Help me save my shoes!
April 15, 2015 5:37 AM Subscribe
I have a pair of wedge slingback shoes and the sole is separating from the wedge. I ADORE these shoes and want to fix them.
The shoe is pretty similar to THIS, only they are nude and the back strap has a bit of elastic, not just a solid strap. The sole isn't separating at the toe or heel, but rather in the arch/middle of the foot area. At first it was just a bit of a gap but the gap is getting bigger every time I wear them, getting closer and closer to the heel and toe ends. I get that this is my own fault for buying relatively inexpensive shoes with apparently shoddy construction, but they are adorable and comfortable and go with everything. Please help me fix them so that they are fixed for good.
I have looked online and apparently I need a flexible type of glue and shoe goo comes up a lot. Are there other glues that would work better? Should I completely remove the sole and reattach the whole thing? Should I just try to squeeze glue in through the ever-widening gap and reattach that way? Do I need to clamp it? Is this something I can do at home, or should a proper cobbler (assuming there is one in my city) fix it for me? I'm sort of hesitant to bring it someplace to fix because they aren't expensive shoes (only cost me ~$50) and I feel like a cobbler is more for nice/expensive/quality shoes.
The shoe is pretty similar to THIS, only they are nude and the back strap has a bit of elastic, not just a solid strap. The sole isn't separating at the toe or heel, but rather in the arch/middle of the foot area. At first it was just a bit of a gap but the gap is getting bigger every time I wear them, getting closer and closer to the heel and toe ends. I get that this is my own fault for buying relatively inexpensive shoes with apparently shoddy construction, but they are adorable and comfortable and go with everything. Please help me fix them so that they are fixed for good.
I have looked online and apparently I need a flexible type of glue and shoe goo comes up a lot. Are there other glues that would work better? Should I completely remove the sole and reattach the whole thing? Should I just try to squeeze glue in through the ever-widening gap and reattach that way? Do I need to clamp it? Is this something I can do at home, or should a proper cobbler (assuming there is one in my city) fix it for me? I'm sort of hesitant to bring it someplace to fix because they aren't expensive shoes (only cost me ~$50) and I feel like a cobbler is more for nice/expensive/quality shoes.
The cobbler is for shoes. Full stop.
Especially shoes you love. It might feel strange to give the cobbler as much money as you gave to the shoe sellers, but I promise it is worth it.
posted by bilabial at 5:56 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Especially shoes you love. It might feel strange to give the cobbler as much money as you gave to the shoe sellers, but I promise it is worth it.
posted by bilabial at 5:56 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Go to a cobbler! I go to a cobbler with my champagne-tastes collection of eBay used shoes and my shoes are always the most fancily constructed ones there. (Although actually because I buy oddball men's shoes, a lot of mine cost less than $50.) Lots and lots of people bring in perfectly ordinary shoes for small repairs.
Building a relationship with a cobbler is a good idea. Any cobbler should be able to fix your shoes given the issue, but if you're not super happy with the repair or the service, try another place next time.
There's no reason not to repair less expensive shoes. I personally tend to think that if you are buying the kind of shoes where you can readily spend more and get more (usually boots, men's shoes, men's style shoes because those lend themselves readily to better construction techniques) you should do so if you can afford it, but shoe comfort is key. If you have a $9.99 clearance special from Target that is comfortable and fits well, for instance, better to repair it than toss it since well-fitting shoes are hard to find.
Also, if you are buying less expensive shoes that you really like, sometimes it is worth it to have a sole cover put on the bottom early in the process - this extends the life of the shoe.
posted by Frowner at 6:12 AM on April 15, 2015
Building a relationship with a cobbler is a good idea. Any cobbler should be able to fix your shoes given the issue, but if you're not super happy with the repair or the service, try another place next time.
There's no reason not to repair less expensive shoes. I personally tend to think that if you are buying the kind of shoes where you can readily spend more and get more (usually boots, men's shoes, men's style shoes because those lend themselves readily to better construction techniques) you should do so if you can afford it, but shoe comfort is key. If you have a $9.99 clearance special from Target that is comfortable and fits well, for instance, better to repair it than toss it since well-fitting shoes are hard to find.
Also, if you are buying less expensive shoes that you really like, sometimes it is worth it to have a sole cover put on the bottom early in the process - this extends the life of the shoe.
posted by Frowner at 6:12 AM on April 15, 2015
Cobbler will fix this, prob for $20-30 bucks. Don't attempt a DIY.
posted by amaire at 6:34 AM on April 15, 2015
posted by amaire at 6:34 AM on April 15, 2015
There may or may not be a shoe repair place in your area. Last pair of shoes I took to a shoe repair place, expensive shoes (hand-me-downs), were poorly repaired. Get references, maybe yelp? I have difficult feet, and once a pair of shoes works for me and is broken in, I hate to give them up. Shoe goo to the rescue. Most shoes these days are glued together, not sewn. I use popsicle sticks, plastic knives, and chopsticks to get the glue in. It's quite thick. I use clamps while it sets. Practice on some cardboard or something, it's useful to learn how to manage the materials.
posted by theora55 at 6:40 AM on April 15, 2015
posted by theora55 at 6:40 AM on April 15, 2015
You could go to a cobbler, but doing a DIY is not crazy at all.
Shoe Goo is a surprisingly good product and works perfectly for this sort of problem. Reattaching soles is one of the easiest shoe repairs to do yourself.
posted by 256 at 6:56 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Shoe Goo is a surprisingly good product and works perfectly for this sort of problem. Reattaching soles is one of the easiest shoe repairs to do yourself.
posted by 256 at 6:56 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
I took that $20 pair of Missoni Target flats to the cobbler. I laughed about it, and he said it's the third pair he had done that week. I still have those shoes, 5 years later.
Go to the cobbler!
posted by hmo at 7:34 AM on April 15, 2015
Go to the cobbler!
posted by hmo at 7:34 AM on April 15, 2015
Anecdata: I recently bought a tube of shoe goo to try and repair some rubber soles that had split across the ball of the foot. Total fail. It might be effective for gluing something where there is a large surface area to work with but for fixing a split it really didn't work.
posted by Ness at 8:10 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ness at 8:10 AM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Shoe Goo is a good product, but it's unforgiving if you screw it up. If this is a favorite shoe, it's worth going to the cobbler. They really don't care what the shoe costs.
posted by quince at 11:10 AM on April 15, 2015
posted by quince at 11:10 AM on April 15, 2015
A good shoe is hard to find. And if you take proper care of a shoe, it can last indefinitely.
So I would start by going to a cobbler. If the repair is inadequate, then you can try repairing it yourself.
I have never tried Shoe Goo. Araldite is my adhesive of choice, not that I have often used it on shoes, so I may have just given you the worst advice in the universe, but it sure does stick things to other things. Better than Superglue, IME.
While you're at the cobbler, get some shoe puffs to stick in the toebox while you're not wearing them. Also, get him to stick a rubber nonslip sole on the bottom. I ALWAYS do this the first time I get a pair of shoes reheeled. It extends the life of the shoe like you wouldn't believe.
posted by tel3path at 1:04 PM on April 15, 2015
So I would start by going to a cobbler. If the repair is inadequate, then you can try repairing it yourself.
I have never tried Shoe Goo. Araldite is my adhesive of choice, not that I have often used it on shoes, so I may have just given you the worst advice in the universe, but it sure does stick things to other things. Better than Superglue, IME.
While you're at the cobbler, get some shoe puffs to stick in the toebox while you're not wearing them. Also, get him to stick a rubber nonslip sole on the bottom. I ALWAYS do this the first time I get a pair of shoes reheeled. It extends the life of the shoe like you wouldn't believe.
posted by tel3path at 1:04 PM on April 15, 2015
The cobbler shop in my area refuses to work on many types of shoes. I think it is because some of the new polymers don't adhere well with glue, so they really can't warranty the repair. I have had good luck with contact cement (apply a layer to both sides (I use a q-tip)) in a well ventilated place. Let dry for 15 minutes, then press together. This will last for a while, months?, then do it again.
posted by H21 at 1:10 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by H21 at 1:10 PM on April 15, 2015
A cobbler will do the best job, but if you want to go the DIY route, I recommend Barge brand contact cement. It bonds instantly, so it is a bit tricky to work with, and has REALLY gnarly vapors, but is strong as hell.
posted by TheCoug at 9:35 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by TheCoug at 9:35 PM on April 15, 2015
If you decide to make the repairs yourself, try E-6000 glue. It is AMAZING stuff!
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 10:37 AM on April 16, 2015
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 10:37 AM on April 16, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dolley at 5:50 AM on April 15, 2015 [8 favorites]