Do you guys use shoe taps?

[Calden]

Does anyone know a cobbler in NYC that will make metal toe taps flush with the sole? I went by Jim's on 59th St earlier today to put some thin Vibram's on my Brando boots and asked him, he said they did it in Europe often, but not in the US. I know Edward Green has done this on some shoes, do any other shoemakers do this?

(pic from Leather Soul)

 

[waterpig]

Please don't laugh at this ignorant question, but I picked up some packages of toe taps today and I'm wondering how the nails used to hold the tap in place do not puncture into the foot space of the shoe? The nails seem much longer than the combined widths of the tap and sole. Do I need to use nails other than the ones included with the taps or am I missing something obvious?

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by waterpig

Please don't laugh at this ignorant question, but I picked up some packages of toe taps today and I'm wondering how the nails used to hold the tap in place do not puncture into the foot space of the shoe? The nails seem much longer than the combined widths of the tap and sole. Do I need to use nails other than the ones included with the taps or am I missing something obvious?

Are you sure they aren't heel taps? I just bought some off e-bay and put them on my Butteros. The nails were a ***** to drive in the last half inch or so. A hammer and punch didn't do the trick, but a #4 phillips head drove them home with a few solid whacks.

 

[waterpig]

Originally Posted by Stylin-1

Are you sure they aren't heel taps? I just bought some off e-bay and put them on my Butteros. The nails were a ***** to drive in the last half inch or so. A hammer and punch didn't do the trick, but a #4 phillips head drove them home with a few solid whacks.

The package came with both toe and heel taps. The nails are all the same size. I'm thinking I'll just use the staple that came with the tap.

 

[Stylin-1]

Originally Posted by waterpig

The package came with both toe and heel taps. The nails are all the same size. I'm thinking I'll just use the staple that came with the tap.

Yeah, unless you're a true masochist, I'd definitely use the staples.

 

[braidkid]

I just had some toe taps installed on my Tricker Burford's. I was eating through the first sole at the toe with only 2 weeks in them! Now it looks like I'm eating through the metal taps as well. Must be how I walk in them.

 

[RFX45]

I don't mean to thread jack but as far as toppies go, those are the ones that covers most part of the sole right?

I'm considering on putting it on my shoes since the leather sole gets messed up pretty quickly, but is it ideal? Or is it better to just get re-soled once it's really worn out? I just purchased a couple of shoes with leather soles and I'm just considering doing it before I start using it. Any good advice?

 

[Cobblestone]

heel taps come in many sizes designed to fit the size of the heel. Some materials need a threaded nail to make sure they stay on. Shoe repair shops offer this service at a small charge.

 

[Salad]

Originally Posted by spertia

But then doesn't it feel weird when you walk, because your weight is resting on a small piece of plastic that is elevated from the rest of the heel, as opposed to being evenly distributed over the entire heel?

Bumping this because I just spoke w/ someone who's claims to have once been a cobbler. He said to wear the heel down a little prior to putting on a heel tap. He said that you won't know where to put it if you do it when the heel is new since there isn't any wear yet.

I have always put them on when shoes are new because I don't like to see a heel "out of square". I know where I put wear on a heel so I don't get the cobblers point.

Am I wrong? What's the consensus on when to put on a heel tap?

 

[JamesX]

I was tole you are suppose to wear the shoes for about a week to 20 days before putting the heel taps. That way the sole get worn a bit and the cobbler know the size and angle of the taps you need.

That being said I never bother doing it that way.

 

[Harold falcon]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

Some cobblers install the taps so that it is flush with the heel.
This is what my cobbler does. I have taps installed on virtually all my shoes.

Originally Posted by Salad

Bumping this because I just spoke w/ someone who's claims to have once been a cobbler. He said to wear the heel down a little prior to putting on a heel tap. He said that you won't know where to put it if you do it when the heel is new since there isn't any wear yet.
True, but you only have to do this the very first time. I have gone back to the same cobbler for a decade now, and ever since the first pair of shoes I brought in that showed some wear he has known exactly where to put each new pair of taps on each new pair of shoes.

 

[jackienopay]

True, but you only have to do this the very first time. I have gone back to the same cobbler for a decade now, and ever since the first pair of shoes I brought in that showed some wear he has known exactly where to put each new pair of taps on each new pair of shoes. Oh yeah, and I am a total douchebag.

I know a guy who wears shoe taps and he is a total toolbag. Unfortunately, when he walks around it makes the sound of a tap dancer and people snicker and laugh at him for it behind his back. Sad to say, I was one of the snickerers. It seems far more cost effective to repair your worn shoes then to be ridiculed, particularly in a professional environment.

 

[Joenobody0]



I know a guy who wears shoe taps and he is a total toolbag.  Unfortunately, when he walks around it makes the sound of a tap dancer and people snicker and laugh at him for it behind his back.  Sad to say, I was one of the snickerers.  It seems far more cost effective to repair your worn shoes then to be ridiculed, particularly in a professional environment. 

Or you could just get plastic taps. They don't make noise...

 

[Harold falcon]

I know a guy who wears shoe taps and he is a total toolbag.  Unfortunately, when he walks around it makes the sound of a tap dancer and people snicker and laugh at him for it behind his back.  Sad to say, I was one of the snickerers.  It seems far more cost effective to repair your worn shoes then to be ridiculed, particularly in a professional environment. 

Or you could just get plastic taps. They don't make noise...

Joe, pretty sure Jackie was directing that at me. He's a loathsome man with no friends and no money, so please forgive him.

 

[MLKaneko]

i hope nobody minds me resurrecting this thread.

I have just bought my first pair of leather soled shoes and would like them to last before they need to get resoled. After reading GQ style guide I figred I would get taps fitted, took them to the cobbler this morning and he told me that they actually caused a build up of moisture between the cap and the shoe and caused the leather sole to breakdown causing the shoe to wear out quicker. Has anyone heard that before? The cobbler I went to is what I thought a reputable buisness. I am in New Zealand, is this a local problem due to humidity or did the cobbler just get it wrong?