New Croc Mods - Paint, Netting, and More

My newest pair has been inspired by my latest YouTube slop addiction topic: mass extinction. I sought to replicate a fossilized texture to the shoe by utilizing walnut, peony, flat whites, semi-gloss white, and Navajo white. This is my second pair of men’s shoes and I am quite pleased with them. 

The main eye-grabber of the shoes is the netting in my opinion. By adding netting, insoles, and clipped straps the docile foam shoe is furnished into nearly a fully fledged sneaker. On foot, the comfort is improved and the walk ability is night and day. There is a little to be done with fitment, but I think the insoles are a grand addition

I’m still working on finding the best paint for painting foam shoes. This application is novel and demanding, requiring an enamel with high compliance, flexibility and mechanical adhesion to the foam. I find that the Zinisser primer I used sometimes chips or peels if the shoe is manipulated before it is completely dry. However, I found using liberal applications of clear coat protects the shoe pretty well. I’m going to experiment with sanding and wire brushing to get a better mechanical bond. 

Additionally, I found that a thick base layer of primer is absolutely necessary to get a good finish. On the left shoe, you can notice a slight blue tint due to me applying the primer basically in the dark. It came out way too thin and tinted the rest of the colors. I’m happy with the way it turned out, I just wish that both shoes came out with the same color.