The other day I was trying to glue my work trainers back together and thinking that it's probably only people who read my blog that would understand why I bother to do things like this!
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| Staring to fall apart |
It's not being tight, as some of my friends would have you believe, it's making the most of what I've got. I've not worn these steel toe capped trainers very much (I prefer boots, but during the hot summer I do like something a little cooler on my feet) and they were quite expensive (Dewalt) so I'm annoyed that they've started to fall apart already. I'm not going to rush out and buy some new ones if I can repair these myself.
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| Clamped up |
This isn't something new with me, when my wife and I first got together she used to get annoyed at my trainers that I had then. I had glued them together 8 times in different places and when she brought me some new ones for Christmas I said I'd wear them when my others wore out!
Being frugal is hard sometimes, even if the hardest part is justifying it to other people!
What's the most number of times you've repaired something before chucking it out?
Don't think that I've ever chucked something out after repairing it more than once.....it then becomes a matter of pride.
ReplyDeletemine is I won;t let the item beat me! I like to mend it so many times peopel struggle to work out what it was!
Deletefunnily enough this is exactly what I was doing yesterday! I hope the glue holds....
ReplyDeleteI need to try some other glue - this stuff didn't work too well. I used to have some called sole-a-fix and that was great. Might go ebay it now and see what comes up.
DeleteNothing wrong with repairing something. I drive a 1988 truck, and I've had it in the shop often enough. Cheaper than buying a new one, and I like the one I have.
ReplyDeleteThats the way it should be. I hate having to break in something new.
DeleteYou may have heard the old adage, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
ReplyDeleteI have and that pretty much sums me up!
DeleteGood on you Kev for repairing your trainers. We live in a throw away world and its time we went back to having old rural and village crafts like the Blacksmiths and Cobblers and locally brewed real ales...? Instead we import most things and throw it away in the landfill sites. John Seymour said landfill sites will be the mines of the future. If we lived in a third world country we would be repairing and recycling.
ReplyDeleteI think the landfill site thing will be true! I just finished reading "Fat Of The Land" funnily enough. a lot rings true from those books even now.
DeleteWe haven't had to do a similar repair to our shoes yet, but I do repair any clothing which gets a tear in it......Lester's trousers and shorts are all patched, as are my work trousers. I think it gives us quite a boho look!
ReplyDeleteI keep on to my wife to sew my trousers but she never gets round to it. Maybe I'll have to break out a needle one day soon and try (I got band from using the sewing machine in school as I had a weird affect on it!)
DeleteWhen work gloves are mostly duct tape...and the fingers won't bend...they we get new work gloves.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Yeah - it still has to work! That's the main thing. Most things work better after they've been worn in for a while but only to a point!
DeleteGlad to see I am not the only one repairing my shoes. Black polyurethane caulking works well for that sort of repair and makes for a tough joint. I have even done a toe cap on some boots where the leather was getting thin by masking the area off and coating it with the black polyurethane caulking. Keeps the leather form getting wet as well. I might even do it to my next new pair so they don't even begin to wear.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to get some of that and try it. A polyurethane glue might be the answer though as I think most of our caulk over here is acrylic (water based) so not much cop for holding things together! I always wear out the toes as well - trouble is it's probably wearing out our knees as well!
DeleteThis is the stuff I use.
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/Loctite-P73264125-Polyurethane-Sealant-Cartridge/dp/B000BO9J98
Tough as nails when it dries and has the additional benefit that the black one smell just like dark chocolate.
Over there you might find the Sikkens brand P.U. marine caulking or even the 3M brand 5200 P.U. hatch sealant
Make do and mend! I have to do this kind of thing a lot and I hate waste!
ReplyDeleteWell done!
Kevin, could you tell me about the recipe please for the pickled nasturtium seeds?
I can't locate it on your older blog posts. Would be grateful, as I've got quite a few of them!
Here's the link for the Poor Mans Capers http://www.englishhomestead.com/2013/09/poor-mans-capers.html
DeleteAlthough I think I'll use a cider or white wine vinegar when I make them this year as they pick up a bit of strength as the year goes on.
Between Gorilla Glue and Gorilla duct tape, lots of things around here enjoy an extended life. For instance I just I used glue/tape to repair a favorite zinc watering can. No leaks now and the handle/strut stay in place.
ReplyDeleteGorilla glue is pretty dam good - I love it when I have to make sure something stays together! when it comes to metal I get my dad or cousin to weld it up for me (cheating but it still saves me).
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ReplyDeleteI have my father's last for repairing shoes. Mind you they have to be good quality shoes in the first place!. I glue trainers, mend wellies with duct tape and have patches on the patches on my work jeans. But aren't they COMFY?!
ReplyDeleteGill
I don't think these would fall into the good quality shoe bracket! they're sold as they are but thats the way with everything these days. I've been wearing a pair of wellies with a big split in now for half a year!
DeleteI keep repairing the husband as he's falling to bits, lost count how many times but I haven't thrown him out yet ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't throw him out - it might give my wife ideas!
DeleteReminds me of how my dad once showed me how to make glue from boiling bones (in case you wonder: he still learned that stuff at work - but he would be over 110 years old today). He used it around the house, there was no methacrylic glue yet invented. And we just saw sello tape hit the shelves. He also impregnated our leather soles with linseed oil. One morning I put them on preparing to go to kindergarten, then had a rapid slide down the stairs ...
ReplyDelete