Improvements in or relating to the Heels of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th Mar.. 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 11th May, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Heels of Boots and Shoes.
I, WILLIAM FAIRBURN HART, of No. 1 East Parade, Leeds, in the County of
York. Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad by Charles Smith Larrabee,
of 8 Untermain Anlage, Frankfurt on Main, in the Empire of Germany Engineer,)
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
73
This invention has reference to Improvements in or relating to the heels of boots
and shoes, and its object is first to provide a light and easily attached "heel iron
which can be readily fixed in position by the same nails or fastening devices that
secures the top lift to the heel; and second, to provide an easy, ready and durable
way of attaching the top lift of boot or shoe heels.
According to this invention, on or to the underside of the rim of the heel iron, and
at a right angle therewith is formed a thin flange. This flange projects inwards and
in or out of it are cut or formed a number of recesses or interstices, through which
the nails employed for securing a bevilled top lift (which levels or fills up the space
between the rim) are alternately passed, that is to say, one nail passes through the
flange into the heel, whilst room is provided for the next one to pass into the heel
through the recess or interstice without touching the iron. In building up a heel,
the lifts are laid one upon another, the heel iron being laid on last, and then the
bevilled top lift is laid into the iron. This top lift or blank may be put on with a
compressing machine which pricks the holes, some of the holes passing through the
flange, and some by it into the interstices; and the same machine may also load the
heel blank with nails and drive them partly in. Heel blanks thus prepared may be
attached to a boot by hand or machine.
This invention further relates to preparing the top lifts so as to be "slugged” or
nailed on.
Top lifts "slugged" on by hand are very liable to break or crack, because the
forcing in of a foreign substance into the leather crowds the leather together making
it hard and brittle. The same is true of machine "slugging" only to a greater
degree, for by hand only one slug or nail is driven in at a time, whilst by the
machine operation all are driven in at once hence the liability to crack is inuch
increased.

page_text: Now nccording to this invention this difficulty is overcome by taking or punching
out of the surface of the top lift about two thirds or three fourths thereof as is
covered by the slugs or nails, that is to say, a punching machine is used with male
and female dies so arranged to punch out square or rectangular holes in the top lift
exactly where the slugs or nails will come, and a driving punch is scaled to about!
two thirds or three fourths the size of the slug or nail at its head or largest part.
Those holes having been punched the slugs or nails are put in the holes by hand,
the top lift is then laid on to the heel and the slugs or nails driven home to their
heads even with the surface by hammer or machine pressure.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of June 1888.

page_text: I, WILLIAM FAIRBURN HART, of No. 1, East Parade, Leeds, in the County of
York, Patent Agent, (a communication to me from abroad by Charles Smith Larrabee,
of 8 Untermain Anlage, Frankfurt-on-Main, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer,)
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention has reference to improvements in or relating to the heels of boots
and shoes, and its object is, first, to provide a light and easily attached heel iron
which can be readily fixed in position by the same nails or fastening devices that
secure the top lift to the beel, and, second, to provide an easy, ready, and durable
way of attaching the top lift of boot and shoe heels.
In the drawings:-
--
Fig. 1. is a plan of a heel iron constructed according to this invention; Figs. 2
and B are respectively longitudinal and transverse sections of same on lines, x,
and e, e fig. 1. Fig. 4, a plan of heel with metal armature or protection attached ;
Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively longitudinal and transverse sections of same on
lines 10, 20 and y y fig. 1; Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively plan and elevation of a tap
lift of a heel punched ready for the "slugging" operation. Figs. 9 and 10 show
the heel with top lift "slugged" on.
According to the first part of this invention the heel is armed with a metal
protection or iron constructed as follows:
On cr to the underside of the rim A of the heel iron (which is shaped to fit the
heel as shown) may be arranged any desired number of thin projecting pieces a to
form a recessed or divided flange (as shown at Fig. 1.) around the inner portion of
the heel iron. These projections (forming the flange) are arranged to project inwards
so as to aid in retaining the heel iron in position. Between each projection a is a
recoss, space, or interstice a' through which a portion of the nails that are employed
for securing a bevilled top lift C (which levels or fills up the space a between the
rim) are alternatoly passed, that is to say, nails B pass through the projections & into
the heel D, whilst room is provided for nails B' to pass through the top lift direct
into the heel through the recesses or interstices a¹ without coming in contact with
the projections or rim.
In building up a heel, the lifts d are laid one upon another, the heel iron being
laid on last, and then the bevilled top lift C is laid into the iron. The heel blank is then
put into a compressing machine provided with the requisite number of awls for
pricking the holes, some of which holes pass through the flange or projections a and
some by it or them into the interstices a¹; and the same machine may also be made
to load the heel blank with nails and drive them partly in as shown at Fig. 5.
Heel blanks thus prepared may be attached to a boot or shoe by hand or machine
pressure.

page_text: By breaking or recessing the flange or leaving spaces between the projections as
shown at a', the operator' is enabled to drive the mails B', which come in these
interstices, very close to the rim of the hoel irum, thereby securing a firmer heel seat,
also the drilling of holes (for the attaching nails) through the rim of the iron (which
weakens it) is dispensed with and the iron fixed more securely to the heel.
This invention further relates to preparing the top lifts of heels so as to he
"stugged" or nailed on.
8.
""
Top lifts slugged on by hand in the usual manner are very liable to break or
crack, because the foreing in of a foreign substance into the leather crowds the
leather together making it hard and brittle. The same is true of machine "slugging"
only more so; for by land only one "sing" or nail is driven at a time, whilst by
the machine operation all are driven in at once honce the liability to crack the
leather is greatly increased.
Now according to this invention this difficulty is overcome by taking or punching
out of the surface of the top lift E about two-thirds or three-fourths of the surface
to be covered by the "slugs" or nails, that is to say, a punching machine is used
with male and female dies so arranged as to punch out one or more rows of square
or rectangular holes all round the top lift at a suitable distance from its outer
odge, as shown at Fig. 7, exactly where the slugs or nails will come, and a driving
punch is scaled to about two-thirds or three-fourths the size of the slug or nail at
its head or largest part.
These holes having been punched the "slug" or nails are put in the holes by
hand, the top lift is then laid on to the heel and the "slugs" or nails soo Fig. 9.
driven home to their heads even with the surface by hammer or machine pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention
(as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent) and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An armaturo or protection for the heels of boots and shoes, consisting of a
metal rim, such as A, provided with a number of projections, such as a, to form a
recessed or divided flange projecting inwards at or about a right angle with the rim
through which projections a portion of the attaching mails pass, substantially as herein
set forth and illustrated.
2. The combination with an armature or protection for the heels of boots and shoes
consisting of a metal rim such as A provided with a number of projections, such
as a, through which a portion of the attaching nails or pins pass, of å bevilled top
lift, such as D, as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The combination with the heel of a boot or shoe of a top lift such as E,
perforated as described for the reception of the attaching "slugs or nails, as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated the Twenty sixth day of March 1889.