Destroyed canvas sneaker pr0n - Page 3

you gotta shoe-glue the sole...

I cheat.

Both pairs are the same exact pair bought at the same exact time:

The ones on the right are awesome.

Thanks, I hate the bright color of new Converse. Well for the most part since there are some colors I do like. But even then the bright white of the rubber is too much for me.

Thanks Yeah, grundletaint is right, they're Converse Jack Purcells. They're just the normal ones that come in a bunch of colours with a few nicks in them for like $60 (CDN). When I first got them they looked like this:


A summer of labour and painting later, voila.

To be honest, I'm surprised that they haven't fallen apart. They've held together really well. I've never made any repairs or anything, no glue. I think they're cool. It's funny, because I've actually had people ask me where I got my shoes, like they came that way... Pre-distressing is so pervasive!

But they are awesome.

OK, I am not sure how much interest there is in this but I don't want this thread to die yet.

Back in the day they had Converse store near where I lived. So I would go in there and you could get Chuck Taylor's for less than $10 all the time. I loved wearing them back then so I picked up few pairs. I even got the flag pair for $4.99.

BUT I hate the look of new Converse, especially the flag ones. So to fix that I throw the shoes in a bucket and put in some Rit Dye (I use the dry stuff because it was cheapest) and then cover with hot tap water.

Rit dye:




The water will turn black and the shoes will instantly turn black and you will be thinking "Why the hell did I do this?". Make sure the entire shoe is covered. Sometimes one of the toes will try to poke out but shove it back down. A stick is perfect for this. Move the shoes around in there a few times to get more even coverage. Also you do not have to remove the shoe laces. Oddly they will stay almost bright white. I think they are indestructible.

Let the shoes sit in the bucket for a while. I let it go at least 30 minutes though I believe I have done an hour. I then dump the water out and rinse the shoes off with clear water. The color will still not be as light as it will be when they dry. Then I stick them out on the patio in the sun until they dry. I do not do this in a washer and would not do it at a laundry cause it is rude as shit. The bucket works great. After they are dry they will bleed for a while. You can rinse them off again and it will not matter. Below are before and after pics.




You can use more or less dye and you can do more than one pair at a time. The coverage will not be even but it is good. Wear them a few times before you do this as you may like the original colors.

Good luck!

great thread. i will post my chucks soon

Wow! That was just from one summer? Did you wear them every day?

cancel.sing, send that after pic to J. Crew and I bet they have a version next summer.

What color did you use? And do you use the dye:water ratio they recommend, or a more diluted one?

Yeah, no doubt. I wore them pretty much every day that summer. It had a lot to do with getting them alternately dirty and soaking wet and having paint drip on them. I'm not looking forward to the day they start falling apart...

I use black but would not hesitate using another color. The black tends to have a ruddy red after cast IMHO. Hard to explain. I approximate water requirements as listed. Also I rinse before it dries which may make it more of a tint then a true dye.

If you are patient you can usually find new Converse for around $14 a pair or even less.

Where?