1940's Peep-Toes // Gluing the Soles

Oh goody! Today we get to see how to glue the soles of the 1940's peep-toes! If you have missed the two previous posts featuring the finished shoes, and the first step in construction, you can view them here and here. Ready? Let's go!


First, you are going to need Contact Cement. For the entire project I used about two bottles of Weldwood Contact Cement. Now, do be careful as this stuff does have fumes that can be somewhat harmful if breathed in in concentrated amounts; so work in a well ventilated area, and take plenty of breaks in between applications to get a breather in the fresh air.


Remember, we have two layers for each piece. So, what you're going to do is apply the glue to the under side of the top most piece, and then apply it to the upper side of the bottom piece. Let that dry for 15 minutes until the glue becomes tacky (the glue will sort of seep into the cork a little bit, so it won't look like there's glue "sitting" on top anymore), and then sandwich the two pieces together with the glue in the middle. Let me know if you don't understand, and I will try to clarify.

Now, the glue will cause the cork to bubble a little. That is perfectly fine, for when you stick the two pieces together, the glue will help them to straighten out.

When you put the two pieces together, be sure that the edges match up, because once they're stuck together you can't move them! If they are just a little bit off that's okay, we'll be sanding the edges later anyways. My process was, I matched up a straight side, and then stuck the rest together slowly, making sure all the edges matched up.

You can use clips if the cork is curling away, but I ended up not using them after a while because I didn't find it necessary.

Here's all of the heel pieces glued together and stacked. Next we will either be starting on the uppers, or finishing the construction of the soles. Oh, and as far as the soles go, go ahead and glue the two parts to the two pairs for each shoe together. Make sure you end up with two two layer pieces as well as one one layer piece per shoe. If you did, then you did it right!

What are you all thinking of this series so far?

Any questions?

Blessings,

Brigid

the Middle Sister and Singer

P.S. One of you asked if the shoes were very wearable, etc. I actually haven't worn the shoes hardly at all just because of the fit issues. I'm just going to have to wear them around the house one day and tell you the results! I'll be sure to update you all in a future post.