So I cobble as a hobbyist and one of my major sources for finding things to work on is big box stores (Wal-Mart) or a chinese shipping website. A lot of people post on reddit as a "pro-tip buy yourself a really good pair of shoes because they'll last longer" but it doesn't seem like many people know how to go upon repairing or reinforcing their shoes. It's a thousand times more simple than any sort of sewing or needlework - so you won't need much.
A thing I stumbled upon is that so many shoes come from the same form. So the thing that really sets converse apart from some generic canvas shoe is slight alterations to the design and what it's reinforced with. Most cheap shoes rip and break very easily because they are reinforced with cardboard or some sort of thin paper trash shoved between the insole and outsole. A name-brand will use higher quality glue and material but it comes down to all the same shit.
Shoe-Glue, E600, 1-2-3 Primer, and Contact Cement is all you really need to make a cheap weak shoe into one that will last ten times longer. Simply pull out the insole of the shoe and replace what's underneath it with a material that is thin (if you have thick outsoles) or thick (if you have thin outsoles). You can apply a thin layer of 1-2-3 Primer first to create a surface on the outsole (which will probably be rubber) for the glue to adhere to, otherwise, use contact cement. Once you replace this cheap in-between layer your shoe is guarantee to last way longer, it might also change the difference between your feet bouncing and your feet stomping when you walk.
Your shoes are likely to fall apart in the back heel or front cap before anything else, the next thing would be the outsole coming off. All these problems exist in a normal expensive shoe, but are time delayed because of the quality of material to absorb shock. Running shoes use nylon straps or straight up silicone (but things get weird when two polymers start rubbing against each other, so running shoes will usually have a foam sole).
I know this isn't really a total tutorial, I can make one if requested since I have plenty of old canvas shoes sitting around. I just wanted to share this advice since I having taken up cobbling I realized this hobby is basically dead to anyone who doesn't make leather boots for dudes who get overly hyped about beard cream. But it's not hard! - don't fret, don't be scared, it's not rocket science and is actually a lot easier than repairing your clothing. You don't need to get a Dr. Scholls as you can make your own customized soles with EVA foam and a traced foot.
Get out there and do it. You can always buy a "good pair of boots that will last" - but you can easily turn any pair of boots into one's that will last as well, slather up the shellac my dudes.
April 02, 2022 at 06:35AM
