Hestra Leather Balm; worth it?

[pfluffenmeister]

hestra jong says: yes i read the other threads.

it seems that the consensus is the balm is good. should i use it?
i have brand new xtra fits (white army goat leather), should i do it before they touch snow and/or get dirty?
heat in an oven and or hair dryer to heat?
final seal with another heat treatment or freezer?

gloves seem awesome now, just don't want to screw them up

[f2f]

it seems that the consensus is the balm is good. should i use it?
i have brand new xtra fits (white army goat leather), should i do it before they touch snow and/or get dirty?
heat in an oven and or hair dryer to heat?
final seal with another heat treatment or freezer?

why don't you read the fucking instructions that come with the gloves?

[moose pit]

why don't you read the fucking instructions that come with the gloves?

That would be too difficult.

Obenauf's LP works on my boots, works on my gloves and the shit even works on thrashed dry hands.

[Jax]

Please, please, please understand that the Hestra Leather Balm's main purpose is to condition the leather which keeps it supple and prolongs the life of the leather. It may also add a bit more *repellancy*, but it does not EVER make them waterproof. If you need a waterproof glove, make sure you buy gloves that have a waterproof CZone or GoreTex insert. If your Hestra's have neither of these then please do not be mistaken: the leather balm's main function is to keep them supple. As long as the leather is not allowed to dry out or be exposed to heat sources, it should last much longer than your average leather glove, normal wear and tear like ski and snowboard edges excluded. Leather balm does not prevent ski edges from scratching the leather nor does it make your gloves indestructible. But it will darken them.

Please do not expose the leather to any type of heat. This is what degrades the leather in the first place. I've been learning a lot about the types of leather and where we source the leathers from and I still don't have all of the answers (been at Hestra just over 3 months now), but I hope to learn more after meeting the Magnusson family this November. They've been sourcing leathers from many of the same people for 4 generations now. I have a list of questions to ask regarding the leather but communication is slow right now as we are preparing for the new season worldwide; product is shipping soon. In any case, climate (where the animal was raised) is a major key to some of the more durable leathers that we use, like the Army Goat leather.

The army goat leather is pretreated (impregnated) from the get-go. This is the same leather that is used by the Swedish Army. While NONE of our leathers are waterproof, the army goat is proven to be the most effective at repellancy. The leather balm that comes with your gloves is to be used at the first signs of dryness. Do not wait until the leather gets stiff or starts to crack. Leather balm will need to be used more frequently in models that are made of cowhide, as this leather is less resistant to dryness and heat. The Vertical Cut Freeride, for example, comes in army goat as well as cowhide. Unfortunately communication in the past has not made this clear to many people. This season the Vertical Cut Freeride in black as well as grey colors are army goat leather. They will feel stiffer at first, which is why so many people end up buying the cowhide- that, and the cowhide takes dyes much better so the cool colors are all cow. Cow= not as durable as goat. I'm hoiping to incorporate more colors in the Army Leather moving forward, but that's another story...

I did receive an email back from the designer in Sweden, and she said exposing external sources of heat to your Hestra's is not recommended, even for short periods of time. Again, this goes back to the type of climate that the animal was raised in.

As an aside, I have found out the leather balm is sourced here in the US by a farmer, so that explains why sometimes it looks different than others. I feel confident saying to use Nikwax when necessary, but again, please do not put your Hestra's anywhere near heat sources when treating your gloves. Despite my own beliefs prior to working at Hestra, that warming them up allows the pores to open more, letting more treatment into the leather, etc...rubbing them back and forth with the balm applied causes a little friction, and that is all the leather needs for proper absorption of the balm. Keep it simple. And please keep your Hestra's away from heat.

Cheers,

J

[pfluffenmeister]

^^^ thanks jax, just what i needed to know.

[robnow]

Very informative, Thanks Jax!!

[ShredBG]

bearing in mind what jax was saying about never exposing the gloves to any kind of heat source, whats the most effective and quickest way to dry them out?

Just bought myself my first pair of Hestra's and don't want to crack them trying to dry them out for the next days riding.

[Roxtar]

bearing in mind what jax was saying about never exposing the gloves to any kind of heat source, whats the most effective and quickest way to dry them out?

Just bought myself my first pair of Hestra's and don't want to crack them trying to dry them out for the next days riding.

I use my boot dryer.
It blows unheated (room temp) air and drys them out very quickly.

[bern43]

Interesting about the no heat thing. I've always put them in the oven for 5 or so minutes on the lowest setting to open up the pores. I won't be doing that again. Thanks for the info Jax.

[oftpiste]

just bumping an old thread after a seriously wet weekend in the perennially wet PNW. Anyone ever use nikwax TX.Direct Spray-On (designated by the manufacturer for spraying on to outerwear) on leather? Reading about Hestras and leather gloves in general and the product I'm wondering why it might be a bad idea.....or maybe it it isn't?

[snoboy]

While we're on the topic, I have noticed that the big tub of Hestra Balm seems to be a different product than the little tubs...

I like the stuff though. Maybe I will stop making my gloves hot though after reading Jax's old coments above!

[EEC]

Never knew the heat was bad for them...thanks Jax. I always put on my gloves & held them in front of the wood stove for a minute before applying snow seal, not going to do that anymore.

[snuffleupagus]

i've always used snowseal or nixwax products on my Hestra's and seems to work well. won't keep you totally dry in the PNW on "snain" day, but does a pretty good job overall.

[Tye 1on]

I might be stupid wrong, but have been using Schee's Montana Pitch-Blend for all of my gloves and boots for a long time now..

[buttahflake]

two fucking pages devoted to sno-sealing gloves?
way to go epic and whatnot.
take a lap, beaters

[whyturn]

I usually just have a beaver pee on them I figure they are waterproof

[undertow2]

I usually just have a beaver pee on them I figure they are waterproof

Well if that is the case than my body should be waterproof after my fun shower last night...

[Meathelmet]

Had some hestra xcr helis. Didnt hold water for shit. Not taped seams apparently. Tried some nicwax on them and only thing that
they did was the leather turned soft but coarse thus got damaged & sucking in even some more water...
Gave up on them, bent over and got the arcteryx xcr gloves. First truly waterproof gloves I have had. Now some 100+ days on them, still
like new and the leather is shiny and pristine. And no, havent lubed them.

What really gets me is how crappily companies use gtx. I had some salomon xcr trail running shoes and yes, from the day one they leaked
like sieves.. The upper is goretex but the connection between it and the sole is...you guessed it...not taped. So, you step into a puddle
and they are instantly soaking wet. Like jeebus, Design 101 anyone?