The rand on my Scarpa winter boots has dried and cracked, like an old inner tube that has been hanging around in the spares box for too long. The soles are fine with plenty of life in them so not worth sending the boots away for proper repair. Has anyone got a suggestion for a glue / sealant / bodge for keeping the rand watertight until I need the soles replacing in the future?
I repaired some waterproof boots that I cut a hole in with a trail saw around three years ago.
They're still going strong and the cut was on a part of the boot that bends a lot.
Used this stuff.
I've also used it to repair knee pads/ clothing/ back packs and all kinds of stuff.
Stormsure is your friend, search online and you can get it in black.
It is great stuff but tricky to work with. It is stickier than sticky the stick insect, but it takes several hours to cure and will run very slowly down a slope.
I would mask up the rand, then do each side of the boot at a time so you can lay the boot on its side and keep flat until cured.
Do thin layers to reduce running
If you are joining two surfaces you will need to clamp or tape them in place until cured. It won't bond together until cured
Wear gloves, it's horrible to get off your skin as it's so sticky.
Put the tube in the freezer between uses and put a bit of plastic bag under the cap and screw it on. Otherwise it'll go off solid overtime. Defrost in a mug of hot water, takes minutes
Wear gloves, it’s horrible to get off your skin as it’s so sticky.
As clearly shown in the photos! I might get a tube of that, I’ve got some shoes where the rand has started to pull away, but are otherwise not too bad condition-wise.
However, it wouldn’t work for a pair of 5:10 Biking boots where the midsole has literally disintegrated, while the actual rubber sole and upper are hardly worn!
Nigel Rodgers at resoles.co.uk had a look at a photo and said it’s not possible to repair them, sadly, the issue is something called Hydrolysis and there’s no complete sole units available. I have thought of getting some two-pack expanding foam for flotation devices, mixing some up and pouring into the space and taping around the edges until it sets. Frankly, nothing much to lose, really.
Yeah I had some meindl boots do that on a walk once - left the car all ok, came back 3 hours later with the soles flapping off. I looked at them and thought there was no way I could repair them, there was nothing left to glue. Luckily meindl had the midsole and sole, so they were put back together
If the void/cavity isnt too big you might be able to mask them up and pour in some aquasure. But it'll take a lot of it, and it's not cheap and not guaranteed. Shame, as you say the tread looks fine
Shoegoo is really good. You can buy rand strips, or similar online.
I've found getting everything warm and using clamps for pressure helps.
You can sand off the old rand, or maybe use a knife if you don't have access to a mechanised sander.
I've ordered some of that Stormsure gloopy, looks handy for the repair kit. I find Shoegoo is useful for running repairs but not durable enough in the long-term (although I've got cycling shoes that are more Shoegoo than original material still going strong two years down the line).
I also had heels fall apart on a pair of Scarpas two years ago. I had no idea this was a 'thing,' it's never happened to me before.
Yeah I had some meindl boots do that on a walk once – left the car all ok, came back 3 hours later with the soles flapping off.
Funny you should say that, I bought several pairs of Meindle Desert Fox army boots from eBay over a period of time around ten-twelve years ago, I wore two pairs pretty much constantly, to work, out walking, to the pub, wore the soles out and had them resoled, then when I changed jobs I could only wear them at weekends, or whenever I was off-shift, then when I stopped working, I dug them out and started wearing them again. I noticed something a bit odd about how they felt, a close look showed both of the oldest ones had the midsole collapse, so I checked the third pair I hadn’t worn so much, the same had happened, then I checked a pair that were basically brand new and I’d stored them for when I’d killed the oldest ones, and the same thing happened!
I was a bit miffed, but I’d never paid more than £40 off eBay for any, so I sent the newest pair to Nigel, and he’s put a complete new sole unit on them for about £90, which I consider worth it, new retail they were £170, so I’m still looking at a brand new pair of boots, £40 less than they would have cost, and with a sole that won’t spontaneously turn to powder, and can be properly resoled in time.
The remaining pair, which have the uppers a bit dusty and scuffed, I’m sending to Nigel in a month or two, then I’ll have two pairs that I can rotate and spread the wear out.
They’re such comfy boots, as long as the insides and outers are in good nick, and considering how little they cost me, I can justify the cost.
The uppers are identical but the rand and sole are totally different, despite the appearance, both boots are roughly the same sort of age, it’s just that the top pair have spent the last decade or so stashed away in a wardrobe…
I also had heels fall apart on a pair of Scarpas two years ago. I had no idea this was a ‘thing,’ it’s never happened to me before.
It happens all the time in hot humid climates if you don't wear them regularly. A friend that worked in an outdoor shop said they get a lot of people that bring boots back saying they've never been worn but were in the wardrobe for a year. The materials need to be regularly flexed or the glues lose their elasticity I think.
I've had two pairs of Scarpa boots fall apart like this (kids came along and I didn't wear them for ages).
Funnier was my football boots that hadn't been worn in years. 20 minutes into wearing them the soles had snapped!
I've found sikaflex to be quite good for shoe repairs (seems to last longer than shoegoo)
Thanks to this thread, I’ve just ordered some Stormsure, I’ve got a couple of pairs of shoes that I’ve hung onto hoping I might be able to get them back in good enough shape for wearing again. Fingers crossed!