Longtime homie and new on staff at Homebase, Josh Novak aka JaguarNoNo has been repping the Hometeam/Homebase flag since the beginning.  He can easily be found on his deck or new bike crusing through Allentown, at the Tavy with Geechybond, painting something with Whiteyblackman and now, behind the counter at Homebase.  Josh will be making weekly posts on the Homebase site tapping into his experience skating in the 610, his love for art, knowledge of quality hip-hop music, streetwear, sneakers and random tips like . . .how to Shoe Goo your kicks.

Introducing you to . . . Notes From NoNo.

Recently, I was invited to skate a ramp.  I put on a pair of canvas Vans Authentic  thinking I’d be using the sole more then the side doing ollies.  Well, the invitation was postponed and we ended up skating a street spot.  It was only a matter of warming up 30 min until a small hole appeared. I was really surprised how much fun I had skating the shoes and wanted to keep skating the Authentics.  But how without blowing them out by the next session?

Buy more shoes?  Or save these ones I have before they put any more holes in my sock.

Unless your a sponsored skater or your mom loves to buy you sneakers as fast as you break’em- maintaining your kicks will be a must.  The current trend of skate sneakers is back to simple forms, designed to provide flexibility and “out the box” board feel but may lack long turn durability.

In the 80′s and 90′s there were all kinds of homemade ollie protection solutions.  From silver duct tape, superglue, even a scrap of old leather with lace holes hanging over the side.  Although functional, these were ugly fixes.

Everyone knows the best way to save your skate shoes is still Shoe Goo. What everyone doesn’t know is the best way to apply it is with a ice cube.  Nobody wants to wear a huge dirty rubber glop job on the side of your kicks.  Use this trick to get the thinnest layer of protection you need and enjoy your kicks a couple sessions longer.

STEP 1.

Before you start, I recommend stuffing your shoe with paper to keep the proper shape while prepping and drying.  If you have worn a hole away already, use a small piece of tape or a slice of a sticker to cover the hole from the inside then push any frayed cloth back in place on hole.  Less is more: Apply a small amount of Shoe Goo directly to the worn area.  You can get more out the tube, but you can’t put it back in.

STEP 2.

Use the ice cube to spread and shape.  The ice will not stick to the Goo and will allow you to get a VERY thin layer.  Again, if you have a hole, softly press against the inside tape to avoid the goo making a bump that might bother you later.  The stuffing should help this.

STEP 3.

Now let it dry, Skate it , then repeat as needed.