Home Made Sock Shoes

I love to walk barefoot, but sometimes that is not the best idea. Shoes are not always necessary, so I thought the solution would be sock-shoes. Just socks with a sole underneath. (Then I found out that I was not the only one with that idea, but I still made them.)

I used oogoo for the soles. I used oogoo before in different projects.

Step 1: You Will Need

Materials:

• Thin wood ply
• Silicone sealant
• Paint
• Paper
• Corn starch
• Wood glue
• Socks
• Wax

Tools:

• Lasercutter
• Cups
• Clamps
• Digital camera
• Computer and printer
• Brush
• Scissors / knife

Step 2: Stamp Your Foot

To import my foot into the computer, I first made a impression of it.

• Print the 10 x 10 mm sheet.
• Put non permanent paint on the bottom of your foot.
• Step on the sheet.
• Make a picture of the print of your foot.

Step 3: Import Your Foot

• Put in Gravit Designer (or Inkscape or Illustrator) a grid of 10 x 10 mm.
• Import the picture of your foot.
• Scale the picture until the 10 x 10 mm grid on the picture comes close to the 10 x 10 mm grid in the program.
• Outline the parts where you want the sole to be.
• Add an extra layer around the whole foot.

Step 4: Cut the Parts

I decided that both my feet are the same size!

• Cut both forms on the lasercutter from 4 mm ply.
• Cut them again mirrored for the other foot.
• Sand the ply smooth.

Step 5: Make the Mold

• Glue the first layer on a piece of ply.
• Glue the second layer on the first layer.
• Clamp.
• Let dry.
• Wax the mold for easy release.

Step 6: Make Your Oogoo

Make your oogoo.

• Put silicon in a cup.
• Add oil paint if you want a color.
• Stir well.
• Add corn starch.
• Stir again.

I added a lot of starch because I wanted a quick drying oogoo.

Do this in a well ventilated room, because as soon as you stir the starch in, the mixture will smell a lot!

Look for other Instructables if you want to learn all the ins and outs of oogoo.

Step 7: Mold the Sole

• Smear the oogoo in the mold.
• Put the sock on your foot.
• Step with your sock in the mold.
• Make sure that you are correctly centered in the mold.
• Now you wait.
• Still standing in the mold.
• And wait.
• Wait some more (like 20 - 30 min.)

Step 8: De-mold

• Get your foot out off the mold. (it might be a little sticky)
• Peel the shoe out of the mold.
• Remove the flashing.

Step 9: Other Foot

• Repeat everything in a mirror image for the other foot.

You could do both feet the same time. That will reduce the waiting time with your feet in the mold.

Step 10: Proud Owner of My Own Sock Shoes

The sock-shoes walk great. Durability on the long run is something that remains to be seen.

What would I do different:

• Try only oogoo in the bottom layer of the mold.