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Glue / Nail Polish Aglet
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Soaking the lace end either with general purpose glue or with several coats of nail polish produces a more durable
aglet.
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Step 1:
Simply squish a small amount of either glue or nail polish into the end of the shoelace. Whilst drying, squeeze and
twist the end to both reduce the thickness of the tip and to aid glue penetration.
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Step 2:
When completely dry, trim any rough ends, then add another coating of either glue or nail polish for a smoother,
longer lasting finish.
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What Sort of Glue?
Preferably choose a glue with an acetone based solvent, such as "Tarzan's Grip", "Elmer's Clear Household Cement"
or "Britfix Balsa Cement", just to name a few. These will dry clear, hard and waterproof, as opposed to the PVA
based glues such as "Aquadhere" or "Elmer's Glue-All", which are not as hard and are only water resistant. You can
tell the difference by their look and smell - acetone based glues are clear and have a strong petro-chemical smell,
whilst PVA glues are milky white and smell mildly acetic.
Clear nail polish is also perfect, while colored nail polish can be used to add either a complementary or
contrasting color or even to add some sparkle.
You can also use a couple of drops of an "instant" cyanoacrylate glue, such as "Super Glue" or "Krazy Glue". Note
that the fibers of the shoelace provide a huge surface area, which can cause this type of glue to cure too quickly.
Although rapid drying is normally an advantage, the disadvantage is that it can result in a finish that is whitish
rather than clear. It can also give off some nasty fumes, so beware! |
NOTE: Glue manufacturers have health warnings against "prolonged skin exposure" to the above solvent based
glues, so wear gloves if this is of concern (or if you hate sticky fingers). Use acetone, thinners or nail polish
remover to clean up afterwards.
This page last updated: 05-Jun-2010. Copyright © 2005-2010 by
Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
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