GoGoGirl08

I recently bought a pair of AWESOME thigh high, stiletto boots on ebay. They have a clear stiletto heel, and I was wondering if it is at all possible (most likely EXPENSIVE) to change the whole heel and make it a chunky heel, or something other than a tiny stiletto. So im wondering...

1) Is this possible?
2) How much about will it cost?
3) About how long (days, weeks?) will the process take?
4) Any other info!

These are going to be worn to San Francisco's Lovefest and dancing for hours in 5" stilettos is NOT going to be easy. Thanks in advance!
- Alanna

Here are some links to pics of my shoes. Mine are the ones with the clear heels, not silver.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...707/d9e8_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...OGOBOOTS1B.jpg

HHfanatic

What about make a heel that fit on the outside of the existing heel...?

shrimper

It would be cheaper and a lot safer to buy boots that already have the type of heel you're looking for. Many shoes and boots have unit bottoms so that changing the heel compromises the structural integrity of the footwear.

GoGoGirl08

Well im not sure about anything being cheaper.. these boots run new about $299 and I didnt find any with a non-stiletto heel.. which is why im trying to make them myself! or get them made for me.

I DID think about making a heel that slips right over the stiletto and somehow attaching it to the boot...... i have NO CLUE how to go about that though! Ive been looking for days somewhere to buy a heel and just screw that one into the shoe instead... 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?

shoerepairer

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

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!

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!

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!



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

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Elegant

Yeah, I've done it on my two pairs...

Both of them had their heels fastened with a screw, several nails and glue, so they needed some work to take the old heels off. You have to remove the rear part of the insert to reach the screw / nails. Take the heel apart, that's somewhat tricky but you'll eventually do it. Afterwards, take the shoe without a heel and go to a shop with supplies for cobblers and choose the heels of right style and size. You have to match them carefully so that they'll have proper height and width for the shoe sole's shape. Old heels may come in handy for comparison. You also have to buy some glue, two screws and D-shaped metal pieces with a hole in the center [I don't know a "specialist" term for these]. If the old screw was thin, drill a bigger hole. Put the shoe and heel together, adjust them carefully and screw the heel on. If everything is OK [the heel isn't askew], loosen the screw and glue the parts together, then tighten the screw and glue the insert on.

BUT - I don't think it'll work with your boots. First, heels of such height are impossible [or VERY hard] to get. Second, the sole may be of one-piece kind, but I don't know if so.

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shoerepairer

Metal heel seat.

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onyourtoes

I've done it by forming a mold around the heel and filling it with resin.

I made the mold from heavy waxed (rubbed with a candle) cardboard and used duct tape to stick it to the shoe/boot. I used 2 part mix liquid resin that I bought at a boat store, it's sold for making fiberglass repairs.

The result was solid, durable, and heavy.

Be careful of:

1. Fumes from the resin (do outdoors and entertain the neighbors)
2. Too thin mold material, it will bulge and the heel breast will end up curved.
3. The tape seal leaking, what a mess! (and that's the end of the boots)
4. Keep the boot level so the heel will be flat.
5. Don't overfill. (see #3)

The surfaces will need a lot of sanding, and you'll have to add rubber bottoms or the heel will be noisy, slippery, and chip.

On second thought, ignore this post

shoerepairer

ingenuity at its best, got any pictures ?

Lee

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jmc

Those boots look like they have the "unit bottoms" mentioned earlier. This means the platform and the heel are all one piece, connected together with a curved shank. The uppers are stitched together and then fastened to this unit bottom to make the whole boot. Replacing this type of heel is not practical because removing the "unit bottom" would effectively destroy the boot.

As "onyourtoes" suggested, it might be possible to build up a more substantial heel around the existing stiletto using the epoxy resin he mentioned. Autobody filler such as "Bondo" might work here too.

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