Invariably I find that when the times comes to replace my shoes, the uppers are in pretty good nick, while the soles have gone to pieces.

So...

Design a shoe tread with a pretty severe profile, then vapour-deposit a layer of diamond over it. As long as the tread is designed to minimise the likelihood of the diamond layer shattering, this should provide lasting protection for the shoes' undersides, thus prolonging the life of the footwear.
-- vigilante, Oct 07 2004

(?) Warpig Shoes http://www.warpig.c...eth/teeth_tread.jpg
Example of a "pretty severe profile" tread pattern. [vigilante, Oct 07 2004]

LDTH Poetry Collection http://digiserve.com/kazoo/diamonds.htm
Inspiration for the idea. [vigilante, Oct 07 2004]

Rippin' up the dance floor. 'cough'.
-- vigilante, Oct 07 2004


Good for shoes, bad for floors. And traction.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 07 2004


Perhaps Manolo Blahnik will make diamond-soled shoes. Ahhh, sounds like a dream.
-- Machiavelli, Oct 07 2004


The stiletto version could do some serious damage.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 08 2004


[2 fries], that's what I'd call "cuttin' a rug."
-- Machiavelli, Oct 08 2004


steel plate would do the job just as well, and would be funnier when passing nearby electromagnets.
-- neilp, Oct 08 2004


Oo, that'd hurt if you were kicked by a pair of those shoes. I like the idea of shoes for life. Hmm, sounds a bit like a registered charity. Shoes For Life. Shoes For Justice. Shoes Against Cancer.

Yes, well.
-- harderthanjesus, Oct 08 2004


Vapor depositing a layer of diamond is done at around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope the soles aren’t rubber.
-- Laughs Last, Oct 08 2004


sp. weren't rubber.
-- FarmerJohn, Oct 08 2004


Unless you made really huge shoes to begin with.
-- harderthanjesus, Oct 08 2004


I was thinking of deposition in a vacuum. I had not considered more than one way to carbon coat a cat. It looks like my way would result in a layer of graphite, not diamond.
-- Laughs Last, Oct 08 2004



random, halfbakery