Sneaker Customization Essentials by Michaela (Sneaker Queen's Customs)

Introduction

• Michaela, also known as Sneaker Queen's Customs, shares her insights on sneaker customization.
• With 3 years of experience, she discusses essential products for customizing sneakers.

Essential Tools and Supplies

Surface Preparation

• Sandpaper: Essential for roughing up leather to help paint adherence.
  • Recommended grits: 400, 800, and 1400.
• Acetone or Angelus Leather Prepare and Deglazer: For removing factory finish on shoes.
• Application Tools: Cotton pads are preferred over cotton balls for applying acetone (less fiber residue).

Painting and Drying

• Heat Gun: Speeds up drying; essential for painting fabric shoes like Vans.
• Tape: Masking or painter's tape for blocking off paint areas and creating stencils.

Cutting and Stenciling

• Exacto Knife: Needed for fine cuts; Angelus offers covered options.
• Transfer Paper: Alternative for creating stencils.

Paint and Additives

• Angelus Paint: Industry-standard with a wide range of colors and types.
  • Available sizes: 1oz, 4oz, up to a gallon.
  • Special lines: Neons, Glitters, Metallics, Collectors’ edition for Jordans.
• Additives: "Too Soft" for fabric; keeps paint flexible when heat set.

Painting Accessories

• Paint Palettes & Water Containers: For cleaning brushes and mixing paints.
• Brushes: Various sizes and types for different techniques; Angelus offers a range.
• Brush Cleaner: Helps maintain brush quality; can be added to water for cleaning.
• Toothpicks: For thin lines and cleaning dried paint, though Michaela prefers not using them.

Cleaning and Detailing

• Alcohol Wipes: Essential for cleaning paint off leather and midsoles.
• Pointed Q-tips: Useful for cleaning in crevices with acetone.

Dyeing and Special Techniques

• Angelus Leather Dye & Rit Dye: For dyeing midsoles and special effects like marbling.
• Plastic Jars: For storing custom paint mixtures.

Sealing

• Angelus 4-Coats: Finishers for sealing paint with different sheens.

Advanced Tools

• Cricut Maker: For creating vinyl stencils; requires vinyl and Cricut mats.
• Airbrushing Kit: Angelus and Grex collaboration includes compressor, airbrush, and holder.
• Airbrush Accessories: Airbrush cleaning pot, cleaning brushes, and respirator for safety.
• Cake Stand: Cost-effective tool for spinning shoes during airbrushing.

Additional Resources

• Mentoring and Subscription: Michaela offers one-on-one mentoring via Instagram subscription.
  • Supports answering specific questions that are hard to find online.

Conclusion

• All mentioned products are linked in the description with automatic discounts on Angelus's site.
• Michaela invites viewers to subscribe for more content and specify topics of interest.