Introduction: Home Made Sock Shoes

About: I'm a social-worker, working with 12 - 23 year-olds. I used to be a printer. In 2018 I opened a small makerspace (www.imdib.nl) in my house, where I have lasercutters, 3d-printers, Arduino's, Mindstorms and ot…

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.