bigj3650 Posted October 10, 2004 Posted October 10, 2004 I dont know if this should go here or into the heel modification part but if it should go there would a moderator please move it and save me from making a hash of myself....again. Anyway, I am wondering how strong is a high heel? like the metal shank how much force can it stand before it snaps because i am...shall we say quite heavy yet i have only managed to bend the shank. But i still dont feel safe on two pairs of my heels the heel either seems unstable or the heel feels out of place but they are quiet easy to walk in.... Also if your heel moves in towards your arch by a couple of millimeters does that matter?
hart88 Posted October 15, 2004 Posted October 15, 2004 You didn't mention the style of the heel. Most of the fashionable heels have a set back ( I call it a "sway back") design, which puts the heel under your shoe, to make it look smaller, or more sexy. If your heel is moving that means it isn't tight, or maybe you have plastic heel tips which can cause the heel tip to slide some. You should take the time to ask the shoe man to brace your heels. That means adding a piece of material that is nailed to the heel, and hand tacked down the shank to the arch. Some shoemakers call it a brace. Some heels are made so that it is hard to nail extra nails into the heel, so sometimes I have to remove the heel nails, and then renail the new shank piece into the heel. Some of the cheaper heels have wide shanks, and a big staple that almost takes up a third of the heel space. They think that a wide shank will help, but it really doesn't if the shoe isn't manufactured well to begin with. ( When YOU by a pair of spikey heels When the shoe salesperson isn't looking, look under the socklining, to see if there is that big staple- if so, realize that this pair of shoes may not be very good, In my opinion of course)
Dr. Shoe Posted October 15, 2004 Posted October 15, 2004 That's absolutely right, stapled heels are not put on expensive boots. Most heels are rated to around 12 stone (168lbs/77Kg) but will support significantly more than this. A heel should not move when you walk, this is a sign of a soft shank. Most heels do not take a lot of lateral loading. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Firefox Posted October 15, 2004 Posted October 15, 2004 There is actually a British Standard on the forces produced by walking on thin heel shoes and the attachments or heel strength needed. The heel and shank do need to deflect to resist a lateral force. Any structure must deflect before it can moblilse a resisting force. I'd say 2mm was OK. The limiting figures are probably in the Standard. The most likely cause of excessive deflection of the heel is a loose embedding of the shank in the insole board or faulty attachments to it. The heel and shank themselves are usually quite stiff. This why a shank bend can ruin the shoe. If you can bend the shank it's OK but if you end up loostening the attachment it's likely to be disaster. It would be interesting to get hold of the British Standards for this. If anyone has access to a copy please let us know.
J-Nation Posted October 15, 2004 Posted October 15, 2004 Firefox, I found a link to a heel fatigue testing machine (here) which suggests BS 1531 is the one to look out for. Emma
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