Introduction: Fix Broken Jandals

So what’s a Jandal?
Jandals the New Zealand term for the footwear known as Flip flops almost everywhere else, or Thongs if you are from Aussie.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Jandal is synonymous with summer. The beach gets too hot to walk barefoot, but you don’t want to be untying shoes for a swim.
I have friends who wear one pair of Jandals exclusively year round and are almost never seen in covered shoes. Jandals are part of our culture so much, that you’ll commonly see art in galleries that are dedicated to them. Many summer festivals have fences entirely decorated with thousands of broken Jandals.

So, imagine now that, your comfy well worn in Jandal breaks and your summer is under threat! You now have the option of popping down to the shop and wearing in a new pair, or fixing the old ones and enjoying perfect fit from multiple summers of wear.

But gutted! Your old trick of plastic bread tags has been lost to the more eco friendly cardboard bread tag.

Don’t worry. I’ve got you sorted.

Supplies

Cornflower
Superglue

Step 1: Fill It Up With Cornflower and Superglue

Poke the broken strap through the hole and fill it it with cornflower.
Add superglue.
Wish you put super glue in first and sprinkled the cornflower in.
Poke around with the super glue to mix it in.
Pull hard on your fingers that are stuck to your Jandle.
Wonder why you never wear gloves, but always wish you did.
Flip the Jandal over and do the other side.
Decide not to put your hand back in the cornflower jar now that it’s covered in glue.
Take ages to collect every little pinch of cornflower you can get off the table.
Sprinkle it on the superglue you poured down the hole.
Think, “hmm needs to be smoother”
Decide you don’t have tools handy, so use your fingernail.
Get quite a lot of cornflower stuck to your fingernail, but a good smoothish result on the Jandal.
Flip the Jandal back over.
Regret not smoothing that side, but admire the hardness.

Step 2: Finishing

Give the Jandal a wash to have a better look.
Decide to try sand the bottom smooth.
Get some sandpaper and sand for way longer than you hoped with much less progress than hoped.
Admire how solid it all is.
Decide that you can probably scuff your feet on the concrete on your walk to the beach and that will do the job.