Putting liquid silicon on boot sole seams?

Putting liquid silicone on boot sole seams?

Hi all -
I just had Lowa boots repaired and the cobbler suggested that I put liquid silicon along the seam on the side of the sole. He said that would seal in oil and keep it from drying out.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Any thoughts?

Many thanks,
Marty

I frequently cover seams and such with shoo-goo, which, I think, is somewhat silicone based. I only do it when they are new or very clean, otherwise it doesn't really stay. Looks ugly though.

Personally, I'd be a little reluctant to put liquid silicon on the seams and I'd be concerned it would soften the leather. Most boot makers recommend Nikwax products. For seams I use their Nikwax Aqueous - it seems to penetrate/seal the seams. It works best when the leather is slightly damp - either immediately after a hike and the boots have been cleaned, or dampen them first with some water. I also use their wax - comes in a white tube - and really work it into seams. Backpacker Mag likes their Aqueous better - I think it's a toss-up.

Ditto on the Nikwax Aqueous.

I'm a big fan of Sno-seal myself, there are long threads about pros and cons of various waterproofing treatments...

Thanks for the responses folks. Just to clarify, the seam I am referring to is where the midsole is joined to the outer sole.

For the record, I do use either Nikwax or Snow Seal on the uppers themselves, depending on the boot.

thanks,
Marty

I used to work in a high-end retail shoe/sneaker/boot store with a cobbler, and he always recommended against silicone as it eats away at glue.

dug said:

I used to work in a high-end retail shoe/sneaker/boot store with a cobbler, and he always recommended against silicone as it eats away at glue.

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I've heard the same thing, don't use liquid silicon on the seam area....turn the boots upside down so it won't spread into the seam when applying it to the uppers.

I've used and liked Sno-Seal in the past, but I use mink oil on good leather boots. Works.

marty said:

Thanks for the responses folks. Just to clarify, the seam I am referring to is where the midsole is joined to the outer sole.

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That is also what I was referring to. Just a bead of it. I do not view it as a replacement for waterproofing. It is a protection. Am I and your cobler the only ones doing this?

Mad Townie said:

I've used and liked Sno-Seal in the past, but I use mink oil on good leather boots. Works.

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Mink oil softens leather. Sometimes good, sometimes not.

I've also read that animal oils can lead to the leather rotting.

I generally just use Sno-Seal. However, (probably on advice from somewhere/someone) I put a different sealant on the stitching of the Norwegian welt of my winter double boots. The sealant may have been Seam Grip. (It was 30 years ago, so my memory of the details might be a bit hazy...)

Doug

marty said:

Thanks for the responses folks. Just to clarify, the seam I am referring to is where the midsole is joined to the outer sole.

Click to expand...

Pete_Hickey said:

That is also what I was referring to. Just a bead of it. I do not view it as a replacement for waterproofing. It is a protection. Am I and your cobler the only ones doing this?

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I thought you were referring to this, Pete. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't too ambiguous That being said, it is always enjoyable reading everyone's posts on boot sealing in general

Thanks, Marty