Rockpup Posted February 15, 2005 Posted February 15, 2005 Ok, yes.. confusing subject line. Although considering the tools used it fits. I purchased a pair of Cole Haan G-series boots from Neiman-Marcus/Last call at a considerable discount. I like the boots, unfortunatly the inner footbed from the heel to the start of the ball of the foot was formed from a composit, and not quite the right width for my foot. A cobbler was unwilling to try to modify them, understandably.. and heel pads were only a temp solution, and did not provide a satisfactory solution. I had to widen the area for my foot, or get rid of the sides. I have access to air tools, and carbide bits normally used to do very precise, and expencive work on engine parts.. aka 'porting'... These tools worked excelently to remove the trouble spots I now have a very comfortable pair of 4" heel boots that I intend to wear in early march while in Key West on vacation with my b/f and a couple friends. I'll let you know how I hold up after a few hours of partying while in these boots. :drinking: Seeya! Jim (formerly known as "JimC")
hart88 Posted February 16, 2005 Posted February 16, 2005 Jim can you explain in better detail what you did? did you grind off the edge of the insole? Did you cut out a sink hole (inlay) area for parts of your toes to lay into? I am just interested in what you meant. the following is probably only something a master shoe man can accomplish or some one who has made shoes with lasts... I have worked in a shoe factory and I have experiance in lasting shoes. If the boot is constructed in a way that I can pull the sole off, Then I can make the insole area wider, by cutting a slice open in the front area of the insole, (with the sole opened up) then cut a new piece of insole to "jimmie" the open area more, glue it in, then glue a thin insole over the top of the area that is cut open to cover the construction. I usually cut the insole in the widest part of the foot, from the ball to the little toe. The cutout with the jimmie installed might look like a rounded diamond shape. the covering can be a new insole or a cut out piece of leather. (depends on original insole) As soon as I know the customer is satisfied, then I can reglue or stitch the sole back together. I have done this for extreme cases like a Bunion or Hammer toe, to open the shoe more than stretching can... (a less stressful idea is to remove the insole entirely. some of the vinyl insoles literally have to be scraped out because the foam comes out in pieces.)
Rockpup Posted February 16, 2005 Author Posted February 16, 2005 I intended to photograph the process in order to document it, but unfortunatly my camera was not avaliable, and I needed to take advantage of the time I had to do the work. Cole Haan's G-series of shoes/boots came about after Nike purchased Cole Haan, and Nike decided that they could improve on CH's handmade designs. The boots in question actually appear to have a one piece footbed/heel. The material is a translucent/tan color, and resembles the resin for fiberglass. This only extends down to the start of the forefoot(?), and the front of the boot is constructed more like a pair of sneakers, including the "Nike Air" logo. This is only the second pair built like this the cobbler I used had ever seen. The shape of the footbed was set for a much narrower footbone structure then mine, so when I walked the outer edges would poke at me. The height of the edges was maybe 3/16", but thats enough to iritate after a short while. I removed the leather strip that covered the epoxy, and using a couple of diferent sized carbide spherical grinders I essentially had to flatten the edge down. The leather of the boot above the footbed was not directly attached to the edge, so now when I wear the boots they are very comfortable, with an arch that fits my foot quite well. These are 4" heels, and they are more comfortable and are easier to walk in then alot of 3" heels I have tried. I also just picked up another pair of 4" g-series 'booties'. These are ankle high slip on models, found on clearance for $78, but with a 75% off tag..These were stuck under the shelves, probabbly hidden by someone else This pair does not have the problem with the footbed, and the heel height and arch are quite comfortable. Unfortunatly the room in the top of the arch is not adequet, and I may need to see if I can get these stretched a little. I now have my camera back, but do not have time this morning to post photos. If this doesnt help I'll put up some pics later today. Jim (formerly known as "JimC")
hart88 Posted February 16, 2005 Posted February 16, 2005 I looked up the shoes that you are talking about, but was at a disadvantage not knowing exactly your style It seems that the sole and heel may be a unit construction. Maybe Polyeurathane.... My only thoughts are to be care ful while grinding material away, the sole and insole can be part of the same, and you might be affecting the structure of the shoe. Just a thought, or warning. Good luck
Rockpup Posted February 26, 2005 Author Posted February 26, 2005 Ok, sorry for the slow reply.. I logged off after I typed out a full reply, and hit preview, not post.. d'oh. ok.. here is an after photo, but you can see that I did not touch the structure, just took a little off the top of the outermost edges. Hopefully this helps explain a little. Jim (formerly known as "JimC")
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