Heel Repair With Polymer Clay

Lost a heel cap on a pair of high heels? Replace it in under an hour with polymer clay. While your local cobbler is still the best person for the job, this is a quick hack if you need an immediate fix or if you don't plan to do much walking.

You will need:

• Polymer clay in a similar color as the missing heel cap
• Super glue
• Toothpicks or a sharp object for scoring clay

If you need to match a specific heel cap color that you don't have, mix multiple colors of polymer clay until you're satisfied with the new shade.

Break off a ball of clay the same size as the matching heel's cap. Press it into the heel that needs repair and use your fingers to mold it into the same shape as its mate. When you're happy with the shape, gently wiggle the clay off.

Polymer clay is quite smooth, and you'll want the new cap to have extra grip in two places: the bottom (for traction when walking) and the top (to capture glue and better bond to the heel).

Use a toothpick or sharp object to make a variety of crisscrossing lines and dots in the top and bottom surface of the clay, being careful not to disrupt the overall shape.

Bake your clay cap according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once baking time is complete, remove from the oven using mitts and immediately drop the clay into an ice cube bath for a few minutes. This is called quenching and is sometimes recommended as a method to strengthen baked clay. Pat dry and let any remaining moisture dry completely before moving to the next step.

Apply a liberal amount of superglue to the top of the clay cap. Press the heel of the shoe as hard as you can into the glue for at least 20 seconds. If all has gone well, the heel should almost snap into place on the new cap.

Use a toothpick to clean up any glue that has overflowed. Let dry for 24 hours before wearing.

After the glue has dried for a day, wear your shoes for a few minutes inside the house to make sure everything is secure and balanced before wearing outside.

Enjoy your newly repaired shoes!