making stilletto heels from stainless

[Rasper]

My current sculpture project is a pair of high heel shoes (about 4 feet long). I am making the heels from .029 304 stainless. I made them once already, in two pieces, but was unable to get acceptable welds, (they are to be highly polished), so I junked those pieces and am going to beat them out of one piece of metal. Here are two photos: one of the buck:



and one of a posterboard pattern over the buck:



The pattern is about 20 inches long. It will need a lot of stretching where the red lines point, and a good bit of shrinking in the saddle where the blue lines point. The overlap of those 3 slits is about 1/8 inch. When I made them in two pieces, I could get at the edges where the weld was with the bench stretcher, which eliminated some of the shrinking in that saddle. I guess I will have to form some tucks out in the middle of the saddle and heat them up and hammer them down. (Oh boy.)
I would sure appreciate some advice on how you all would proceed.

Richard

[Kerry Pinkerton]

A year or so back there was someone posting who had done a big polished stiletto shoe for a yard sculpture. Can't remember who it was...I think it was stainless too.

[TheRodDoc]

I think you will need to use stretching for most all of it. It is just a reverse compound curve.
I also think you will need to use thicker metal. 20 ga. or even 18 ga. Will take more stretching.

Will need a lot of stretching so I would make it in two pieces down the middle long ways. Much, Much easier! You will have to just get better at welding it. Im sure there will be other welds to make too.

[Rasper]

I went back to the shop today and made a flex shape pattern. It told a lot better story than that piece of posterboard did.



It says that little if any shrinking will be necessary; all stretching, just like the Rod Doc says in the post above. So I made a test piece. I bought some sheets of .050 1100 dead soft alum. years ago at the scrap yard for a dollar a pound, just for this kind of thing. I made the test piece out of that. Took about 15 minutes.



I made that press/vise out of a piece of 7/8" aluminum and some steel angle to hold the curve in place while I work the metal. Maybe it will prove worth the effort, and then again, maybe not. Anyway, it's more fun making the tooling than it is the product.

Richard

[Dawai]

Your post proves she is still alive and kicking..

"Bridget the Midget", From SO-Cal.. she was around in the mid seventies, She'd pick her men up and squeeze them to check how firm they were like cantelopes.. Story she was a swap-around in California for a large bike club. I know she got around Chattanooga. (a whole lot)

Only she could wear such shoes.. Sexy beast she was.. six foot five and blonde. I only wish I had taken pictures. (she was real)

(I am a frustrated artist).. A tattooist who's eyes won't work, a painter who's hands shake, and a biker who sold his last bike cheap.

Too bad you aren't closer.. I'd like to look over your shoulder whilst you hammer out the shoes..

[Paul Monds]

raster,
That is a great idea for holding the shape with the template in the press.
I can see me doing similar things on my Workmate clamping stand for wood and metal projects. Thanks
Paul