What glue to use to fix the rand of hiking boots where the toes crease when walking?

GervisLooper

Got these shoes a year and a bit ago which cost a pretty penny as you can see from the price: https://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/all_products/veggie_trekker_mk5_black/18001_p.html

First time buying 'premium' priced boots having been fed up having to change them every six months to a year up to that point with so many claiming the 'false economy' of cheap ones. Ironically these ones are failing too at not long over a year!

Been very happy with them up to now however the rand part (new term to me but that is what the sellers called it when I asked them) is now coming away at the part where it would crease. As mentioned I contacted the sellers for advice and they indicated either contact adhesive or super glue but in this case, due to it being the rand, that they might not be sufficient and to go and find a hiking boot repair service.

I had already tried some spray adhesive and also sika silicone, both of which I had lying around already. Both performed woefully and did not even grab to any degree. I would press down and even left over night on one try with some weights and the next morning they just came unstuck when weights were removed.

I bought some gorilla contact adhesive with similar results today. The rubber is kind of warped outwards which makes the seam want to pull away naturally now giving resistance to whatever adhesive I put between.

As this is the part that creases on every foot step I am skeptical as to what will work and not just come away like the above attempts. On the other hand, when making the shoes, they must have presumably used some kind of adhesive so something must work.

I have considerable water ingress at these points making them barely fit for purpose as soon as coming to slightly wet ground. I will note they performed in exemplary fashion before this in terms of keeping the feet dry in all but torrential rains. It will really be a bust if I paid all that money and turns out they lasted as long as the decathlon £30-50 cheapos.

So what should I try next? I prefer exhaust my options of glues I can buy myself before resorting to having to see a tailor.

FreeBear

GervisLooper said: First time buying 'premium' priced boots having been fed up having to change them every six months to a year up to that point with so many claiming the 'false economy' of cheap ones. Ironically these ones are failing too at not long over a year!

A contact adhesive would have been my recommendation. But having already used other adhesives (that have failed), you are going to struggle to find anything that will now stick. The last time I needed to get a shoe repaired, I used Timpsons - They have some very strong adhesives, and I think I paid about £10 to have the sole reattached.

On a side note - Have given up on boots for hiking and switched to using approach shoes from Merrell. Less weight to lift on every step. Also found GoreTex to be a waste of money. Feet get very sweaty, and the oils in sweat clog up GoreTex. With a lightweight shoe, it will dry out fairly quickly anyway. And if you need "waterproof", a plastic bag over your sock inside the shoe works just as well.

Whilst Merrells are not cheap, I'm getting 2+ years out of a pair using them daily.

ThisIsWeird

Hi GV.

Any chance of a photo, so we can understand where, exactly, the problem is?

I suspect FreeBear's suggestion of going to Timpson will be the safest, and it'll be interesting to see if they are familiar with veggie-boots.

Depending on where the damage is, my go-to is StixAll, which is very sticky, very tough, and very rubbery - ie completely flexible. I've used it numerous times to seal and reattach soles and other parts. Provided you get a good contact grip - so surfaces need to be very clean and keyed - it usually lasts until the rest of the walking shoes fall apart.

But, in your case, I'd first try Timpsons.

GervisLooper

FreeBear said:

GervisLooper said: First time buying 'premium' priced boots having been fed up having to change them every six months to a year up to that point with so many claiming the 'false economy' of cheap ones. Ironically these ones are failing too at not long over a year!

A contact adhesive would have been my recommendation. But having already used other adhesives (that have failed), you are going to struggle to find anything that will now stick. The last time I needed to get a shoe repaired, I used Timpsons - They have some very strong adhesives, and I think I paid about £10 to have the sole reattached.

On a side note - Have given up on boots for hiking and switched to using approach shoes from Merrell. Less weight to lift on every step. Also found GoreTex to be a waste of money. Feet get very sweaty, and the oils in sweat clog up GoreTex. With a lightweight shoe, it will dry out fairly quickly anyway. And if you need "waterproof", a plastic bag over your sock inside the shoe works just as well.

Whilst Merrells are not cheap, I'm getting 2+ years out of a pair using them daily.

Well the shoe repair shop don't have a monopoly on strong adhesives I think? Just a case of knowing what type they use and buying myself.

GervisLooper

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi GV.

Any chance of a photo, so we can understand where, exactly, the problem is?

I suspect FreeBear's suggestion of going to Timpson will be the safest, and it'll be interesting to see if they are familiar with veggie-boots.

Depending on where the damage is, my go-to is StixAll, which is very sticky, very tough, and very rubbery - ie completely flexible. I've used it numerous times to seal and reattach soles and other parts. Provided you get a good contact grip - so surfaces need to be very clean and keyed - it usually lasts until the rest of the walking shoes fall apart.

But, in your case, I'd first try Timpsons.

I would try them last not first.

I don't have access to a camera no.

Can you not envision the part where the toes attach to the rest of the foot? The part where it creases when walking.

Ahhh stixall is exactly the sika silicone I was referring to which I tried and failed. Apparently it does not stick all!

ThisIsWeird

The only part I can see that could be separating is where the toe cap meets the top of the boot - see yellow arrow. Is that it?

I'd have thought that ideal for StixAll, and have repaired similar myself - eg where rubber toe-caps come up and join to the front-top of the boot.

Are you sure that StixAll is the product you used?

I'd gently use a sharp paring knife or similar to scrape away all the products you have already used, and make sure it's bone dry (tho' StixAll is surprisingly tolerant), and then...

Take it to Timpsons. I don't understand your reluctance?

Or, get a tube in black: https://www.toolstation.com/stixall-adhesive-sealant/p60981

Get it right in there, and press it gently into place to extrude excess SA. Wipe away excess, leaving a smoothish edge along the top join. Use tape to hold the rand firmly against the boot upper. Leave for a day to set - ideally close to a radiator.

Alderbank

Superglue is destroyed by moisture. That is a useful property when you superglue your fingers but makes it unsuitable for repairing anything like hiking boots.

Since your soles are Vibram you could do worse than refer to the 190 page Vibram Repair Catalogue for detailed instructions on how to identify the specific type of Vibram used in your soles (there are several) and exactly how to glue them.
https://eu.vibram.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-VibramEU-Library/default/dw8760b92c/pdfs/RepairCatalogue_EN.pdf

This is also a good instruction guide for DIY boot repairs
https://nushoe.com/how-to-repair-boots/#:~:text=Rand%20Repair,cure%20for%208%2D12%20hours.
This one also covers repairing the boot rand.

All guides stress the importance of thorough preparation beforehand such as grinding, especially if you have dabbled with silicones.

Aquaseal SR is specially made for exactly your application and is widely recommended by lots of satisfied users. It is made largely of urethane polymers so is probably vegan but you might need to check that with the manufacturers (I can't find anything online).

FreeBear

GervisLooper said:

FreeBear said:

GervisLooper said: First time buying 'premium' priced boots having been fed up having to change them every six months to a year up to that point with so many claiming the 'false economy' of cheap ones. Ironically these ones are failing too at not long over a year!

A contact adhesive would have been my recommendation. But having already used other adhesives (that have failed), you are going to struggle to find anything that will now stick. The last time I needed to get a shoe repaired, I used Timpsons - They have some very strong adhesives, and I think I paid about £10 to have the sole reattached.

On a side note - Have given up on boots for hiking and switched to using approach shoes from Merrell. Less weight to lift on every step. Also found GoreTex to be a waste of money. Feet get very sweaty, and the oils in sweat clog up GoreTex. With a lightweight shoe, it will dry out fairly quickly anyway. And if you need "waterproof", a plastic bag over your sock inside the shoe works just as well.

Whilst Merrells are not cheap, I'm getting 2+ years out of a pair using them daily.

Well the shoe repair shop don't have a monopoly on strong adhesives I think? Just a case of knowing what type they use and buying myself.

True, shoe repair shops don't have the monopoly on adhesives. But if you are spending £7+ on a big tube and just using a small dab, the rest of it will get thrown out (adhesives have a limited shelf life).

twopenny

I bought a flexible glue in a cheapie DIY shop.

It's clear, easy to apply and so far has done a good job on my hoover tube.

I did have to reapply once, it may be I wasn't careful enough - but it's cheap, effective and can be reapplied. You could even carry it in you pocket

Think it is this - I'm not going out in the cold to the garage to check

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bostik-Soft-Plastic-Clear-Adhesive/dp/B0001OZI52

silvercar

Don’t premium products come with a warranty? Isn’t the whole point of paying extra for a premium product that they are made to last? I’d be disappointed if I’d paid extra for something to last a long time and it needed a repair in just over a year.

GDB2222

ThisIsWeird said:

The only part I can see that could be separating is where the toe cap meets the top of the boot - see yellow arrow. Is that it?

I'd have thought that ideal for StixAll, and have repaired similar myself - eg where rubber toe-caps come up and join to the front-top of the boot.

Are you sure that StixAll is the product you used?

I'd gently use a sharp paring knife or similar to scrape away all the products you have already used, and make sure it's bone dry (tho' StixAll is surprisingly tolerant), and then...

Take it to Timpsons. I don't understand your reluctance?

Or, get a tube in black: https://www.toolstation.com/stixall-adhesive-sealant/p60981

Get it right in there, and press it gently into place to extrude excess SA. Wipe away excess, leaving a smoothish edge along the top join. Use tape to hold the rand firmly against the boot upper. Leave for a day to set - ideally close to a radiator.

There’s an explanation of what the rand is here:
https://footstepsintheforest.com/the-parts-of-hiking-boots/

I have no idea what the OP's boots are made out of. Some sort of plastic I guess. He may need the right kind of glue for that particular material. Everything will need to be scrupulously cleaned, or else it won’t stick.