Dubbin

For people with the name, see Dubbins.

Not to be confused with Dubbing.

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.^[1] 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.

A tin of dubbin

It consists primarily of various waxes and oils. Commercial dubbin contains petroleum jelly (petrolatum), paraffin wax, neatsfoot oil, and naphtha (C10-12 alkane/cycloalkane).^[2] More traditional dubbin can be made with beeswax, fish oil and lard.^[3]

The name dubbin is a contraction of the gerund dubbing, describing the action of applying the wax to leather.^[4]

References

Citations

1. Waterer, John William (1981). Leather and the warrior : an account of the importance of leather to the fighting man from the time of the ancient Greeks to World War II. Northampton, England: The Museum of Leathercraft. p. 61. ISBN 978-0950418216.
2. "Kiwi Dubbin Neutral". Archived from the original on 15 September 2023.
3. "Mad Madam Mel: A recipe for Dubbin". madmadammel.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
4. "dub¹". askoxford.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2010.

Other references

• – Material Safety Data Sheet – Joseph Lyddy dubbin.
• – Opportunities for industry and the safe investment of capital (1859) Rothman, E., Lippincott, US
• Jarell, T.D., Holman, H.P., (1923) Effects of Treating Materials and Outdoor Exposure upon Water Resistance and Tensile Strength of Cotton Duck, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Bureau of Chemistry, Washington.
• Norton, F.J., (1945) Waterproofing Treatments of Materials, Patent Number 2386259, Serial Number 452,885, United States Patent Office.
• Holman, H.P., Jarrell, T.D., (date unknown) The Effects of Waterproofing Materials and Outdoor Exposure upon the Tensile Strength of Cotton Yarn, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 15(3), US Department of Agriculture, Washington.
• Stewart, C.S., (1977) Factors Affecting the Cellulolytic Activity of Rumen Contents, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, pp. 497–502