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    •  
      CommentAuthorBen
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    I got a question for everybody. I am buying some new dance shoes, And i didnt want to spend $40 on Chuck Taylors so i bought some almost imitation Polo's for fifteen. Anyone tried them? And then the ladie at the leather store said she has swing dancers in all the time, and the best thing for it is Mule Hide? Have you tried it? It seems to look like it would work great, and was only five bucks for enough for atleast two pairs of shoes so i got it. What do you think?

    •  
      CommentAuthorElChuy
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    I've never tried them Ben, but I am sure that they will work out just fine.... and as far as the mule leather goes, I am pretty confident that you will be ok with that too... I bought chucks just because I have enjoyed wearing them for many years now, and they are light and breathable.... I don't have any leather on the bottom of mine, but if I ever needed to I could always put some duct tape on the bottoms... it works great. [Emoticon not found]

    •  
      CommentAuthorBen
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    Ya, they will probably be ok. I got Enough Mule Hide for another pair, and it was only like five bucks!

    •  
      CommentAuthorbobthecow
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     
    ElChuy:

    I have enjoyed wearing them for many years now, and they are light and breathable....

    i have a pair that i've for years, but i don't know that i'd describe them as light and breathable... 'perforated' might be a better word.

    •  
      CommentAuthortraci
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    Ben, are you gluing the leather on yourself? If so, make sure you get Barge's All-Purpose Cement, per a lot of dancers on Swingtalk.com (I got mine at the local shoe repair shop), along with some cheapo craft-type brushes since the glue is almost impossible to get out of the bristles.

    I followed the directions on this website:

    http://www.gottadance.org/DIY_suede_soles.shtml

    As for leather, I bought some suede (I believe of the pig variety), and some "hard" leather normally used for tooling (whatever that is). I'm not sure what animal that leather came from. I haven't danced in the sueded shoes yet, but I have in the "hard" leather, and it is super-fast. Almost as fast as Aris Allens.

    Oh, and make sure you open lots of windows when you do it, otherwise you will get very high off the glue fumes.

    •  
      CommentAuthorSpecialK
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    Leather tooling is the process of stamping, pounding, depressing, etc. to create a pattern or picture on the leather. I should know, I got the leatherworking merit badge. It's something you're more likely to see in Western wear. So it will definitely pick up prints of whatever you step on.

    •  
      CommentAuthortraci
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2006
     

    I've noticed that, but it's also pretty fast. I bought it because the guy who owned the shop said a lot of dancers bought that kind. I wish I would have split the leather into two thinner pieces before I glued it on, but oh well. next time. the leather's already coming unglued in places, so i suppose it won't be too long until i can feel justified in fixing it. i think it's coming undone because i glued it right to the soles of the shoes (i bought airwalks from payless), and a few people told me i should have sanded the soles off with a belt sander before i glued the leather on. but i since i don't have access to a sander, i decided to wing it and see how it went.

    •  
      CommentAuthort_roach
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2006
     

    I highly recommend having the cobbler do the job. I had mine done for $10. It came off the first night I danced in them, so I took them back and he sewed them to the shoe which made them good as new. The price depends on the shoe though. If it already has a flat sole, it's easy to put the leather on. Heather in logan went to the same place and he said it would cost $30, but she found a guy in Seatle or Portland who did it for like $10. It all depends.

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      CommentAuthortraci
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2006
     

    I wanted to do it that way, but the cobbler I went to outright refused to do it. He was convinced that the leather wouldn't stick and it would come off while I was dancing. I tried to convince him that I had done it before, and that a lot of people do it and don't sue their cobblers if they trip while dancing, but to no avail. And since I had a week to go before ULX, I did it myself.

    The lady who runs Joe's Shoe Repair (about 2nd North & 1st West in Provo, next to Smith's) did a pair of mine for $20, but she said she would probably charge more next time. That was about 2 years ago.

    •  
      CommentAuthorBuzz
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2006
     

    I believe there is a shoe shop in Sandy that will do it for like $10

    •  
      CommentAuthorBen
    • CommentTimeMar 21st 2006
     

    I just used some really good rubber cement that already had a brush. I used most of the bottle and then i went around the outside of it and put a thick layer on so i think it should stay really well. I put three layers on the sole and on the leather, and then i put one more layer on and put them together and it sticks super well. Im excited to try them out!

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