Shoes are an important item in our everyday wear and when a heel detorates or wears out, it is very irritating. You do not have to run to your cobbler every time you experience problems with the shoe heels. Overall, it is relatively easy and simple for one to fix a shoe heel at the comfort of their homes. That’s all the steps that you can take in order not only to save your money but also to make your favorite shoes last longer. Whether you wish to change a high heel tip, fix dress shoe heels, clean and fix the material or fix a damaged area with cloth these techniques will assist you in fixing your shoe within no time. Here are four easy ways to repair a shoe heel all by yourself.
1. Fixing a High Heel Tip
Step 1: Get a pair of heel tips which are similar to the heel of your shoe. To install new heel tips in your shoes, you will require metal dowels that are fitted with small pieces of rubber at the end. It is available in a pack with different sizes or you can take the measurements of the height and width of the heel tip you already have. If the heel tip does not reflect the color of your shoe, it will look ugly.
You will find a lot of options of replacement heel tips available in shoe stores or online.
Step 2 : Needle nose pliers should then be used to remove the heel tip. Take off the rubber end of your high heel carefully using needle nose pliers. The tip will be relatively tight so you may need to twist or twisting to get it out. Once you have extracted the shoe tip, throw it away.
If the tip rubber is worn in such a way that it has become all rubbed off, then the use of a metal dowel should be done.
It is preferable not to grab above the rubber tip to prevent the shoe heel from getting damaged.
Change the high heel tips before the rubber part gets worn out as they are easier to change.
Step 3: Slide the new tip into the porter heel hole. Place the metal dowel-end replacement heel tip into the hole that is at the bottom part of the heel. It is preferable to design the tip and heel shapes to be as similar as possible in order to make adjustments simple. Push the fresh tip as far as possible using your hand.
Insert the tip in even deeper by placing the shoe on a flat surface so that you can apply pressure on the rounded side.
Your shoe heel might be affected and even break if you exert a lot of pressure on it.
Step 4: Use a hammer and tap the new heel tip into the perfect place. With your hand hold the shoe on a flat surface then gently tap the bottom of the heel tip using a hammer and again push it into the heel.
Try to avoid hitting too hard with the hammer because it could break or bend the heel tip.
Step 5: Set tip alignment with the other part of the heel by doing a turn. Now, with the needle nose pliers, use the tips of the pliers to grip the sides of the heel tip and then rotate it slowly. Rotate the heel tip in the heel until the curves on the back of the heel align properly. You can wear your shoes again once the heel tip is aligned with the heel.
2. Replacing the Heels on Dress Shoes
Step 1: As for the repaired shoes, replacement heels are also offered. New heels can be acquired through the Internet or shoe shops most of the time. To ensure that the replacement heel will work, you should match its width, length, and thickness to your shoes. Ensure that the heel bottom grip surface has adequate friction to prevent slipping.
You can usually purchase a pair of replacement heels for around $25 USD.
You only need to replace the heel rubber sole if the bigger heel block is in good state.
If you can’t find a heel that fits your shoe then get the next largest heel so that you can cut off the excess as you require.
Step 2: By using pliers, pull the shoe heel off. Slide the heel rubber backwards gradually. Place the shoe toe down on the table and prepare to use your non-dominant hand as a lever to control the pressure. The last step of removing the heel rubber is to pull it up until you can remove it completely.
In most cases, you do not even have taken off the heel rubber or the top lifts, that’s all. Like in the case of damage, the heel platform has to be taken off, the same way as well.
Step 3: Scrape off extra glue and level the shoe sole by sanding it with a belt sander. Put on protective glasses before you start using the belt sander since you are likely to have some dust in your eyes. Ensure that the shoe bottom is placed directly on the sander to flatten out the new heel. Make sure that the shoe bottom is flat every few seconds.
Another option is 120-grit sandpaper, however, it will become challenging to align the heel of the board to perfection.
Do not touch the belt sander with your hands when it is still operating since this will lead to severe harm.
Step 4: Place contact glue on the shoe bottom and the new heel then allow it to dry for approximately fifteen minutes. Take the glue applicator and apply a thin coat of glue on the back of the replacement heel and the corresponding area of the shoe. It is recommended that one waits for 10-15 minutes to allow the glue to become tacky before applying it on a surface.
Contact glue can be purchased from your local hardware or craft store easily.
It is not necessary to press down the heel onto the bottom of the shoe at this stage because the glue still requires some time to dry.
Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area as contact glue produces fumes that are enough to cause irritation.
Step 5: After drying for 10-15 minutes do your best to adjust the heel with the bottom of the shoe, push the heel on the bottom of the shoe. Then put pressure for 30-60 seconds to the heel so that both of them stay in perfect place.
Make sure to adjust perfectly before pressing the heel and shoe together because as soon as the heel will get in touch with the contact glue it will stick to the shoe.
You can hit the heel with a hammer so that it will stick better to the bottom of the shoe.
Step 6:If it is not flush, then, further cut it off around the shoe bottom. Rub the shoe side up to the new heel with the sharp blade of a utility knife. If the heel overhangs the shoe, scribe a line around the heel bends, and guide the blade through the rubber. Shear close to the side of the shoe so that you do not get hanging heels.
Be extra careful when slicing the heel in order not to slip your knife and cut yourself.
Step 7: Cobbler nails fix the heel. Cobbler nails are relatively small measuring only 1/2-7/8 in (1.3-2.2cm) long but help to hold the heels in place. Tap each nail into the shoe bottom starting from the front corners of the heel. To fix the heel, insert 3-5 equally spaced nails along its rear curve.
Cobbler nails can be purchased from any nearest hardware store or shoe store nearby.
It is not mandatory to specify the top lifts if one does not want to but it provides flexibility to keep them more secure.
3. Glue in some cloth and secure it with a few stitches
Step 1: Cover the worn heel with glue cloth. First, remove the insert. Place the cloth at the heels corner hook and fix it using flexible glue to join the two. Specific types of glue can be used such as sole-gluing glue. Choice of cloth matters. But it needs to be strong and neither should it be too thin sided, or too thick sided. Used clothes’ curtains material can be so much more effective than new ones, and worn-out jeans’ denim fits this perfectly.
Step 2: The area that is more prone to failure is the top edge and thus stitch that in. To do this, it is recommended to use a curved needle although it is not mandatory. For sewing, best to use a very thin fine needle and some very strong thread.
Step 3: Replace the insert back again; cut off the excess portion of the thread and then step back and now just look at what you have just finished doing.
4. Cleaning and Repairing the Material
Step 1: Clean out leather scuffs using toothpaste. Take a drop of non-gel toothpaste and place it on one corner of a cleaning rag. Heel sides that are scuffed should be rubbed with toothpaste in circular motion. If there are some marks left behind, apply another pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the sponge and proceed. Continue rubbing until the marks are no longer visible.
Petroleum jelly can as well be used in place of toothpaste.
Do not use gel or colored toothpaste as these substances stain light-colored leather.
Step 2: To remove marks use nail polish remover and wipe rubber heels with it. Rub the heels in a circular motion with the corner of a cleaning rag wet with nail polish remover. If the mark still remains then continue wiping till they are fully cleaned.
To avoid scratching and damage the rubber try not to use an abrasive rag.
Step 3: To eliminate scratches and scuffs on a hardwood heel, you will need several walnuts. Place the walnut on the wood with your heel and apply gentle pressure on top. The nuts also contain oil which will make the scuff marks fade, and the shoe will shine. Continue to rub it with walnuts on the heels of the feet until the marks disappear.
Eating the walnut you use to remove marks from your shoe can be detrimental for your health.
Step 4: Seal up the leather heel holes with liquid leather. For covering of tears or holes, liquid leather is similar to genuine leather. Take a cotton swab or a Popsicle stick and gather a small amount of the liquid leather and apply it directly on the heel damage. Press the liquid leather-textured sheet on the affected area and allow it to dry for up to 24 hours. Once the liquid leather has dried up, slowly peel off the sheet from the liquid leather and wear your shoes.
Liquid leather is available in shoe and craft stores.
As for liquid leather, make sure you use the one that corresponds to the color of your heel to avoid shoe clashes.
