What I Wish I Knew Before Repairing My Leather Boots, Here's a Clue...Sand. Fill. Regret. Repeat.

So… I’ve never repaired leather boots before.

But when I saw the condition of these 17" Chippewa Engineer Boots, I figured, why not try?

Scuffed. Scratched. Dinged up. These boots have clearly seen some life — and now it’s time to see if I can try repairing these leather boots, aka Darth Vader lookalike boots back from the dead.

In this video, I take on my first-ever leather boot restoration, armed with nothing but patience, a little grit, and a tube of Saphir Crème Rénovatrice (aka Saphir Renovating Cream). Spoiler alert: it’s a learning curve.

🛠️ Here's what I attempt (and struggle through):

Assessing the damage on my Chippewa boots and researching the fix
Cleaning and prepping the leather
Sanding down dings and scuffs
Applying Saphir Renovating Cream to fill in damage

Realizing it’s not a one-and-done process (sand… fill… regret… repeat)

If you’re thinking about fixing up your old leather boots, this is the video I wish I had watched first.

📌 What You'll Learn:

How Saphir Renovating Cream actually works on deep scratches
The realistic results of DIY boot restoration as a beginner
Why leather repair takes more time (and patience) than you think
What I’d do differently next time, is definitely use LESS filler, its like bondo. - And sand, sand, sand.

🧴 Products Used in This Video:
🔹 Saphir Crème Rénovatrice (Black) 👉 https://amzn.to/4nO5SuJ
🔹 Cadillac Boot and Shoe Leather Lotion 👉 https://amzn.to/3VpE8jR
Some links may be affiliate links that help support the channel — at no extra cost to you!

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Expect more restoration fails, fixes, and everything in between.

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If you’re into leather, boots, gear, or just learning by doing (and messing up), hit that subscribe button and join me on this DIY journey.

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