GEAR AIDGEAR AID Aquaseal SR Shoe Repair Adhesive For Fixing Holes in Hiking, Work, Boots, Rainboots, Shoes, Soles and Rebuild Heels, Clear, 2 Pack

I must preface this by saying that I'm not a shoe repair professional, but I have done extensive repair and reconstruction on every pair of boots I've owned in the last 20 years. Most of my focus in this text will be the gross reattachment of outsoles. I will be using the example of my own boots, which specifically are of a cemented construction with a fiberboard insole, but no proper midsole. Construction types vary, so some interpretation may be required. In this text, "insole" is a permanent part of the shoe. Removable padded or contoured parts are referred to as "inserts".Regarding outsole reattachment, I have used various products available through retail (contact cements, E6000, etc), as well as some urethane sealants I've mixed and thinned for the task. Contact cements work great on boots with proper midsoles, but trying to glue stiff cup soles back on a cemented construction just seems easier with something that can fill the tucks in the leather. Neither Shoe Goo or E6000 were as tenacious or stiff as this product. Time will tell if Aquaseal SR endures, but I'm impressed so far.I find it hard to believe that an observant user can experience immediate failures with this product without questioning how or why the problem may have occurred; surely nobody expects effortless miracles. I feel that simplified instructions such as "clean and dry all surfaces" doesn't explain the actual scope of how clean or dry things need to be. Following is my outline for the process as I performed for a pair of boots that have been worn every day for about six years. Let this be both a guide for action and attention.█ Prepare:Remove any shoe inserts. Inserts retain moisture and prevent the shoes from being cleaned & dried in a timely fashion. Remove the laces if they're going to get in the way.█ Scarify:The goal here is to remove debris and old adhesive residue. If the old adhesive is brittle enough to fail, gluing to it will result in another failure. Don't just wipe it with a bit of sandpaper and call it done. I used a sanding drum on a die grinder to grind the old cement off the uppers and insole, and to grind the outsole down to virgin rubber.█ Clean:The goal here is to remove the debris from scarification and to ensure that the materials to be bonded are free of absorbed contaminants. I began with a solvent wipe using lacquer thinner, and finished by thoroughly scrubbing with water and a degreasing detergent (Formula 409, Simple Green, Krud Kutter). These steps are important if the uppers have been oiled or if they've been worn extensively. Permeable materials (fabric, leather, fiberboard, molded foam outsoles) will have absorbed sweat and will be saturated with these residues. Swabbing with alcohol or water alone will be insufficient to remove this residue; it should be washed thoroughly. You can always re-oil the leather after the repair is complete.█ Dry:This is the slowest part of the process. The surfaces to be bonded must be dry. With most adhesives of this type, absorbed moisture will reduce the reliability or strength of the bond. If you cleaned the shoe properly, it will be wet. Furthermore, most soft outsoles on shoes are made from a molded urethane foam. These types of soles will have been exposed while being washed, but they will often bear deeper absorbed moisture if they've been worn regularly (from sweat, environmental exposure).Resist trying to force-dry the shoes/boots with heat. At elevated temperatures, leather will shrink worse, and some contact adhesives used elsewhere on the shoe may reactivate (become fluid). I just threw my freshly washed boots on the roof of my car on a sunny day (~120F for 6h), and then they sat on a shelf for a few days. My boots were relatively quick to dry, since the outsoles are solid and they have no padding which might retain moisture. Drying out a thick foam outsole takes longer.█ Apply:Mask off any areas on the upper that you want to keep clean. Apply the adhesive to one surface and spread with a brush. Press the two surfaces together and pull them back apart. Observe where the adhesive has been transferred and use a brush and extra adhesive to make sure it gets everywhere it needs to be.█ Clamp:String, rubber bands, or stretchable tape such as electrical tape or tile tape works excellent for this, especially on well-worn (i.e. curved) boots or designs with molded rands. Importantly, this allows for pressure to be applied to the welt/rand area at the edge of the sole (see photo). It may be helpful to stuff the shoe with something (foam, rags, socks). This helps the upper retain its shape while under the clamping force. Filling the shoe also helps transfer pressure to the central area of the sole. Leave the assembly to dry for longer than the package recommends. This is especially important if you have applied the adhesive in thick sections, since these take longer to dry. This is also important if you have stiff soles that needed a lot of clamping pressure to take shape; these cases need the adhesive to be relatively strong before unclamping. I waited for 48h.█ Cleanup:I simply used lacquer thinner for general cleanup and to clean the application brush. I did not test it, but xylene or toluene likely work as well. These only work while the adhesive is uncured. You shouldn't have to clean your hands because you wore disposable gloves ... right?█ Finish work:Peel off the tape. Tape residues can usually be removed with mineral spirits or naphtha. You'll probably want to take this time to re-oil or refinish leather uppers.Consider taking this time to address recurring sole detachment problems that occur as a consequence of usage patterns (kicking/prying with toe or heel welt, kneeling causing delamination on instep, or use on hot surfaces). Even cheap glued-on soles can be reinforced by sewing, clinch nailing, or riveting. Exactly how this is done depends on the construction of the shoe; you'll have to figure that out.Sewing through the sole is easier than it sounds, but heavy thread (TEX135/FF/0.4mm to TEX410/#6/0.7mm) is often difficult to find retail. Most sporting goods stores sell braided nylon casting line; depending on material and construction, a 25-90lb line may be in the same ballpark size. These can be waxed, oiled, or simply used dry and then impregnated in-situ for strength and weatherproofness. Stitching through the welt on the outside of the shoe can be done with either a needle and pliers, a hook awl, or a eyelet/tubular awl. For Blake stitching through the insole, use a hook awl and perform lock-stitches with the free (shuttle) thread on the outside. I find that it's easiest if you periodically dip the awl in some linseed oil to act as both a lubricant and thread preservative. If your shoes have hard outsoles or fiberboard insoles/midsoles, a small drill can be used for punching the holes; otherwise, a straight awl might be used. Cut a relief groove if necessary to protect the thread from abrasion.█ Adhesive storage:There are lots of complaints that the product dries in the tube or clogs. I have not yet had a tube of this product which I didn't use completely in one job, but I have had the same problem on many other products. The reason varies, but the problem is always the cap. Sometimes the cap fits poorly and does not even mechanically seal. Sometimes the cap shrinks and cracks on exposure to the adhesive (Permatex RTV silicones). Usually it's simply the fact that plastic is vapor-permeable, allowing either solvent egress or moisture/oxygen ingress. There's a reason why these products are shipped in foil tubes instead of plastic tubes. Even a perfectly-fitting plastic cap is a slow death for such products. A plastic bottle with a cardboard seal, a plastic bag, polyethylene wrap are all hopelessly permeable and will offer no protection. Wrapping the entire thing in foil may possibly help, and putting it in the fridge or freezer slows the process (though not all things should be frozen).A simple solution is to make disposable tube seals (see photo). Apply aluminum foil tape to a sheet of thin rubber, felt, or craft foam; punch or cut into circles that fit tightly into the cap. Place the seal in the cap so that the foil will be pressed against the tube mouth when the cap is tightened. It's this metal-metal seal that makes the foil effective. The rubber or felt makes the seal compliant enough to make full contact on the irregular tube mouth. The seal usually gets mangled during removal, so make extras. You can always wrap the tube in foil and throw it in the freezer just for good measure.An industrious person can always make a metal cap for products they use regularly (see example in photo). These Aquaseal SR tubes have 7/16"-20 straight threads, though don't count on impact-extruded tubes to have perfect thread geometry, and don't expect the tube mouth to be square to the threads. It's worth mention as an extension of the low-permeability seal concept, but I don't expect anyone to actually consider doing this.That said, if you can't bother cleaning the threads, don't expect inanimate reality to protect you from your own mistake.█ ConclusionAs the photos show, the boots are now reassembled, sewn and oiled. I did not have any trouble with excess squeeze-out. I regret not having taken pictures of the disassembled and scarified soles/uppers. In my case, the soles were completely detached except for the heels (which are nailed). I said "gross reattachment", didn't I? If I can make it work on that scale, surely it'll work to glue sneaker rands.

Bought this as a temporary repair option for my climbing shoes. It is obviously not as good as getting your shoes re-soled, but I didn't think it was worth it for me to pay for a re-sole. There is still a good amount of rubber on my shoes, but a hole was beginning to appear on the top of my rand. I applied this on the spot, let it dry for 24 hours, then applied another layer, and I do not need to re-apply for several weeks. A tip to prevent the glue from hardening is to put it in the freezer when not in use, and then take it out a few hours before use to thaw!

Worked good!

I used this Aquaseal SR Shoe Repair Adhesive to reattach the sole of rubber muck boots that were separating in several areas. I used a little sheet of 80 grit sandpaper to slide in and rough up the surface just a little, not sure if that was necessary. I then used a craft popsickle stick to push it into the gap where the rubber boot meets the sole and this is the first adhesive repair that has actually held on all rubber boots. I have tried the black goo and some other brand as well and they just didn't stay adhered to the rubber boots like this Aquaseal SR Shoe Repair Adhesive does. I used some painters tape to act like a clamp and some duct tape over the painters tape and left the boots over night before pulling the tape off and boots are as good as new now and since this is clear you can't even see where the sole had been separating before. I wear my rubber muck boots when painting or working with epoxy and now I have reattached soles giving my boots many more years of life.

Let me start by saying,I use a lot of glue in my profession of 30+ years. Everything from Super glue to Epoxy.I bought these boots off the sale rack. First time I wore them at work the entire sole almost came off. Couldn't return them, wife insisted I take them to a shoe repair guy. LOL, we all know thats a huge hassle even if you find someone. So I figured I got this and ordered up this stuff (w/o telling wifey). As it turns out I had to do both boots and had to order more. I suggest 1 tube per sole and apply liberally over the entirety of both surfaces That was a month ago and so far so good... Its holding up really well.Ill share a few tips for success with glue.1. Let the Glue cure, never rush.2. Wear Nitrile gloves to keep glue off you. I also advise using grubby clothes just in case. Once glue gets in clothing is a major pain to get out... if you can. See my hack about acetone at the end for clean up.3. Tongue depressors aka Popsicle sticks to apply glue works best. Plastic putty knives are better... its just such a waste of plastic.4. If you are worried about the glue getting on the outside of the shoe I suggest taping the areas off with blue painters tape as it will ooze out when you clamp/tape the shoe back together. Remove the tape as soon as you complete clamping/taping and its done oozing out. Key thing here... Get that blue tape off before the glue sets! Or it won't be pretty... Literally.5. If you are using tape and are concerned about the exterior finish of the shoe. Wrap the boot in paper then with tape. See pictures. For clamping get something a little thicker like cardboard or felt.6. Sorry but I feel the need to stress this again... As with all glue let it cure! I let these boots cure for 2 days before I tried them on and gave them a very short test walk. Then I let them sit again for another 24hrs before used them. They are my daily work boots now.7. The best things you can do for any glue is make sure the surfaces you are adhearing together are clean and old glue is removed. If you can't and the old glue is really on there its probably ok to glue over so long as its scuffed and cleaned. Scuff both surfaces well with a sanding sponge or sand paper. Clean thoroughly before you apply glue to both surfaces, give them a little time to get tacky. This time is dependent on glue. I just give it a test touch with an applicator or gloved finger. It should stick enough you need to pull away but not so much it won't pull away easily. Stick them to together and apply some type of securing device (clamps, vise, tape, etc.) to keep them stuck together. Once again.... always give the glue time to cure while item is secured. I like to give it a little more time after I removed clamps or tape for a little extra air time for curing in normal resting position. I always give glue more time then the directions advise. Don't try and rush with heat, air, etc. A fan doesn't hurt but just giving it plenty of time in an open area at room temp is ideal.8. Lastly, here is a little glue hack I have learned. Acetone is your friend with removing and prepping for most glues. If you have old rubbery glue you need off the surface use acetone liberally with a plastic scraper and raggs. For Me, as a general rule, I wipe surfaces down with acetone before and after I scruff them. Just make sure that the surfaces are 100% dry before you apply the new glue or this will fail.Also, acetone works great for clean up. Keep in mind Acetone is what they use for nail polish remover. Do yourself a favor and save money. Don't use nail polish remover. Go to a home improvement store and buy a jug of it there for a small fraction of what the beauty industry charges. And guys, leave your ladies nail polish remover alone. Trust me on this.OK, all done, I hope this was helpful. Good Luck.