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Where to buy sole material


benno

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Hi Guys,

I need to get hold of some material to recover the soles of a pair of stilettos. I need a piece about 17 by 4 inches for each boot.

I'd ideally love to get real leather but will happily go for synthetic as long as its not black. Coloured would be nice. They boots are pale grey so yellow or light blue would be super cool!

I have had a look on the web and found this. Obviously I will need a bigger piece

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BARKERS-HIDES-Shoe-sole-leather-Re-enactment-Role-play-/220504903315?pt=UK_Crafts_Leathercraft_LE&hash=item33571dce93

Does anyone know of a good source?

Many thanks,

Ben

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Just keep searching ebay for leather hides, there are quite a few sellers on there that will either sell by-the-metre, or be selling off-cuts, but as they are usually all on buy-it-now, the listing goes quite quickly. Check everyday, itl turn up, i only buy leather off ebay as its the cheapest and most avaliable source in the uk. Hmm this probably didnt help but anyway.. good luck

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Why not just take them to a cobbler and have him resole them? Save yourself a lot of problems by trying to do them yourself. :wave:

Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.

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so why not pop in your local cobblers, show him the footwear & he might be able to sell you the material, correct glue & give advice on how to do it. BUT is will never look as nice as what a professional repair will, simply because he will have years of experience & have spend tens of thousands of pounds on the equipment to do it!

Repair Reuse Recycle. Cobbler it.

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I've been to 5 different cobblers/shoe repairers. None of them said it was possible for them to resole the boots. I'm a little shocked... How can they call themselves cobblers? I guess DIY is my only option. Thanks, Ben

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Why not post them to Lee and let him look at them and give you his professional opinion. That way, if they can be resoled, you can either have him do the job or, if you still want to do it yourself, he can give you a list of things you need and either sell you the stuff or point you to where you can buy what you need. :wave:

Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.

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Marshall Coppin Ltd. Unit 5, Chingford Industrial Centre, Hall Lane, London, E4 8DJ Tel: 020 8524 1018 They supply footwear repairers and so they should be able to help. No website unfortunately.

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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I'll sort out a photo and post it up here. I have attached a few stock photos from Kurt Geiger's website.

All the repairers I went to said they didn't have sole material big enough and wouldn't be able to cut out the thin part where it goes back down the inside of the heel. I make complex collages and really can't see how hard it can be to cut out a pattern!

I have found a few suppliers on the web and think it's not a problem to do if I buy the right material. All I need is the correct glue.

I found some nice Vibram stuff in several colours on Ebay but it has 'Vibram' stamped all over and I think it looks cheap.

I quite like the idea of the link below as the boots are kinda hiking boot stilettos and I think the material would compliment the look of the boot. I'd buy the thin 1.9mm version.

http://www.algeos.com/acatalog/Transport_Stick_On_Soling.html

Cheers guys,

Ben

post-9545-133522926103_thumb.jpg

post-9545-133522926131_thumb.jpg

post-9545-133522926151_thumb.jpg

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Ben, in your original post you commented on wanting leather or synthetic that looked like leather (which will last longer than leather) the material from alegos will not be best suited to these shoes, as you may find it will "Lift" at the toe, where the first line in the pattern is & begin to peel back with wear. A smoother sole material will always be better on this type of design. if it has the right rubber content it will give adequate grip. Also the material you've seen is pricey for its quality. £15.85 + shipping seams a lot to me + you've then got to buy glue! Don't get me wrong it may be cheaper than getting them done professionally (i'd estimate about £20-£30 should be a ball park, depending on where you go! for a complete through sole) but you'll probably end up slapping these straight on the top of what you already have & they'll look a right mess! Removing the old soles may be difficult, There are tricks to removing them & its one thing cutting out a pattern, which isn't hard. but its another getting it on a shoe in the right place & removing the old material with out damage or gaps to the upper. I'd suggest a few phone calls or visits to a wider spectrum of repairers. Look for independents, its a pretty common repair. Good Luck. Lee

Repair Reuse Recycle. Cobbler it.

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I've removed the soles already. That was not hard. The boots are not going to be worn lots outdoors so the durability isn't a top priority. Would anyone here be able to sell me a piece of soling material? Preferably not black. Thanks, Ben

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  • 2 months later...

Hi Mike, I put it on hold as I have the same boots in a size EU 40 which fit fine. I wore the size 40s out all night to a crazy 30th birthday. Also we have so many pairs of heels in our flat and tend to get 'faddy' over certain pairs and then forget they exist. We also buy and sell size UK 7 & 8 high heels, for profit, on Ebay so there's always a few pairs knocking about to tempt me. My girlfriend recently snapped a heel on a pair of her favourite vintage 1980s boots (they are so Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan and quite amazing). We are going to go to a little expert shoe repair shop in Lewes, Sussex and I will take my boots along too and get a quote. If it's too expensive then I will re sole them myself. Cheers, Ben

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Ben, thanks for the update, let us know how you get on with the people in Lewes. It's the same problem here, so many boots and shoes that there is often a nice surprise when digging a bit deeper ! I must try to find you on ebay. Cheers M

You won't get me wearing flat shoes...I really can't do it.

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Ben, thanks for the update, let us know how you get on with the people in Lewes. It's the same problem here, so many boots and shoes that there is often a nice surprise when digging a bit deeper !

I must try to find you on ebay.

Cheers

M

Mike, What size are you? Maybe we could meet and swap some shoes. I am often in London and live in Brighton.

Cheers,

Ben

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