CFC PRODUCTS - HEAT MOLDING INFORMATION
FEATURES and ADVANTAGES of LAKE CFC PRODUCTS
Lake products with CFC (Custom Form Carbon) thermoformable features are:
* Heat Moldable and Re-Moldable, multiple times.
* Easy to shape and form at home, without special equipment
* Available on many Lake products.
INSTRUCTIONS for LAKE HEAT MOLDABLE PRODUCTS
These instructions are only applicable to Lake heat moldable products.
INTRODUCTION
Lake heat moldable products can be shaped to your foot without special equipment or specialized know-how. While the process below is rather lengthy and may initially appear daunting, it is straightforward. Just take the time to read through it and understand the steps. Then when you feel ready to heat-mold your Lake shoes or insoles, take the time to prepare everything in advance and perhaps do a practice "dry run" through the process.
The most important thing is to err on the side of caution and be conservative with the heat and heating time. If it the heat is not enough to mold your shoe, then you can always add more heat. After you get comfortable with the process the first time then you can re-mold your shoes several times to dial in your optimized fit.
After you've read through the instructions, if you still feel unsure or have any questions or concerns, then contact Lake Canada before heat molding your shoes.
STEP 1 - CHECK IF YOUR PRODUCT IS CFC HEAT MOLDABLE
> Check if your Lake product is heat moldable.
> Understand which part of the product is heat moldable.
>> These products ARE heat moldable (link to all current products):
Any other products are NOT heat moldable. Do not attempt to heat mold any Lake products not in the above list.
STEP 2 - PREPARE EVERYTHING BEFORE STARTING
Before starting, take a moment to prepare everything needed.
The following tools are needed:
> Oven - large enough to fit one shoe comfortably without it touching the oven’s sides or heat elements. Check the space in the cold oven beforehand to ensure the fit.
> Oven Thermometer - IMPORTANT (These are economical and available at most hardware stores.)
> Timer - with minutes and second display.
> Oven mitts
AND
> Your CFC Shoes (or CFC Insoles).
> Your cycling socks.
> A chair to sit in while forming.
AND
Give yourself enough time for the heat molding process. Allocate at least ~50 minutes per pair of shoes (~40 minutes per pair of insoles), including:
> 10 minutes to pre-heat oven
> 3-5 minutes heating time each shoe (~1 minute each insole)
> 15 minutes cooling time each shoe
AND
> Read through all the instructions before starting to understand the procedure and steps.
Important! - Do Not Do These Things:
x Rely only on your oven's settings or display to control the heat (instead of an in-situ oven thermometer). Often the oven's controls are not accurate enough, especially at lower oven temperatures, and could introduce excess heat into the CFC products.
x Heat the products by any other method, such as: heat-gun, hair dryer, microwave oven, direct flame. These methods are uncontrolled and can introduce excess heat to the shoe and can ruin the shoe.
x Use any kind of vacuum forming device to mold the shoe. Pressure on non-moldable parts of the shoe can damage these areas.
x Mold the shoe without your foot against it. Without the backing support of your foot, the material can be easily over-flexed and can crack. (CFC materials are designed to be molded against your foot but have a limited range of shaping flexibility that can be exceeded when unsupported. While supported by your foot, the material is happily shaped.)
Any damage resulting from doing this things is not covered by warranty.
Note for: Orthotic Devices or Custom Footbeds/Inserts and CFC Shoes
All Lake shoes have standard insoles that can be removed so they may be used with specialty orthotic medical devices or aftermarket custom footbeds (including CFC Raven or other brands') or inserts/wedges.
If you have a pre-existing orthotic or footbed, they could be placed in the shoe during the forming step. However, beware of these potential risks:
! The shoes are hot coming out of the oven (up to 200°F) so if your insert is not stable at that temperature they could be damaged when in contact with the shoe.
! If your insert is taller, wider, and/or more rigid than your socked foot, it could resist the form-ability of the CFC shoe.
Any damage to the shoe from 3rd party insert is not covered by warranty. Any damage to your 3rd party insert is not covered by Lake.
STEP 3 - PRE-HEAT THE OVEN
Place the oven thermometer in the oven where it is easy to view and won't be in the way of your shoe.
Turn on the heat, depending on the oven type:
Conventional Oven > set to 200°F (93°C)
Convection Oven (or convection setting) > set 180°F (82°C)
Wait for the temperature in the oven, as indicated by the oven thermometer, to stabilize at the desired temperature, typically ~10 minutes.
If the temperature stabilizes too low then increase the heat setting slightly and wait for it to come up. If the temperature overshoots the desired temperature then open the oven door to bleed off some heat and reduce the heat setting slightly.
STEP 4 - PREPARE THE SHOES
...while the oven is pre-heating.
For molding CFC shoes:
> If you have an orthotic device or 3rd party custom insole or insert, make sure it is removed.
> Close down the BOA dials slightly so that the tongue and upper are in contact during heating
For molding CFC insoles:
> Remove the stock insoles from your shoe.
> Open the shoes so they are ready to receive the hot CFC insoles.
STEP 5 - HEATING
> Be careful when putting your hand in a hot oven. Use oven mitts to protect yourself.
> Use caution and conservatively heat your CFC products at minimum heat for minimum time. If that is not sufficient then additional heat can be gradually introduced. If the CFC products are overheated, damage cannot be reversed.
> Heat and mold only 1 shoe/insole at a time. Do not attempt to mold both at the same time.
> Set the timer before opening the oven.
Note, the heating process is different for CFC shoes vs. CFC insoles.
CFC Shoes
> Heating Time:
Conventional Oven: 4 minutes (up to 5 minutes)
Convection Oven: 3 minutes (up to 4 minutes)
> To prevent the oven temperature from dropping off, only open the oven door very briefly to place the shoe inside. (Small ovens may still see a temperature drop due to the room-temperature shoe cooling the air in the oven.)
> Place one shoe in the oven, with the heel towards the back. Set the carbon sole of the shoe directly on the oven rack.
Do not let the other parts of the shoe (leather, plastic, etc) touch the rack or oven sides.
> Start the timer.
CFC Insoles
> Heating Time: 45 seconds (up to 60 seconds)
> Unlike shoes, the heating is done with the oven door open (like a hearth).
> While holding the front foam insole, place the CFC section inside the open oven.
Do not let any part of the insole touch the rack or oven sides.
> Start the timer
STEP 6 - REMOVE FROM HEAT
> Be careful when putting your hand in a hot oven. Use oven mitts to protect yourself.
> After the minimum time, remove from the oven's heat.
> The CFC part should feel pliable and ready for molding.
CFC Shoes:
> Handle the hot shoe by the midsection, across the sole.
Do not grasp or handle the shoe by the toe box, as this may cause irreversible damage to the plastic toe box counter.
> You should be able to gently flex the upper part of the heel. The heel material should exhibit flexibility without becoming overly soft.
> If necessary, increase the heating time by +1 minute.
CFC Insoles:
> Support the entire hot insole. Do not let the foam droop and separate from the CFC material.
STEP 7 - INITIAL MOLDING
CFC Shoes:
> While sitting and wearing your cycling sock, quickly put the hot shoe on your foot.
> Adjust the tongue and gently close the BOA dials to remove slack from the laces and start with comfortable barely snug fit.
> Use your hand to press around the CFC material while simultaneously pressing back with your foot.
> Readjust the BOA dials after forming the CFC material to remove any new slack in the laces, but not overly tight.
> Wait for the whole shoe to cool while on your foot, about 15 minutes.
Be patient! Do not stand or walk around on the hot shoe, this may damage other plastic or rubber parts of the shoe.
CFC Insoles:
> Insert the hot CFC insole into your waiting shoe.
> While sitting and wearing your cycling sock, quickly put the shoe with the hot insole on your foot.
> Gently tighten the shoe to start, with a comfortable barely snug fit.
> Using your hand, gently press on the arch area of the insole (through the shoe).
> Slightly retighten the shoe.
> Wait for the insole to cool while wearing the shoe, about 15 minutes. The CFC insole will take your resting foot shape.
Be patient! Do not stand or walk around on the hot insole, this may exaggerate the shape.
STEP 8 - REPEAT ON OTHER FOOT
Repeat the heat molding process (Steps 3-7) for the other foot.
This will complete the initial setup! Often, this will be all that is needed.
STEP 9 - RIDE, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT
Go for a ride or two.
> You may find that you don't need to tighten your CFC shoe as much after heat molding .
> If you experience any pressure points or want to tweak the fit of your CFC product then repeat Steps 3-7 as necessary
> After some time the padding and foam in the interior linings of Lake shoes will compress and bed into the shape of your foot. After this happens then you might want to repeat the heat molding to adjust for this.
VIDEO RESOURCES
CFC Shoe Heat Molding
CFC Raven Insole