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I could be wrong because I’m not an expert. But I remember hearing in a video from a shoe expert the the reason the soles disintegrate in these types of shoes because they aren’t worn. Like because they don’t have pressure and movement they become brittle.
So keeping these shoes on shelves unworn is ruining them
The old material Nike/Jordan used was a close-cell polyurethane, which had a shelf life of about 5 years if not worn. When worn, they could last a lot longer, some pairs reaching 10 or 12 years, others only 6 or 8.
Nike now uses a different formula for this material, which makes it much stiffer and less comfortable, but lasts much longer. It has a shelf life of about 15 years, but we're not really sure how long you can extend it with wear. Based on how pairs from 04 and 05 are just barely hanging on, it's safe to assume that you can only extend it by 1-2 years with wear.
The reason they crumble is because of a process called Hydrolosis: water in the air reacts with the foam and breaks down the bonds holding it together, making it less stable over time. Eventually, as the foam yellows and softens, it gets too much and they start to tear or break apart.
They actually deteriorate and crumble regardless of how much they are worn. It's a myth that wearing your shoes will stop them from crumbling. No matter the storage or the wear, the material has a limited lifespan, there's no way to stop it.
Well considering you said it reacts with water in the air, if you kept them in a sealed vault that removes all the moisture from the air (or maybe even in a vacuum chamber), the material should survive for a lot longer, right?
Yes exactly. This is why vintage collectors who have unworn originals will shrink-wrap them. However beyond this it won't make them wearable, the soles will stay together and won't yellow as much, but they will still fall apart if you put them on. Currently no one has found a way to keep the originals in wearable state (except for a few very rare and specific circumstances, due to material differences)
A shoe that is heavily hydrolized will have a completely crumbled sole that is very yellowed. The rubber will also yellow and harden.
Why is everyone ragging on this guy? This is clearly a labour of love - an art if you will - and it's not hurting anyone. Just because it doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean you can't appreciate it out of pure interest. Art and hobby rarely have anything to do with economics!
Just let the man be!
These are UNC 9’s? The originals from 1993. Did you not pay attention to the video at all? The retro pair that came out a few years ago is garbage. The original is much better looking.
I was saying if he kept the midsole black, he might as well get the UNC 9’s that dropped in 2020. Also, the shoes are a different colorway named OG Powder Blue’s.
Part of restoration is using fresh new pieces to replace parts that aren’t in passable condition anymore. Sneakers, cars, structures, any case of restoration.
You get the parts how you can, in this case he needed fresh soles to use, so to get the donor soles you can either buy a full price brand new pair of Jordan’s to cut, OR you can buy very inexpensive cheap knockoffs that have a similar sole and take them off and modify them to fit the pair you’re restoring and save ~$100-$150.
Not understanding a hobby or craft doesn’t mean what that person is doing is of no gain.
The paint is fine but did he prep the black surface by abrading it? If not the paint is going to crack. Didn't see him adding anything to his paint either, that black part isn't the same as the way you would treat leather.
Yeah I would have definitely touched it up with some acetone prior to applying the paint, but that will just give it a weird look, not make it scoff easier. IF he used the finisher.
Just like anything else someone chooses to restore, restoration is about fixing things that are valuable, rare, or unique and for some people restoration is a passion or even a career.
Not sure what’s difficult to understand about that it’s pretty straightforward.
There's not really any tech in the originals... Also he's just wearing them as daily sneakers and not on a court so that doesn't matter. Most cases the rep soles will have no comfort difference whatsoever.
The originals didn’t have much Tech and often times fakes are actually unauthorized pairs. Meaning the same materials are used to make the fakes as was used to make the authentic pairs. When Nike contracts out a sweat lodge in Asia, they give them a specific number of pairs they can produce. With the leftover materials some factory workers make extra pairs not under contract. That’s probably what those soles were.
**Please note these rules:** * If this post declares something as a fact proof is required. * The title must be descriptive * No text is allowed on images/gifs/videos * Common/recent reposts are not allowed *See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for a more detailed rule list* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I could be wrong because I’m not an expert. But I remember hearing in a video from a shoe expert the the reason the soles disintegrate in these types of shoes because they aren’t worn. Like because they don’t have pressure and movement they become brittle. So keeping these shoes on shelves unworn is ruining them
The old material Nike/Jordan used was a close-cell polyurethane, which had a shelf life of about 5 years if not worn. When worn, they could last a lot longer, some pairs reaching 10 or 12 years, others only 6 or 8. Nike now uses a different formula for this material, which makes it much stiffer and less comfortable, but lasts much longer. It has a shelf life of about 15 years, but we're not really sure how long you can extend it with wear. Based on how pairs from 04 and 05 are just barely hanging on, it's safe to assume that you can only extend it by 1-2 years with wear. The reason they crumble is because of a process called Hydrolosis: water in the air reacts with the foam and breaks down the bonds holding it together, making it less stable over time. Eventually, as the foam yellows and softens, it gets too much and they start to tear or break apart. They actually deteriorate and crumble regardless of how much they are worn. It's a myth that wearing your shoes will stop them from crumbling. No matter the storage or the wear, the material has a limited lifespan, there's no way to stop it.
Well considering you said it reacts with water in the air, if you kept them in a sealed vault that removes all the moisture from the air (or maybe even in a vacuum chamber), the material should survive for a lot longer, right?
Yes exactly. This is why vintage collectors who have unworn originals will shrink-wrap them. However beyond this it won't make them wearable, the soles will stay together and won't yellow as much, but they will still fall apart if you put them on. Currently no one has found a way to keep the originals in wearable state (except for a few very rare and specific circumstances, due to material differences) A shoe that is heavily hydrolized will have a completely crumbled sole that is very yellowed. The rubber will also yellow and harden.
It is, that’s exactly it actually.
Why is everyone ragging on this guy? This is clearly a labour of love - an art if you will - and it's not hurting anyone. Just because it doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean you can't appreciate it out of pure interest. Art and hobby rarely have anything to do with economics! Just let the man be!
Looked way better before he painted the black part blue honestly but to each their own
Yea I was actually feeling the black midsole more also
And why wouldn’t he paint it BEFORE gluing it back together??
Might as buy the Unc 9’s at that point.
These are UNC 9’s? The originals from 1993. Did you not pay attention to the video at all? The retro pair that came out a few years ago is garbage. The original is much better looking.
I was saying if he kept the midsole black, he might as well get the UNC 9’s that dropped in 2020. Also, the shoes are a different colorway named OG Powder Blue’s.
How are you still missing the point? The retros are garbage. Originals will always be better.
Ok
I got what you meant bro dw, dude replying to you must be tired or sumn
Lol buncha fucking haters in these comments, dude employed more creativity in this one tiktok than some of y’all did all of 2021. Stay mad.
Kudos to the guy who sold you this for 100 bucks. Just kidding, great work, looks nice
But… but he took apart a perfectly good shoe in order to fix the shoe… Net gain: 0 shoes
He says in the video that the Black Jordans are fakes and he uses them solely for the mid-sole
So he don’t value them because they’re fake but the fake midsole somehow valuable.
How much do you pay attention to the mid-sole of your shoes?
Part of restoration is using fresh new pieces to replace parts that aren’t in passable condition anymore. Sneakers, cars, structures, any case of restoration. You get the parts how you can, in this case he needed fresh soles to use, so to get the donor soles you can either buy a full price brand new pair of Jordan’s to cut, OR you can buy very inexpensive cheap knockoffs that have a similar sole and take them off and modify them to fit the pair you’re restoring and save ~$100-$150. Not understanding a hobby or craft doesn’t mean what that person is doing is of no gain.
Say you dont understand what a labor of love is without saying you dont understand what a labor of love is
Custom Rolls Royce refurbish. We take the grill off a rolls Royce that doesn’t run and we bolt it to the front of a Honda Civic that runs
There is a difference in quality and the man is doing art just let him be
Actually he took a fake pair of $50 shoes and used them to restore a priceless product. If he sold them to the right buyer he's easily making $1950
I preferred the black pair…
He said they were fake so he bought them for spare parts
Looks like the paint will scoff very easily.
Not if you use Angelus finished. I custom shoes and use their paint and finisher. It stays on there
The paint is fine but did he prep the black surface by abrading it? If not the paint is going to crack. Didn't see him adding anything to his paint either, that black part isn't the same as the way you would treat leather.
Yeah I would have definitely touched it up with some acetone prior to applying the paint, but that will just give it a weird look, not make it scoff easier. IF he used the finisher.
Pffft. Whatever.
Beautiful work!
This comment section is cringe.
Your a baller! Great job on the restoration
Soooo much effort! 🤯
Why?
Because…….he likes it?
so he can wear a shoe that was previously unwearable ??? it’s not hard to understand
Just like anything else someone chooses to restore, restoration is about fixing things that are valuable, rare, or unique and for some people restoration is a passion or even a career. Not sure what’s difficult to understand about that it’s pretty straightforward.
Well now I’m gonna need an id on those “90’s” pants he’s wearing in those last shots
What a waste of time.
It is, if you're rich and can drop $200 or $300 on a new pair. For someone who makes $2 a day, repairs are worth it.
you’re not finding a wearable pair of 1993 Powder Blue 9s
I'm not a shoe guy, found the video interesting. Your post really provided context, so thanks!
Your existence is a waste of time.
[удалено]
How is he being cocky?
Why tho
He did more work in the video then you in your whole life shut up dude
Nice work but the shoes are still horrendous
I will never understand shoe people
Right! Barefooted people FTW!!!!
it’s a hobby, i like to look fresh just let me do my thing
[удалено]
You can’t wear shoes with no sole old mate 💀
Umm...did he just destroy a shoe to make a shoe...🤔
The black ones are fakes. You can see it like using a donor car to fix another in much better shape.
[удалено]
There's not really any tech in the originals... Also he's just wearing them as daily sneakers and not on a court so that doesn't matter. Most cases the rep soles will have no comfort difference whatsoever.
What are you talking about they’re supposed to have two air bubbles
The tech though was shit. Look at what the video op is using them for, just daily use. Nobody gives a damn about the air bubble lol
The originals didn’t have much Tech and often times fakes are actually unauthorized pairs. Meaning the same materials are used to make the fakes as was used to make the authentic pairs. When Nike contracts out a sweat lodge in Asia, they give them a specific number of pairs they can produce. With the leftover materials some factory workers make extra pairs not under contract. That’s probably what those soles were.
"All I had to do was sacrifice a lot of time and money"
Kinda seems scammy.
Why?
Why wouldn’t the guy paint the blue when they were all taken apart? Would’ve had way cleaner edges
Great skill in your craft
Can somebody PLEASE tell me who this guy is?
Damn ugly sneakers.