True Story
About 4 months ago, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a new pair of shoes for work. Oxfords with laces. Seems like every pair of shoes I buy, the soles wear out in no time at all. Well, these have soles nearly an inch thick. They'll last...
Two weeks ago, I was going to put them on... Better feed them. The front is coming apart on both of them. Makes them look like they've got mouths open. Examining them more closely to see what my options are... "Made in China" isn't worn off the soles yet.
In the truck stop, I found a tube of CONTACT CEMENT. One option I had not thought of earlier. Glue the soles back to the leather uppers. Container says it works on rubber, wood, metal, glass, leather, etc. So, glue the rubber back to the leather, and I'm good to go... Right?
The adhesive qualities of this contact cement is fantastic. And, it RUNS out of the tube when you open it. You do not have to squeeze the tube to force it out. And, when you put it on a surface, it holds gravity as a very close partner. It will take the shortest path downhill, no matter what may stand in it's way. That includes thighs and knees not covered by shorts.
The instructions say that you should let it stand for 10 minutes before pressing the surfaces together. The instructions do not say if that includes the 9 minutes it spent running everywhere.
(Note... Do not try this in the open air where skeeters can get to you.)
Once you press the surfaces together, use a towel to wipe away the excess. And, believe me, the "excess" is all you're going to get. A whole roll of towels won't even begin to affect the base coat. I would never have believed it was possible to take the skin off and have glue remain.
So, as of today, I've taken my 9th shower. My legs are a nice shade of pinkish-red from all the scrubbing... The zebra stripes remain.
It certainly lives up to the claim that it will stick to virtually any surface. Ears, nose, forehead, and anywhere else a skeeter bit me. It seems to be as permanent as a tattoo. In terms of sticking to any surface, this is about the best stuff out there.
But, it does have one short-fall. It still has to be able to hold the two surfaces together. The shoes looked just as hungry the next morning as they did before I started. Guess I should have fed them first.
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Destroy the cities... and they will rebuild them.
Destroy the farms... and grass will grow in the streets of the cities.
Destroy the economy of the blue-collar worker... and grass will grow in the executive offices.
The bill has come due.
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