Metal boots?

felixmc · 9th February 2007, 03:43

Hi there,

are there any boots (ankle- or kneehigh, or even higher!) made out of metal in some kind? i remember seeing some images of metalboots on the net, but its way back :/

Dr. Shoe · 9th February 2007, 11:25

They would be very difficult to engineer because boots are designed to flex in all sorts of directions as you walk. This is why it's so hard to walk in dressage boots, it's because they're so stiff but they do give a little.

When I was a kid, I knew this guy who was into scrambling (motocross) and he had a pair of fibre-glass boots with some complicated hinges going on.

geo_t · 11th February 2007, 21:32

Rigid boots are something I have wondered about from time to time. I thought about molding some knee-high boots out of some kind of composite material. They'd be complely rigid, which would make walking near impossible, so for more mobility I thought about adding a platform sole that curves up from the ball of the foot to the toe (like the pink Vivienne Westwood shoes at the bottom of this page). You'd still have no ankle movement but you'd probably be able to walk in short steps as you roll forward on the platform. Not that I suspect you'd be walking far...

Dr. Shoe · 13th February 2007, 19:56

...and how would you get them on and secure them so that you don't walk out of them?

As soon as you start putting in openings they're no longer rigid.

The idea I had would be something like the boot part on a suit of armour but even in those cases they were invariably like kind of overshoes that were open at the back.

geo_t · 14th February 2007, 04:41

Well... in my idea a large part of the back would be detatchable, to allow the foot to enter, then fixed back in place using rigid fastners - thinking of motocross or ski boot style over center closures. If the boots are molded from a composite material, you could build in locating bumps and places to attach the closures.

Having said that, I'm not sure the best way to start something like this. The actual lay-up of fiberglass or carbon fiber wouldn't be too hard. Getting the last/female mold would be somewhat tricky, short of taking an existing pair of boots and filling them with a molding agent, then laying composite cloth/resin over that.

xlheel · 14th February 2007, 13:28

The shoes/sandals here: http://www.orientvisual.com/6inchforever/gallery2.htm may be of inspiration

Dr. Shoe · 14th February 2007, 20:46

What I would probably do is to get a pair of lasts and then make a mould of your lower leg with "modroc" or similar and cut it in half. Then put clingfilm inside the two halfs and bung the lasts on the bottom and fill with plaster and then you have the mould you need.

I would design it exactly like a ski boot just as you say but you know how hard they are to walk in and a high heel one will be even harder...

geo_t · 15th February 2007, 05:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Shoe

What I would probably do is to get a pair of lasts and then make a mould of your lower leg with "modroc" or similar and cut it in half. Then put clingfilm inside the two halfs and bung the lasts on the bottom and fill with plaster and then you have the mould you need.

That sounds like a plan. Maybe one day I'll have the time to turn fantasy into reality. Maybe I've watched too much anime, but a pair of shiny carbon fiber knee "boots" teamed with a carbon fibre breastplate...

Quote:

I would design it exactly like a ski boot just as you say but you know how hard they are to walk in and a high heel one will be even harder...

Who said anything about walking?