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

Selleys Shoe Fix is a strong, flexible adhesive made for most shoe repairs — repairing and reinforcing soles, heels and leather. It is weather resistant and impact resistant, and the flexibility is the point: footwear bends with every step, so an adhesive that cures rigid will crack at the glue line long before the shoe wears out.

The one thing to know before you start is that this repair takes patience. Selleys says the product sets in 24 hours, and that maximum strength develops over several days. A shoe glued in the evening is not a shoe to go running in the next morning.

Where to use it

Shoe Fix is intended for most shoe repairs, including:

• Soles
• Heels
• Leather

Because it is weather and impact resistant, it suits footwear that lives outdoors as well as shoes that stay inside.

How to apply it

There are two methods depending on the size of the repair. Choosing the right one is what separates a bond that holds from one that peels.

1. Ensure the surfaces are clean and dry. Any dust, polish or moisture on the joint faces will end up between the adhesive and the shoe.
2. For larger areas — coat both surfaces, allow the adhesive to go tacky, then press together. This is a contact-style bond: the two tacky films grab each other on contact, which is why you must line the parts up before they touch.
3. For small repairs — apply to one side only and press immediately. No waiting period; the parts go together wet.
4. Weight or clamp the repair for best results. Selleys notes that clamping or pressing with a heavy object during drying may be used for stronger adhesion, and that bulldog clips are ideal for this. On a sole, spread the clamping pressure along the whole seam rather than concentrating it in one spot.

Use the product in a well-ventilated area.

Why clamping matters more than it sounds

Shoe soles and uppers are rarely flat. A sole that has started to lift has usually taken a slight curl, and left to itself it will hold the adhesive faces a fraction of a millimetre apart along most of the seam. Clamping closes that gap while the adhesive dries, so the bond forms across the whole contact area instead of at the few points that happened to touch. This is why Selleys specifically nominates bulldog clips — they apply steady pressure at the edge, which is exactly where a sole separates first.

Limitations — where Shoe Fix should not be used

• Not suitable for polyethylene or polypropylene. If the sole or component is one of those plastics, this is the wrong adhesive and no amount of clamping will fix that.
• It may affect some plastics and vinyls. Test on a hidden area — inside a heel cup, under a tongue — before applying it anywhere visible.

Both of these are material questions rather than technique questions, so check them before you open the tube rather than after.

Getting the timing right

Selleys gives two timing statements for this product: it sets in 24 hours, and maximum strength develops over several days. In practice that means the shoe is handleable after a day, but the joint continues to gain strength for some time after that. The failure people report with shoe repairs is almost always the same one — a joint loaded hard while it was still building strength, which peels at the toe or the heel and then never re-bonds as well the second time. If the repair is on footwear that takes a beating, giving it the extra days before hard wear costs nothing and materially improves the result.

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, Packing Group II, proper shipping name Adhesives. Poison Schedule S5 (Caution).

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Acetone	67-64-1	30–60%
Naphtha petroleum	—	10–30%
Methyl ethyl ketone	—	1–10%
Non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

Somewhere between four-tenths and all of the tube is volatile solvent, and that is the mechanism rather than a filler. Shoe Fix is a solvent adhesive: the solvent carries the polymer, you spread it, the solvent evaporates, and what stays behind is the flexible bond. Every classification above follows from the solvent that has to leave in order for the glue to work — which is also why the instruction on this page to let the adhesive go tacky before pressing is the same event as the vapour entering the room.

H336 is why the well-ventilated area on this page is a requirement and not a formality. Category 3 narcotic effects means the vapour depresses the central nervous system: drowsiness, dizziness, the feeling of being slightly removed from the job. Shoe repairs invite exactly the wrong posture for that — done indoors at a table or on a laundry floor, with your face directly over a tacky film that is actively evaporating, often for the length of time it takes to work along a whole sole. Open a window or work outside, and if you start to feel light-headed, stop and get fresh air. That sensation is the classified effect, not fatigue.

H225 matters even though nothing here gets heated. An acetone-and-naphtha blend has a flash point well below room temperature, so the vapour above an open tube is flammable on an ordinary day, and solvent vapour is heavier than air — it runs along the bench or the floor looking for an ignition source. In a house the ignition source is a gas hot-water pilot, a stovetop, a fan heater or a cigarette. Packing Group II, rather than the milder III, is the transport system saying the same thing about how readily this ignites. Keep it away from heat and ignition while you are using it, not only while it is stored.

It is worth comparing with its stablemate, Fix & Go Shoe Repair, which carries the identical three classifications and the same signal word — these two products present the same hazards, and choosing between them is a question of repair method rather than of safety. The difference is in the solvent blend: Fix & Go is built on acetone with acetate esters, while Shoe Fix uses acetone with petroleum naphtha and methyl ethyl ketone. The practical consequence is the smell and the aggressiveness of the solvent against synthetics, which is the sourced reason behind the warning already on this page that it may affect some plastics and vinyls. Test on a hidden area first. (The safety data sheet extract does not give CAS numbers for the naphtha or the ketone, so none are quoted here.)

Protection

• Ventilation — use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. A suitable respirator is called for where vapour inhalation is a real risk, which in practice means enclosed or prolonged work.
• Eye protection — safety glasses or chemical goggles.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber, suitable for intermittent contact.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes in a work setting.
• Ignition — keep away from sources of heat and ignition and from incompatible materials.
• Storage — cool, dry, well ventilated, out of direct sunlight, container upright and tightly closed, away from food, and stored locked up.
• Wash hands, face and all exposed skin thoroughly after handling, and wash contaminated clothing before reuse.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes, removing contact lenses if present and easy to do. If irritation persists, seek medical advice or attention.
Skin	Remove all contaminated clothing immediately and rinse the skin with water or shower.
Inhalation	Remove the person from exposure without becoming a casualty yourself. Loosen clothing, let them settle into whichever position is most comfortable, 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 Shoe Fix

How long before I can wear the shoes?

Selleys states the product sets in 24 hours, and that maximum strength develops over several days. Allow the full day at minimum, and longer before hard use.

Do I put glue on one surface or both?

Both, for larger areas — then allow the adhesive to go tacky before pressing. For small repairs, apply to one side only and press immediately.

Should I clamp the repair?

Yes, for best results. Clamping or pressing with a heavy object during drying may be used for stronger adhesion; bulldog clips are ideal.

Will it stay flexible?

Yes. It gives a strong, flexible bond, which is what a shoe repair needs.

Will it survive rain?

It is weather resistant and impact resistant.

Will it stick to plastic soles?

Not to polyethylene or polypropylene. It may also affect some plastics and vinyls, so test first.

Can I use it on leather?

Yes — leather is one of the materials Selleys lists for this product, along with soles and heels.

Do I need ventilation?

Yes. Use it in a well-ventilated area.

What if the surfaces are dirty or damp?

Clean and dry them first. The adhesive bonds to whatever is on the surface, so old polish or moisture becomes the weak layer in the joint.

Can I reposition the parts after pressing?

For larger area repairs the two tacky surfaces grab on contact, so line the parts up before they meet. Take the time to dry-fit first.

What if the repair fails after a few weeks?

The usual cause is loading the joint before it reached maximum strength, which develops over several days. Clean off the old adhesive, dry the surfaces, and allow the full time before wearing the shoes hard.

Where does it sit in the range?

Shoe Fix is part of the specialist glue range. The shoe glue guide covers how to choose between the options.