Somehow, somewhere, my favorite pair of dress shoes managed to lose the tip of the sole of the right shoe. As I need dress shoes from time to time — concerts, interviews, performances — these should really be repaired. I could send them back to the manufacturer to be resoled for $95 or a full-on refurbishment for $140, but why do that when I have a packet of black Sugru at my command?

#KCOHG

Step 1: Read the Directions

Sugru helpfully printed the directions in legible type right on the back of the package itself!

tl;dr:

Clean surface where the Sugru is to be applied.
Wash your hands, massage the Sugru (make it warm and pliable).
Apply Sugru.
Form.
Let cure for at least 24 hours.

Step 2: Wash Your Hands!

You don't want dirt or lotion or strange oils to contaminate the Sugru, so wash your hands thoroughly. How to wash your hands, per the CDC.

Step 3: Work the Sugru Until It's Soft and Pliable

My fingers picked up a little color from the Sugru. This is normal.

Step 4: Apply, Form, and Smooth

When I do finally send these shoes in for a proper resoling and refurbishment, the person doing the work will probably cuss me out, but this will be good for now.

Yes, there's extra material. I will trim most of that off later, once it has cured. This will give it extra grip.

Step 5: Place in a Warm Place to Cure

A 3mm thick hunk o' Sugru will cure in 24 hours at 21°C, which is about 70°F. As it's winter here in Kansas, the house is kept a bit cooler than that, so I placed my shoe (with the uncured Sugru not touching anything else) in the most consistently-warm place in my house - my little server rack.

Step 6: Con-sole Your Other Shoe.

So lonely. It's okay Dex, Lefty will be back in a couple-few days, once he's cured.

Step 7: Trim the Excess

With a sharp knife, such as a fresh X-acto blade, trim off the excess, if any.

Step 8: Done.

Now I can wear them without embarrassment. Can you tell which shoe had the problem?

Introduction: Broken Shoe? Sugru!