Is it possible to restore or change the color of worn boots?
Absolutely!
When going through life, the dye along the edge of a boot's sole on the edge is often rubbed away or gets knocked off, revealing the natural tone underneath. A basic edge dressing can be applied to the boot's sole to restore the color back to how it looked brand new. Fiebing's makes a great edge dressing that we use here in our shop!
Lightening the color of our brown or black leather boots can be done by using a rag and leather balm. Apply leather balm to a rag, and wipe in circles while applying pressure to the boot to pull some of that dark dye off to lighten the boot. The inverse is also true, a dark polish to the surface layer will darken the overall color of the boot.
If you're looking to completely re-dye the boots, Fiebing's Dark Brown Leather Dye is a great match for our Brushed Brown boots, and their Black is perfect for our Magic Black boots.
In the opposite direction of touching up a damaged dye spot, you can actually reveal more of the natural leather tone to the sole by stripping away the color. Commonly a Dremel or sandpaper is used to return the natural look to the leather, which looks pretty good, especially with dark leather.
Another example of color modification done by some folks in the Chisos community is dying the color of their tan Roughout boots.
When experimenting with color change, always be sure to test a small area of your boot first. Most leather polishes should be formulated for cow hides but it is wise to start any modifications with a small area before proceeding to entire pair of boots!