Dubbin
Wax product
Dubbin (also known as "dubbing" in the US) is a greasy or waxy product used to soften, condition, and waterproof leather. It has been used since medieval times to waterproof and soften leather goods. It differs from saddle soap used to clean and lightly condition leather, or shoe polish, which is used to impart shine and colour to it.
It consists primarily of various waxes and oils. Commercial dubbin contains petroleum jelly (petrolatum), paraffin wax, neatsfoot oil, and naphtha (C10-12 alkane/cycloalkane). More traditional dubbin can be made with beeswax, fish oil and lard.
The name dubbin is a contraction of the gerund dubbing, describing the action of applying the wax to leather.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dubbin”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Dubbin Open.jpg by Petaholmes, CC BY-SA 3.0
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