My wife use to work at a Birkenstock store approx 35 years ago and they actually they recommended to put the shoe in the low oven to remove the old sole. So your onto something with the heat gun. thanx
You can help them now by applying new latex to the cork, a bottle costs less than $10. I have to charge $60 for the resole service now, because my cost for materials has gone up. Thanks for your support!
I have found that the glue is quite variable. Some respond easily to the heat gun and some require trimming the sole down to be thin before the heat gun will work to get the glue to release. I suppose it must depend on what folks have done to the sandals in wearing them, unless Birkenstock is using different glues at different times at their factory.
@DrPronghorn, I completed my first set, no heat gun. Using my bench sander (near the edge of the paper and roller) made final sanding the new sole a bit challenging. Overall, very happy with first attempt! Thank you for your video!
Heat gun or heat table is the way to do it. I’ve rebuilt a few pairs and used all Birkenstock replacements including the recommended glue. Learn how to do it and save $$. Came out great !
@@DrPronghornI just did my first sandal with heat gun and boy was it tough; that glue did NOT want to give up. Especially where it was stuck the leather. Eventually got it done but had to use razor knife to slice it there and then grind remainder with belt sander. Mind sharing details on oven use? Maybe I’ll try that for the other sandal and see if any easier. Thanks for the tips!
@@Phoeff99 The soles stick to real leather better than anything else. I like to put them in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius) for about 20 minutes and then check on them. You might have to peel the soles partway back and put them back in. Don't use a food oven...
@@DrPronghorn thanksv for the directions I had read elsewhere 200° but I wasn’t sure about the timing. 20 minutes sounds reasonable and yes thank you for the warning about not using a food oven.
@@DrPronghorn so I finished my resole project and I’m pretty happy with the result. Thanks for you tips. Of course you learn as you go and next time it’ll be faster cleaner and better but i used Vibram Sierras stuck with Barge SuperStick and so far they are holding up well. A combination of trimming with bandsaw and razor knife then sanding with a little 1”‘belt sander did the trick. I also found that a layer or two of masking tape on the exposed leather and cork gave me bit of protection during sanding. I do wonder though having worn them whether I should have added an EVA layer between for extra cushion. The Sierras are pretty firm rubber and the cork is well compressed after two years of use…not much cushion anymore. You see any problem with that idea in the future?
I'm not sure where you can get it. I buy mine through the Oregon Leather Co. in Eugene, OR, so that's also not practical for the UK. I bet if you look for leather crafting supply stores there you can find one that has supplies for cobblers. At least, that's what I would try.
Man they came out looking great! I just took mine to get resoled. I’ll be getting them back next Tuesday! The cobbler just ask to do the job $50 dollars too!👌😎👍
Nice to see these shoes come back to life! I've bought replacement soles but only need to change the insoles as they are super smelly and beyond cleaning. I'm guessing the heat gun will work to take them off, then I'll just need to glue the new one back on, what glue would you recommend for this?
Thank you for sharing. This is so much cleaner than the sole grinding method. Why do you think cobblers typically use the grinder instead? I assume it must be quicker than reactivating the old glue.
It probably is quicker, but the process of cutting off the old sole to get down to the point of grinding seems to take longer, even in the videos I've seen with professionals. I'm not sure why they insist on that process instead of heating the glue; maybe one of them will find this video and give us an explanation.
@@DrPronghorn I am by no means a professional cobbler, but I imagine the application of heat to the cork material could cause whatever binding agent they use in it to loosen as well as the contact cement, and could potentially lead to damage in that area. It seems that if you're careful with the application of heat and of the cork when pulling the sole off, it is simply a faster method. Perhaps over many years of repairing the same shoes you could see some damage, but it appears to be a great method! I'd also like to thank you for your Birkenstock repair videos, especially the one where you showed layering the cork to build it back up, I'm going to attempt my own repair soon and in my research it seems that a lot of other videos do not show that step for some reason, especially on the more damaged shoes. I'd love to see more of this in the future, especially if the birks were really ratty.
I get my soles and other materials from the Oregon Leather Company. They don't have a web store, you have to call to mail order, the old school way. I always use Barge contact cement.
You said David’s, then you called him Deano-are these for David Sneed?? He goes by both names and that would be such a small world. Anyway thanks so much for this tutorial, I’m gonna give it a shot on my 30 year old ones. Mine went a little too far and I think did get into the cork a little so may not come out as well.
My wife use to work at a Birkenstock store approx 35 years ago and they actually they recommended to put the shoe in the low oven to remove the old sole. So your onto something with the heat gun.
thanx
Interesting! I've thought about using an old toaster oven to get the soles off...
Thank you for offering service and including a price. I will reach when my soles need it. My cork is looking dry, hence the look up.
You can help them now by applying new latex to the cork, a bottle costs less than $10. I have to charge $60 for the resole service now, because my cost for materials has gone up. Thanks for your support!
Heat gun makes sense, I have been studying your processes and am preparing to do my first pair soon! Thanks!
I have found that the glue is quite variable. Some respond easily to the heat gun and some require trimming the sole down to be thin before the heat gun will work to get the glue to release. I suppose it must depend on what folks have done to the sandals in wearing them, unless Birkenstock is using different glues at different times at their factory.
@DrPronghorn, I completed my first set, no heat gun. Using my bench sander (near the edge of the paper and roller) made final sanding the new sole a bit challenging. Overall, very happy with first attempt! Thank you for your video!
Do you think its possible without having the polish machine ?
I like the info on using contact cement as glue.
Thank you, I'm glad it helps!
Heat gun or heat table is the way to do it. I’ve rebuilt a few pairs and used all Birkenstock replacements including the recommended glue. Learn how to do it and save $$. Came out great !
I now use the oven to do it, it's faster and more consistent!
@@DrPronghornI just did my first sandal with heat gun and boy was it tough; that glue did NOT want to give up. Especially where it was stuck the leather. Eventually got it done but had to use razor knife to slice it there and then grind remainder with belt sander. Mind sharing details on oven use? Maybe I’ll try that for the other sandal and see if any easier. Thanks for the tips!
@@Phoeff99 The soles stick to real leather better than anything else. I like to put them in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius) for about 20 minutes and then check on them. You might have to peel the soles partway back and put them back in. Don't use a food oven...
@@DrPronghorn thanksv for the directions I had read elsewhere 200° but I wasn’t sure about the timing. 20 minutes sounds reasonable and yes thank you for the warning about not using a food oven.
@@DrPronghorn so I finished my resole project and I’m pretty happy with the result. Thanks for you tips. Of course you learn as you go and next time it’ll be faster cleaner and better but i used Vibram Sierras stuck with Barge SuperStick and so far they are holding up well. A combination of trimming with bandsaw and razor knife then sanding with a little 1”‘belt sander did the trick. I also found that a layer or two of masking tape on the exposed leather and cork gave me bit of protection during sanding. I do wonder though having worn them whether I should have added an EVA layer between for extra cushion. The Sierras are pretty firm rubber and the cork is well compressed after two years of use…not much cushion anymore. You see any problem with that idea in the future?
Thanks for the video, I want to redesign my birks and this is very helpful
I'm glad! Let me know how they turn out!
Thanks for the info. Where did you buy the rubber sole replacement sheet ?? Thank you so much.
I bought it from Oregon Leather Co. You have to call them on the phone to order. 541-343-2563
Excellent video. Where can you get the sole rubber though? I'm in the UK and sending them to the States not really practical!!
I'm not sure where you can get it. I buy mine through the Oregon Leather Co. in Eugene, OR, so that's also not practical for the UK. I bet if you look for leather crafting supply stores there you can find one that has supplies for cobblers. At least, that's what I would try.
Could you provide a link? Ive checked thevwebsite, dont see it. Desperately need to redo mine. Thanks @DrPronghorn
Man they came out looking great! I just took mine to get resoled. I’ll be getting them back next Tuesday! The cobbler just ask to do the job $50 dollars too!👌😎👍
Nice! Keep 'em on the road!
appreciate these videos 👍 I hope to try to resole some shoes myself (starting w Birks) in near future.
That sounds great! What kind of Birks are they?
I live in a rainy area. 😂 There is no avoiding getting them wet.
Oh, no! It would be a good idea to reapply the latex cork sealer if you start to see water getting into the footbed.
Nice to see these shoes come back to life! I've bought replacement soles but only need to change the insoles as they are super smelly and beyond cleaning. I'm guessing the heat gun will work to take them off, then I'll just need to glue the new one back on, what glue would you recommend for this?
I would still use Barge contact cement for that job.
Nice work man
Thank you! Cheers!
Good job!
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing. This is so much cleaner than the sole grinding method. Why do you think cobblers typically use the grinder instead? I assume it must be quicker than reactivating the old glue.
It probably is quicker, but the process of cutting off the old sole to get down to the point of grinding seems to take longer, even in the videos I've seen with professionals. I'm not sure why they insist on that process instead of heating the glue; maybe one of them will find this video and give us an explanation.
@@DrPronghorn I am by no means a professional cobbler, but I imagine the application of heat to the cork material could cause whatever binding agent they use in it to loosen as well as the contact cement, and could potentially lead to damage in that area. It seems that if you're careful with the application of heat and of the cork when pulling the sole off, it is simply a faster method. Perhaps over many years of repairing the same shoes you could see some damage, but it appears to be a great method! I'd also like to thank you for your Birkenstock repair videos, especially the one where you showed layering the cork to build it back up, I'm going to attempt my own repair soon and in my research it seems that a lot of other videos do not show that step for some reason, especially on the more damaged shoes. I'd love to see more of this in the future, especially if the birks were really ratty.
Nice but no info about kind of glues, latex and where you get the sole
Sorry, I put all that info in my first Birkenstock video: th-cam.com/video/22IqFNnWROE/w-d-xo.html
I get my soles and other materials from the Oregon Leather Company. They don't have a web store, you have to call to mail order, the old school way. I always use Barge contact cement.
What do you call the latex paint that you applied on the sides?
It's just latex cork sealer. I bought it through Oregon Leather Company. They do mail orders, but you have to call, they don't have a web store.
Do you have a method for shaving down the arch?
No, I don't. No one has asked me to do that so far.
What kind of contact cement do you use?
I only use Barge brand cement
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, what is the address to send you a pair of Arizona for repair? Thank you.
You can contact me through Etsy, but I'm not taking any more sandals until July 2023.
What glue do yoy use
I use Barge contact cement
You said David’s, then you called him Deano-are these for David Sneed?? He goes by both names and that would be such a small world.
Anyway thanks so much for this tutorial, I’m gonna give it a shot on my 30 year old ones. Mine went a little too far and I think did get into the cork a little so may not come out as well.
Sorry, if I said David, I mis-spoke. These were for a different fellow. Thanks for watching!
You can always put a bit of a wine cork in for missing cork, I have an example in one of my other videos!
All the materials, time and equipment needed....just buy a new pair...
Birkenstocks shape themselves to your feet, so starting over with a new pair isn't as good as getting your existing sandals recrafted!
"Made in China"??? dude... not Birks!!
Ok, fair. They were officially licensed, and the materials seemed the same
@@DrPronghorn nope nope and nope..... Same as SORELS from Kaufman to Columbia Sportswear…. Nope.
just spend $30 to buy a new pair of CUSHIONAIRE.
I'd rather try to reuse as much as possible, and Birkenstocks really do shape to your feet, so it's worth it to most users
nope, renewing Birkenstock is prudent.