OT question on glue/GFlex to fix skate

It’s unusual in Maryland, but the water is getting solid. I love to skate on ponds, and the ponds ought to be about ready to skate on. I rooted around and found my OLD skates (we’re talking 50 years), and I am crushed to find the sole of the skate is separating from the boot.



http://chipwalsh.org/Misc/broken-skate.JPG



I guess I should take them to a cobbler, but I think the cobbler would have to remove the skate blades, which are screwed into the sole. I fear removing the blades would be the end of skates. Somehow, I doubt rescrewing the blades onto 50-year old soles is going to be successful.



So, rather than asking a cobbler to resew the soles onto the boot, I’m contemplating glue. What kind of glue? Unless somebody has a better idea, I think I’d try GFlex, although maybe shoe-goo will work.



There are p-netters who have considerable knowledge about glues, so I thought I’d ask, although it is only sort of water-sport related.



My wife says “just buy new skates,” to which I replied, “people my age don’t buy skates.” I’m sure there are exceptions, but I only use the skates a couple times every couple years, I am the age where I break rather than bounce, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to be buying skates.



I will appreciate any advice to this off-topic post.



~~Chip

I’ll bet the G/flex would work
If it were me, I would try it

From the package: “Excellent adhesion to nearly everything” and “G/flex is toughened to make structural bonds that absorb the stresses of expansion, contraction, shock and vibration”



Why not call them up and ask them 866-937-8797



By the way, my wife’s white skates from the day I first met her when we were just kids are older then yours, and I keep threatening to throw them out, but neither of us can get ourselves to do it.



jack L


G Flex for shoe repair
I have used G Flex epoxy to glue felt soles back onto a pair of wet shoes with neoprene uppers, to glue the hard, synthetic soles back onto a pair of old-fashioned cleated cycling shoes with leather uppers, and to repair soles separating from some Merrell water shoes and it has worked pretty well.

In addition to putting thickened
G-flex into the crack between the sole and the shoe body (if my eyes perceive the problem correctly), I would probably put a couple of layers of Kevlar down the side of the shoe body and down under the plate bearing the blade towers. Kevlar doesn’t stretch much at all and is very strong in tension.



You would have to scuff the black surface off the leather, and it’s possible the blade towers will leave too little space for the Kevlar. If there is enough space, that surface would have to be cleaned and roughened.



The reason I suggest the Kevlar is that I suspect it will not be possible to clean the inside of the opening crack sufficiently for G-flex to get a grip.



Other glues? I have some black Shoe Goo which is much better than they used to supply. It is thin enough to work inside of that crack.



Another stupid idea. Maybe you could aim a drill down the side of the heel area so you could drill through both sides of the crack. Then you could select a machine screw with a low, round head, and pull things tight with a washer and machine screw on the bottom side. I’d do that in addition to the glue.

I agree with your wife, with one caveat
You don’t need to buy “new” skates. Hit up any number of used sports equipment places and get yourself a new to you pair of hockey skates. Your feet and ankles will appreciate it and maybe you will skate more often than a couple of times every few years. I bet for $40-50 you can get a decent pair.

Waiting for the glue to dry
Thanks for the advice.



I used Gflex. I fashioned a several cloth swabs, soaked them in alcohol, and cleaned between sole and boot as well as I could. Ran a rasp in there, too, roughing up both surfaces. Applied gflex and taped it all together, now waiting for it to dry.



Perhaps I’ll get on a pond tomorrow night and be able to report back on whether the skate holds together.



If it fails, I have sjt78’s advice to fall back on.



Thanks.



~~Chip

A cobbler would likely
give your skate a new sole, so the blades would be screwed into new materials and consequently be as strong and durable as they were 50 years ago.



I’ve nothing against new glues and processes but the old fashioned way is tried and true, and might be more in keeping with your gestalt of keeping your old skates going.

Hey Chip
Did it work out OK on the skates?

I usually recommend it to paddlers for various plastic boat repairs and was curious how it worked in your situation.



Jack L