can I glue leather to junk sandals?

[tnhomestead]

Hey got a pair of those jumker sandals from that big box store we all love to hate. Of course, with my size 15 flippers, they are useless! So I am thinking of gluing a piece of leather on top and get rid of the junk plastic straps -- has anyone ever tried this and is it doable? Was just going to use contact cement to hold it all together.

 

Thanks

[johnv474]

Most of those cheap sandals are made with EVA foam, which does adhere to leather (and rubber) with contact cement such as Master All-Purpose Cement, Barge, etc. I do not remember what Weldwood is made up of, but it would likely work too.

 

Clean the sandals, then sand (40-80 grit) enough to rough up both surfaces. Then swipe with thinner or another solvent to remove surface waxes/oils which interfere with adhesion. Apply cement thinly to both sides. Let dry completely. Apply cement thinly again, let dry about 5-10 minutes, then apply the two together with pressure. Then, leave them for an hour or more before trimming, sanding, or any finish work. You should be good.

 

Optional: several drops of super glue around the outside of the leather immediately before pressing the contact cemented pieces together.

[TomG]

Even better, do a search here for Sandal Patterns.  I seem to recall seeing a pretty good tutorial on making them a while back.  I'll look as well.

 

[TomG]

Try this and scroll to the top

 

 

[tnhomestead]

Thanks for the help -- give this a try this week!