Angelus Clear Shoe Cement – 4 oz Professional-Strength Glue Quick Drying Contact Adhesive for Leather.
✅  Shoe Dog Approved 
✅  Crystal Clear
✅  Strong Bond

Hey folks, it’s Wade, the Shoe Dog.

Today we’re down in the workshop, and we’re going to walk through a step-by-step home shoemaking process. First, we’ve got a couple of things to cover.

Number one, we’re going to glue together a test shoe that we just made. This is a new slip-on pattern for DIY shoe making. I recently took a few photos of sewing this onto the last. If you’re working with a last, the assembly process is slightly different, but here we’ve sewn on a new lasting board for this handmade shoe.

If you hear cars in the background, I apologize—we’ve got the workshop doors open because we’re working with shoe glue and need proper ventilation.

If you’re making leather shoes or quilted sneakers, learning how to glue the outsole properly is a huge step toward building a better handmade shoe. The outsole bonding process we’re demonstrating here follows a step-by-step method outlined in Chapter 10 (Outsole Bonding) of How to Make Quilted Sneakers. You can also find additional instructions for DIY shoe making and sneaker construction on the website.

Glue Testing for DIY Shoemakers

The first thing I want to do is show you several shoe glues available on Amazon. We’re going to run a bonding test to compare performance.

We have several outsole samples and three different materials:

• Pink lasting board
• White StitchTuff lasting board
• Classic athletic shoe strobel board

These are commonly used in sneaker making and home shoemaking. We’ve cut them into strips so we can run a proper bonding trial.

We’re going to prepare the outsole surface and glue one strip of each material onto each outsole using different adhesives. The key is that every sample is prepared exactly the same way for accurate comparison.

We also have glue-spreading brushes. Normally, I use disposable brushes, but we’ll test these reusable ones as well.

Shoe Glue Options Reviewed

Here are the adhesives we’re testing for outsole bonding:

• Angelus (4 oz – $12.95)
• Eagle Shoes Glue (4 oz – $14.95, clear formula)
• RH Adhesive (4 oz – $12.99, Made in USA)
• Barge All-Purpose Clear (1 quart – $48)
• Barge All-Purpose Cement (tube – $10)

I’ve recommended the tube version before, but I’m starting to move away from it because it has a slight yellow tint, which isn’t ideal for clean sneaker builds.

What We’re Testing

For this DIY shoe making test, we’re evaluating:

1. Smell (important for home workshops)
2. Color clarity (important for clean sneaker aesthetics)
3. Bond strength (critical for durability)

I expect all of these to perform reasonably well, but testing is the only way to know for sure.

Surface Preparation (Critical Step)

Proper surface prep is essential in any step-by-step shoemaking process.

We’re cleaning each outsole using acetone to remove any contaminants. If you’re working at home and don’t have acetone, you can wash the soles with hot soapy water and let them dry completely.

Applying Shoe Cement

We line up each outsole with its corresponding glue:
Angelus, Eagle, RH, Barge Clear, and Barge All-Purpose.

When applying shoe cement, remember:
👉 Always apply glue to BOTH surfaces (upper + outsole)

We apply multiple thin coats and let them dry.

Glue Observations

• Angelus: Easy to apply, built-in brush, mild smell
• Eagle: Water-clear, smooth application, low odor
• RH Adhesive: Slightly milky appearance
• Barge Clear (TF): Toluene-free, slightly milky
• Barge Tube: Noticeably yellow

We’re using white outsoles so you can clearly see any discoloration—important for sneaker makers focused on clean builds.

Drying & Bonding Process

After applying glue, we use a heat gun to activate and dry the adhesive. The glue should feel slightly tacky—not wet—before bonding.

Once ready, we press the materials firmly onto the outsole.

Bond Strength Testing (24 Hours Later)

After 24 hours, we test bond strength using a force gauge. This measures how much force it takes to peel the material off.

We test each sample and record the peak force in kilograms.

Some materials, like lasting boards, may tear before the bond fails, which is actually a good sign of strong adhesion.

Results: Best Shoe Glue for DIY Shoemakers

The pink lasting board bonded well across all adhesives.

However, the standout result is:

🏆 Barge All-Purpose Clear = Best Overall Bond Strength

It showed the strongest adhesion, with glue remaining on both the rubber outsole and the fabric material—exactly what you want in durable handmade sneakers.

🥈 Second place: Barge All-Purpose (tube)
⚠️ Downside: yellow tint

Some other glues performed well on certain materials but less consistently overall.

Final Thoughts for Home Shoemakers

If you’re learning how to make shoes at home or building quilted sneakers step by step:

• Surface prep is critical
• Apply glue to both surfaces
• Let glue dry to tack before bonding
• Test materials whenever possible

For consistent, professional-level results in DIY sneaker making, Barge All-Purpose Clear is the top recommendation based on this test.