Today, we're redesigning a pair of
vintage inherited flats
and adding new soles and dyeing.
We are deciding to redye and resole them today
because they are a beige shoe,
which is great for a lot of people
but doesn't personally work in my wardrobe that well.
I usually find this process pretty straightforward.
However, there are always elements of it
that present a challenge,
especially taking a shoe that has one type of sole
and converting it to another type of sole,
like what we're doing today.
So, to prepare, we tape off the sole edge
and the insole of the shoe and the inside
to make sure that no dye bleeds where it shouldn't.
To begin with, we apply the dye using a wool dauber.
When we apply the dye,
we make sure that we are trying
to get the most even coat possible for the job.
For some jobs, that involves
using a paintbrush or a dauber,
and other ones, that can involve
using an airbrush and a compressor.
It really just depends on the job.
When that dries, we then apply a sealant,
making sure to have as few bubbles as possible.
I then place the shoe on the jack stand,
using pliers to remove the existing heel base.
Today, the heels need to be removed
for the sole replacement
because the new sole that we're putting on
is fully flat, and this shoe
originally had a heel base.
With the old sole as my reference,
I trace out a new wedge shape.
This will help mimic the old heel base height,
but with a new wedge appearance.
This may seem like easy work,
but sometimes it can be quite challenging
to balance the wedge sole and replace it
with the exact same heel height
as what was on there.
Next, I take those layers that I've just cut
and sand them, applying two coats of glue.
I have to do this for all layers in the process
to ensure a good glue hold.
To activate the glue, I use the heat gun
and then place the soles on the sole press.
The pressure from the press
will allow the glue to stick.
Using the belt sander,
I sand down the leather wedge
so that it's a nice even shape
for the next layer to go on.
Now that everything is prepared,
I can place all the layers together
and start building the sole from scratch.
This is a more complex sole replacement today
and has a little bit more steps,
because we need to add in those wedge layers
to mimic the original heel height.
If we leave that out,
the shoe will feel dramatically different.
Next, I'll be using the heat gun
to heat up the glue,
so that the soles will stick to the shoe.
To make sure that the soles fit the shoe perfectly,
I then place the shoes on the belt sander
and start to sand off the excess material.
Finally, I use some shoe cream on the uppers
to give them a little bit of nourishment
and conditioning and a bit of shine.
I polish the sole edges at the same time
using the buffing brush on our finishing machine.
I find resurrecting old shoes
to be incredibly rewarding.
The customer has something
that they already love and works for them,
but they just want something a little bit different.
With climate change on the mind,
it's really rewarding for us to know
that we're keeping one more item,
one more pair of shoes, one more garment,
out of landfill and in someone's closet.