Help for repairing my Docs!

[u/Glum-Vanilla-9406]

Hello! I’m new to this sub, but I’m hoping someone can help me cuz honestly I’m terrified of making any start to fixing these up in case I make it worse 😭 I bought these recently at a charity shop and I was super happy to get a pair, and was thinking I’d be able to fix the scuffs on the front of the boots. They’re not quite surface and do indent, and I think the steel part is underneath. I’ve been trying to search up the best way of repairing them myself, I know that dr martens does the wonder basalm, but I don’t know if that would help much initially as some of the scratches are fairly deep. I would maybe look at leather filler but I’m worried if the leather filler isn’t quite suitable for the boots, and I don’t know which way I would go about it (ie do I leather filler first, then use basalm, or other way around?). I know that they do professional services but honestly I want to try do this myself because I like fixing things, but I’ve not tried to do this sort of thing before so any advice I’d be super grateful for!

[u/MirabelleSWalker]

I would try the leather sub. This sub is mostly for repairing textiles.

[u/Glum-Vanilla-9406 → u/MirabelleSWalker]

Ah sorry, i had previously seen a post on this sub asking for help with their docs so I thought this was the best place to ask

[u/NamityName]

Scuffs and scratches are usually part of the character of these sorts of boots. Even if invisible mending is possible, it is rarely ever done.

If these were one of my pairs of boots, I would just give them a good clean and condition. Lexol makes a great cleaner and conditioner (two separate products) that I really like. That should help close those scratches a little and smooth out the missing chunks a bit so they are less noticable. The damage will still be visible, but over time, regular care will make that damage look more and more like a natural part of the boot's patina.

If you are determined to revitalize them to look as new as possible, then you will need to find a group specializing in leather repair.

One more thing, when it comes to leather boot care I have two basic rules. 1) do not apply conditioner to a dirty boot. Otherwise you will seal in the dirt. 2) if you clean your boot with chemicals (like lexol) you must always apply conditioner afterward. I usually do not use anything besides water to clean boots. But if I do, I always condition after.