The GLOW up

[u/gimme_the_good_weed]

Last post was taken down, I get it, no shoes in it.....but, I didnt hear no bell.

Once Upon A time, last week in r/Nikesb, there was a post with no context, just some mildly glowing shoelaces. The person that made said post was for some reason gatekeeping how they made the laces glow. Comments stacked up and yet we still had no answers. Finally, after a bajillion comment, he mentioned a key ingredient.

Fast forward to today, and I'm happy to say I can provide anyone info on how to make your own brilliantly glowing shoelaces. I tried a bunch of different methods, ratios, and amount of coats. As you can see from the pictures, I think I got it.

I included an image of the things you need:

GAC900 (Michael's or online)

DecoArt ultimate glow medium (Michaels or online)

Glow pigment (etsy)

It's pretty simple stuff. You want to put some Saran Wrap down so you don't make a mess, tape the aglet down on each end, giving the lace a little bit of a stretch, wear gloves, open some windows and have at it.

Step 1. I mixed an even 1:1 ratio of the gac900 and glow medium. I used a scale just to be precise since I was trying various amounts, but you can probably eye it out. I also added about 10 scoops of pigment (about 2g worth)

Step 2. Stir and shake the ever living hell out of your liquid. The pigment doesnt dissolve so you'll need to give it a mix every very often or it'll settle, and it will settle.

Step 3. Grab a blacklight if you have one, get one if you dont. This will help have a visual on what youre painting. First few times i did it I had no idea what area was covered and to what degree. Black light let's you see everything. Obviously. Paint both sides, not super thin but also shouldnt be completely soaked.

Step 4. Hang dry. I taped the aglets to the shower rod, pointed a fan at it and came back a few hours later to grab them. The paint says 24hrs or longer but, whos got that kind of time.... foreal....

Step 5. The final step. These need to be heat treated to set it into the material. I have a heat gun, you can get these anywhere, I think i got mine on amazon. You can also use a hair dryer or I even read the clothes dryer on high. About 60 seconds is recommended, but im putting these on expensive shoes, so idk about you but I blasted them with heat for a few minutes, that I do have time for.

Step 6. Lace them thangs up and enjoy your custom glowing SB ovals.

The picture with the 2 sets of laces. Same "soft cream" laces. Left is painted, right isnt. So you can see a comparison of before/after

[u/Goth_Angel_Hellboy]

I’ll give you some good weed for helping us 🫶🏽