A Load of Cobblers: Footwear Repair

[Ogdred Weary]

Fellow Footbearing Forteans,

I've just lost the bottom of one of my walking boots, as in the entire thick rubber sole has come away from the leather upper. It looks like it was glued/stuck previously. Is it worth attempting to get them them repaired? I'll likely get new ones anyway but it seems a shame to throw up otherwise solid boots. Thee pair are about 10-11 years old but have maybe been worn 50-60 times.

Any ideas? Obviously I don't know how scrupulous any local cobblers might be and they might look fine but I might just be adding an extra cost to a new pair if the repair fails after a few walks.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Generally speaking, an honest cobbler will cite the "Rule of Uppers" ...

If the shoe's uppers (everything / anything above the sole) are worn out / cracked / damaged you're better off replacing them (unless there's some overriding reason - e.g., sentimental value - for fixing them).

Soles and heels, on the other hand, can always be fixed or replaced.

Are the soles noticeably worn (if only around the periphery)?

What sort of soles do these boots have? The ubiquitous Vibram type? Or something perhaps peculiar to the original manufacturer?

If it's an odd or manufacturer-specific sole, you may be looking at replacing both rather than just the one.

If they were merely glued or bonded the failure may be a sign they aren't reliable for the long run.

FWIW ... If I were in this situation I'd get better boots and then check to see if the old ones were worth fixing as a backup pair.

 

[escargot]

Fellow Footbearing Forteans,

I've just lost the bottom of one of my walking boots, as in the entire thick rubber sole has come away from the leather upper. It looks like it was glued/stuck previously. Is it worth attempting to get them them repaired? I'll likely get new ones anyway but it seems a shame to throw up otherwise solid boots. Thee pair are about 10-11 years old but have maybe been worn 50-60 times.

Any ideas? Obviously I don't know how scrupulous any local cobblers might be and they might look fine but I might just be adding an extra cost to a new pair if the repair fails after a few walks.

Over the years when broke I have glued soles back onto my own and my kids' footwear with varying degrees of success. If to doesn't stick first time I'd try another glue! It all depends on the quality of the adhesive.

Cobblers can also do this and make a better job of it. Your cobbler may suggest a total resole if the boots are looking worn but it doesn't sound as if yours need that. You can also buy soles to stick on, remember.

If you want to try doing it yourself there are products like Shoe-Goo that are specially made. I've always used whatever strong adhesive was handy, including Evo-Stik and the foul-smelling Croids Glue.

So it depends on
a. whether you still have the sole to stick back on
b. how confident you are about glueing it yourself
c. whether the boots are worth it.

Up to me, if I had the sole I'd always try the DIY approach.

 

[stu neville]

Worth a go. I had a detached sole on one of an expensive pair of work shoes that looked completely irretrievable, but the local Timpson repaired it brilliantly, and checked the other thoroughly in case there was a similar weakness for a third the price of a new pair. He's honest, too, if it's not worth it he'll say so. Nothing to lose.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Thanks @EnolaGaia @stu neville and @escargot

Boots may be old chronologically but are relatively "young" in terms of wear and tear, the sole and upper both seem fine, there was enough of the upper and "inner sole" for my to comfortably, if awkwardly, walk on. Will make some sort of attempt at repair, either myself or a cobbler. I'll at least try to sound out a cobbler or two and see what they suggest. Spoke to a friend who had the same thing happen and repair was £70, that's roughly what I paid for them but it was an outlet store, so actual shelf price could have been up to twice that.

My main concern re: repair whether done professionally or by my very amateur hand. is that the same thing could happen when I'm two-three hours walk from home across mostly mud. I was lucky that this occurred on a dry day and near a bus stop which was actually en route home.

 

[maximus otter]

Fellow Footbearing Forteans,

I've just lost the bottom of one of my walking boots, as in the entire thick rubber sole has come away from the leather upper. It looks like it was glued/stuck previously. Is it worth attempting to get them them repaired? I'll likely get new ones anyway but it seems a shame to throw up otherwise solid boots. Thee pair are about 10-11 years old but have maybe been worn 50-60 times.

Any ideas? Obviously I don't know how scrupulous any local cobblers might be and they might look fine but I might just be adding an extra cost to a new pair if the repair fails after a few walks.

Altberg in Yorkshire used to resole any boot, but their current web page mentions only their own brand. lt might be worth firing them an email.

Or:

https://www.cheshireshoe.co.uk/hiking-boot-resoles-repairs/

https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/walking-boot-repairs-and-resoles/

maximus otter

 

[oxo66]

Over the years when broke I have glued soles back onto my own and my kids' footwear with varying degrees of success. If to doesn't stick first time I'd try another glue! It all depends on the quality of the adhesive.

Cobblers can also do this and make a better job of it. Your cobbler may suggest a total resole if the boots are looking worn but it doesn't sound as if yours need that. You can also buy soles to stick on, remember.

If you want to try doing it yourself there are products like Shoe-Goo that are specially made. I've always used whatever strong adhesive was handy, including Evo-Stik and the foul-smelling Croids Glue.

So it depends on
a. whether you still have the sole to stick back on
b. how confident you are about glueing it yourself
c. whether the boots are worth it.

Up to me, if I had the sole I'd always try the DIY approach.

Yes to pretty much all of this. I glued the sole of my right sandal back on this weekend using evostik. Previously tried copydex - thought it might work because material is rubbery plastic but it didn't. Evostik seems to have made good contact but I've not road-tested them yet.

oxo

 

[Nemo]

Have you thought about asking a trad. clog maker to (try and) adapt your foot wear?.

 

[escargot]

Yes to pretty much all of this. I glued the sole of my right sandal back on this weekend using evostik. Previously tried copydex - thought it might work because material is rubbery plastic but it didn't. Evostik seems to have made good contact but I've not road-tested them yet.

oxo

Yup, I love Copydex but it's not up to cobbling! You need something a bit more butch.

 

[Ermintruder]

something a bit more butch

like Shoe-Goo

Shoe-Goo is outstandingly good for boot& shoe repair / sole replacement...avoid even trying Evo-Stick contact adhesive, "The Goo"' has the true fu.

will cite the "Rule of Uppers" ...

I'd substantially agree, especially if the uppers are eg goretex lined, or only have a singular repair to be made (I've extracted a good few extra years/miles of life from repairing >limited< damage to boots' uppers).

Application of eg Sugru (an amazing DIY two-part rubber substance, ideal for footware repair), tactical wax insertion up one's welt, or injection of flexible bath sealant can resurrect many a poor old boot.

Two other related tricks which I heartly-endorse are: rubbing the wax from a repurposed scented nightlight/tealight into unwaterproofed leather gloves, followed by hairdryer enmeltment (I recommend sandlewood); also, waterproofing 'trainers' or non-tactical fabric so-called boots via the application of an entire tub of Nivea or other lanolin-based skin emollient, also hairdryer-assisted.

I know we aren't yet all scraping a bare existence in a post-apocalyptic zombie-ridden wasteland, and buying new is still an option for many, but....we do need to think a bit about what next year might actually look like....

 

[Nemo]

I know we aren't yet all scraping a bare existence in a post-apocalyptic zombie-ridden wasteland, and buying new is still an option for many, but....we do need to think a bit about what next year might actually look like....

Would Zombie skin be tan-able?

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Looking online, I live about 10-15mins from a proper old school cobbler, I'll see what he says.

 

[escargot]

It may be time to quote Yes Minister and refer m'learned friends to the concept of a consignment of geriatric shoemakers.

 

[Kondoru]

All this is sound advice

I am a leather worker but do not cobble

 

[catseye]

I have just failed to mend my trainers for the second time, using superglue. Worked the first time and they held for another thirty miles or so, then the sole fell off again six miles from home. This time round, the glue is failing to hold.

Mind you, it's not that super superglue. It is the Captain America of the superglue world.

 

[Stormkhan]

Eehh, it takes me back!
Firstly, to the days when people actually used cobblers and such to repair day-to-day items, rather than bin and buy more.
Secondly, to my first "Saturday" job - in a Mister Minit heelbar and Key Cutters in the Woolwich branch of Woolworths.

I'm not doing my "finger on the pulse" or cutting edge knowledge any good here, am I?

Any glue you use on shoes or boots has to combine flexibility and incredible sticking power. Superglue is sticky but hardens into a sheet. Copydex is flexible but is weak.
Seriously, I dunno what the glue was that we used. It required long heating, stank, and was stringy as all heck; imagine a glue with the consistency of mozzarella cheese. When cold, it was solid like amber but surprisingly flexible. The bloke who run the concession showed me where he'd spilled a bit of the glue. Chipped at it with a trimming knife to get an edge then peeled up the stuff. It bent like tough leather ... which makes sense, really.
I honestly don't know of a suitable glue on the 'open market' - I'm sure there's loads on eBay or Amazon who'll claim suitability - but I'd source a craftsman.

 

[brownmane]

I had a pair of leather winter boots resoled once. They were about 10 years old and still in good shape and I couldn't have bought the same for a reasonable price. I walked to work daily at the time. I did get them professionally done and had them another 5 or so years. By that time, the leather was quite worn and I got a pair of less stylish, but better at keeping slush out boots. It was definitely worth the small price.

As I became older, I appreciated dry warm feet over style

 

[Krepostnoi]

Have you thought about asking a trad. clog maker to (try and) adapt your foot wear?.

Not many of them left, these days. My para boot clogs back in the day were made by the Mayor of Todmorden, no less, and they lasted a good couple of decades. He carved the soles by hand, and the result was way better than Walkley's machine-made soles. I did hear of one young lass down in the South-West who apparently is apprenticing as a clog-maker, but she'll be walking the less-trodden path, if she sticks with it....

 

[Spookdaddy]

...Any ideas? Obviously I don't know how scrupulous any local cobblers might be and they might look fine but I might just be adding an extra cost to a new pair if the repair fails after a few walks.

Although now I come to think of it I haven't done so for years, I used to regularly get work and walking boots resoled, and never had any issues. I worked on the rule of thumb that I could get the lifetime of two soles out of a good boot before the whole unit fell apart. Most of those repairs were with Vibram soles, though - they'd just slice off the old one and glue on the new. A lot of boots these days have moulded souls - I think you're stuffed with those unless the manufacturer offers a repair service.

I've done the odd minor repair myself - slicing out and splicing in bits of new rubber where there's damage. I've always used a hot glue gun, but I think there are specific products on the market these days which may do a better job.

Oh, and - if they ever open again - it's worth seeing if your local independent outdoor shop can send them off for repair. I don't think the big chains do - but my local mountaineering shop used to send them off somewhere to be magicked back to life.

I have just failed to mend my trainers for the second time, using superglue. Worked the first time and they held for another thirty miles or so, then the sole fell off again six miles from home. This time round, the glue is failing to hold.

Mind you, it's not that super superglue. It is the Captain America of the superglue world.

I find super glue type adhesives overrated - or at least the breadth of their usefulness massively overestimated. These days there are plenty of specifically formulated glues for specific jobs. There is really no one size fits all (or even many) - it's all about the chemistry and its relationship with the material it's designed to bond. (I recently bought some glue for sticking vinyl tarp - pretty awesome, but the instructions are in Polish and it's probably made out of red mercury and boiled chicken lips and banned in most civilised countries.)

 

[catseye]

I find super glue type adhesives overrated - or at least the breadth of their usefulness massively overestimated. These days there are plenty of specifically formulated glues for specific jobs. There is really no one size fits all (or even many) - it's all about the chemistry and its relationship with the material it's designed to bond. (I recently bought some glue for sticking vinyl tarp - pretty awesome, but the instructions are in Polish and it's probably made out of red mercury and boiled chicken lips and banned in most civilised countries.)

You're right. But we only sell one type of glue in the shop and that's it. Of course, we also sell Sellotape, but I don't imagine that would do much better,

 

[Mythopoeika]

Yes to pretty much all of this. I glued the sole of my right sandal back on this weekend using evostik. Previously tried copydex - thought it might work because material is rubbery plastic but it didn't. Evostik seems to have made good contact but I've not road-tested them yet.

oxo

Copydex isn't waterproof. Good old Araldite, that's what you want.

 

[Kondoru]

Shoogoo.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Shoogoo.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Went to see said Old School Cobbler who looked at them for about 3 seconds before saying the boots were completely disposable and there was no point in spending more money on them. Though they looked and felt sturdy enough and certainly never let water in or other issues, the soles were a hollow rubber "cell" - his words, with little to adhere anything to and the uppers didn't have enough leather to stick a newer sole too.

He then spent about an hour talking to me about shoes, the general surrealness (surreality?) was enhanced by a radio station playing various forms of experimental music.

 

[brownmane]

He then spent about an hour talking to me about shoes, the general surrealness (surreality?) was enhanced by a radio station playing various forms of experimental music.

And now you know more about shoes than you ever wanted to

 

[escargot]

Went to see said Old School Cobbler who looked at them for about 3 seconds before saying the boots were completely disposable and there was no point in spending more money on them. Though they looked and felt sturdy enough and certainly never let water in or other issues, the soles were a hollow rubber "cell" - his words, with little to adhere anything to and the uppers didn't have enough leather to stick a newer sole too.

He then spent about an hour talking to me about shoes, the general surrealness (surreality?) was enhanced by a radio station playing various forms of experimental music.

It's Evo-Stik time.

 

[Kondoru]

Guys like that, ask them how much a pair will cost to make.

Chances he hasn't the skills to actually COBBLE.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

It's Evo-Stik time.

I've already chucked them. Even before seeing him, I looked at the "hollow cell" sole and thought "how the fuck am I going to get that to stick to anything?" I was hoping he could do some Cobbler-Magick, or "Cobblers" as I believe it is called. If they were regular shoes I'd have an attempt at sticking them but I don't want to risk a repeat if I'm in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by mud.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Guys like that, ask them how much a pair will cost to make.

Chances he hasn't the skills to actually COBBLE.

I can give you the address and you can spend an hour listening to his load of cobblers.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

And now you know more about shoes than you ever wanted to

It's half an apprenticeship at least.