Sole FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about our Soles!

WHAT GLUE DO I USE?

Recommended contact cement for upper-to-sole attachment is Renia Colle De Cologne (aka, CDC) or Renia Aquilim 130. 

Tips:

  • Highly recommended you apply Renia Rehagol to the sole (at the very least) and its also recommended to use Renia PUR Primer for Air Units and SB foam inserts, especially if you are re-activating the contact cement with heat, otherwise you will experience peeling.
  • Do not buy contact cement from Home Depot/Lowes/Joann for this.   You will not have success attaching uppers to these soles using Barge or other “contact cements” that are not specifically designed for sole adhesion.
  • People who have had the most success with these soles (including myself) follow this non-baking method:
    • Place lasted uppers into sole with equal distance around, to identify where they should be placed.  You should not be jamming the lasted uppers into the heel of the sole first
    • Light layer of Rehagol on sole, then a layer of Renia CDC on the inside of soles and bottom of uppers.
    • Let CDC dry about 10-20 minutes, until its barely tacky anymore, but not dry.  If it dries all the way, you can reactivate with heat.
    • Place lasted uppers into sole with equal distance around, as described above. We practice this part first because you get one good shot at this due to the tackiness of the CDC pulling at your material if you try to move it around.
    • Flip shoe over and hammer the sole. You may need to spot glue the sidewalls.
    • Press your soles per your usual method (sole press, stand on foam, hammer some more, etc)
    • If it looks like you have gaps between the sidewalls and uppers, they should close up when you finish sole stitching

 

SB SOLES - OMG WHY IS THERE A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM?

There has to be a hole for the SB phylon foam insert to stick through.  This is intentionally in two pieces.  It is exactly how retail soles of this type are designed to permit a different color of the badge and sole.  There is no risk of water leaking in the shoe if you install the foam insert correctly

 

SB - HOW DO I INSTALL THIS FOAM INSERT?

  • Cut out rubber window from the sole where the foam badge comes through. you may need to trim out some excess for proper fit
  • Test the fit of your foam insert before applying adhesive.
  • Apply Renia CDC on the base of the sole and foam insert. Also advised to prep the foam taking contact cement with Renia Primer for PUR.  Take a little extra care not to miss any spots around the badge so it seals correctly.
  • In 10-20 mins when the CDC is barely tacky (touch with finger, but wont stick when you lift), install the foam logo badge first, smooth to the heel, then the end towards the middle of the shoe. You may need to bend the sole/sidewall away from the foam as you press in the heel
  • Once applied, stand in the sole for a minute or so to help secure the foam.

 

HEY MAN! THESE SOLES ARE TOO BIG!

These soles are true to size. They have never been used, which means they are flat and sidewalls straight up. Retail soles have been attached/molded/sewn to an actual shoe, which has a curve at the toe and up the sides. Also retail soles sometimes have thinner sidewalls. This is one of the main reasons why a side by side comparison may look wrong.

If the soles appear large, there are a few things to check first:

  • Make sure the air unit / phylon insert is in the sole.
  • Place lasted uppers in the sole. The last by itself doesn’t account for material allowance.
  • Magic Trick - Push the sole toe up to meet the footbed of uppers. This accounts for the toe bend and a large amount of the mysterious gap.
  • Do not jam the lasted uppers flush against either the toe or heel – You will need to adjust positioning of them so there is an equal sized gap  between the uppers and the sole. This is the position you need to glue in your uppers.
  • Push in the sidewalls to meet the shoe. The gap goes away as you sew your soles on, or should go away if you use a sole press to secure the contact cement.

Example using the same size 9.5 last and sole with retail uppers:

Sole Comparison

LEFT – Sole + Last only looks like the the sole is much larger than the stated size! It appears large because of not compensating for the toe curve or material allowance.

RIGHT – Same sole and last, but this time inside a retail upper, and a tool pushing up the toe to meet the footbed. You can see it fits perfectly.