Machine for Assisting Boot and Shoe Makers in the Sewing in of Welts and Stitching on of Soles, and for other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Machine for Assisting Boot and Shoe Makers in the Sewing in
of Welts and Stitching on of Soles, and for other purposes.
I, DANIEL WILKINS FESSEY, of 119 Finsbury Pavement, in the County of
London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a machine or apparatus applicable for assisting the sewer
when sewing in the welts and stitching on the soles of boots and shoes. The said
machine is also adapted for assisting the sewer in the sewing of other articles, for
example belts, harness and the like.
When sewing in the welts or stitching on the soles of boots and shoes or sewing
other articles by hand with a waxed thread, a very considerable application of
physical power is required to draw the ends of the thread tight. Consequently the
work is laborious, and necessitates the employment of men. By my invention I
provide for assisting the sewer to draw the threads tight without entailing laborious
work and at the same time my machine readily allows of all the required adjust-
ments of the work. I thus make it possible for a boy or girl to do this heavy work
which previously could only be performed by a man.
My said machine as applied to the sewing in of welts of boots and shoes comprises
a standard on which the last can be conveniently fixed. This standard is carried
by a slide rest which is provided preferably with a screw for adjusting the same
laterally. Moreover the said rest is mounted in a socket and is capable of turning
a complete circle or any part of a circle as required, a pinching screw or equivalent
device being provided to fix it in any position to which it may be set. On each
side the standard which carries the last and hinged to a suitable base plate I
provide a strong arm or lever, the lower end of which is connected by a strap,
chain or other suitable means to a foot lever. By depressing the said foot levers
the upper ends of the said arms are drawn outward away from the last. On
releasing the foot lever the arms are drawn inwards again by powerful springs
provided for the purpose. I arrange the foot levers side by side, and I provide
that one lever can be depressed alone independently of the other lever so as to
operate one of the arms singly if found necessary. This can be effected in many
ways; for example, one foot lever may have a lug that projects over the adjoining
lever so as to depress that lever when the lever provided with the lug is operated.
The metal arins may form a part of the crosshead which carries them, or if
preferred they may be pivoted to them, so as to form a joint and capable of being
moved to or from the sewer when sewing.
The operation of sewing in the welt or stitching on the sole are performed as
hitherto by hand except the final operation of drawing the threads tight. This is
effected as follows, the thread having been inserted and the long pull taken, the
threads are wound round the upwardly projecting arms or levers, and the foot
levers are then forced down so as to draw outwards the arms, thus pulling the threads
quite tight. Great force can be exerted through the foot levers, and consequently
a boy can very easily by this means draw the threads up as tight as is required. A
single turn of the threads round the levers will usually be found sufficient to
prevent slipping when drawing up, and if either thread requires an extra pull, that
can be effected by its own foot-lever which may be operated separately. When two
or three stitches have been made, the position of the last is adjusted by means of
the screw slide. This operation is continued until the heel or toe is approached.
The rotary adjustment of the standard above described enables the toe and heel to

page_text: be rounded while maintaining the same in the direct line of pull between the two
arms.
Dated this 17th day of February 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE
Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Machine for Assisting Boot and Shoe Makers in the Sewing in of
Welts and Stitching on of Soles, and for other purposes.
I, DANIEL WILKINS FESSEY, of 119 Finsbury Pavement, in the County of
London, 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:―
My invention relates to a machine or apparatus applicable for assisting the sewer
Such
when sewing in the welts and stitching on the soles of boots and shoes.
machine is also adapted for assisting the sewer when sewing other articles, for
example belts, harness and the like.
When sewing in the welts or stitching on the soles of boots and shoes or sewing
other articles by hand with a waxed thread, a very considerable application of
physical power is required to draw the ends of the thread tight. Consequently the
work is laborious, and necessitates the employment of men. By my invention I
provide for assisting the sewer to draw the threads tight without entailing great
labour, while at the same time readily allowing of all the required adjustments of
the work. I thus make it possible for a boy or girl to do this heavy work which
previously could only be performed by a man.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my invention may be
conveniently carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the machine, or apparatus, and illustrates
how the same is used to assist in the sewing in of a welt.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of a support for a boot or shoe to be used when
sewing on the sole.
Figure 3 is a side view partly in section of the leg or standard separately.
Referring to Figure 1 A is a table supported preferably on three legs, one only
of which is shown and indicated by B. C is a casting mounted on the table A. It
is formed with a downwardly projecting hub C¹ which fits in a socket A¹ provided
in the table and can turn completely round in said socket.
A is a pinching screw for securing the hub in any position to which it may be
set. On the piece C is mounted a slide D which is furnished with V-shaped or
other suitable bearing and guide surfaces of the usual construction. E is a screw
threaded spindle hereinafter termed a screw for brevity supported without capability
of endwise movement in bearings E' carried by the slide. The said screw works
through a nut E' which is fixed to the casting C, so that by turning the screw E
the slide D can be moved to and fro on the piece C. For turning the screw E I
provide as follows, that is to say, F is a bevel wheel through which the screw E can
slide but to which the said screw is connected by a feather key or the like so that
the screw and wheel must when turning turn together. The wheel is kept from
movement in an axial direction by hooked or bent clips H which are, secured to the
nut E one on each side thereof and which engage a neck F' formed in the hub of
the wheel thereby preventing axial movement of the wheel while allowing of free
rotary movement thereof. F is a short vertical shaft mounted in the axis of the
hub of the casting C; it is furnished at the top end with a bevel wheel F gearing
with the wheel F and at the bottom end with another wheel. F gearing with a
wheel F on a spindle F carried in suitable bearings in or supported by the table A.

page_text: F' is a handle fixed on the spindle F by which said spindle and through it the
screw E can be rotated. Since the vertical shaft F2 is in the axis of the hub of the
casting C, the latter can be turned in its socket without interfering with the gear
just described. The slide D supports a removable socket D' in which is received
the last standard I which may be of any ordinary type. I prefer however to use a
standard which is divided at that end which enters the last, one part i being hinged
to the other at and furnished with a screw whereby the end of the standard
may be expanded so as to cause it to take firm hold of the last. I is the last-
secured to the standard I. J is the upper of a shoe in which the welt is being
sewn.
It will be obvious from the above description that the boot or shoe mounted on
the last may be adjusted to and fro by moving the slide D, and may be turned round
about a vertical axis by turning the piece C in its socket.
On opposite sides of the table A are pivoted, at K', preferably to brackets K
secured to the underside of the table, a pair of arms or levers K which pass through
openings A in the table. The upper ends of said levers are preferably curved
somewhat as shown and terminate a little above the level of the boot or shoe to be
sewn. The lower ends of said levers are connected, by adjustable belts L or by
chains or the like passing over central guide pulleys L₁ with foot levers or
treadles M, M, a separate foot lever being provided for each lever K. I prefer to
connect each. belt or chain L to its corresponding arm or lever K by means of a
hook k pivoted to the lever K at a point k¹and I provide a movable peg k³ which
can be passed through a hole in the hook, and be inserted into any one of a number
of holes formed in the lever thus adjusting the hook nearer to or further from the
fulcrum of the lever K and thereby altering the leverage. The foot levers M M¹
are however connected together in a peculiar manner, as follows, that is to say,
mm² are fingers projecting inwardly or towards each other from the treadles M, Mi
respectively. The finger m¹ passes over and rests upon the fiuger m and the two
fingers are pressed together by a spring m³ which is threaded on a rod m³, secured
to the finger m and passing through the finger m', and is compressed between the
said finger m' and a nut m or pin or the like on the upper end of the rod. The
spring m² tends to keep the two fingers m, m' together while allowing of the foot
lever M being operated independently of the other. The levers K are controlled
by powerful springs N the lower end of each of which is attached to a bracket O,
depending from the table A, and the upper to an arm K³ projecting from the
corresponding lever. It will be seen from the above description that by pressing
downward with the foot on the foot lever M' both levers M, M' will be depressed
(the former by the fingers m, m') and the arms or levers K will be turned about
their pivots against the pull of the springs N the upper ends of the levers moving
outward, and that when the foot lever is released the arms or levers K will be
drawn back again by the springs N. If the foot be applied to the lever M instead
of to the lever M then the latter lever will only be depressed by the force
transmitted through the spring m². By this means provision is made for moving
the arm or lever K on the right side of the machine more than that on the left, for
a purpose that will be hereinafter explained.
The operation of sewing in the welt or stitching on the sole are performed as
hitherto by hand except the final operation of drawing the waxed threads tight.
This is effected as follows, that is to say, the thread having been inserted and
the long pull taken, the threads are then wound round the upper ends of the
arms or levers K, and the foot lever M' is then forced down so as to draw
outwards the arms or levers K in the manner above described thus pulling the
threads quite tight. Great force can be exerted through the foot levers, and
consequently a boy can very easily by this means draw the threads up as tight
as is required. A single turn of the threads round the levers K will usually be
found sufficient to prevent slipping when drawing up. Very frequently the right
thread requires an extra pull which can be effected by pressing down its own

page_text: When this
foot-lever M which as before stated may be operated separately.
lever is operated directly, the force transmitted to the other lever M¹ will depend
on the strength of the spring m² and when the tension in the waxed thread is
great enough to overcome the spring, the foot lever M¹ is arrested, and the other
lever M descends alone, thus giving an extra pull on its end of the thread.
Of course it is obvious that I may provide for operating either foot lever
independently of the other, or both independently of each other. In the latter
case when it is desired to depress both levers simultaneously this can be done
by applying the foot in the centre, in which position it is partly over both
levers. When two or three stitches have been made, the position of the last
is adjusted by means of the screw slide. This operation is continued until the
heel or toe is approached. The rotary adjustment of the standard above described
enables the toe and heel portions to be stitched while maintaining the same in
the direct line of pull between the two arms or levers K.
In lieu of applying the power for drawing the threads tight through the foot
levers, I sometimes so provide that the arms or levers K shall be operated from any
available source of motive power, and in such case, I utilize the foot lever merely
for bringing the mechanical power into action.
For holding the boot or shoe while the sole is being stitched on I prefer to
provide a special standard formed in two parts, the lower part 1, Figures 2 and 3,
which enters the socket in the slide rest being formed with a spherical socket I³ at
its upper end adapted to receive the spherical end I of the part I³ which enters the
last. Said part 1 is divided, being formed with a part i hinged at and furnished
with a screw for tightening the same when inserted in the socket in the last.
The spherical socket I' at the upper end of the standard I is made in halves to
admit of the ball I being inserted therein. The removable half 1 of said socket
is held in place by a screw I which can be tightened up to lock the part 13 in any
position to which it has been set and can be slacked back to allow the said part fa
to be adjusted as desired. The said half 1' is removed in Figure 2. The opening I'
in the socket through which the stem of the part I projects is extended in the
vertical direction to admit of the part I being tilted up and down more or less.
The lower part I of the standard is preferably bent as shown to bring the boot or
shoe approximately over the centre of the slide rest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. For assisting in drawing the threads tight when sewing in welts and stitching
on soles in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and when stitching other work,
particularly with waxed threads, the provision of arms or levers round which the
ends of the threads can be twisted and which can be expanded or drawn apart by
gear operated by the foot or otherwise, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with the pivoted levers K, of foot levers for operating the
same, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
3. The peculiar manner of connecting together the foot levers, substantially as,
and for the purpose, specified.
4. The combination with the arms or levers for tightening the stitches, of a slide
rest for supporting the work to be sewn or stitched, substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
5. The combination with the said slide rest of a socket whereby the work can be
rotated in the supporting bed, as well as adjusted laterally, substantially as, and for.
the purpose, specified.
6. In a machine for assisting in drawing the ends of the threads tight when
sewing, the combination, with the slide rest for adjusting the position of the work,
of a standard formed in two parts connected by a ball and socket joint, substantially
as described, for the purpose specified.

page_text: 7. A machine constructed substantially as described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 16th day of November 1893.
DANIEL WILKINS FESSEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.