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Heel tips nonexistant anymore???


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This is bizarre! I was shopping around trying to find replacement stiletto heel tips, because I know they used to be sold in packs and in different sizes, but today when I try to find them, come to find out they have disappeared off the face of the earth! I have called shoe repair places to find out if they have them, and they say that they don't sell the pieces - they have to do the repair! Seems just a bit ODD to me! Ah well....by day after tomorrow, my 4" boots will be good as new again, if not better. It seems that they are able to put on some heavy duty tips that don't wear out anywhere near as fast as the little plastic ones.

SQ.....still busting societal molds with a smile...and a 50-ton sledge!

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...but today when I try to find them, come to find out they have disappeared off the face of the earth!

I have called shoe repair places to find out if they have them, and they say that they don't sell the pieces - they have to do the repair! Seems just a bit ODD to me!

To me too... when I was modifying the heel height of some cowboys last weekend, I didn't manage to find heel covers either. Same response: we don't sell rubber, but shoe repair services...

I ended up buying something from a car dealership to be used for my heel modifications.

Bert

What's all the fuss about?

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Heel tips can be bought from Cavallo Nera (sp) a shoe repair counter that's in Myers in Melbourne city (I've seen it in other shopping centres too). I've used the one in Myer's several times, it cost me about $10 for new metal tips for my stilettos and the man there put them on while I waited. Very good service, I'm not sure if they sell the tips individually though. Maryanne.

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That's the point Maryanne. It's easy enough to buy them included in the cost of the repair, but you can't buy the materials. 10 years ago in Wooolworths (we're talking England here) you used to be able to buy stiletto tops and pins in any size from 6mm to about 12mm in metal or plastic, two different pin diameters came with them as well, and they were only £1 for about 4, so you could repair two pairs of shoes yourself for $1.50. Now - no longer...

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To buy the tips, look for Boot and Shoe Supplies - i.e. firms which supply the components - I bought my first lot a gross pairs 35 or so years ago. Some will sell so much a pair - about $1 a pair. With a good stock you can replace the tips before they wear down too far

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  • 4 months later...

Only one proble. I'd have to cross the North Sea and maybe even fight my

way through Scottland to get to the nearest Woolworths :smile:

Ah, but it'd be worth it!

I hadn't noticed that you can't buy heel tips, but I know my fave wedges will need doing soon. I'll have a look around my area and let you all know if I find anything.

Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic"

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You can actually make metal heel tips out steel but aluminium is easier. Drill hole for pin. The pins are thick piano wire mushroomed by cold working in a large engineering vice, and filed to taper fit the tube. It's OK if you enjoy metal work....

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  • 3 weeks later...

I didn't know about piano wire for heel tips, probably beyond me. Aluminium sounds a bit too soft, wear out too quickly. After removing the old tin including the pin, it is possible to use a nail shortened to the appropriate depth provided the diameter is right, may need filing to ensure it is not too large but a firm fit so it won't pull out when the heel goes into a crack, but not so tight that you can't get it out using pliers or a vice when the tip is worn. The head of the nail is too small, so it needs matching up with a suitable sized nut or ring of steel to match the heel - usually quarter to 3/8 inch or 6-8 mm. (Too wide will be slippery when worn). A good match of improvised pin and tip means you get an even tip (to protect the floors) and after some use you generally notice that the two pieces have welded together. Even though steel tips wear well, try to remember to inspect before wearing so as to replace before it is worn down too far to be able to remove, and also check in case the tip has parted from the pin. Used to be a real problem with the original brass pins and steel tips. You can't tell when wearing them that they are leaving dints in the floor.

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Renee: About BZ Heels. BZ shows up in Jenny's chat room occasionally. And, he used to post quite regularly on Jenny's fourm. Haven't seen him lately, though. I know Debbie was trying to track him down to get steel tips for some of her shoes. I asked him to email her the next time I chatted with him. Not sure if they ever got together. Might ask her if she has his email address. Also, might email Phil (Pheels) or Jenny to see if they can't find his email address for you.

if I happen to seem him again, I'll ask him to post a comment here and you can get in touch with him, then.

P.S.: After I posted this message I did a quick search for BZ Heels using Copernic. I found the following:

?You may contact BZ Heels by clicking here to discuss adding his custom steel tips to new Classic Pumps or upgrading shoes you already own! "

his email address, according to the website is: bzenter@earthlink.net < bzenter@earthlink.net>

BZ's website URL is: http://www.classicpumps.com/bzheels2.htm

That's all I know about this subject!

:smile:

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

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Hi All, If you want BZtips and you cannot contact BZ himself, I can make you BZtips, if you like. All I need is the shoes to be fixed and what you are looking for. BZtips have a hollow tip that, depending on how wide the hollow part is to the tip itself, can cause some damage to "soft" floors and even more resilient floors. Any spike heel will cause damage to "soft" floors and BZtips with a narrow hollow part are no different. A wider hollow part will cause the heel to exhert more force. sinkem

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Well, the original premis behind the metal tips, at least in the BZtips case, was not increasing the durability of the heel tip, but to increase the forces the heel tip could exhert. There are many men that like to see a womans heel tip leave a mark in things and many women who enjoy leaving marks. I know quite a few women that wear heels that have been intentionally made thinner to not only look sexier but to also increase the forces. Some even have heel tips that come virtually to pin sharp points. This BZ heel tip was designed to increase the forces while looking pretty much normal. It is admittedly not for everyone. Some people like the look of spike heels as they are. Others like the incredible forces that a spike heel can exhert, to the point that they wish to increase it. I hope this answers your question. sinkem

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Thanks! And, all the while I thought metal tip heel caps were replacements for rubber or plastic tips that are put on heels today.

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

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've seen heel tips for sale at http://www.archenemys.com/accessories.htm but they have a minimum order policy of $20 and then want another $27 for shipping to Europe :lol:

In Paris BHV sell both plastic and metal heel tips in packs of 4, but they don't sell the very smallest size :(

I need some small stiletto heel tips right now so I've been looking with no luck.

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If buying sight unseen, take care about diameter of the pin. There are two main diameters in use, they don't look much different, but of course it matters. I've mostly found the smaller diameter pin in the plastic or nylon tip rather than metal so for most of mine I had to stick with metal.

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