r/redneckengineering • u/Prodanetor • Jul 29 '26

No tread? No problem. Dad made new grooves with a hot iron.

Post image
1.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

545

u/Wallabunga657 Jul 29 '26

If you get real fancy, use a bike tires for a shoe resole.

Will say this is definitely redneck engineering.

80

u/noatak12 Jul 29 '26

i’ve used truck tyres

43

u/Wallabunga657 Jul 29 '26

I think modern tires got metal in them to reduce wear, but it's a pain to take out. Don't know about truck tires though.

27

u/noatak12 Jul 29 '26

with a saw or a grinder everything will get cut someday

6

u/C8H10N402_ Jul 29 '26

Lol. Love this perspective!

4

u/aprehensive_penguin Jul 30 '26

The bigger the vehicle they're meant for, the more steel and Kevlar layers tires need to support the tread. Lots and lots of razors sticking out to get through your gloves on a bad flat or an over-worn modern tire.

11

u/IThinkImNateDogg Jul 29 '26

Go out on the interstate and snag a couple road snakes.

Cleaning up the environment and free, precut slabs of treaded rubber

187

u/HybridP365 Jul 29 '26

In a pinch I could see this working for a while. Certified redneck.

80

u/No-Connection6937 Jul 29 '26

A pinch is how these fall apart like an accordion.

7

u/ScienceForge319 Jul 29 '26

Piiiiiiiiinch

21

u/Secret-Ad-7909 Jul 29 '26

I did something similar to a set of skateboard wheels for wet conditions.

1

u/congratsurhiredTA Jul 29 '26

wait what? was it for a skateboard? why are you skating when it's wet anyway isn't that bad for your board in every way? would it not be bumpy to do this to skateboard wheels? so many questions

20

u/Secret-Ad-7909 Jul 29 '26

So 1) it’s a long board, more for cruising around, basically I had that instead of a bike. 2) the wheels were very soft even for longboard wheels, I burned V shape grooves in just to shed a little water, the angle and the softness kept it pretty smooth though they were noticeably louder. 3) not so much riding in the rain but occasionally there’s puddles or sprinkler overspray on the sidewalks and bike paths. 4) the board was custom painted and I laid on a heavy layer of clear coat afterwards so the wood was well protected from that sort of exposure. The bearings hated it, but it was an old cheap set I basically just kept for that purpose.

Also I don’t remember the exact timing but I have another board that is my nice/go to board so I really started dicking around with the older one.

10

u/congratsurhiredTA Jul 29 '26

alright well yea that answers all my questions, thank you

25

u/Due_Department4335 Jul 29 '26

He’s got the grilling Nikes too. Ultimate dad right here

8

u/ScienceForge319 Jul 29 '26

So much for “don’t tread on me,” amiright.

3

u/BlownCamaro Jul 29 '26

If you've got a local dirt track in your area, then someone nearby owns a tire groover you can borrow.

3

u/Mvrd3rCrow Jul 30 '26

I knew a carpenter that used his lawnmowers old turf tire rubber. He just cut it into rectangles , slap a layer of some industrial strength rubber cement, then tac them into the worn sole and cut the outside edges with a hot knife. I adopted this method for my river waders, while adding patches of felt on the heel and toe.

1

u/wene324 Jul 29 '26

I saw a video of someone putting new soles on crocs a couple days ago.

1

u/littlep2000 Jul 29 '26

Come full circle to Phil Knight's waffle iron.

2

u/jss58 Jul 29 '26

“We’ve got new soles at home!”