:::OFFICIAL SNEAKER CARE/MAINTENANCE POST::: (It's back!)

broncos19dm said:
How do you get out this black smudge? I purchased a suede cleaner from champs and when the foam touched the suede it made the black smudge worse so any tips or ways to get it out? thanks.
Click to expand...
I can't see anything. You just dragged a picture from yahoo to the text box which won't work. You will need to download the file and actually upload it.
bay1591 said:
Great Job! How long did it take you to un-yellow the soles and to finish the job overall?
Click to expand...
Thanks! It took about 5 weeks to finish in all. I could of finished sooner but I had other shoes to tend to.
 
so im in the middle of 2 restoration projects. cdp 4s and 9s both paint chipped. Ive stripped the 9s and repainted with black angelus paint and plan to do the same with the 4s. my question is what is the best finisher/sealer to prevent future cracking. i need one with a gloss finish for the 9s and one with a flat matte finish for the 4s. any help? thanks 
 
Is it possible to paint the citrus 9's upper and leather? because I am about to do a custom on them. If so which brand is best.
 
Everybody might already know this but I learned that a razor is great at removing the lint from the socks inside your shoes.
 
hoardinjordans said:
so im in the middle of 2 restoration projects. cdp 4s and 9s both paint chipped. Ive stripped the 9s and repainted with black angelus paint and plan to do the same with the 4s. my question is what is the best finisher/sealer to prevent future cracking. i need one with a gloss finish for the 9s and one with a flat matte finish for the 4s. any help? thanks 
Click to expand...
i have angelus finisher, seems to do the trick. still, it's the only acrylic finisher i've ever had so i can't compare.

TheBraxtonB said:
Is it possible to paint the citrus 9's upper and leather? because I am about to do a custom on them. If so which brand is best.
Click to expand...

of course. just acetone the leather first.

as for paint brands, i have used a couple, can't really tell any difference except colour options available.
 
Last edited:
I just set up my first indoor method for clearing bottom soles (even though it's still outside). Im working on a pair of Stealth 5's that I am working for a customer. I read that it takes longer for the bottom soles to clear up with the indoor method so I'll leave it out longer than I normally do. I usually do a session that consists of 2 hours. 

After I'm done with the full restoration, I will do a custom to make them look like laney 5! <3
 
^^^ I do indoor sessions of anywhere from 8-10 hrs with retrobrite. After that time period the sauce will be dried out so clean them off, let it dry or wipe down with towel, reapply sauce and let it bake again. All the work was done in my basement so it was pretty nice and cool with sole temperature.

I attempted this on my CG 11s and after 40hrs it cleared up very nicely...
 
Wow...... 8 - 10 hours. Damn thats a LONG time for one session. I let one session on overnight and the foam was still moist. The traction on the bottom soles didn't seem to lose any actually. 

Usually the outdoor method for me causes traction lost. Hrmm.

Well the bulb I bought was only a 13 watt so I think I'll need more for the UV to hit harder. Im currently doing a controlled experiment and my hypothesis: The UVB from the bulb will decrease the yellowing with the sauce.

I have one under the light w/ the sauce and one in the shade w/ the sauce. 
 
johnandrew13 said:
Wow...... 8 - 10 hours. Damn thats a LONG time for one session. I let one session on overnight and the foam was still moist. The traction on the bottom soles didn't seem to lose any actually. 

Usually the outdoor method for me causes traction lost. Hrmm.

Well the bulb I bought was only a 13 watt so I think I'll need more for the UV to hit harder. Im currently doing a controlled experiment and my hypothesis: The UVB from the bulb will decrease the yellowing with the sauce.

I have one under the light w/ the sauce and one in the shade w/ the sauce. 
Click to expand...

I love the indoor method, and the guy who posted above is right john 8-12 hours is just right. 2 is way too short as you're just wasting product and can get much better results from longer sessions. Please let us know how your shade experiment goes as I've always wondered if the light actually does anything..
 
Glockwork3 said:
I love the indoor method, and the guy who posted above is right john 8-12 hours is just right. 2 is way too short as you're just wasting product and can get much better results from longer sessions. Please let us know how your shade experiment goes as I've always wondered if the light actually does anything..
Click to expand...
Well my two hours is with the outdoor method. My solution dries up and I will have to replace it every other hour. 

I checked the shoes and both have lightened up the yellowing on the midsole. The one left under the UV bulb had a significant yellowing reduction. The shoe under underneath the shade ( still outside ) also decreased in yellowing but not as noticeable. 

What wattages are you guys using? Mine's a 13 watt and I don't think it's really doing anything. It's only a fluorescent single screw on bulb.. I'm considering on adding another one.
 
^^^ I use (2x) reptiglow 2.0 26watt bulbs with my indoor method and it works like a charm. I did try it in multiple stages. My first attempt was 4hrs, I notice a small change on the unyellowing and yes you do waste the sauce with short sessions. Since I was working from home that week, I let it baked for 8-10hrs but I checked up on it EVERY hour just make sure the sauce didn't dry up, I wasn't worried about sole separation because it never got too hot.

If you're doing the outdoor method, depending on the temperature outside, 2hrs is probably safe but I chose the indoor method just because I can pretty much put the shoe in place and do other things.

At first the wife was giving me the "WTF" look with all the gear and prep...I showed her the before and after and she was like :smokin
 
Last edited:
Perfect. I ended up purchasing two Reptiglow 10.0 Desert bulbs. I'm pretty excited actually! I can restore shoes in my sleep :smile:
 
my attempts to seaglow my xx2's have had pathetic results, and for a while they were just slippery as **** to walk on.
 
eltouha said:
my attempts to seaglow my xx2's have had pathetic results, and for a while they were just slippery as **** to walk on.
Click to expand...
This  is why I stopped using seaglow and praised retrobrite for the longest time. Retrobrite will reduce yelllowing and if done properly, zero to little traction loss.
 
So I've been doing a little more research on the retr0brite formula itself and the indoor method setup.

I actually looked up "retrobrite indoor method" on google and I came across the Sole collector page. I've gained some insight from reading at least 30+ pages out of 140 and I have a better understanding of it now.

It looks like I don't need to microwave my "Sally's 40 vol" and Oxiclean because people have been doing it without heating it up. I just thought it was to activate the oxiclean. Well it works either way because I still microwave the two and get awesome results.

As for the indoor method, I could of just bought a generic lightbulb from walmart that is a 26 watt bulb and still get results for .56 cents AND it says it can last for 5 years.. fxck me lol. The bulb I bought said it can only last for 12 months and I paid top dollar for it too </3.

Regardless, if the bulb burns out I can just go to walmart lol. I am planning on going there to buy a bin to put the shoes inside. 

With my 13 watt bulb, I left it on for at least 18 hours and I saw no difference with the Stealth V's I worked on. Still piss yellow.. I'll let you guys know if my success and failures once I receive my items in the mail. Thanks for your guys's input.

Edit: Oops. Sorry. I misread. I thought it was .56 cents, It was actually $56 LOL
 
Last edited:
^^^ Yes that is correct 12months of usage but I believe that is if you use it daily for 12 months and for the purpose of desert life. For our intent and purposes that light bulb will have a longer lifetime.

Just from my experience I did order 4 reptiglows and one was damage during shipping however Amazon will replace or refund your bulb if it came damage.

In regards to the sauce it self, I didn't microwave it either though I did two things and it worked pretty well:

1. My first attempt was applied the sauce right after I mixed the creme, hydrogen peroxide and oxiclean to the shoe and it started to run off. I decided to let it sit in the fridge for 30-45mins and the content was alot thicker.

2. Second batch I added corn starch and minus the hydrogen peroxide (since volume creme 40 already contains) and it worked excellent. My final batch consisted of volume creme 40, corn starch and oxiclean. You can use that formula right after mixture and it will drip at a minimal.

With this mix I did not lose traction on the sole or on the pods (always use cutouts).
 
johnandrew13 said:
This  is why I stopped using seaglow and praised retrobrite for the longest time. Retrobrite will reduce yelllowing and if done properly, zero to little traction loss.
Click to expand...

Haven't people started dying their soles now. I've seen it done to make foamposites look "OG" but people have been using blue dye to make their soles icy again after they have yellowed. Maybe someone should try that
 
Sir Charles said:
Haven't people started dying their soles now. I've seen it done to make foamposites look "OG" but people have been using blue dye to make their soles icy again after they have yellowed. Maybe someone should try that
Click to expand...
From my experience and perspective, seaglow is only useful for dying soles. Retr0brite on the other hand, is great for unyellowing anything. (bottom sole, midsole, netting,)

Don't get me wrong, seaglow will get any bottom soles back to ICY, but the adverse effects are more bad than good. Traction loss for certain and also the soles yellow a lot faster than retrobrite.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure if I read all that right John but I have way better results with reptiglo than I did was standard bulbs. I have 4 bulbs running essentially all day/night. My indoor sessions are way more consistent than my outdoor ones, sometimes I hardly lose a shade of yellowing outdoors in 4 hours with the same batch of retr0brite as I do for one indoor session.

Also, for the record I don't use anything else besides the developer cream and oxiclean.
 
23GOAT said:
I have about 20 pairs of kicks which consist of Air Jordans, Airmax 95's and Airmax 90's which are all well taken care of and all are being worn in a rotation. I have very few DS pairs but the rest are VNDS condition.
My Question: I have pretty much all of them inside a ziplock bags (Not sealed) for one main reason, DUST!!! Will my kicks be ok overtime having them in the ziplock bags? When I decide to wear a pair, I'll bring them out of the bag. When I'm done wearing them, I will wait a couple of hours before I put them back inside the ziplock bags so they air out properly from wear. Like mentioned, I DO NOT SEAL THE BAGS so air can still reach the kicks. I use them just to shield my kicks from dust. I also don't use silica packs. When I kept them in their original box, that's when I put 1 silica pack per box. Please let me know if what I've been doing is ok for my kicks. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I have the same issue, i own roughly 40 pairs and just keep them in their boxes or i have a closet for the ones without. No bags, no silica packs. Im wondering whats the best way to store shoes?

Props on those Space Jams, Great job

And thanks for all the info guys, i have a pair of Cool Grey 11's i will try to unyellow myself.
 
Macc E-money said:
I have the same issue, i own roughly 40 pairs and just keep them in their boxes or i have a closet for the ones without. No bags, no silica packs. Im wondering whats the best way to store shoes?

Props on those Space Jams, Great job

And thanks for all the info guys, i have a pair of Cool Grey 11's i will try to unyellow myself.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Let us know how it goes. Don't be afraid to ask for help either.
 
Just to touch on prevention...before the sole gets yellow, while the shoe is still newish...how do you guys clean the soles? With all of my solid color bottoms I just use shoe cleaner then scrub and rinse with water, then wipe down and let air dry. All my soles look dead stock. What do you all do with icy soles like Concords and VI's with icy soles? Im afraid to clean and rinse because I know water is the enemy. But I also don't like putting my Jordan's away with dirty soles. I know it's excessive, but I now clean the bottoms of my shoes as well before storing them away again. I wanna have clean icy soles, but I don't wanna speed up the yellowing process. Suggestions?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Un yellowing Jordan 11’s sole. HELP?!
Replies
0
Views
197
erica777
E
therealest1
Nike SB x Jordan IV Navy - March 2025
Replies
20
Views
1K
Kierris
K
therealest1
Jordan IV RM
Replies
16
Views
3K
Public Enemy
Public Enemy
therealest1
Jordan III Wings - Fall 2024
Replies
4
Views
6K
6pac
6pac
therealest1
Jordan 2 Low Cherry Blossom - 2024
Replies
2
Views
808
sneakaprince
sneakaprince

Thread Gallery

View Full Gallery

The ultimate sneaker enthusiast community.

NikeTalk was created as a way of giving back to both the sneaker enthusiast community and to the greater global community of which we are all a part.

NikeTalk is NOT affiliated with Nike Inc. in any way, shape, or form. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc.

© 1999-2024 NikeTalk.com

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom