What is Selleys Fix & Go Shoe Repair, and where should you use it?

Selleys Fix & Go Shoe Repair is a solvent-based, flexible adhesive made specifically for shoe repairs. It dries clear, it is weather resistant and impact resistant, and the bond stays flexible — which is the property that matters on footwear, because a sole flexes thousands of times a day and a rigid glue line would crack.

The thing to get right before you start is which of the two application methods you need. Selleys publishes a contact method for larger repairs, where you coat both surfaces and let the film go almost dry before pressing, and a wet bond method for small repairs, where you apply to one surface and press immediately. Using the wet bond method on a whole sole, or the contact method on a tiny decorative fitting, is the most common way this repair goes wrong.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Technology	Solvent based
Colour	Clear
Working time	1 minute
Initial bond	24 hours
Maximum bond time	72 hours

Supplied as a 50mL tube, clear. Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the key numbers mean in practice

Working time is 1 minute. In the contact method this is not a deadline so much as an instruction: you coat both surfaces and keep them apart until the adhesive film is almost dry, which takes roughly that minute. Press too early and you get a wet joint with no grab; leave it far too long and the film loses tack. When you do bring the surfaces together, the bond forms immediately on contact — so line the parts up carefully before they touch, because you will not get a second attempt at alignment.

Initial bond 24 hours, maximum bond 72 hours. Selleys states the repair is ready for practical use after 1 day, and that maximum bond strength is achieved after 3 days. For a school shoe that has to go back on in the morning, one day is the honest minimum. For a hiking boot or a heel that carries concentrated load, giving it the full three days before hard use is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that peels at the toe on the first wet walk.

Where to use it

Fix & Go Shoe Repair is listed as ideal for:

• School shoes, dress shoes, high heels and wedges
• Sporting shoes and outdoor shoes
• Repairing soles, tongues, straps and inner soles
• Attaching decorative items

It will stick to rubber, leather, canvas, cork, EVA foam and most plastics. That covers nearly everything a modern shoe is built from, with the specific exceptions listed under limitations below.

How to apply it

Before you start: do not swallow, use in a well-ventilated area, and avoid skin and eye contact. This is a solvent-based product and ventilation is a real requirement, not boilerplate.

1. Ensure the surfaces are clean and dry.
2. Remove the cap and carefully pierce the seal.
3. Choose your method.
   • Contact method, for larger area repairs: coat both surfaces evenly with glue. Keep them apart until the adhesive film is almost dry — approximately 1 minute. Carefully line up the surfaces to be joined and press firmly together. Bonds form immediately on contact.
   • Wet bond method, for small area repairs: apply adhesive to one surface only and immediately press together. Lightly clamp or hold until dry.
4. Wipe the nozzle and replace the cap immediately after use.
5. Clean up spills and excess adhesive with acetone before it dries, and make sure adhesive is completely cleaned off exposed surfaces.

Two tips that materially improve the result

For very porous surfaces, seal them first. Coat the surface with a thin layer of adhesive and allow it to dry, then apply a second coat to form the bond as directed. A porous sole or an untreated leather edge will otherwise soak the first coat away from the joint, leaving very little adhesive where you need it.

Clamp or weight the repair while it dries. Selleys says clamping or pressing with a heavy object during drying may be used for stronger adhesion, and nominates bulldog clips as ideal. On a sole, spread the pressure — a row of clips along the edge beats one clamp in the middle.

Matching the method to the repair

The two methods exist because shoe repairs come in two shapes. A lifting sole, a separated midsole or a delaminated heel is a large area with a long bond line, and it needs adhesive on both faces so the whole seam is covered — that is the contact method. A loose decorative fitting, a strap end or a small tear is a point repair, and coating both sides of it would put more adhesive on the shoe than in the joint — that is the wet bond method.

The distinction also changes how you handle the parts. With the contact method the bond forms immediately on contact, so alignment happens before the surfaces meet and there is no adjustment afterwards. With the wet bond method the adhesive is still wet when the parts go together, so you have a moment to seat them before clamping or holding until dry.

Whichever method you use, the flexibility of the cured bond is doing the long-term work. A sole flexes every time the wearer takes a step, and a bond that stayed rigid would fatigue and crack at the toe within weeks. That is why this product is formulated as a flexible adhesive rather than simply a strong one.

Limitations — where it should not be used

• Not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics. Selleys directs you to its All Plastics product for those instead.
• It may cause some vinyl and plastics to discolour or harden. If in doubt, test in a small hidden area first — inside a heel cup or under a tongue, not on the outer face.

Clean up and storage

Uncured product may be removed with acetone. Cured product can be sanded and scraped, which on a finished shoe usually means damage — so clean squeeze-out while it is still wet rather than dealing with it later. Bear in mind that acetone can itself affect some materials, so keep it to the glue and off the upper.

Store in a cool place, keep out of reach of children, and keep away from all sources of ignition.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Danger.

• Flammable liquids — Category 2. H225: highly flammable liquid and vapour.
• Eye damage/irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.
• Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure — Category 3, narcotic effects. H336: may cause drowsiness or dizziness.

Classified as Dangerous Goods under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail and New Zealand NZS5433, as Class 3 (flammable liquid), UN 1133, proper shipping name Adhesives. The same class and UN number apply for sea transport under the IMDG Code and air transport under the IATA regulations.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Acetone	67-64-1	30–60%
Ethyl acetate	141-78-6	10–30%
n-Butyl acetate	123-86-4	1–10%
Toluene	108-88-3	<1%
Non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

Read the composition and the hazards explain each other. Between about half and nearly all of the tube is volatile solvent — acetone first, then ethyl acetate and a little butyl acetate — and that is not an additive, it is the mechanism. This adhesive works by solvent evaporation: the solvent holds the polymer in solution, you spread it, the solvent leaves, and the polymer stays behind as the bond. Every one of the three classifications above is a consequence of the solvent that has to leave for the glue to work.

That connects directly to the instruction already on this page. The contact method asks you to coat both surfaces and then wait about a minute until the film is almost dry before pressing — and that minute is precisely the solvent leaving the glue and entering the room you are sitting in. The step that makes the bond strong is the step that puts the vapour in the air. H336 is the reason the well-ventilated area is a real requirement rather than boilerplate: Category 3 narcotic effects means the vapour acts on the central nervous system, producing drowsiness and dizziness, and shoe repairs are typically done indoors, at a kitchen table or on a laundry floor, hunched directly over the work with your face a foot from the drying film. Work near an open window or outside, and stop if you start to feel light-headed — that is the classified effect happening, not tiredness.

H225 is the one that deserves respect even though nothing is being heated. Acetone-dominant solvent blends have a flash point well below room temperature, which means the vapour above an open tube is already flammable on an ordinary day — no warming required. Solvent vapour is heavier than air, so it travels along a bench or floor to find an ignition source rather than waiting to be found. In a domestic setting the ignition source is usually a gas hot-water heater pilot, a stovetop, a fan heater or a cigarette, and the page's instruction to store away from all sources of ignition applies just as much while you are using it. The same applies to the clean-up: the acetone the page recommends for uncured adhesive is the same solvent that is already in the tube, so the rag you used is flammable too.

Toluene is present at under one percent. At that level it is below the concentration that would drive a hazard classification of its own, and the classifications above are carried by the acetone and ester load rather than by it — but it is declared, so it is listed here. Nothing in this product's classification concerns long-term or chronic toxicity; the hazards are flammability, eye irritation and the acute effect of breathing the vapour.

Protection

• Ventilation — use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Avoid breathing the vapour. A suitable respirator is called for where there is a risk of vapour inhalation, which in practice means enclosed or prolonged work.
• Eye protection — safety glasses.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber, suitable for intermittent contact. The safety data sheet notes glove construction and conditions vary and the final assessment is the user's.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes in a work setting.
• Ignition — keep away from all sources of heat and ignition, and from oxidising agents.
• Storage — cool, dry and well ventilated, out of direct sunlight, container upright and tightly closed, away from food, and locked up out of reach of children.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while using it; wash your hands before you do.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Hold the eyelids apart and flush continuously with running water for at least 15 minutes, or until the Poisons Information Centre or a doctor says to stop, then go to a doctor or hospital.
Skin	Effects may be delayed, so act immediately. Remove contaminated clothing and flush the skin and hair with running water for at least 15 minutes, or until advised to stop, then seek medical attention if needed.
Inhalation	Get the person to fresh air without becoming a casualty yourself. Loosen clothing, let them sit or lie in whichever position makes breathing easiest, keep them warm and at rest until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give more water and seek medical advice.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys Fix & Go Shoe Repair

How long before I can wear the shoes?

Selleys states the repair is ready for practical use after 1 day, with initial bond at 24 hours. Maximum bond strength is achieved after 3 days, so hold off on hard use until then if you can.

Which method should I use, contact or wet bond?

Contact method for larger area repairs — both surfaces coated, kept apart for about a minute until almost dry, then pressed. Wet bond method for small area repairs — one surface only, pressed together immediately and lightly clamped.

Do I need to clamp it?

Clamping or pressing with a heavy object during drying may be used for stronger adhesion. Bulldog clips are ideal. For the wet bond method, lightly clamp or hold until dry.

What will it stick to?

Rubber, leather, canvas, cork, EVA foam and most plastics.

What won't it stick to?

Polyethylene and polypropylene plastics. Selleys points you to its All Plastics product for those.

Will it damage the shoe?

It may cause some vinyl and plastics to discolour or harden. Test in a small hidden area first if you are unsure about the material.

The sole is very porous and the glue soaks in. What do I do?

Seal it first: coat the surface with a thin layer of adhesive, let it dry, then apply a second coat to form the bond as directed.

Can I reposition the parts after they touch?

With the contact method, no — bonds form immediately on contact. Line the surfaces up carefully before pressing.

Will it work on EVA foam midsoles?

Yes. EVA foam is on the list of materials it sticks to, along with rubber, leather, canvas, cork and most plastics.

Can I use it on cork footbeds?

Yes, cork is listed. Cork is porous, so consider sealing it first with a thin coat of adhesive that is allowed to dry before applying the bonding coat.

Can I fix high heels with it?

High heels and wedges are both listed uses, along with school shoes, dress shoes, sporting shoes and outdoor shoes.

Is it waterproof enough for outdoor shoes?

It is described as weather resistant and impact resistant, and outdoor shoes are among the listed uses.

What colour does it dry?

Clear.

How do I clean up the mess?

Acetone, before the adhesive sets. Cured adhesive has to be sanded or scraped.

What size is the tube?

50mL.

Do I need ventilation?

Yes. It is a solvent-based adhesive and Selleys directs that it be used in a well-ventilated area, avoiding skin and eye contact. Store away from all sources of ignition.

For more on choosing a shoe adhesive, see the shoe glue guide, or browse the full specialist glue range.