Less icky, too
I still have some old SnowSeal but prefer the NikWax for sure. SnowSeal will be used on the Sorels instead, which have such a thick felt liner that breathability is not an issue.
I
I was out all day walking around in the snow with my crankcase oiled boots. Again nothing is better (or cheaper!). 
Here ya go…
WARNING!
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Combustible liquid.
HEALTH HAZARDS
May be harmful if inhaled.
May be harmful if absorbed through skin.
May be harmful or fatal if swallowed.
May irritate the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs), eyes, and skin.
Suspect cancer hazard. Contains material which can cause cancer. Risk of cancer depends
on duration and level of exposure.
Contains material which can cause birth defects.
Contains material which can cause central nervous system damage.
Ferret oil !
False
– Last Updated: Jan-29-11 3:34 AM EST –
There is NO silicone in SnoSeal
http://www.atsko.com/products/waterproofing/sno-seal.html
MSDS sheets for SnoSeal -
http://www.amesresearch.com/msds/SS_msds.pdf
http://www.duluthtrading.com/media/images/msds/43035_MSDS.pdf
Oil as rain gear
Whenever I go out paddling and I know it’s going to rain I always take a few quarts of oil saved from my last change and pour them out directly over my head. This waterproofs me for the entire day! I have yet to figure out a good way to tie my canoe on top of the ambulance though…… 
That may be…
…the only good use for ferrets.
Please don’t paddle on my local rivers
in the rain. Stay up in the northern part of IL when it’s raining
Good Points!
Good point about the “mammilian toxicity” of DDT. It is not all that harmfull to mammals. BUT it is found almost everywhere in animal bodyfat, which is an indicator of its very long persistence in the environment. DDT kills the crap out of BIRDS (by thinning their shells). That has always been the primary problem.
GBG’s comments on cancer causality are good. But do note that the carcinogens identified in used motor are well researched.
Used motor oil is a toxic slurry, and it is absurdly stupid to put it on boots.
My nephew
could never remember Mink oil so he always called it weasel wax.
;o)>
Randy
Go out for a long winter Troll
in your motoroil boots…
I use mine for cooking… best fried chicken ever… all the meat is dark …
You feel cornered and honor bound
to defend your practice. But it is not a good idea. It may work for temp waterproofing, but it is undeniably bad for your health (and the health of everywhere you tread). Given the range of legitimate and effective products on the market for low prices, your practice of using used motor oil is both unnecessary and unethical.
Lots of things better.
Maybe not cheaper, but literally a few dollars is totally irrelevant when you’re talking about human health and environmental impact. This is not the post-apocalypse where you need to use anything and everything to all effect.
Why
Why be phobic about a little motor oil?
For my boots
I use a mixture of 4 parts discarded motor oil to 1 part DDT. When I wade in the river it leaves a trail of purty colors on top of the water.
The wrong word.
You’re not looking for the word “phobic.”
Because it’s not just your health
That’s why.
When you plod around and leave used motor oil traces in the snow, that gets into the ground and contaminates the groundwater, plants, and who knows what else.
You’re free to soak yourself in whatever carcinogens you choose, but the fact that you’re bragging about the cheapness of it and damn the environment reeks of more than used motor oil.
That should explain “why.”
Soaks
It soaks into the leather. Does not smear onto the outdoors.
Just where do you think the oil came from??? The ground!!!
did the ground refine it?
…did the ground burn it with other chemicals?
I’m not sure why you come here. You post based on conjecture and when someone tries to use evidence to tell you differently, you ignore them.
So great. Use motor oil on your boots. Just don’t expect applause.
Now you are reaching pretty far now.
– Last Updated: Jan-31-11 2:04 PM EST –
Frankly, I tend to agree that the environmental impact of having motor oil on your boots is not a big deal. As much oil probably gets dripped onto a typical quarter-mile stretch of highway each month as what you smear on your boots in that same time period, so a smidgeon more finding its way onto the ground here and there as a result of what you are doing probably can't be enough to matter. If you were to SAY this, I'd let you off the hook even though I agree with what everyone here has said about the mimimal cost of using something better for the leather that is not toxic, and how therefore it seems pointless to use something less effective which IS toxic.
But here's where you are going to extremes in defending yourself, and this is where I will NOT let you off the hook. You imply that because oil comes from "the ground" there's no harm in putting it back on "the ground". I don't understand why you find it necessary to use Rush Limbaugh logic to defend what you are doing when it would make so much more sense to agree that motor oil is toxic but point out that the tiny amount on your boots probably isn't hurting anybody else. You know, all over this country there are many thousands of private water wells and municipal wells that cannot be used for drinking water anymore because small amounts of spilled petroleum products seeped into the ground and contaminated the water. In fact, a former geologist co-worker of mine from Canada had experience dealing with numerous Native American families who had ruined their own private wells and those of many of their neighbors simply by dumping a few oil-changes worth of engine oil right in their own driveways. Using your brand of logic, that couldn't possibly have happened, yet I'm sure you can understand that it did. You'd be better served by sticking with what makes sense when justifying your actions, rather than spouting nonsense (and as I said before, even saying what makes sense in this case can't really lead a person to consider your method to be a "good" one. Saying what makes sense will only keep you from appearing to be frantically defensive).