SCHOOL ME ON CUSTOMS

[ghettrocentricity]

just a thought meth while ive got your attention, your one of the few people ive seen other than myself who have added parts to the shoe namely straps. now personally i hand stitch them all from a flat peice of leather. then hand stitch them to the shoe because any cobblers ive been to never do as good a job with a patcher than i do by hand.
now the fact that yours are often on the toe end of the lace panels i suppose you could go through existing holes by hand more easily than making new ones, i use glue before stitching which is just a rubber based contact adhesive but this is just for the final fit to the shoe or when putting the strap together.

id be intrigued to know how you do yours whether you do hand stitch the same.
ive been looking for a long time for a patcher or indeed a new machine like a factory has but the older and indeed better patchers are becoming scarce and a new machine can run into thousands of dollars(although i slept on one the other week on ebay at $400)
im pretty sure i could do some pretty special things from what ive had a go at before although they were never special enough to post anywhere.
im sure youve toyed with the idea of a machine, have you had any luck?

 

[methamphibian nyc]

rob i'm back in the states now


about the straps. the first time i made this (you can see it on the ALPHA DUNK i did a while back) i took the strap off of a Air Trainer 1 and actually stitched and glued it onto the dunk by hand.

i dont do that anymore. it isnt at all necessary. the ones you seen where i made the straps on the Snake dunk (snakeskin toe strap) i used GOOP craft adhesive to glue it into the lace panel as well as punch it thru the existing lace holes with a rivet gun. the metal rivets hold the strap onto the shoe stronger then a stitch and it only takes a fraction of the time.

actually the glue by itself is strong enough to hold the strap in place. strong enough to go a full basketball game, dunks, lay-ups and fouls. but i like to overdose and i like metal rivets.

i wish i could patent all my methods

as far as a machine goes. what you can do by a machine will never be as good as what you can do by hand, so i never bothered with it. i'm sure its faster, but really i dont think using a machine would be necessary. i'd rather think of alternative means to achieve the same thing, like with the rivet gun.
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www.methamphibian.com
Updated 1/1/06

A winner is YOU

 

[steppingrazor81]

i like using loew cornell but i prefer the taklon brushes with the acrylic (plastic) handles since i tend to leave them sitting in water to keep them from drying, the wood handles tend to swell from absorbsion. and as far as how i paint, the natural hair brushes tend to snap (the actual hairs) too quickly, causing it to lose shape, cuz im rough on my brushes. taklon is fine enough to get good coverage but lasts much longer.

as far as painting midsoles, i dont really bother with the rubber soles. you can definately use a heat set latex based paint, but they wont last forever....alot of skate shoe companies use that stuff to cover up color bleeds on the soles alot cuz their quality control is less stringent, and it usually peels off after a few weeks of wear. they know that it only matters that the shoe looks good when the mom is buying the shoe for the kid. if the shoes you plan on using it for arent gonna be worn too much or at all, it will definatly work out for you. just gotta put the shoes in an oven to heat set it :\

for foam soles, its not too complicated, i dont bother with the silkscreen mediums cuz its a bit more work than i really care to do (mainly the heat setting, cuz you have to watch it in the oven to make sure its not getting too cooked). what i have been doing lately is just using the same process i do for the leather. prep the foam soles with acetone to take the paint off. you'll see the raw foam just like the leather if you were doing it on the upper. let it dry THOROUGHLY. get whatever HIGHLY FLEXIBLE paint mixture you have (add alot of textile medium, id say 1.5:1 medium to paint and add a little acetone to thin. apply thin coats letting each coat dry completely (you can speed this up with a blow dryer). i did this on the elephant print 90's i just did with the tan around the air bubble. it doesnt peel or crack. the foam is actually a good surface to paint on since it is minutely porous it holds the paint really well. the key is just getting the factory paint/coating off. if i was painting the ENTIRE sole on a pair of am's i would more likely use the silkscreen gel cuz you dont have to do as many coats to get a good smooth coverage, which would take forever doing the other method.

Containers are key! its always frustrating to recreate a color you made cuz you almost always end up having some huge puddle of paint on the palette cuz you kept adding more to get it right.

In addition to GOOP, Shoe Goo works well too, although it is a bit stiffer, so i wouldnt reccommend using it on areas with alot of movement, such as behind the toes.

To turn smooth leather into suede (for making more realistic elephant, safari prints and just suede in general)-
This doesnt work with all leathers, so make sure you test this in an inconspicuous place first. Nike and other shoe companies are increasingly using crap @#%$ bonded leather (if you dont know what this is, go to a skate shop and check out the belts they carry...look at the inside and check it out, it will look like they took leather particles and made a cardboard like material out of this. there are varying degrees of quality to this process, and you can actually get really nice feeling "leathers" from it, but its main purpose is to save money so the most common form is a semi stiff plastic coated leatherboard. most recent gr dunks and especially the recent Journeys dunks have this leather. most white leather can be used (make sure its not synthetic first!).

you can either use a dremel with a small spherical routing bit (1/16 or 1/8 in), or a xacto knife with a curved blade. use the dremel to tear off the plastic leather coating (you have to hold it at a certain angle....test it on some beaters). the other way is to take the blade, and scratch sideways with the middle of the curve on the blade. scratch a small area at a time (about 2 sq in) in one direction, when it starts to come off, start scratching in a perpendicular direction and that should get it off. you can make the nap smooth (no lines from the scratching) by using a rough bristle brush. white leather is best cuz you can dye it any other color you want cuz the suede (or nubuck sinch its not really nappy) is super light.

dying suede/nubuck- easy but messy. if its a dark nubuck/suede you need to bleach it first (same application process as i'll describe for the dye). more than likely after a couple applications you will get to a light tan or a light grey depending on the original color. now to dying. this crap can get MESSY so do this in the garage, or if you have a laundry room do it there...not in the bathroom cuz leather dyes will stain the grout and possibly your tiles.

my personal preference for dyes is Fiebling's Institutional Leather Dye...its made for prisons, hospitals and schools and is non toxic and stains like a mutha. use a brush, or a qtip. AND MAKE SURE YOU WEAR RUBBER GLOVES! i had green hands for a week. i only use a SMALL brush for the corners, but if you can master it, its better to pull back the upper panel and place a saturated q tip close to the edge and let the dye soak in and bleed under the upper layer. that way you dont have to chance getting the dye on the other panel...cuz it ISNT COMING OFF. anyways, get the whole panel colored...then do it again. the more times you do it, the deeper the dye will penetrate the leather. let it dry over a day. its gonna dry with a film that will make the leather stiff. to re-nap take a long fingernail (for nubuck dont use anything but a fingernail or a guitar pick), or a dull rounded blade and scrape the leather back to softness. it will lighten up a bit so reapply if necessary. heres the of this method:

the green panel was made by bleaching then dyeing. i dont reccomend using black liquid leather dye as it leaves a film that cant be removed by scraping. the best way ive found to dye suede black is a sharpie. YES a sharpie. but you cant draw it on. you have to roll the tip on its side and let the leather soak up the dye out of the marker. dont use this on nubuck tho....it works sometimes but it isnt very consistant and i havent found a dye that looks great for black nubuck yet.

ok im done for now.....can this be stickied already?
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[methamphibian nyc]

dying suede with a black marker is awesome

in particular ARTLINE 90 black permanent pens are really really effective in Suede, Nubuck, Fabric, Mesh, Nylon, RUBBER (to a certain extent, especially if you are going for an intentionally f-ed up look like i did on my chuck taylors) and PATENT LEATHER. yes, patent leather.

the only thing is, if you want to retain that contrast stitching from the suede you have to use dye, this marker will color over the stitching as well.

on patent it does leave a sort of inevitable "irridescent purple" shine to the black after it dries as does all permanent ink, but you can use that to your advantage.

as far as i know there is no other decent way to make a long lasting color change on patent leather that doesnt crack after 1 wear.


here is a pic of Tiffany SB i made all black including the silver patent swoosh

the ARTLINE 90 was used to color the swoosh black. it retains all glossiness of the original patent and leaves a streakless factory finish if you do it right (apply in a even circular motion). you can see the faint irridescent purple shine on the swoosh, but i think for this shoe it actually has a nice effect. the ink will stay on the patent just as good as the paint stays on the leather.
the artline pen was also used to color the fabric tongue black.

other mods on this shoe:
obligitory aborted tongue (stuffing removed)
elastic straps removed
woven label stitched on
teal threading colored with COPIC VARIOUS INKS
contrast stitching on the gator is intact and unstained from the teal panels when deglazing the shoe (that was the most tedious part)
everything else was painted black.

i actually like these more then my ID AF1. go figure.
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www.methamphibian.com
Updated 1/1/06

A winner is YOU

 

[oo718oo]

Quote:

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i've been accused of "hoarding info" in the past and not telling "trade secrets" for god knows why. there is really no such thing as "magical paint mixes" or "super secret" paint formulas

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well fess up on this.

lace locks and patches.

where the dillyo you get these made?

the process behind the whole situation........

and what about those dc x meths?

btw nice interview on the adicolor site, im suprised they didnt edit the fbombs.
http://2000words.blogspot.com/

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZld5k

 

[methamphibian nyc]

hhahahaha. dude i alreay told you, the Lace Locks were made somewhere in Thailand (i didnt handle production on those, thank White Room in singapore for those). the patches i made in china. just walked into a art store on the street, then 7 days later it was done... some of the highest quality embroider work ive seen (i just made some skull patches for my jackets coming out later this year they are incredibly detailed on the stitching).

the DC's took a hiccup due to certain reasons i cant really get into but they will be out for sure.

the adicolor interview didnt edit those certain words but they edited a lot of other stuff when i was explaining the history of sneaker customization (obviously because i mention competitors names and their roles in the history of this culture according to era and region)
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Updated 1/1/06

A winner is YOU

 

[oo718oo]

in regards to buying sneakers to customize.

the quality of nikes isnt as good as it used to be.

ive bought pairs and noticed a steady decline, most notably af1s.

it seems like the material almost like melts when i acetone it.

any way to lessen this?

also can anyone mention a good silver paint. i bought angelus silver and it stinks,ive coated it over grey, i mixed it half heartedly with grey too. im not too pleased with the results.

has anyone tried placing paint in a caligraphy pen too?
someone gave me the idea i just havent had the oppurtunity to do so.
http://2000words.blogspot.com/

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZld5k

 

[methamphibian nyc]

like i said earlier Lascaux Studio Bronze in either Steel (for darker, warmer gunmetal tone), Aluminum (for a purely neutral and light matte brushed aluminum look), and i think they have just a straight metallic silver as well. usually only takes 1 coat 2 if you're OD. its the best looking finish ive ever seen from metallic paints. go to pearl paint on canal street. thin the paint with either Airbrush medium (preferable for slower drying times) or alcohol. dont use water to thin it

as far as quality in Nike's. there is nothing you can do about it. i've pretty much completely stopped using AF1s after 2002 and dont have a desire to go back. Nike's plastic leather is total crap and there isnt anything you can really do about it except don't paint on nikes. some of the stuff is still fairly decent leather and usable, but they are few and very far inbetween



and using a very sharp and brand new 1/8 angular shader probably works better then loading paint into a caligraphy pen
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www.methamphibian.com
Updated 1/1/06

A winner is YOU

 

[steppingrazor81]

who's been carrying those artline markers? none of the stores around here carry them....also, im assuming cuz you were mentioning the purple haze that its an ink based, not a paint based marker, yes?

the reason it feels like the leather gets all buttery (not in a good way) when you acetone it is that plastic coating has alot to do with the stiffness in the leather and if you take it off it gets real flimsy and subject to easy creasing cuz it doesnt have anything to pull it back to shape...try heat setting your paint after you paint it, it should bond it better and regain some stiffness (not that stiffness is actually a good quality in leather)

also, i used sharpie to black out the swoosh on my sharks YEARS ago (actually the first thing i ever changed on any nikes i had) and they are still black...and those shoes have been through hell and back (currently rolling around in my trunk with a bunch of pieces of wood i got for my fireplace)

heres some sharpie induced blackouts:

^^ ex hulks

^^obvious

and the true reds that i turned into an african flag was done with sharpie.


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[steppingrazor81]

ive found that using an oil based aluminum paint (get rusto brand in a liquid form, not spraycan....its basically Krink but a bit thicker) works well for a silver. only problem with that is it dries slow so you have to add a medium to speed up drying time. however i dont usually put silver on any part except for the swoosh or a small panel so i dont know how this would work on a crease prone panel.
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[oo718oo]

im goin to pearl tomorrow.

a lil dimsum too afterwards.

if youre in the 5 boros im goin to hunt you down.
http://2000words.blogspot.com/

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[methamphibian nyc]

i got the Artline markers overseas. i dont know where they sell it in the US, but the closest equivalent here would probably be either Magnum44 or Eberhard-Faber DESiGN art marker, which is pretty severe ink as well.

out of all ink-based markers the Artline smells the best and i find myself sniffing the tip more then actually using it. has a slight grape scent with a huge dose of heavy chemical flavor.


i wouldnt recommend oil-based paint or anything oil based for something flexible as shoes (but if it works for you by all means go ahead), because oil based usually dries out and becomes brittle over time. i guess for a swoosh it will be fine but if used on a toe box you would probably start seeing micro cracks and lines from all the stress points and creases.


and you wont find me in NY, i'm currently enjoying the 60 degree sunlight in LA.

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www.methamphibian.com
Updated 1/1/06

A winner is YOU

 

[steppingrazor81]

never been too fond of magnums....they dry out too quick.
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[steppingrazor81]

yeah i wouldnt ever use it on the toe....i just love that rusto aluminum cuz it is seriously liquid metal crack. we did this whole thing with barely more than 1 32oz. can

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[55steep]

so stepping razor ( or anyone else who knows what there talking about) how would i go about heatsetting paint after its been appliied?
"I don't give a (expletive) about no trade rumors. As long as somebody CTC, at the end of the day I'm with them For all you that don't know what CTC means, that's Cut The Check.

 

[speakeasy]

I think he said a hair dryer or a heat gun used for screenprinting maybe? I also saw mention of putting shoes in an oven, but I'd never do that personally.

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[/b]​

 

[ghettrocentricity]

a hairdryer can do a pretty good job of heatsetting paint but for some other stuff an oven is the way forwards. but watch it shoes melt/burn.


hows about some engraving tips el i remember those mr cartoon forces you did. ive got a pretty damn good woodbuner and a steady hand and although i can pull of most things with it how in the hell you basicly embossed it with no acetone or paint to clean the surface up afterwards amazes me.

 

[55steep]

EL knows his way around a woodburner...so as far as heat setting(hair dryer-wise) how long would i use it on a pair and would it be directly after i finished, before drying, or would i wait a while?
"I don't give a (expletive) about no trade rumors. As long as somebody CTC, at the end of the day I'm with them For all you that don't know what CTC means, that's Cut The Check.

 

[ghettrocentricity]

just use it to dry it out and a little bit more. you can actually see it drying.

 

[steppingrazor81]

i usually blow dry a single shoe for about 5 minutes on the highest setting with the dryer about an inch away.
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[emmanuelabor]

Quote:

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hows about some engraving tips el i remember those mr cartoon forces you did. ive got a pretty damn good woodbuner and a steady hand and although i can pull of most things with it how in the hell you basicly embossed it with no acetone or paint to clean the surface up afterwards amazes me.

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I use alcohol afterwards to clean the surface most times, but very sparingly...you dont wanna get carried away and strip your work down to nothing. At the very least I'd use a wet paper towel to clean the edges. I hear stories about burn marks but I've never really encountered them.
as for paint....I didnt use to use paint, but now I do use it to fill in the burned area to add a lil depth and to make the engraving stand out a lil more...either by using a lighter or darker shade of the main color.

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[belloblocksta]

holy moly. i jsut spend like 1:30 reading this after only meaning to pick up a couple pointers to try out. mucho thanks to all the input. but just curious...seeing as though i dont exactly have access to blanks(dunks/af1's) or w/e...nor do i have the cash to back my @#%$ up of a perfectly nice pair of bucks...what kinda stuff should i buy so that i can start on if im reallly really new to this all?
Lookin for Used SB's and new AM 90's in size 9. Get at me.

 

[steppingrazor81]

go to ross or marshall's and pick up some all white or whatever shoes...provided they arent synthetic leather, it should give you a good platform to practice without sacrificing good shoes.
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[oo718oo]

best read ever.
http://2000words.blogspot.com/

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[steppingrazor81]

new tutorial.

since restoring a leather shoe is pretty much the same as doing a custom i wont bother to go into that. but restoring shoes with dirty suede or nubuck has been a problem for alot of people so heres what you need to do.

obviously suede erasers are a good first choice to start cleaning. they are the least intensive of the methods. just follow the directions...rubbing the suede, etc. i suggest rubbing in circles. now if the grime on your shoe requires a bit more work, then try this....but first you have to get over your fear of water when it comes to suede. Leather is skin, and it will not be ruined by water. granted it will dry the nap up into a stiff skin but thats not where you stop. (this technique should only be used on suede, not nubuck and is only really necessary on light suedes)

start by taking out the insoles and laces. then go to a sink. youre going to drench the shoes in water, and start scrubbing them with an old toothbrush. after you have cleaned them thoroughly, you need to do it again. with soap (i know, dont get scared tho). take some mild, undyed hand soap, and repeat the process....scrubbing it in, cleaning the insole, and even washing out the tongue (if its mesh). use a fingernail to scratch at the leather to pull up any deep set grime and stains. wash the shoe like you would a piece of clothing. after youre satisfied with how clean its gotten, rinse it out completely, making sure there is NO soap left in at all. let them dry over the course of a day, preferably out of sunlight, cuz it will lighten the shoes and may cause them to shrink a bit. after they dry completely, the suede is going to be stiff. take a cerrated (sp?) knife from the kitchen (the smaller the teeth the better) and rub it sideways to open up the nap of the suede. do this all over the shoe till you get it back to its original condition. you may find that you can use the knife technique to clean shoes without doign the whole washing bit. it doesnt clean as deeply, but it definately does the trick... the point is to pull up the fibers of the suede with the knife, so you are exposing the lower suede that is untouch and clean. any more clarification just ask. heres a couple pics of the result. at the point of this cleaning i had worn these shoes every week since they were release...which would have been like 3 years of use...and they both were equally dirty. so the dirty one is what the clean one looked like before.

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