MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Whathell has happened with shoelaces?
You used to be able to buy a pair of tennis, running, walking, or athletic shoes, tie the shoelaces and go on your way.
But now the shoelaces are always too long, flop around, and you trip over them.
And even worse, as you wear the shoes the laces tend to get still longer.
So you gotta go buy new shoelaces for $3 to $5 a pair, and also figure out what the proper length is even to do that.
It's a Vast Left Wing Shoelace Conspiracy! A pain in the butt and a public health hazard as well!
Well, I decided I ain't gonna take it no more! What I now do is tie the shoes, figure out how much extra length there is in the shoelaces, and cut the shoelaces to the correct length so that you can tie them without them flopping.
But what about the ends of the shoelaces, that tend to unravel without the special little tube they put on at the factory? Simple fix! You go buy some heat shrink tubing (available at any Radio Shack or Western Auto store) and put the smallest diameter heat shrink tubing you can manage to use over the cut end of the shoelace.
NOW! The next step is CRUCIAL! Do not use a heat gun to shrink the tubing. Use a match or a cigarette lighter (fireplace lighter best of all) and MELT the heat shrink tubing onto the end of the shoelace. You should melt the heat shrink tubing until the point it starts to blacken and curl from the heat; this will keep it on there. Actual ignition of the shoelace can occur but is optional.
In the movie "Of Mice and Men" one of the hobos says he has figured out how to make money. Since the ends tend to come off of shoelaces he said he planned to get all the shoelaces that suffer that failure and put new ends on them. I am proud to say that I have realized that vision.
You used to be able to buy a pair of tennis, running, walking, or athletic shoes, tie the shoelaces and go on your way.
But now the shoelaces are always too long, flop around, and you trip over them.
And even worse, as you wear the shoes the laces tend to get still longer.
So you gotta go buy new shoelaces for $3 to $5 a pair, and also figure out what the proper length is even to do that.
It's a Vast Left Wing Shoelace Conspiracy! A pain in the butt and a public health hazard as well!
Well, I decided I ain't gonna take it no more! What I now do is tie the shoes, figure out how much extra length there is in the shoelaces, and cut the shoelaces to the correct length so that you can tie them without them flopping.
But what about the ends of the shoelaces, that tend to unravel without the special little tube they put on at the factory? Simple fix! You go buy some heat shrink tubing (available at any Radio Shack or Western Auto store) and put the smallest diameter heat shrink tubing you can manage to use over the cut end of the shoelace.
NOW! The next step is CRUCIAL! Do not use a heat gun to shrink the tubing. Use a match or a cigarette lighter (fireplace lighter best of all) and MELT the heat shrink tubing onto the end of the shoelace. You should melt the heat shrink tubing until the point it starts to blacken and curl from the heat; this will keep it on there. Actual ignition of the shoelace can occur but is optional.
In the movie "Of Mice and Men" one of the hobos says he has figured out how to make money. Since the ends tend to come off of shoelaces he said he planned to get all the shoelaces that suffer that failure and put new ends on them. I am proud to say that I have realized that vision.
