bootslave Posted September 3, 2009 Posted September 3, 2009 Quite a while ago I remember seeing a website with some pictures of specialist heel tips, they were tips designed to replace the standard flat ones you get in every set of stiletto heels with ones of different shapes... They were for fitting in order to make a set of stiletto heels all the more of a challenge to walk in! They were metal made tips and some were shaped with as if they were upside down cones like studs or spikes ('V' shaped) whilst others were half ball/spherical shaped at the bottom in order to make the heel wobble a bit more in between steps! For the life of me I haven't been able to find the site since but am wondering if anyone else out there has seen it? or more importantly know where to get such heel tips from?!... Please somebody know!!
Bubba136 Posted September 3, 2009 Posted September 3, 2009 Try B-Z heels. In fact, I believe he's a member of hhplace. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
bootslave Posted September 4, 2009 Author Posted September 4, 2009 Wow never thought anybody would know what I was ranting about! Does he have a website? Thanks very much
Bubba136 Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 You might do a hhplace search, a google search or, if all that fails, ask TomNL....if he doesn't know off hand, he knows how to find him. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
bootslave Posted September 10, 2009 Author Posted September 10, 2009 I have found 'bz heels' but cant find any pics of the 'shredders' heel tips that Ive read they do... Im still wondering if it is them or not, they sure sound like it tho...
Barry Posted October 20, 2009 Posted October 20, 2009 I use a mini lathe to turn dowelled heel "lifts" (tips) from brass. If a "D"-shaped tip is desired I either turn the round piece oversize and belt sand the deges; or I saw it from 1/4" plate and silver solder the dowell into a close fitting hole. With steel tips you can use brass brazing rod and the original dowells to make properly fitting metal tips. For the toes I usually cast bronze or aluminum taps similar to the ones used for tap dancing, but much more pointy. These are cast in Petrobond sand from wooden patterns that are easy to make out of white pine. The toe taps can be attached to the shoe sole with clinch nails or small wood screws, if you want to easily remove them later. You can get fancy and use standoff washers around the screws and oversized holes in the tap to create a slightly loose effect that is really noisy. Fred Astaire did that one commercially in 1948; but it was never available to fit stiletto shoes. A metallic high heel strike needs an equally sharp toe drop to get maximum attention.
Barry Posted October 25, 2009 Posted October 25, 2009 I quite new here...'don't think I'm allowed to post pictures yet. But on the website, dance.net, under tap pictures, you can see a pair of red stilettos with brass jingle taps on the heels. The adjusting screws are held in place by Loc Tite. I made the taps for a dancer named Tammy of "Taptease.com." I don't think she's danced on the net since '07; but she did quite a few videos for You Tube and Revver.com. I'm still setting up the bronze casting equipment to make pointy toe taps. They can be bandsawed from brass sheet (1/8"); but it is much better to cast them hollow with plenty of air space underneath. Aluminum such as alloy 356 or 319 works well; but bell bronze (B-20) is very resonant sounding and longer wearing than aluminum. It should work very well on parade boots. Oh, I am known as "Taphead25" on Dance.net; but I frequently use my real first name. I am "Yehudi" on You Tube...check out my videos of bronze/aluminum taps for heeled majorette boots. Much more stuff to come when the furnace is hot again. The electricity will be on next week. I think the high heel fans need to hear more metal underfoot!
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