flavio

Going totally contrary to the tendency of this thread, I did it myself.
I always self-studied how shoes are made, I'm not a pro like Dr. Shoe.

Since I have some hand tools and like to work with wood and make things in my own house, I decided to do that with my beloved 5 inches. They were 5.5 before the job.

5.5 was to high for me. I did a lot of trainning in then and never was able to walk gracefully since my calf didn't stretch the way I can do a step without pain when the foot goes forward. I waited more then an year to decide what to do. Since I'm very busy lately, I didn't have time to go to a cobbler.

I started studying my boots. First step, simulation. I putted the boots on a corner of a table and saw the angle of the original heel and how it would be after the job. I realised that 1cm (0.5 inch approx.) would do a very small angle to the verticallity of the heel. Little or no problem. The point of the toebox would be a little more springed, no trouble at all.

Second step, removing heeltips. WARNING! these boots have wood heels and they are not regular stilletos, they are a bit chunkier then stilletos. They don't have the inner metal where the heeltip fits. Don't do this in your boots if they have regular plastic or inner metal heels or if you don't know what you're doing!

To remove the heeltips, since they were glued, was just a matter of carefully taking them with a sharp tool. Then, unglue the leather around the area I want to remove. Perfect, no damage 'till here.

After that, was to mark and cautiously saw the heels. Perfect.
A little finishing so the wood was plain. With a sharp knife I cutted out the excess of leather. Finishing with superglue.

Superglue did the job to the tips after cautious cleaning and plainning them.
PERFECT.
Walking in them was a pleasure I never had before! I was capable of confortably walk in them and spend a lot of time without hurt!

The angle was a bit bad looking. I solved that holding the boots firmly with my hand (no tools here please) and with the other hand firmly and cautiously pushing the arch of the boot to make a new shape to the inner steel shank. Since the difference was minimum, there was no risk to ruin the boots.

The results? Are on my feet now. I love them and will wear them forever. They are the greatest shoe I ever had. Beautiful, warm, sexy, practical and more comfortable then any "men's" or "women's" shoe I have.
A lesson: now I know exactly my limit of 5 inches heels.

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Flavio - Freestyler in the night of São Paulo/Brazil