How to Fix Leather Boots
Leather boots come in handy in various situations -- walking over fields in wet weather, winter conditions or even when hiking in hot and dry climates. Leather products are expensive and you may need to fix damaged leather boots yourself to extend the life of the boots. One way you can fix your leather boots is to clean and repair minor rips and tears on the leather surface using a leather repair kit. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Cleaning Leather Boots
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Purchase a leather repair kit from your nearest department store or order one from the Internet. A leather repair kit generally includes liquid adhesives to cover tears and rips, cleaning wipes, a spatula for spreading the adhesives, a heat applicator for making the adhesive stick and an instruction manual.
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Clean your leather boots to remove built up muck, dirt and dust. Over time, accumulated dirt and muck damages your leather boots. Use the wipes found in your leather repair kit, non-detergent soap and warm water to clean the boots.
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Allow the boots to dry in a warm, dry area. You can stuff dry newspaper inside the boots to absorb moisture and speed up the drying process. Occasionally cleaning and conditioning leather boots helps prevent deterioration of leather and maintains the attractive look on your leather boots.
Repair Minor Holes and Rips
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Patch minor holes or rips/tears on the surface of your leather boots with a leather swatch. Purchase a leather swatch that matches your boots from your nearest department store or upholstery shop. Alternatively, cut a small matching leather swatch from old leather boots that you no longer wear using a sharp razor or pair of sharp scissors from your leather repair kit.
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Place a piece of paper underneath the circular hole or rip on the leather and trace the hole on the paper with a marker. Cut a leather patch from the swatch to cover the hole/rip using the template.
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Attach the leather patch to the damaged leather surface using the adhesives found in your leather repair kit. Consult the instruction manual for details on how to use leather adhesives to quickly secure leather patches to fix minor holes and rips on leather boots.
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Tips & Warnings
Although newer leather boots may only require adhesives to quickly fix surface tears or rips, more serious damage may require careful stitching. Take your boots to a cobbler for major leather boots fixes, such as detailed leather stitching or reattachment of worn out soles to avoid damaging your boots farther.
Never dry your leather boots in high temperatures, such as putting them in the drier or leaving them near the fire. High temperatures damages both the leather and the cements used to hold the boot together.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Man's leather boots on a thick sole on a white background image by terex from Fotolia.com
