heel protectors

[SwingWaltz]

I'd love a dance geek.

Either a person who's being a geek about dancing or a geek who dances.  Are they the same?

Nope.  One is a geek who dances, the other is a pretender. 
Easy test, at least for males: whip out six varieties of heel protector and ask if he can identify the heel type to each. 

I can't even do that! 

see you are not so much of a geek!

Something to learn if you truly want to charm your partner at a moment of crisis (heel protector ripped..)

Already failed that. Bought her a set of 6 pairs of heel protectors last time I visited home, they were either wrong size or wrong type or wrong something....

[SwingWaltz]

Yea...comes to think about it, all I know is that they were wrong, I don't even know what's wrong with them. 

[elisedance]

Yea...comes to think about it, all I know is that they were wrong, I don't even know what's wrong with them. 

I wonder if you've ever looked at those modern torture devices, commonly called a woman's dance shoe?   Take a close look at the heel - even better if you look at a variety - you can do that at a competition vendor (I'm sure you must have them there too).  Note the variations in height - from 1 to 3 inches and the differences in the contact surface and shape of the heel tip.  Looking just at ballroom dance pumps (simple, closed toe shoes) the heel can be tapered, symmetrical or actually flare out like the old bell-bottomed jeans.  The heel protector has to fit that snugly or it will quickly rip off so the hole is matched to the heel end.  The crazy kind is for the flared heel since the hole in the top of the protector is smaller than the face of the heel - meaning that it can be a struggle to get it on - in particular if the shoe bag has been in the cold. 

And thats where gallant partner comes in - if you warm the protector it becomes pliable (warm water or just put it in your pocket...).

[SwingWaltz]

Ahh....you learn something new every day!

Thanks Elise! 

So how often do you go through one pair of heel protector?

One night my partner went through a pair in 3 hours. 

[elisedance]

Ahh....you learn something new every day!

Thanks Elise! 

So how often do you go through one pair of heel protector?

One night my partner went through a pair in 3 hours. 

Heel size (that is contact area to floor) is the same regardless if its a 4', 80 lb  girl or a 5'10" ahem, larger one - so the pressure goes up the more weight it has to bear - most of them last me less than an hour so are not an option.  What I learned a long time ago is to glue a small piece of shoe leather suede - cut from a sole replacement for a mans shoe and shaped to slightly overlap the edges - to the surface of the heel.  These last for months EXCEPT if you have rough floors and catch the heel on a sharp object (those metal seams between movable floor parts were the worst).   However, you have to use the right glue - hard glues don't work you need one that both sticks to leather and plastic AND is flexible.  And it may take a couple of tries the first time as teh glue has to set into the leather.  Funnily, that cheap rubber/contact cement from the local store is the best - except for a glue I once got from an english cobbler that was astonishingly good (unfortunately long gone).  Velcro glue is OK.  In any case the show has to be left for at least 2 days for it to harden.

[ttd]

I find that gluing a piece of suede to the heel tip works better.

[elisedance]

I find that gluing a piece of suede to the heel tip works better.

I'm guessing you didn't read the post before yours

[QPO]

super dance...has felt on the bottom of their heel tips, seems to work well but I forget to clean them

[elisedance]

super dance...has felt on the bottom of their heel tips, seems to work well but I forget to clean them

But I found that they tear off just like the rubber ones...