As a shoe guy, my wife thinks that when it comes to shoes, I can do anything. The Magic Man of shoes, so to speak 😉 Little does she know that while I know about shoes, I am not a cobbler. But as my knowledge is somewhat vast, I thought I would put it to the test and fix a pair of her shoes that had come undone. Here is a quick and simple video on how to fix your wife’s shoes, so that you, too, can fix your wife’s shoes when they come undone.
Most ladies’ shoes are cemented in construction, and even the pairs that cost upward of $200 do not always do a great job at the actual cemented construction. Here is a pair of Sam Edelman shoes that came apart after just 2 or 3 wears, on both shoes. They were practically new, and my wife was quite disappointed and asked if I could do something about it, i.e., either fix it or go get them fixed. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to DIY and share it with all of you.
So, here are the steps written out, and you can watch the video above for the visual tutorial.
Fine Grit Sandpaper
Before bonding any leather material together, you are supposed to ‘scratch up’ the areas that you plan to bond. When the material is scratched, i.e., not flat, it somehow holds the glue/cement better as well as sticks better to the other side that you are bonding. As you do not want to ruin the product, it is best to use fine-grit sandpaper for this. I use either 800 or 1000 grit paper. Admittedly, that did nothing on the sole material but did help scuff up the underside of the upper for proper bonding.
Glue/Cement Application
Since I do not have shoe cement lying around the house, but do often use Gorilla Glue, I knew that it would do the trick as it is super strong and the one that I have just so happens to work on ‘leather’, as stated on the tube. This stuff can get real messy real fast, so you definitely want to be careful when applying and be very still and careful.
Once you have applied it, wipe any excess down immediately. Have your paper towels or a rag ready to go. If you let this sit too long, it can already start to stick.
Holding The Pieces Together
To ensure a proper bond, you will want to make sure that the two sides that stick to each other do not separate at any point during the drying process. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You can put something heavy down or use clamps as the two simplest ways. I would avoid metal clamps. I used pretty lightweight plastic ones that are not super strong in their grip level. If you are clamping an upper that might deform, you can always put pads at the end of your clamps (like what you put on the bottom of a wooden chair leg).
Clean Up Excess Glue
I left the shoes to dry overnight and then cut off/rubbed off all excess glue that was sticking out of the sides. This cleans off pretty easily, and if you do not have super fine scissors as shown in the video, I would not try to invent anything and simply use your fingers.
How to fix your wife’s shoes is as easy as these four simple steps. Just be careful not to ruin them as you will then have a whole new set of problems on your hands!
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—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob