shoerepairer

two options,

• take them to a repairer who may be able to help, by putting them on a stretching machine.
• buy a spray shoe stretcher, this is a liquid that helps loosen the nap of the leather. you then wear them wet & this helps them stretch to your shape. (always read the label!)

90% of heels that start "squeeking" have a shank that has broken (very likely with a 5" heel) & this then moves about causing the squeek. if a shank breaks at the heel block end then quite often the heel becomes wobbly (you can move it back & forth) however if it breaks at the sole end then it usually starts squeeking. A competent repairer should be able to replace the shank. Lee

interesting, have you got a picture of the shoes, wouldn't mind seeing what they look like. Lee

I read this post previously & since it was originally started nearly 2 years ago didn't reply. BUT...... Rather than spending money on this & that, risking sticky bits & bobs pealing up & causing you to trip, why not............. Get a fine stick on sole put on them by your repairer?????? it will be bonded on with the correct glue, cover the entire area & last longer than any of your make shift repairs........ Lee

in theory thats OK, but the sole will also potentially be narrower than the ball of your foot. If you can buy some on the pretense of being able to return them & then speak to your repairman, he will be able to advice what can or can't be done. Lee

Reef, quite often manufacturers use low grade, low quality heels during the production of the shoes. When you have them replaced your repairman will enviably be fitting a better quality heel. two factors cause excessive wear. the quality of the plastic/rubber of the tip & the shape of the head of the metal pin it is molded around. some heels can be twisted of the pin quite easily. Your other option is to have a metal tip fitted, whilst these make more noise they last a great deal longer. Lee

Use meths (NOT WHITE SPIRIT) to clean them, its good for removing old polish (because it doesn't take to well to waxes) & shouldn't bring any harm to the leather. however if any of the shoe is plastic, try the meths in a small inconspicuous place first to make sure it doesn't react with the surface coating. Don't use detergents or water on them, as this can cause the leather to dry out, go hard & shorten their life span. Simple wipe over with meths & dye, don't over complicate the process! use a small artists brush for the edges & the brush supplied for the main areas. Pack the shoes with paper, to help lift out the creases in the uppers & once dyed & polished spray with a protector to help keep them in tip top condition. Lee

Also! I retail Punch leather dye at £2.95 so make sure you don't buy it from Ebay! as from this supplier (I know the image was for reference, but this is for anyone reading this considering dying) it would cost £5.35 inc postage. Make sure you buy it locally, it will save you a couple of pounds at least! Lee

Punch make 3 dyes

• Water based dye (Lady Esquire) which will colour, leather, plastic & canvas & can be mixed to produce any shade or colour.

• Spirit based (shown) Leather dye. the leather dye is also suitable for Nubuck.

• Suede dye, which does exactly what it says on the box! Suede!

however the spirit based leather dye is only really good, if the shoes do not reflect light as this leather will allow it to soak in.

Lee

the dye you've got will be C**p on these, DON'T even go there! I see from your profile your in England, but your purchases are in dollars "IF" you're from the UK (the only brands I am familiar with) theres two main brands available, Punch Lady Esquire (my preferred) & Dylon shoe colour. I think woolworths might stock these or your local independent repairer will for sure! good luck, be sure to let us know how you get on! Lee

Ignore my "your out of luck" reply. Its difficult to tell 100% from the link you just posted but it looks like these are normal leather & should dye OK HOWEVER NOT WITH THE DYE YOU HAVE! because these reflect light so well you will need a water based paint on dye & not the spirit based soak in dye you have purchased. Lee

as a rule of thumb, (although there are exceptions, which is why I advice asking a repairer who sells dyes for advice as to which dye to buy) if the leather reflects light you need water based dye & if they have a matt finish then the spirit based dye will give the best results. two leather to avoid with dying are metallic finishes like dance shoes or Patent leathers. Lee

your out of luck spiker, these are made from Patent leather, the dye you have brought will not soak into the leather, it will simply swim around on the top of them like oil on water. Patent is one of the few leathers that doesn't take dying very well. you will need to sand them down to make them matt & then use a water based dye, not spirit as you have brought. even then with patent shoes the dye rarely takes to well, and will often peel at a later stage. Lee

spiker, can you post a link to the shoes you have brought?

To even the colour over the entire boot, make sure you polish them with a good black wax polish, this really seals the colour, brings them to an even shine & protects the boots at the same time. Lee

a lot of more designer orientated, less "high street" shoes have smaller heels, but you pay a premium for the design.

Jimmy Choo is one such designers that uses small heel tip sizes in its very elegant range of shoes

example but at $585 / £360 they don't come cheap!

Lee

the latest breed of heels are now coming in a 095pin & these can be down to heels sizes as small as 5 or 6mm. The 5mm has been fitted to high end designer shoes for a number of years but this year especially this "fine" heel is finding its way into more mainstream footwear. the limiting factor in how small a heel can go is the head of the pin on which the heel tip is fitted, as the head becomes smaller the wearer is more likely to twist the heel tip off the pin as they walk. But basically if you can buy it, it can be repaired! Lee

PM'd Lee

First off all, thanks for the thanks! I hate being detrimental to anyones work, but felt in the interests of safety I had to says something.

A lot of people would have taken offence!

PS: to member shoerepairer - any idea of where I could buy heels and lasts from? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

this is a little difficult for me to answer for two reasons! the first is the type of heel blocks you are searching for aren't the main stream, which is basically the area I deal in.... I would think a search on the internet "might" pull up a retail supplier of such items??????

I could forward you details of some wholesalers, but unless your "true" trade I wouldn't have thought they would supply as they require references for accounts.

the second, is lasts in the true sense of the word fall into two categories those for manufacture, which I would think what you are looking for, these hold the shape & cut of the upper as the shoe is build & those the likes of which I use which hold the shape of the sole only, which is needed for the repair stage. since I don't make shoes from scratch I haven't a supplier of pre-formed manufacturing lasts. "new" repair lasts are a colossal price & I would think ebay should be the most economical choice. However I can give you the details of a manufacture of "new" ones if you need it.

Lee

Some of the design modifications I have seen here on HHP have been really interesting, However the majority of amateur "designers" have little concept of the amount of stress a shoe is under when it is carrying the entire weight of a person! sure the rather tasteful screw heads, may cause blisters or even blood, but given this sort of footwears not for every days use you might "just" get away with this! the BIGGEST worry to me for these is those "Nice" heel blocks you've crafted! those lovely load bearing screws will prove fruitless, as the heel block is raked two far under the foots heel seat & is so thin at the bottom, that its only a matter of time before the heel block WILL snap, along the wood grain, right where that lower screw is. the design & materials you have used make these shoes DANGEROUS! Given that you are now considering selling said shoes on fleebay, I would question whether your liability insurance is in place! Its great to see members changing the look of shoes, but please leave changing the design (heel blocks, wedges etc) to the experts, or your going to end up with a nice cast as a shoe! Lee

the heel increase shown, has seriously altered the balance of the original design & it will be only a matter of time before the shank under its increased strain will break across the heel seat. once this happens the heel will try to fall backwards, as the shoe tries to sit back to its original & correct height. I only hope you aren't walking down some stairs when this happens! Raising or recommending a raise that is incorrect for the shoe design carries a huge amount of liability & I would NOT recommend such an alteration, it is dangerous. Lee

ingenuity at its best, got any pictures ? Lee

D-shaped metal pieces with a hole in the center [i don't know a "specialist" term for these]

Metal heel seat.

1) Is this possible?

Its Possible, but would reduce the life of the boots dramatically! (see below)

2) How much about will it cost?

How longs a piece of string! To find a larger heel block, in the height you would need is the biggest problem! They would probably have to be made from scratch & would need someone with VERY specialist skills to make them. This would involve several hours labour & someone with a passion, a very sort after person!

3) About how long (days, weeks?) will the process take?

For someone described above, if you could find them would be very busy! So I would expect a considerable wait, but I might be wrong!

4) Any other info!

OK! Here’s what changing the heels will do! First of all its important to remember that your foot “has” to bend to walk, & platform boots restrict this movement. I’m sure the majority of platform wearers have had problems with the platforms coming away from the uppers in the circled area of this picture (your boots)

http://brilee.co.uk/hhplace/011.jpg

Why? Because your feet are putting tremendous strain on the uppers, by trying to bend as they normally would & its more a case of the uppers coming away from the platforms rather than the other way around.

Now throw into the equation your “new” larger blocks, in order for these to sit correctly on the upper they will look a little like these,

http://brilee.co.uk/hhplace/012.jpg

Now look at the distance between the front of them & the for mentioned “weak” spot. The strain will be increased in the circled area & the boots WILL fail, you’d be lucky to make it through your lovefest at all!

Many shoes and boots have unit bottoms so that changing the heel compromises the structural integrity of the footwear.

cuz on mine I can see the screw holding it in place. If I can unscrew it, i can just buy a different kind and screw that in.

Right?

Wrong! The Screw you refer to isn’t! in 99% of cases (I could be wrong!) this is a serrated pin, driven into the heel at high pressure, there isn’t a screw thread on it, the slot on the head is a locating one.

I wouldn’t advice altering these boots, as you may run into complications.

Lee

And we also fixed the stability problem by adding 4 thin stainless metal poles inside the heel.

A lot of emphasise is often put on the attributes of stainless, for 2 reasons

• its strength
• its resistance to corrosion

However in this instance corrosion will not be a problem as these will be housed inside the plastic heel block, as for strength poles are NOT as strong as tubes, hence conventional stiletto heel blocks having a tube inside them & steel nails to hold them on the upper.

Would 1 or 2 “extra” steel tubes reduce costs & add more stability than 4 stainless poles

I would love to see a more technical drawing of the design, as I think adding the poles must surely be over complicating the design?

Lee