All Activity

Sorry for probably misposting/misplacing my comment in this thread. But, given the state of affairs existing in our existence today, finding the right thread would not have been easy. Likewise, in my opinion, any man appearing in public wearing a pair of dainty “Barbie” girly shoes obviously is making a statement that would probably be received in a similar manner- One of surprise and total “wonderment.” Not that I don’t like the shoes because I really think they’re exquisite and probably would wear them around my house but not outside in public. Because, they are way too girly for my taste and I don’t feel any need of making a statement. Like I posted before, this is the time for being “Offended.” However, I chose curiosity over offense because if I am comfortable wearing my girls shoes in public, why shouldn’t anyone else wearing anything they want to wear, as long as it is legal, also be?

I agree 100%. There is no balance to the shape. Anything under 3 inches should be blockier. The heel tips must wear very fast. Higher heels carry a lower percentage of weight on the tips. Walking heel to toe the shoe is already level before all the weight is transferred from the other foot. Another pet peave, people who say more than 100%. There is no such thing.

I have been getting this persistent advertisement in my social media feed for the last couple of weeks. It is a 30-something woman telling me that the staple of my shoe collection should be kitten heels. Every so often, it seems to happen that somebody, somewhere, thinks that the kitten heel is the greatest compromise ever, and that the fashion vs. function problem has finally been solved once and for all. Luckily, hardly anybody falls for this nonsense. I submit that the kitten heel is the worst of the worst. Not because they are actually the worst looking style ever, but because they pretend to be something that they are not. Yes, Crocs look way worse on an absolute scale, but at least they have no pretense of being anything other than what they are. A 2 inch spike heel has no place in this world. If you need to wear a 2 inch heel, get shoes with block heels, pretty please!

I am not entirely sure what the above reply has to do with Mr. X's "Barbie" shoes, but it is something worth discussing. Not here, and not now, regrettably. I'm afraid we are dangerously close to the line of demarcation. As a reply to @Mr. X, I have mulled upon these shoes for a couple of days. While I have zero objection to them in principle, I agree with the others: Where, exactly, do you plan to wear them? Are you going to the Junior Prom next month? And I don't mean to ask that question just to be difficult, I have a few pairs of "out there" shoes that I have actually worn in public.

I had an interesting experience this afternoon. I went to my local cell phone provider to get a minor malfunction corrected. While I was waiting for my technician to finish waiting on another customer, I was sitting in the customer waiting area when a large transgender person entered and sat down close by. (S)he was wearing full face makeup as well as a black female warm up suit and red feminine tennis shoes. A really unusual appearance. Not the clothes or makeup because the clothes were tastefully selected and the makeup nicely applied, but the sheer large stature of the individual’s appearance left everyone in the room in “open mouth wonderment” as to why anyone so constructed would ever want to appear in public adorned in such a manner. My technician called me for service While I was still trying to untangle this picture and even now, I am still unable to get the image out of my mind. I am not criticizing, just wondering. 🤔

Now it is your turn to both be correct. When I was talking about woes with a hole saw, I was mainly referring to trade sizes between 1 1/4" and 2", which in reality are each about 3/8" bigger than that. Smaller than that, we will tend to use a unibit, step bit, cobra bit, Christmas tree bit, whatever you want to call it. Larger than that, we will tend to use a knockout punch, both for practical and safety reasons. For smaller holes, it just doesn't seem worth it to drag out that 50 pound suitcase worth of tool and dies/cutters. In any case, should the situation come up, I'll have to try the "wooden guide" method next time, just to see if it's practical for my purposes. Just to be clear, when there is a problem enlarging a hole in my trade, I'm talking about cutting through substantial sheet metal, perhaps 1.5 mm in thickness. And, typically it needs to be enlarged eccentrically, rather than concentrically, which merely adds to the challenge. The MDF thing might be just the ticket, if there's room to fit it in and clamp it somehow. Weren't we talking about boots or something?

My stepped drills go up to 32mm which covers a lot of electrical and plumbing applications.

Agreed, but I doubt that any are large enough to be used effectively (and safely) on holes bigger than about an inch diameter, which is likely to be insufficent for cable or pipe runs. A solution (at least if drilling through wood) might be to nail a piece of 6mm MDF or simlar board over the existing hole and then drill through that and the underlying substrate with the holesaw (including its pilot) of the correct (larger) size.

Very feminine looking. Where would you wear them and how would you dress? I don’t think they would look good with my “laid back fashion” preference.

A little too much bling for me. But if you can rock them, then enjoy.

A stepped drill or cone cutter is ideal for enlarging existing holes.

I shall have to remember that method the next time I am faced with such a situation. I don't think I've ever run into a situation where I didn't use the pilot bit on purpose, as in @Puffer's project. The usual reason, if not the exclusive reason, is that I need to enlarge an existing hole, and I don't have a knockout punch available to me. Often this happens because somebody selected the wrong size hole saw to create the opening. Sometimes it is an apprentice, and sometimes, though far less often, it is me.

Here are my latest. They brand is pleaser party and prom. And the heel measures 4 and 3/4 inches. They are in mint condition, and they don't look like they have been worn even once. I believe these shoes would qualify as "Disney Princess" or "Barbie" shoes. And the best part is I got them in a thrift store for $20.

You are both correct! Yes, I have a vertical drill and it was duly used. I did prepare a guide by drilling through a piece of 6mm MDF with the holesaw, and then placing this on top of the composition material to 'centre' the holesaw (with its centre drill retracted) before cutting the required disc. Clamping was not necessary (although it might well be advisable to avoid 'snatching') and a little water was used as a cutting lubricant. If and when the extra top piece requires replacement, it should be possible to prise this off and simply glue another on. But, if the original plastic top piece fails (or the extra height created by the composition is unacceptable), I would fill the peg holes with dowel forced in and use brass panel pins to nail the new top piece into the dowels, reinforcing with suitable adhesive. Adding some wood forced into the hollow void before glueing and nailing would give a stronger job.

One trick for using a holesaw without the centre bit is to drill a hole in a piece of scrap wood, using the centre bit in the usual way. Then use this as a guide when drilling the wanted item. Ideally clamp the guide and wanted item together. Works perfectly in my experience.

You must have a drill press. Otherwise, I can't see how you were able to use a hole saw without its pilot bit with any accuracy whatsoever. I've learned a few tricks about how to get away with that in a pinch, but it's never pretty. However you did it, nice work out of you!

Nice styling! And good to see them offered as menswear

I did succumb to these; details here: https://hhplace.org/topic/25644-asos-chelsea-boots/

These ‘ASOS DESIGN heeled chelsea boots in black faux leather with chain detail’ seemed to me to provide the right balance between enjoyment and discretion and I could no longer resist them when a double discount was on offer. I usually wear a UK11 or 12 and opted for 12 (securing the last pair, it seems) to allow thicker socks if needed. First impressions were favourable – a 3 5/8” heel, a zipped shaft taller than the online advert implied, and an almond toe. The fit was good and comfortable indoors. The ‘round’ heel may not appeal to some, but it is not really noticeable. Likewise, the gilt chain detail is perhaps rather too ‘blingy’, but could be removed. The hollow plastic heels were, as expected, rather noisy – and the plastic top pieces will obviously wear and need replacement. I decided to modify them before wearing them outdoors. The top pieces (held by four pegs) were carefully prised off and fitted with discs of 1/4" composition material, glued on. (I used a hole cutter, without its centre drill, to produce discs just a tad too large, which were then reduced and smoothed on my grinding wheel before glueing.) To dampen noise, I filled the hollow heels with compacted sawdust, with pieces of crimped drinking straw inserted temporarily into the peg holes to stop sawdust entering. The top pieces were then pressed in; the fit seems firm enough not to need any adhesive. The composition layer can of course be removed when worn and replaced. Adding the extra layer to the top piece has increased the heel height to 3 7/8”. The balance of the boots has not been affected; indeed, they sit rather better with the extra height. I wore them outside briefly with thick socks and bootcut jeans and they seem comfortable enough. The pics show the boots as received, as worn with bootcut jeans, and the stages of heel modification.

This week's church OOTW. There is nothing notable about it, except for the fact that this is the first time this year I was able to wear sandals. It finally warmed up, but it's only temporary. By the end of the week, we're looking at lows uncomfortably close to the freezing mark. I felt like I wanted to wear tan sandals yesterday with wide legged trousers, but my first choice was at the extreme steep end of my wearable range. Due to some strenuous physical activity yesterday, I elected not to wear those, but went instead with what I call my "pageant" shoes. Their actual designation is Steve Madden Dezzzy (yes, that's with three z's), but their very high heel with thick platform reminds me of the pageant shoes that every southeast Asian girl wears in a beauty pageant. Of course the real pageant shoes usually have a somewhat thinner heel and an ever thicker platform, but you get the idea. I get a nearly 6 inch heel with less than 4 1/2" of steepness. My son just bought himself a motorbike, and here I am somewhat awkwardly posing on it, at his suggestion. No, I did not ride the thing in those heels. A few minutes later in real time---Now that I have actually loaded the photos, I notice that I wore a nearly identical outfit sometime last August, minus the tie. I think it's the same exact shirt, pants, and shoes. I guess you'll have that from time to time if you don't document things, and with outfits, I certainly don't.

It’s been very wet here - and continues to be so - and I do not wear my suede boots outside for that reason but in my home office where they stay dry and I stay warm! And my feet and calves especially so

Offense is in the air. Any one can be offended by anything at anytime. Whether it be a person’s nail polish is too red or they don’t like the color you painted your toes, someone somewhere is going to be offended. Now, (trying not to be too political) you’re in double trouble if the offended individual is a member of a minority community. They can climb on top of their grievance and scream “race” at the top of their lungs, making the entire incident “headline news”. People are stupid. Seeking their fifteen minutes of fame is a very strong incentive. So, if they are willing to complain, I would just turn the tables on them by citing their actions of not supporting my rights to dress as I choose. A clear case of “pure sexual discrimination” could be made if a complaint of that nature is made.

It's been a wet winter and I haven't been able to wear my suede JS stilettos much.

Don't step on those blue Suede shoes.

Chilly and raw in Yorkshire - for me at work it was heavy suede OTK boots with 4” heels