shoerepairer

A revolving hole punch is often two big. Use a watch strap punch for a smaller hole.

if this was brought into me, I'd probably remove the original synthetic linning & replace it with a tight grained piece of leather & then re-stitch the entire strap. it might pay you to ask your local repairer to see what he suggests.

wet the toes, press some damp toilet paper in them then dry the uppers with a hair dryer, it will occassionally reshape them.

realistically its doubtful sometimes it can be done, by removing the soles & rebuilding the toe box section but its never perfect & few can actually do it in the first place so finding someone willing to do it is often hard.

this is nothing to do with chemicals its to do with age, the design is an old one & rubber soles perish with age, much like car tires, they go hard brittle & eventually break up. YES they can be repaired similar to the shoes in the left of this picture.

the quality & grade of the leather in an upper has the biggest effect on the amount they will stretch & many synthetics can stretch quite often more successfully than natural materials. from experience you can only really expect to get a 1/4 size rather than half or full sizes. The stretcher I use is a machine in itself with different shapes & sizes of lasts & attachments that can be added to specific areas (bunions & so on) & will produce far better results than the wood ones you can buy, I don't even stock these as once I explain the differences & the fact the cost of having them done by me is so, so much cheaper than a wooden stretcher most people then leave shoes with me. But all in all shoe stretching is quite successful.

Can plastic tips be just glued?

Yes.

Obviously they can't be nailed!

Yes they can.

don't steam them you'll get tide marks on those uppers, they stain very easily

this is the correct advice. its probably been where they have laid in a stock room in the box & they've assumed the position they where laying in.

I was able to carefully twist/bend the tassel on my pair into the correct place.

Air them. If they are new, then they may have only been made a short time before you brought them. Leave them in a well ventilated place or outside it weather permits & I'd bet a pound to a penny the smell will dissipate after a few days. Before the great suggestions (fabreeze) I'd certainly try this first.

Any hobby glue ought to do it...

Just don't use super glue! this crystallizes & goes rock hard. once you start walking & the shoe bends, this breaks up becomes uncomfortable, fails & renders it more difficult to remedy than previously.

why not take them to a cobblers? it will probably cost less than you'll spend on the glue & the process will be done using a sole press which will be perfect?

.JUST WHAT A COBBLER WOULD DO

No its not!

Can vintage rubber heels from pedwin platform shoes be repaired?

Once again there is not enough information here to supply a complete answer.

yes there is! the answers YES.

the problem with opening up the toes is you end up with more sole sticking out fronts, which has less around it to support its shape, you'll then find yourself tripping. Not safe.

can you post a picture close up?

I would suspect the shank is the culprit to your problem, & to fix this is not for the faint hearted as the heel block has to be removed & then the middling inside the shoe along with the sole, effectively stripping the boots down to the core as when they where manufactured. Most competent repairers should be able to do this, but its a good hour or twos work so won't be cheap!

How do I remove the inner sole best to tigthen the heel again?

Give it a gentle tug by hand. most innersoles have a foam layering under them & are quite easy to lift. thats the easy part, good luck trying to tighten the heel.

well done.

I hope someone can guide me on this.

I bought a nice pair of boots abroad, and the first time I used them, I didn't pull the zipper pull to the top. So, the tape of the zipper expanded a bit and now it has a funny shape.

I'm travelling again in two days, and I need this boots. How can I fix the tape?

Sorry I didn't reply to your PM (and others) I've been away for a couple of weeks. I don't think this is the zip runner you've got problems with but the zip itself, is that right?

Is this a nylon or metal zip? has the webbing stretched? can you post a photo of the damage?

Elastics can be re-stitched (if its the stitching thats failed) or replaced, either way make sure your repairer can run fine thread through their machine. otherwise it will look a bit butchered afterwards! If you find someone whos sympathetic with their stitching then it will be an invisible mend, But will probably cost close to your £10 compensation, so it would be your call!

Or you could just have new ones fitted! A shoe dye will cost you £3 - £5. In my shop (to give you a benchmark price) I charge £6.00 fitted for replacement insoles (leather) Covering up wear is never as good as replacing. Lee

DO NOT TWIST THE TIP TO REMOVE!

I remove them all day long by twisting left & right, if it fails it can be drilled out, no damage in the heel & the heel pins don't come in different lengths, just different widths.

I agree with Dr. Shoe. often with these cases we (cobblers) alter things for customers & then this or thats not quite right, so we alter them again & then they are never "quite" right for the customer. OK on some jobs, but with the clear materials used, I'd be reluctant to do them & I've done a far few in my time. Once altered they will be impossible to get anything back on, Ebay & get the correct size. Sound advice.

Post them to me I'll repair the strap & tidy them up for you........ PM if needed.

it never hurts to re-post in a forum IMO, as information & availability of supply or even members using the site to read the question moves very fast over the internet, a question can be answered totally different in a month or two.