shoerepairer

You could try a mild nail varnish remover - for one it is less agressive than white spirit -

I think the suggestions from Pussyinboots make the most sense to me.

Sorry to question but the advice is WRONG, the majority of nail varnish removers contain Acetone. reverting back to the original statement of the Shoes Being New Look Patent, we have established these will be a synthetic & Acetone, White Spirits & Petroleum "could" damage the surface

I rubbed this piece of synthetic shoe upper with nail polish remover & metholated spirits, can you guess which side was rubbed with nail polish remover!

I can't comment on cole oil as I don't know what it is!

I do know from experience of new look shoes

Use methylated spirits on a duster or tissue (always worth testing on an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn't react), meths is less likely to melt the surface. if that doesn't work buy a crepe block from your local repairer & rub carefully to avoid taking the suface off!

Avoid white spirit & Fuel, if they are from new look, they will not be patent leather which will take these treatments but patent plastic & the surface may melt using these.

Use methylated spirits on a duster or tissue (always worth testing on an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn't react), meths is less likely to melt the surface. if that doesn't work buy a crepe block from your local repairer & rub carefully to avoid taking the suface off!

Good luck.

Plastic Fantastic. Thin strong plastic which protects the heel. Fits within a few seconds using a hairdryer. Miracle shrink to fit.

Ian I don't charge by the inch, but per job. Usually running at about £40 for a standard length zip. £10 for a slider. £5 for coil teeth stitching. £4 for top & bottom stops. I appreciate that on some boots it may not be cost effective, but there are a lot of people, who spend a lot of money on footwear & for these items professionally replaced zips (where stitching will be correct colours & in original holes!) is a very good solution to keeping favorite items in service & not looking like they've been repaired!

I'd like to be able to buy a stitcher for £600! just replaced mine & it cost considerably more than that! "Probably not worth it" I hate that sentence! I've repaired shoes that have cost twice what it would cost to replace them! They are worth repairing if you like them & if they are confortable! Depending on the damage, if the runner has failed it should be possible to replace just this, reducing repair cost considerably! if its a nylon zip, where the stitched holding the teeth spiral have failed then this can be re-stitched also. Can you post a picture of the failer?

Don't bother repairing them at all - just walk on the heel nails. Most girls do it anyway, and it's far nicer sound on the street.

& will probably reduce

A. the amount of times they could be repaired "In time"

B. Cost more to get repaired, as you might pay for the extra work

C. You'll end up ruining the heel blocks

Best get them repaired with the correct metal or rubber heels, you'll achieve the sound you prefer without reducing the life span from another 20 years!

Lee

Do not remove these studs, they support the internal platform which is hidden under the upper. Lee

Could I suggest a coat of pva glue before 1st use. O.K., it may leave a slight matt finish, but should help prevent scratching.

No it won't! 10-20 stone of human, slipping a PVA coating against a surface, I don't think so.

There is no EASY cure for this problem, especially on stilettos. its horses for courses with any footwear, you wouldn't wear stilettos on an army assault course. Like wise you wouldn't wear dirty army boots with your best clothes.

Watch where your walking & find a good repairer to tidy up those scuffs & tears.

Lee

As a rule of thumb which ever "handed" you are, this will be the heel that wears the quickest. Even with this one fully worn, there will be wear to the other one & replacing just one can throw your bodies natural balence very slightly & can result in aches. You might find the different heels give different grip patterns which might cause problems on certain surfaces, as previously mentioned most heels are brought in pairs & the work involved in doing one, is pretty even to doing both, if you can find someone to do just one, you'll pay a premium for it. In my opinion its bad practice to do one shoe & not treat them as a "Pair of shoes" As an aside to this, if the shoes are 20 years old, i'd be willing to bet money on the fact that the remaining heel material would have perished by now & as soon as you walk on it, it will crumble away anyway. Lee

I bet that before long, one of our members that is a cobbler will give you the correct advice to fix your problem.

where do I start.

Lee

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

(hope Lee approves )

How could I? (but it sounds logical to me, all be it a mess!)

LOL.............

Lee

Can you post a picture of them? Lee

you'd certainly be able to dye the zip with trg, or any other dye for that matter but you may find as the metal runner runs against the metal teeth of the zip it will break off. The material the teeth are on will dye OK, so a bit of care & the teeth could be left.

the toe plates or blakeys require a sole to nail to, if you've worn the toe out these are not the solution! Take them to your cobblers & get a toe piece put on them first. I haven't got my camera here today so can't show you what they look like. If I remember it I'll take a picture next week. Lee

Does the zipper have metal or plastic teeth?

As for the website its currently under construction as this is a fairly new company, but the domain is www.trg-theone.com

Lee

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!

Hi.

So, you do recommend this

http://www.tarrago.com/anglfl/frproda.htm "SELF SHINE COLOR DYE + PREPARER" ?

My Recommendation is for TRG products, Tarrago is now a subsidiary of Sapphir & I haven't had much experience of their products.

TRG is the product i am using & have experience with & can recommend it 100% you will have few problems with it, it is amazing!

Lee

There is a new product available in Europe made by the original chemist who worked for Tarrago, Senor Joaquim Tarrago whose great grandfather started to make dyes shortly after the second world war. Tarrago was taken over by Sapphyr last year. The original Tarrago family have now started a new brand TRG as off January this year & I have seen their products including dyes & polishes recently (now stocking them) & they are exceptional! new formulas that really work with modern shoes. I'd thoroughly recommend them, I've actually stopped stocking other brands in favor of TRG because its so good. Lee

I know this is an old topic, but it don't matter how far straps go in, they will still perforate along the final row of stitches if they are i'll fitting or given a tug. However provided there is no underlying cause for the damage then they should be "fit of purpose" & give "reasonable wear & tear" which is where speaking to the retailer comes in. Lee

do these have a "shinny", "matt" or "patent" finish?

between the innersole you are describing & the outer sole unit, is a piece called the middling, this sandwiches the upper to the sole & stops it coming unbonded. for this to have collapsed it would indicate that you probably have a "unit" type sole this will be made of material that has been poured into a mould & this mould will have voids, to allow for flexability, reduced weight & Cost reduction! What has happened is with wear & most likely moister the middling has collapsed into these voids. Any after market insole will only be effective for a short period of time & if not fixed correctly, in time you will have the upper separating from the sole. the only permanent repair is to have the middling replaced. Lee

So, I'm guessing going to a "shoe repair" shop costs a bundle, just for a zip replacement?

I'm sure you don't go to work not to earn money do you? same for your cobbler. the problem with zips is they are very time consumming to do, typically up to an hour. We don't work for nothing! nor do our overheads disappear because we have a zip to do.

I've just replaced my stitching machine with an investment of several thousand pounds! Doing a job professionally & PROPERLY costs a "bundle", even for "just for a zip"

However, if like many you've spent your money on a nice pair of boots, they are comfortable, you like them & they are not worn to badly then £30-£40 for a replacement zip makes sound sense (Unless you've brought cheap in the first place). Does it not?

Lee

As far as a 10 mile Charity walk is concerned, you will certainly need steel tips, and you may find that they need replacing again afterwards.

3. Quality injection moulded Pin Tops:- difficult to tell the difference on the finished repair but you will certainly be aware of the performance difference, in a lot of case on a par with steel heels.

but you will certainly be aware of the performance difference, in a lot of case on a par with steel heels.

Personally, I'd recommend a good quality injection moulded heel for such a walk, it will be less harsh on your calf & ankle muscles. Metal heels "could" make the journey an unpleasant one! if you do manage to go through the heel in this millage (if you get the right ones I'd be surprised!) you will come through to the pin which will effectively give you a steel heel to finish the walk.

Just my opinion

Lee

Heel tips (stiletto type) come in 3 basic varieties 1. Metal :- (commonly know as steel tips) last the longest but are at a trade off in comfort & noise. 2. Cheap PU Tops:- the heel bars favorite! this is what the majority of you will be getting if you don't do your home work! brought by the repairer for competitive pricing & also fitted by a large proportion of manufacturers. 3. Quality injection moulded Pin Tops:- difficult to tell the difference on the finished repair but you will certainly be aware of the performance difference, in a lot of case on a par with steel heels. In the UK there are two main "quality" brands both have super in the name. Ask your repair man what make he will be fitting, if he says "PU Tops" they are cheap if he mentions a brand, its looking better & if he mentions "SUPERDARK" or "SUPERTAP" you've picked a winner. Lee