What kind of glue do shoe manufacturers use?

Thread Starter

Eric007

Joined Aug 5, 2011
1,158
Hi All,

I am tired of taking my Jordan sneaker to the shoe repairman. The glue he puts lasts for about a week then comes off plus it's not too clean either.

So I did a bit of Google and found people suggesting *Shoe Goo* and one person suggested *Gorilla glue* so I want to know what kind of glue do shoe manufacturers like Nike, addidas,... use? and what do you think of those two glues I mentioned above?

Thanks!
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
Gorilla Glue and PVA likely will not work. A contact cement is the best choice (yay, MrChips). "Shoe Goo" sounds like a type of contact cement, although I am not familiar with it. I've used Walthers Goo and countertop contact cement.

The secret of success with a contact cement is in the application. It is different than other types of glue. First, make sure the mating surfaces are dry and squeaky clean. Second, apply a thin layer which completely covers both surfaces. Don't let them touch yet. Third, wait! The time depends on what you read in the instructions. Fourth, carefully align and join the two surfaces. Press firmly, using clamps wherever possible to ensure a good joint. Finally, wait again! A long time to allow the solvents to leave the adhesive. Again, you know how long since you've read the instructions.

Good luck!
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
There is more than one answer, depending on the type of repair you need to make. I have used Gorilla Glue with success (the foamy, sticky stuff) in shoes but it dries hard. You can't use it where flexing will destroy it, and you have to take care to avoid excess glue causing a bump that might be uncomfortable. But the advantage is that it sticks very tenaciously to uneven surfaces.

When my sandals delaminated, I used contact cement and that has lasted very well, but there was a large surface area. I don't think contact cement would work on "small" repairs where you don't have the surface area.
 

sirch2

Joined Jan 21, 2013
1,037
As with many adhesives it is very dependent on the materials being bonded but I have found Aquasure to be good on shoes. It is intended for repairing wetsuits and is not cheap but it never comes off. I have also used it to coat worn areas but be careful because it is very runny and takes several hours to set.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
The product I recommend is made by Eclectic Chemical/Eclectic Products. Its original product for consumers was Goop (not Goo). For some reason it changed that product to E6000 and now that is E6000 series. Here is a link to the E6000 stuff: http://www.eclecticproducts.com/e6000_retail.htm

I suspect it distributes worldwide, but local constraints on hazardous chemicals may affect its availability to you -- it used to contain a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent. It is NOT a contact cement; although, some contact cements like Pliobond may work too.

Modelers have been using it for years to affix various plastics to other plastics, for example, nylon tubing to fiberglass. It goes on as a bead,like toothpaste, then by solvent evaportation/polymerization it becomes a very thin, extremely adherent (very high peel strength) adhesive. Of course, it wasn't made for modelers. It was made to repair rubber/vinyl/plastic shoes. I suspect Eclectic realized the market was greater than just shoes and came out with the E6000 brand name.

I have done a fair bit of work with adhesives. The original Goop/E6000 is really quite good. Unlike epoxy, it is quite flexible and has great peel strength. It drys clear. It does take a few days for it to cure completely. After just overnight, it is probably usable.

I would not recommend a PVA adhesive. They have much poorer peel strength on non-porous surfaces and many are not water resistant. Those that are tend to turn brown.

John

EDIT: BTW, Goop/E6000 shrinks when it cures. Thus, the parts are brought closer together. Most urethane adhesives expand (out-gas) on curing. The parts need to be clamped or they will spread apart. Contact cements shrink a little as the solvent evaporates. They are what old-time leather cobblers used.
 
Last edited:

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Shoe and leather workers use "Barge cement", a type/brand of contact cement. The "Goop" cements are very similar to RTV, without the silicone, they have many different types of 'goop' for different types of work. Never had much luck getting anything to stay together using Pliobond. Loctite used to make an adhesive for speaker repair, don't know if it's still made though.
 

Thread Starter

Eric007

Joined Aug 5, 2011
1,158
Shoe and leather workers use "Barge cement", a type/brand of contact cement. The "Goop" cements are very similar to RTV, without the silicone, they have many different types of 'goop' for different types of work. Never had much luck getting anything to stay together using Pliobond. Loctite used to make an adhesive for speaker repair, don't know if it's still made though.
I found this nice video on youtube about your *Barge cement*
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BARGE-INFIN..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2320e2ab84#shpCntId

And this on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BARGE-INFIN..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2320e2ab84#shpCntId

As it is a contact cement type of glue I think I'll go for it! btw I am not sure how to edit links so it appears nicely in one word.

Thanks all for your comments!
 

Thread Starter

Eric007

Joined Aug 5, 2011
1,158
Will take the smaller format Barge Cement
I guess it is the same MrChips, right? The other one is interesting but too big and going to cost me money that I don't have...
 
Last edited:
Shoe Goo and Gorilla are one of the common leather glues. I have used it on a few pairs of shoes and other similar items since I got Shoe Goo, and it works well. I thought I had to throw away my favorite sneakers with my toes completely apart. I first sealed the edges of the soles with glue, dried them, and then glued the edges together and dried for 48 hours. My sneakers are like new shoes.
 
Top