Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-07-01
HOW SHOES ARE MADE
-Four General Typss--tOO Workers En-,
ployed ON Ono pnir

ployed ON Ono fNnir
Shoes for the feet we took for granted
until their higher prices made them
weigh heavily on our minds
A study of its making transforms the
humble shoe into an epic of American
| ingenuity and skill, according to William
Joseph Showalter. who writes to the Ma
tional Geographic society as follows
There are four general types of foot
wear. according to the panner in which
the soles are attached to the uppers'.
The leading type is the welt. II has a
small strip of leather sewed fast, first
to the upper, and then to the sole. so
| that upper and sole are not joined direct
ly Welt soles are used mainly In high
er-grade mems and boys shoes and in
| women's walking shoes.
THE Mckay sewed shoe is the second
| type. In it the sole rs sewed directly to
the upper. The cheaper grades of stiff
soled sewed shoes are made by this
method.
THE turned shoe is the third type. In
1t the sole is joined to the upper with The
whole shoe inside out. then turned. Wom-
ems piable- soled shoes madc In this
| fashion
The nailed, pegged, or screwed-on sole
represents the fourth type and goes with
cheaper grades of shoes.
/ las uprers leather comes into the fac
tory 1t has the irregular outlines of
hide or skin, rs indented as the coast OF
| Maine, and by hand could be measured
/ only by a master of trigonomctry, through
| a long process of calculations. but "A ma
| chine has been invented that can c-alcu-
| late more areas IN half a minute than
mathematician could il half a day.
FIFTY machines. hundred people, and
no processes arc employed in the making
of a pair of shoes.
| I'm the Innings department are big ma
chimes that cut uppers cloth. 20 to 40
| thcknesses at a clip, as easily as a cake
cutter cuts dough.
| Beyond is the uppers leather depart
! nent Here a trained man, with etubby
bladed, razor-edge knife. takes the skin.
lays it on his cutting board, and, running
his knife around his several aluminium
patterns, cut out vamp and quarter
| and toe piece with accomplished art in
getting the maximum of pieces out of
! the minimum of skins. When he has
finished with skin it looks like shape
less strings bordering a series of irregu-
lar holes.
In cheaper grades Of shoes the leather
also is cut by blinking machines-mechan-
ical cake-cutters applied to shoemaking
Only one ply is cut at a time, but there
are series of dies for the different parts.
After the quarters, vamps, toe caps,
etc, have been cut the leather must be
skived'. so as to prevent any raw edges
showing in the finished Shoe. The edges
are fed through machine that shaves
the unfinished side down to bevel. This
is then covered with cement and the thin
edges folded over, much as a seamstress
lays a hem
THE Innings go from the assembly room
to be transferred from individual pieces
into the canvas counterpart of the leather
upper. The quarters are Joined at the
back and stayed with a reinforcement
The vamps are cemented into shape ready
for inclusion in the finished upper.
THE tips go to the toe-cap room, where
they are perforated at the edge to give
them pleasing appearance on the foot
of the wearer. Fourteen different pro-
cesses are required to transform a piece
of tip leather into finished cap. with
its box to hold the shape of the shoe
and canvas lining to protect the hose OF
the wearer
The joining of the quarters and varnr
must be done with great care. so tina,
there is neither unevenness nor rough
ness. 1t is the most difficult task in the
making of the upper of a shoe. Judgment
and care are required and much strength
of hand Other minor processes follow
and presently the finished upper fares
forth to meet its sole-mate in the MAX
ing department. Before it goes. if it bt
a laced upper, a girl puts it through &
machine that laces it up and ties it ir
4 the twinkling Of an eye-a machine tina
. would be a glorious aid to fat man.
preparatory to it's alliance with thu
ia
d been tackled on the last, and the upper il
= now pulled tightly over the last with
machine that has pincers which act lik
human fingers. They draw the whole up
per in tightly over the last, so that Their
: is not a wrinkle left, and tack it dow
= on the bottom. The toe and heel requir
a little extra attention and are held dow
by n piece of fine wire.
IL THE lasted shoe next goes through
4; trimming machine that removes all sur
# plus leather, while a mechanical hamme
= pounds the leather smooth. Then it goe
to another machine. where the toes AM
u heels are beaten smooth. making tn
= shoe ready for welting.
p The welt is 80 prepared that it can b
sewed to the insole and tho upper il
10 one sewing, and later have the outsol
y sewed to it. After the joining OF insol
;. and upper to the welt. the shoe is pass
ed through the inseam trimming ina chine
Next IL goes to a machine where a smal
i hammer gives the welt terrific beating
The insole and welt aro then covered wit
= rubber cement. as is the waiting sole
When this has dried slightly. tho Solo
laid ON and tho shoe Is put into a press
a ing machine. wherO tho cement drieA
IF Next it goes to tho rough rounding
-, machine. which rounds eole and wei
allowing them to extend out From tn
IS upper at an >hnds. Looking ~ tho aho
IF OF your foot you Will eco thai chic "a
+ tension. =, leeo at tho ahsnk than ~ Ii
bail, 0t,c less on tho outer side than O
Is tho iainr siis OF the faoot Tho RUG
ID rounding machine ALSO c1Its a little groov
10 around tho bottom of the soie for the pul
. pose Of recaivtng and covering Ii
u stitching, TO follow. The welt extent
lie back only to the heel. Tho latter has Z
,g welt, but IL stu.h>d directly and has 4
. own special treatment
~ "One shoe factory in Massachusetts, hi
X n daily output Of 1900 pairs. each p
i'll marching through the factory in "A da,
a, in ordinary times"
40 A VERMONT SHBRUrE~s SYSTEM