Shellac / wood hardener / glue

[Dancers Dad]

Advice please: my daughter has some new pointe shoes and has been advised to paint a strip across the shank to reinforce it. Apparently we need shellac/wood hardener/glue - does anyone have any advice of what to actually buy and what works please? I see Bloch does a small expensive bottle of something appropriate but is there a cheaper way? Thank you.

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Dancers Dad, I'm sure lots of people will chip in but if you use the search facility to search on Shellac it brings up loads of previous threads that may have useful advice.

[Dancers Dad]

10 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Hello Dancers Dad, I'm sure lots of people will chip in but if you use the search facility to search on Shellac it brings up loads of previous threads that may have useful advice.

Ah, righto - will do, thanks.

[Birdy]

My DD uses shellac inside the box of her pointe shoes. She supplements with Jet Glue here and there, but shellac is available by the quart and much more affordable. It’s easy to find in the US (made by Zinzer), but I’m not sure about the UK. DD has recently moved to Europe and ordered two different types of shellac to see if they are similar to what she’s used to.

[Pas de Quatre]

In UK we have traditionally used French Polish which is widely available in hardware shops. If it is the brown sort it stains, so use carefully, but the sole gets dirty so it doesn't matter. For the box use inside rather than painting outside. I used to put a small amount in the box, holding the shoe upright, and gently swirl it round and up and down to paint the inside. Then I would prop the shoe up as if standing on pointe and .leave to dry at least 24 hours.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by Pas de Quatre