SnugLug Shoelace Replacement System (Parametric)

prusaprinters

<p>Several years ago, I got tired of constantly having to stoop down to put on my shoes. Tying laces just feels so… Medieval. For a while, I experimented with a variety of "stretchy lace" solutions, but they were far more expensive than regular laces, they wore out quickly, and they were only available in a few colors.</p><p>So when my latest pair wore out again, I decided to design a simple, customizable, and cheap solution. I call them SnugLugs, and it's all based on the magic of elastic bands. Specifically, those hair-tie elastics for little girls. Did you know that they come in a mind-bending variety of colors and styles? And talk about cheap! One bag of 1000 hair ties in 20 different colors cost me about $5. (I like the ones that are about 15mm in diameter, and about 1mm thick.)</p><h5>Instructions</h5><p>Measure your lace holes carefully and adjust the model so that your lugs will be a very snug fit. Then just remove your laces, print out a dozen SnugLugs, and push them into the holes. You can fill all the lace holes if you like, but I find that doing just the top 2 or 3 is plenty.</p><p><strong>Pro Tip #1:</strong> Print 1 SnugLug at first and test the fit in <i>your</i> lace holes, adjusting the model as necessary, before printing out more.</p><p><strong>Pro Tip #2:</strong> If the lugs go in easily, you made them too small. You want to be cursing a bit from the effort of getting them inserted or they'll just pop out again at some inconvenient time.</p><p>Once the lugs are in place, connect them in pairs using the elastics. For my current shoes, I find that 3 elastics for each lug-pair gives me the right snugness, but your mileage will vary depending on the elastics you buy, the size of your shoe, and your specific comfort preferences.</p><p>If you chose thicker elastics, or need more than 3 per lug pair, you might need to make the square trap pocket larger to accommodate them.&nbsp;</p>