting the investment I've already made in well-constructed footwear (even if I'm still young-at-heart enough to wear cow-print boots! )

I've included links to the products just in case it's at all useful to see the items. It's to the UK site (I had to buy these internationally because they're not available on the Canadian drmartens store).

I'd appreciate some advice on the best products/tools to help me get my shoes ready for making years of new memories. With any luck, these shoes will outlast me!

TYIA for any suggestions!

[Roger Koh]

>>> I've just purchased two pairs of Docs (Dr Marten's) boots - decades after purchasing my original Doc faves, and I want to make sure that I treat them well, right out of the box (unlike the ones I bought as a student when I didn't know the value of investing in the care of expensive footwear!)
1 pair is a semi-Analine Nappa leather in black. (Eviee Sendal Leather Heeled Shoes https://www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/e...ack/p/27371001 )
1 pair is hair-on "cow print" (white with black) leather. (Jadon Hair-on Cow Print Platform Boots https://www.drmartens.com/uk/en_gb/j...ots/p/31094934 )

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>>> I'm trying to find the right products to:
Help me to break in these shoes (I can still recall the pain of breaking in my previous Docs, decades later!)

To help break the shoe to fit the shape of our feet will require the leather to relax and stretch to conform. To relax it will require Hydrator-3.3 and follow-up immediately with Fatliquor-5.0 and wear it to shape it out until it dries. This technique can be performed both on the Semi-anniline and the hair-on shoe.

>>> Protecting them from basic day-to-day risks.

Any surface protection that blocks the breathing pores does a disservice to the unique characteristics of leather for wearing comfort. With breathable Protector-B by Leather Doctor, it imparts a non-stick, protection against sticky soiling thus making cleaning up easy. Applying the Protector-B to the inner side of the shoe also reduces friction making sliding in and out of the shoe effortlessly.

>>> (Generally, these will be indoor shoes - I live North of 60, and like Mr. Rogers I change in and out of footwear suitable to the environment whenever possible!) Some moderate water damage protection, stain protection if possible.

Consider that if the leather is surface protected against water damage from the outside, it will also prevent sweat from evaporating through the leather known as transmigration for shoe-wearing comfort. This periodic re-protection may cause distortion to appearance too, especially to white hair-on. And not possible to reach the grain of the hair-on to be effective as a protection. Once the protector film is abraded, or scratched water penetrates.

The natural protection against water damage is to ensure that the leather grain is full of fatliquor (fat and oil ) content at all times with periodic reconditioning. Leather that is high in percentage of fat and oil becomes less porous for water ingress.

>>> I'm particularly concerned about the Jadon Cow-print hair-on boots. They are white - which is an inevitable invitation to stains - and although I read some of the material on the Leather Doctor site and the forums about hair-on-hide, it was all pretty specific to rugs, etc. I don't know enough about caring for quality leather to be certain how much is transferable to shoes vs. rugs. I've never had footwear that was hide-on leather, and I do not trust the run-of-the-mill info on big retail sites in regard to its specific needs.

Cow-print hair-on, unlike natural, the dyestuff print may bleed, when it is alkaline over exposure. Any pH value above 7, is likely to cause a bleed to the dyestuff. So any product used has to be tested against the print with a cotton swab to determine it is safe from bleeding. Hair-on-Hide Cleaner-5.5 by Leather Doctor
https://leatherdoctor.com/hair-on-hide-cleaner-5-5/
has a pH value of 5.5 which is the same pH value of hair, and since most dyestuff are also on the acidic side of the pH scale. When the hair-on is exposed to salty water during winter, it is recommended to neutralize the alkaline salt damaged with Leather Pro Cleaner-1.5
https://leatherdoctor.com/leather-pro-cleaner-1-5/
and rinsed off with
https://leatherdoctor.com/leather-pro-cleaner-1-5/

>>> Docs are costly, and I also have some nice (and very expensive!) Fluvogs that need some conditioning and TLC. At half a century, I'm stodgy enough to worry about spending money and experienced enough to be willing to invest what more I can in protecting the investment I've already made in well-constructed footwear (even if I'm still young-at-heart enough to wear cow-print boots! ) I've included links to the products just in case it's at all useful to see the items. It's to the UK site (I had to buy these internationally because they're not available on the Canadian drmartens store).>>> I'd appreciate some advice on the best products/tools to help me get my shoes ready for making years of new memories. With any luck, these shoes will outlast me! TYIA for any suggestions!

For your Cow-Print Hair-0n Boots, I recommend this Hair-on-Hide Boots Cleaner & Conditioner Kit Hb3

https://leatherdoctor.com/hair-on-hi...howHidden=true

And the other Semi-Aniline Nappa leather, I recommend Aniline Leather Care Kit A3

https://leatherdoctor.com/aniline-leather-care-kit-a3/


Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor / Coach
web: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected],
email: [email protected]
phone: 604 773 1878