I’ve been emailing with a viewer on this blog who, over the years has sent me photos of boots (mainly) that he’s put taps on. I’ve posted a few before but I forget which so here’s the whole set. Plus below the photos is a long personal history he sent about his interest in boots and taps. Enjoy.

Here’s his story:
A Tale of Taps
When I was a kid, I could get a package of crescent taps at the Woolworth five-and-dime store on Grand River Avenue, near Southfield Drive, not too far from where I lived in Detroit. And of course shoe repair shops had them, too.
Some of the more “daring” kids – the boys, not the girls – in my grade school bought them and hammered them onto the heels of their shoes. The click-chick-clicking sound they made on the terrazzo hallways in school were rather alluring. I got myself a pair and attached them to my brown and very boring Boy Scout shoes. They changed the way I walked.
When I felt bold and brash, I could scrape my heels on the sidewalk and create a half-way decent racket. When I felt more withdrawn, I could walk on the sides of my heels and not make much of a sound at all. At other times, I could enjoy the simple click, click, clicking as I walked along.
I remember one morning on my way to Sunday school. I was walking with a couple of friends and I thought they might tease me about my taps, so I simply moved off the sidewalk onto the grass. No click, click, click. But a little weird, as I kicked up quite a spray from the morning dew.
One day – perhaps when I was in the seventh grade – I was on my knees at the back of the classroom looking for some books in a bookcase. One of the girls saw the heels of my shoes. “What big taps you have,” she said. I took that as a wonderful compliment.
I only had a pair or two of shoes with taps when I was in grade school and high school. In college, I think I was tap free. But after college, I found that proper business attire included well-polished shoes with a little triangular metal tab on the edge of each heel. The sound wasn’t nearly as robust as it was with my earlier crescent taps, but it was still a muted click click. Better than nothing!
One pair of business shoes I bought didn’t have any metal at all, just a round plastic peg near the edge of each heel. An interesting change of pace, but with no significant sound value whatsoever.
I found that as my tap focus faded somewhat, my interest in shoes accelerated. I liked different styles – unique shoes and boots, something out of the ordinary. And I guess that’s when I began to take an interest in putting together a collection of shoes. It started very slowly, but ramped up as the decades drifted by.
I remember one time in Kingston, New York (where I was working at the time). I was in a shoe store looking around (as I liked to do) and I found a pair of shoes with 3/4-inch platforms and probably 2-inch heels. The shoes were wild and wonderful and definitely out of the ordinary. I wanted to buy them, but then I thought: No! I’m way too old to buy these shoes. Maybe if I was twenty years younger I could get them. It’s just not right for me with job, home, and family responsibilities to make such a frivolous purchase. I have a reputation to uphold. I can’t be seen walking around in a pair of shoes that might look okay for some bopper to be wearing on TV. I have to be respectable. I have to be dignified. I have to be refined.
I bought them anyway.
And I enjoyed them. A lot. But I felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, I had disregarded all my sound and reasonable objections. I had let my feelings reign over my common sense.
And I installed a fine pair of crescent taps to the heels. Probably Eagle 5s.
I wore the shoes to a meeting in Canada. It wasn’t a business meeting. It was a casual gathering, so I thought my new shoes wouldn’t garner too much attention.
As it turned out, I was called up on stage in front of everyone. Across the wooden stage I walked: click, click, click! It was a very loud CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. There was no hiding. My taps screamed out for one and all to look at my crazy new shoes! I wished the stage had a strip of grass on it.
On another trip to Canada, this time with several friends, I wore the same shoes. Going through Immigration Control, I was pulled out of line and taken to a special room for questioning. I guess my shoes identified me as some kind of risk to the whole Canadian country! After a fairly brief interrogation, I returned to my friends, who were waiting for me in Reception. Yes, the ribbing lasted throughout our visit.
At work in Kingston, there was one other guy (that I knew of) who had taps on his shoes. His name was Lloyd. He had taps on his heels and on the toes of his shoes. I thought that was a little over the top. Taps belong on heels, not on the front of the soles. I thought it was overkill. I thought it was silly. I didn’t like it. At all.
To moderate and control somewhat the sound of my taps, I found I could countersink them ever so slightly into the heels. To do that, I outlined them in pencil in the proper location on each heel, then used a router to remove enough material so the tap would sit flush with the rest of the heel. Then, I could position my foot to either engage the tap or not as situations demanded. Sort of like having my cake and eating it, too.
I had taps on the heels of the loafers I wore to work. One day when a bunch of us in our department headed out for lunch, I slipped in the stairway and almost slid down a whole flight of stairs. Fortunately, I was able to grab and hold onto the railing and prevent a full headlong plunge, but it was a serious embarrassment – right in front of my office mates. There was one and only one reason for my misstep: my taps.
For some reason, such episodes did not sour my liking for taps.
One time on a trip with my brother, he objected to the sound my taps were making. I didn’t think they were that loud, but he objected. Strongly. He said he wanted to walk behind me so he wouldn’t be associated with the clicking. He said I should never wear shoes with taps in his presence.
So, that made me think: If brother Jim was so offended by a little click, click, clicking, how were others reacting to these sounds? Were they similarly displeased? Or were they okay with the noise-making going on? Or did they have any reaction at all?
I made a number of business trips over the years to a number of countries, and if I had the time and was able, I tried to search out a shoe store to visit. I bought a pair or black boots and a pair of brown boots in London (during two trips there). Then I installed taps on each pair.
I got a pair of suede boots in Sydney, Australia, then added taps when I got home. I’ve since tried two or three different kinds of taps for these.
When I visited Thailand, I bought two pairs of ankle boots. Unfortunately, they’re now gone.
As more years slipped by, I found my interest in shoes and taps continue to rise. My shoe collection was growing and I attached taps on heels wherever I could.
Usually, taps work well with leather heels and not so well with rubber heels. Rubber tends to mute the sound and make it tinny and wimpy. Nonetheless, I put taps on some shoes with crape heels and even on some sneakers with reasonable success. But some shoes simply defy tap attachment. The resulting sound is rather unpleasant.
Long ago, I found that shoe stores were usually the worst place to look for interesting and fun shoes. Most people want what’s more common, what’s more mundane, what’s for me completely uninteresting. But stores must cater to where the most business is, not to where my strange tastes lie.
I’ve found the Internet offers a broad and often satisfying selection of shoes and boots for purchase. I spend more time than I should searching from website to website. I’ve made footwear purchases on-line from the UK, Spain, Mexico, Japan, and China, maybe elsewhere. And I am generally pleased with my purchases.
Not so, however, with my dealings with China. I’ve been ripped off three times by China companies. Once when my money was taken, but I never received what I ordered. Two times when the businesses sent me something other than what I wanted. And they refused to give me a refund or allow me to return the shoes. Recommendation: don’t buy from China! Sometimes it’s hard to know you’re dealing with a China business because many Chinese websites are designed to hide that fact.
I did run across a great shoe store in Miami a bunch of years ago at the Bayside Marketplace. I was mesmerized by the selection of New Rock shoes and boots on display. I had never seen the New Rock line before. I gazed at them for some time, then finally made a selection. The salesman wrapped up the shoes I was wearing so I could wear what I had just purchased. I was feeling mighty fine!
I walked around the shopping center so others could appreciate my fine taste in footwear. I paused at a spot where I could look out at the bay. Seagulls were circling about high above me. A few landed just overhead. The thought came to mind that the birds might wish to relieve themselves. It was just a half-second or so after the same thought occurred to the birds.
I was standing directly under them and I thought I’d get a good splattering on my head. Or my shoulder. Or an arm. Nope. Those clever birds timed things so their “gift” missed my head, and my shoulders, and my arms, and made a direct hit on my brand new shoes!
It was an unwanted christening. The birds were totally indifferent to the horror they had created. I retreated to the mens’ room for a little cleanup.
On the way back to my car, I paused for traffic to pass so I could cross a street. One driver had her window open as she drove by. “Nice shoes!” she yelled at me. My purchase decision was confirmed.
I guess it has been five to ten years ago now that I first came across a website hosted by “Tapgrrl.” I enjoyed reading some of the writings and looking at some of the photographs of taps on shoes. But Tapgrrl is corrupting. She is! And I’ve been corrupted. Mightily corrupted.
I saw some pictures of shoes with horseshoe taps. I hadn’t come across horseshoe taps before. I was intrigued. They looked mean. They looked intriguing. They looked terrific. I thought: I must get some horseshoe taps. And I did.
I found a couple pairs of shoes in my closet were fine candidates for crescent-to-horseshoe tap transplants and I completed the operations. The horseshoe taps were dandy. They were great! Taps give a “click.” Horseshoe taps give a “clickity-click.”
Lots of photos on Tapgrrl’s website showed taps on the front edges of soles. I thought that just wasn’t right. But then I thought: Maybe I should give it a try anyway. And I did. And I surprised myself by liking the result.
Yes, I’ve been thoroughly corrupted. I thought toe taps were silly, but now I’m a fan. I’m a believer. I thought crescent taps were the entire universe. Now I’ve found there’s a horseshoe dimension I never knew existed. Tapgrrl has exposed me to a whole family of tap-wise, tap-wearing, tap-proud people roaming around enjoying the simple pleasure of the sound of taps. (Not from a bugle.)
mr. ed 9:45 pm on March 25, 2020 Permalink |
Glad to see you are back. All the best thru these times. Alot has changed for blogging sites.Going forward you may want to consider others for visibility. No one visits Word Press/Tumblr nowadays. Both are in serious decline.
tapmut 2:20 am on March 26, 2020 Permalink |
I like ’em. Interesting tap arrangement….I wonder why it didn’t occur to me…but it’s not too late to try it out or something similar…especially with lots of time at home these days.
Anonymous 5:11 pm on June 1, 2020 Permalink |
after wearing them for a while the side ones i should have but slightly more back but ya
lilith 5:12 pm on June 1, 2020 Permalink |
that was my lilith forgot to add the name
tapgrrl 12:07 am on June 2, 2020 Permalink
Lilith, if you want to add another small pair of taps just behind the side taps you have on, I can send you a pair that you could glue on. Let me know.
lilith 12:12 pm on March 27, 2020 Permalink |
ello im the owner of theses boots they are freebirds i liked them and they were way over my price range so ya and questions feel free to ask
tapplate03 11:32 pm on May 10, 2020 Permalink |
Interesting how you did these, Lilith. I’m doing things with shoe taps now.
lilith 2:16 am on May 11, 2020 Permalink |
the heels i just held them with my thighs as hard as i could and some pliers to hold the nails steady as i hammered them in the toe taps shoe glue and seems to be holding so far
lilith 8:08 pm on March 29, 2020 Permalink |
ok idk if this will work but for if there are other girls this is the listing for the horse shoes cuz its the smallest i found
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-PAIR-METAL-SHOE-BOOT-HEEL-PLATES-ARMY-RIM-HORSESHOE-NAILS-5-sizes/220940930205?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=520065922652&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
tapgrrl 8:14 pm on March 29, 2020 Permalink |
The link was fine. Thanks! I do have some smaller ones if you ever need another pair! 🙂 Maybe on some loafers? Did you get the smaller taps at the same place?
lilith 2:57 pm on March 30, 2020 Permalink |
i got the smallest they had and as you can see they were still slightly big or at least i had wanted a little bit of a gap then again this is the shortest heel on a shoe iv worn anyways so idk why that matters but ya
i might take you up on that offer sometime depending if i get some new shoes
danny 6:27 pm on July 17, 2020 Permalink |
Oh cool! Heel plates AND toe plates!
I never see people wear those in Canada.
I was actually looking into making a pair of heel plates and toe plates out of some aluminum plates for my boots, What do you think?
what’s your opinion between steel plates and aluminum in regards of characteristics and durability?
One of my concerns is striking a hard surface with a steel plate and starting a fire at a petrol system.
mark12547 6:32 pm on July 21, 2020 Permalink |
There is a definite spark risk if one has metal on one’s heels and is walking on certain surfaces like concrete, rock, tile, or asphalt, and sparks could potentially ignite flammable gas or flammable liquids. So if you work in such an environment, metal on the heels is not recommended.
John 2:17 pm on August 10, 2020 Permalink |
I mix steel horseshoes and aluminum dance taps (in the U of the horseshoe) on my boot heels.
Lance 10:13 am on October 21, 2020 Permalink |
So i love my boots i like being able to have the heals rest on a barstool when playing guitar. So i just really adaptted my style to boots; with taps. Now, i have metal taps on my heals to preserve them i have photos of the same boots i made with metal toe covers and metal heals and sometimes ibeven have these spanish spurs added to them with buckleband and chain spur contectors . I have the same basic black boots and u can see what it looks like in comparison. I juat wanna show u what hapens when u dont wear them compred to when u do and talk about being a guy who wears them. People always know im coming. They can even be slippery to walk in them especially when first added. I just own the clicks they make and people notice them more then i do myself. Its because i love to wear my boots and perserve the heals. I dont like that some people even call my boots tap shoes. Or when they ask me if i tap dance. Erm.. now i just say “only when i walk’ and then tap off. Not sure how i upload the photos. U can email me fir them i asume threw the email i left its unlikly ill ever find this page again honstly but if u want the photos for ur blog and maybe I wouldn’t mind some raw feedback. If my email dosen’t show its Lance@DoorDash-Lyft.com basically just found this blog threw google: l googling “dose having metal heals only in the back heals make them tap shoes.” And ur blog title i realatted to.