Waxed Cotton

Wipe, then re-wax

Our core laces are American-made waxed cotton. The wax finish helps them hold a knot, resist fraying and shrug off a little water. Over time and miles that wax dulls — the fix is a light re-wax, not a replacement.

• Wipe down with a dry or barely-damp cloth to clear dust and grit.
• When the finish looks dull or flat, re-wax lightly to restore the sheen and water resistance.
• Let them air-dry fully if they get caught in the rain.

• Machine washing — it strips the wax and the body of the lace.
• Heat-drying near a radiator or vent.

Leather & Latigo

Condition, and keep them dry

Leather laces are cut from thick U.S.-tanned steerhide and premium tannery latigo — the kind of hides that come from Horween, Wickett & Craig, S.B. Foot and A.F. Gallun. They are hot-stuffed with oils and waxes for strength. They arrive stiff and break in to your lacing over years. The thing that shortens that life is water, which pulls the oils out.

• Keep them out of standing water — a soaking leaches the oils that keep them supple.
• If they dry out or stiffen, work in a small amount of mink oil or leather conditioner.
• Rotate how you lace now and then so the wear spreads instead of concentrating at the eyelets.

• Soaking or scrubbing — let dirt dry, then brush it off.
• Forced heat drying, which cracks the fibers.

Rawhide

Above all, keep it dry

Rawhide is the strongest lace we sell — dense, rigid and genuinely hard to snap, the same leather used in baseball gloves and hand-sewn footwear. Its one weakness is water. Soak rawhide and it can dry brittle, so dryness is the whole game.

• Keep them dry. This is the single most important thing for rawhide.
• If they do get wet, work in a little conditioner while they dry so they stay flexible instead of turning brittle.
• Wipe off surface dirt with a dry cloth.

• Soaking — the fastest way to ruin a rawhide lace.
• Drying wet rawhide untreated; condition as it dries.

Paracord

Wipe and go

Paracord is the low-maintenance option — a durable synthetic, finished with gunmetal aglets, that shrugs off abrasion and moisture. There is almost nothing to do here.

• Wipe down when dirty. That is essentially the whole routine.
• Rinse and air-dry if they get muddy — water does not bother them.
• If a tip ever frays, carefully singe the cut end to seal it.

• Conditioning — synthetic cord does not need it.

Kilties & Watch Straps

Treat the leather like your boots

Boot kilties and watch straps are made from full tannery leathers — Horween Chromexcel, Essex and Latigo; S.B. Foot Featherstone; Gallun Deer and Horsebutt; and veg-tan and shell from Italian and Japanese houses. They want the same care as good boot leather: keep them fed, keep them dry, and let them patina.

1. Brush off the day

   A soft brush or dry cloth clears dust and grit before it works into the grain. Do this more often than you condition.

2. Condition when it looks thirsty

   A small amount of leather conditioner, worked in and buffed, keeps the hide supple. Veg-tan and combination-tanned leathers will deepen and patina with the boot — that is the point, not a flaw.

3. Keep them out of soaking wet

   Like all our leather, kilties and straps do not like standing water. Wipe dry and let them air out; condition afterward if they stiffen.

The whole guide, in one glance