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Glue / Nail Polish Aglet
Soaking the lace end either with general purpose glue or with several coats of nail polish produces a more durable aglet.
Glue / Nail Polish Aglet picture 1 Step 1:
Simply squish a small amount of either glue or nail polish into the end of the shoelace. Whilst drying, squeeze and twist the end to both reduce the thickness of the tip and to aid glue penetration.
Glue / Nail Polish Aglet picture 2 Step 2:
When completely dry, trim any rough ends, then add another coating of either glue or nail polish for a smoother, longer lasting finish.
What Sort of Glue?
Preferably choose a glue with an acetone based solvent, such as "Tarzan's Grip", "Elmer's Clear Household Cement" or "Britfix Balsa Cement", just to name a few. These will dry clear, hard and waterproof, as opposed to the PVA based glues such as "Aquadhere" or "Elmer's Glue-All", which are not as hard and are only water resistant. You can tell the difference by their look and smell - acetone based glues are clear and have a strong petro-chemical smell, whereas PVA glues are milky white and smell mildly acetic.

Clear nail polish is also perfect, while colored nail polish can be used to add either a complementary or contrasting color. Nail polish with glitter can be used to add some sparkle.

As pointed out by visitor Karni P, don't try this with an "instant" cyanoacrylate glue, such as "Super Glue" or "Krazy Glue". These will bond skin and other surfaces on contact, making it nearly impossible to manipulate the glue-soaked end to form the aglet.
NOTE: Glue manufacturers have health warnings against "prolonged skin exposure" to the above solvent based glues, so wear gloves if this is of concern (or if you hate sticky fingers). Use acetone, thinners or nail polish remover to clean up afterwards.

Related Links
Aglet Repair Aglet Repair
Home-made aglets following loss or damage or after shortening shoelaces to length.
The tips of shoelaces are called 'Aglets' Tips of Shoelaces
Find out more about the tips of shoelaces, which are called "Aglets".

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This page last updated: 27-Jan-2013. Copyright © 2005-2013 by Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
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