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Paint/Glue smell from re-soled shoes

post #1 of 17
1/11/12 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
I just had the soles and insoles on a pair of shoes replaced. It's been about two weeks since they were done and they still reek like glue or paint or something. Anybody else have this sort of experience? I can detect the smell when sitting at my desk, so it's pretty strong and it hasn't abated much at all over the past couple weeks. Also, the sole has already started to separate from the welt after being worn only twice. Obviously they're not going to fall off since they're sewed on, but it's pretty annoying.
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post #2 of 17
1/11/12 at 6:22pm
Welcome to Styleforum.
Cobbler glue should be applied to each (pre-cleaned and scuffed) surface, then allowed to dry, then the 2 pieces should be put together. It is a form of contact cement. A bad cobbler who cuts corners slaps glue on one surface, then sticks everything together hoping it will all dry correctly. Sometimes it works but mostly it doesn't. It may also be an inexperienced employee that worked on your shoes. It could also be the wrong glue was used.
Even if a job is done properly, 2 days should pass before wearing the shoes (that is my opinion).
Have you used this cobbler before? Was it a rush job (as in same day service)?
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post #3 of 17
1/11/12 at 6:36pm
Thread Starter 
I left the shoes for a week, so it certainly wasn't a rush job. I'm guessing an inexperienced employee is to blame because the other pair of shoes I left with the shop were repaired so ineptly that I no longer want to wear them at all. I chose this cobbler shop because of its great reputation on this forum, but I'm probably not going back again other than to make them fix the shoddy job done on these shoes. I already gave them a chance to fix the other pair and the result was rather depressing. I honestly could not believe they would claim "it was the best we could do" with a straight face. I really expected more since I paid $140 for the job.
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post #4 of 17
1/11/12 at 7:48pm

I just picked up 2 pairs from my local cobbler today...smelled enough in the car that I cracked a window, but I don't notice any aroma from them tonight.  My guy is an old Greek man with a middle-aged sidekick who does most of the work, and his prices vary each time I come in...the ones I picked up today were $15.95 for rubber heel lifts, the same for combination heels.  The pair I dropped off he quoted $19.95 for rubber lifts, and I have paid as much as $25 for heels...anywhere from $45-55 for full soles and heels...there's no rhyme or reason to his prices.  

 

My experience has been that the odor dissipates within 24 hours for sure.

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post #5 of 17
1/11/12 at 7:55pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the feedback, David.


Bummer. I guess I'm the victim of a subpar glue job. This makes sense since I also just noticed the heel on one shoe is starting to separate, too.
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post #6 of 17
1/11/12 at 8:10pm

Every shop has their "off" days...I go to my guy partly because he is a curmudgeonly old guy and he's fun to talk to...their finishing isn't the greatest, they are sloppy with edge dressing and whatnot, but the shoes stay together after they repair them.   He and I talked today about how hard it is to find a cobbler, or a barber...people get throw-away shoes and go to Great Clips for haircuts...

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post #7 of 17
1/11/12 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I totally understand that every place has their off days. I'm going to try some other places before I go back to these guys. I would just not be able to forgive myself if I gave this place a chance to ruin another thousand dollars worth of shoes without exploring other options first. Besides, $140 for soles, heels and an insole is pretty steep. I'm willing to pay to resole an expensive pair of shoes, but I'm not going to pay that much if the job isn't going to be done right.
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post #8 of 17
1/11/12 at 8:19pm

$140 is a lot of money for a local cobbler to charge...even my "expensive" guy that I take my better shoes to only charges $72 for full soles and heels, and a hand polish instead of the sprayed-on shine.

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post #9 of 17
1/11/12 at 8:58pm
Can you possibly post pics so we can get a better idea of how it looks like? I'm kinda curious.
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post #10 of 17
1/11/12 at 9:03pm
If it makes you feel any better my own cobbler (one of them) screwed up a pair of brown Church's wingtips on me years ago. I gave them to him to be TOPY'd. When I returned to pick them up he hands me a pair of Church's Burgundy wingtips...my shoes! Well, it turned out he is colour-blind and decided to spray on some burgundy dye and completely refinish the shoes for me (for free he said..because he likes me so much). confused.gif
One one hand I wanted to knock him over the head with my new burgundy shoe. On the other hand I sort of felt sorry for him being colour-blind. He does do good work but I only give him black shoes to work on since then.
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post #11 of 17
1/11/12 at 9:06pm
Thread Starter 
I don't think it's worth posting pictures. You can barely see it, but the toe of the sole has separate from the welt by a hair and if I apply pressure with my fingers I can see strings of glue. The heel is the same way. It only happens on the right shoe so I'm pretty sure this is a job poorly done rather than that I am being hypersensitive. As Lint Man suggested, it's probably because the glue job was rushed.
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post #12 of 17
1/12/12 at 3:59am
Since you said the cobbler was recommended here in SF, can you disclose the name?
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post #13 of 17
1/12/12 at 7:48am
Thread Starter 
Rather not disclose the cobbler yet. I'm going to see what can be done to fix the shoes first. I read a thread here on SF that degenerated into a childish online fight over what was clearly, to me if not a lot of other people on the forum, an error on the part of the cobbler shop.
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post #14 of 17
1/12/12 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by phorm View Post

Rather not disclose the cobbler yet. I'm going to see what can be done to fix the shoes first. I read a thread here on SF that degenerated into a childish online fight over what was clearly, to me if not a lot of other people on the forum, an error on the part of the cobbler shop.

that makes it pretty clear who you're talking about, and if its who i think it is, I'm surprised.
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post #15 of 17
1/12/12 at 8:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by phorm View Post

Rather not disclose the cobbler yet. I'm going to see what can be done to fix the shoes first. I read a thread here on SF that degenerated into a childish online fight over what was clearly, to me if not a lot of other people on the forum, an error on the part of the cobbler shop.

BINGO icon_gu_b_slayer[1].gificon_gu_b_slayer[1].gif
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