With a modern assortment of shops, even DIY shoe repair is not such a terrible and difficult task. The main thing is to choose the right glue that will not only “revive” the shoes that you already wanted to throw out, but will also allow them to be worn for a long time, without fear that at the most inopportune moment they will again come loose or tear.
Many of us have tried to repair shoes at least once in our lives. Such amateur performances did not always end successfully, because some types of work are best left to professionals. You may just not have the right materials at your fingertips, and using “what’s horrible” can be detrimental to the pair of shoes that a professional can handle without problems, and you’ll spend much less on his work than on new shoes.
So, if you decide on an independent minor repair, the main question that should be faced by you is: "What kind of shoe glue is better to choose for a varying degree of problems with your pair of shoes?"
A kind of instruction for the correct use of glue for shoe repair
Before you undertake such a task on your own, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the algorithm of the work that is ahead of you in order to understand whether you can cope with such a task.
Work should be carried out in several stages:
- The surfaces that will be glued together should be pre-washed, dried, cleaned and degreased with acetone or gasoline.
- The glue should be applied on both surfaces, before gluing you need to wait a bit, how much will be indicated in the instructions.
- If one of the surfaces (or both) is sufficiently porous and has absorbed a large amount of glue, you will need to re-apply another layer and wait a little again.
- It is important to compress surfaces as much as possible. Using good glue for shoes, it is important to compress as much as possible, but the duration of compression no longer plays such a significant role.
- After gluing, it is worth waiting from several hours to a day, how much you need to wait in each case, it must be indicated in the instructions.
Interesting nuances
Some adhesives require thermal activation. What does it mean? The adhesive film, which is obtained between the surfaces to be bonded, can only be reliably held between them when during the bonding step itself, in addition to pressure, a rather high temperature was also applied to the surface. This should also be said on the packaging with glue, and this factor can not be missed or ignored. It is important to understand that insufficient heating as well as excessive heating will negatively affect the result of your labors.
A rule, the knowledge of which will help you to choose the right glue without any problems
The answer to the question of which glue for shoes is better is probably just not there, since for different types of shoes from different materials there will be a “best” glue. On the shelves of modern shops you can see a wide variety of tubes and jars, on which the inscription "for shoes" flaunts. By the way, on the vast majority there is another inscription nearby - “universal”. But, as shoe experts say, universal glue is a completely wrong concept, since each of them has its own set of specific characteristics that should be taken into account before using it.
A very striking example is the “Moment” universal glue - it is it that is most often bought in order to glue a thing that has broken, crashed or torn. But the fact is that, hardening, such an adhesive becomes like glass, which means that if it is used for shoes, the result will be disastrous, since it leads to the onset of cracks in the place of gluing, because during wear it just breaks. So refuse to use it in order to repair shoes.
Rubber adhesives for shoes
If you need to carry out minor repairs and, for example, glue the insole, then the question of which glue for shoes is better, the answer is simple - rubber should be preferred. He has not too high adhesive ability, and he will not be able to cope with more complex tasks, but for secondary or auxiliary glues he is ideal and not so harmful to humans.
Is polyurethane glue really so good?
The absolute opposite of rubber glue is polyurethane glue. For shoes that are made of greased leather or have parts with a polyurethane, polychloride coating, it will be simply irreplaceable. Such glue provides a high degree of adhesion and a high level of strength of the result.
To repair your shoes with this glue, you don’t need any special knowledge, just follow the instructions carefully and do this work strictly step by step so that the result satisfies you.
Eva is a special compound that can also heal your shoes.
Among professional shoemakers, glue for Eva shoes is very popular. It is even used to repair children's shoes, as it is very flexible, hypoallergenic, able to repel moisture and after completely drying it becomes completely transparent. By the way, it is glue for Eva shoes that needs to be used if you need to work with PVC products. Again, following simple recommendations and instructions, you can achieve excellent results even without the help of a professional.
Clay "Moment"
As we have already said, the universal adhesive “Moment” is certainly not suitable for repair and restoration of shoes. In addition, if you bring shoes to the workshop that you tried to “save” with such glue, then you will have to pay several times more for the services of the master, because the process of restoring surfaces after such “experiments” is quite complicated. By the way, even the craftsmen do not always undertake such work, because if you tried several times to glue the surface of the shoes and the sole using the universal moment super-glue, then after such hand-made repairs often the shoes cannot be restored.
But the “Moment” for shoes has a completely different composition, which means that the effect on glued surfaces will be completely different.
Super-glue "Moment" for shoes has established itself quite well. More often it is used by ordinary people who decide to repair shoes on their own, as craftsmen prefer more professional materials for work. He perfectly glues a cracked sole, fixes a loose heel. The seam that forms is resistant to temperature extremes and moisture. Nevertheless, it is better to use it only for bonding hard, hard surfaces, but leave cracked skin with more gentle and soft adhesives.
How to glue the sole?
There is a difference between gluing the sole and gluing the cracked sole. To perform such tasks, different adhesives must be used so that the result will satisfy you as much as possible.
If you need to glue the sole to the leather top or top made of artificial leather - give preference to polyurethane options. After such a repair, the shoes will remain flexible, and in the places of bonding, the more delicate surface of the shoe upper will not crack.
If, for example, your heel has fallen off - this is already gluing the sole, which means that the same “Moment”, even a universal one, is suitable for such a task. It is he who will be able to firmly fix between himself two solid surfaces, and you will be sure that the heel will not stagger during wear.
What else does the result depend on?
Subject to all the rules for repairing shoes with their own hands and the conditions prescribed in the instructions, external factors can also affect the result, up to the air humidity at which gluing was carried out. It is best to carry out such a task in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area - and the result will be good, and you will not breathe harmful fumes.
High-quality natural shoes will be easier to glue on their own than capricious leatherette, so if you are too expensive for a pair of leatherette shoes, take it to the workshop.
So, as we were able to understand, the only right answer to the question "what glue for shoes is better than the rest" does not exist. If you doubt the correct choice of glue - either entrust such work to a professional, or take the time to ask him for advice in such a difficult choice.
The main thing is do not rush to run away somewhere in the “healed” shoes, give them the opportunity to stand, so that the glue dries to the end, so that all your work is not empty.