Improvements in Elastic Burnishers for Finishing Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28h July, 1893-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Burnishers for Finishing Boots and Shoes.
I, SOCRATES KEATS of Stafford in the County of Stafford, Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
―
The object of this invention is to effect the operation of burnishing the heels and
soles of boots and shoes with greater rapidity than heretofore, and to avoid the
necessity for applying heat to the burnisher by gas flame or otherwise. In forming
my elastic burnisher, I take a steel wire, and coil it up into a helix or spiral, or
double spiral, or other suitable form, according to the work it is designed for, and
the opposite ends of this coil of wire I secure to hubs which are fitted to a
rotary shaft.
The hubs may be adjustable on the shaft, to allow of the helix or spiral being
lengthened or compressed.
To the shaft of this elastic burnisher I impart a rapid rotary motion, so that
when the heel of a boot or shoe is brought into contact with the burnisher, a
continuous burnishing action will take place over the surface of the heel, without
any lines being formed upon it, the buruishing surface being virtually as broad as
the depth of the heel.
In forming a burnisher for operating upon boot and shoe soles, I use what may
be termed a double spiral, securing the ends of the coiled wire to bubs fitted to the
burnisher spindle, as above explained. In applying this tool to the sole immediately
after the sewing or stitching, it will close the channel in which the stitches lie, and
also level the sole, bringing it to the proper state for finishing. When the heel
has been attached, this sole is submitted to the finishing process, & by friction of
contact between the rapidly rotating burnisher and the sole, sufficient heat will be
obtained to insure the proper polishing of the leather.
The burnisher may consist of one or more coiled wires, as thought desirable.
The length of the double spiral burnisher should be sufficient to extend across
the broadest sole, to prevent its leaving any marks thereon.
Dated this 28th day of October 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Burnishers for Finishing Boots and Shoes.
I SOCRATES KEATS of Stafford in the County of Stafford, Mechanical 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:-
The object of this invention is to effect the operation of burnishing the heels and
soles of boots and shoes with greater rapidity and efficiency than heretofore, and to
avoid the necessity for applying lambent heat to the burnisher.
In forming ny elastic burnisher, 1 take a steel wire, and coil it up into a helix
or spiral, or double spiral, or other suitable form, according to the work it is
designed for. The opposite ends of this coil of wire I secure to a rotary shaft, and
to this shaft I impart a rapid rotary motion, so that when the work is brought into
contact with the burnisher, a continuous burnishing action will take place over the
surface of the work, without any lines being formed upon it.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown three forms of my improved elastic
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page_text: burnisher, to illustrate the various kinds of work to which the invention may be
adapted.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a burnisher mounted upon its shaft, and shaped to
burnish what are-known as Wurtemberg heels.
Fig. 2 is a front view of a burnisher shaped to burnish boot heels of the ordinary
type; and
Fig. 3 is a compound burnisher, consisting virtually of two distinct elastic
burnishers secured to one and the same shaft, the one burnisher being intended to
burnish the sole of a boot or shoe, and the other to burnish simultaneously the
waist of the boot or shoe and the breast of the heel.
Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the burnisher consists of a coil of
wire a, made preferably of steel, its ends being connected to a shaft b, threaded to
receive pairs of clamping nuts c, which grip the ends of the coil firmly, and yet
provide for a slight lateral adjustment of the coil. The breadth of the working
surface of the coil will, in general, exceed the depth of the heel to be burnished, and
the profile shape of this coil will correspond to the profile of the boot heel which it
is designed to burnish. This is clearly illustrated at Fig. 1, where d represents
the heel of a boot applied to the rapidly rotating burnisher. In Fig. 2, it will be
seen that the coil of wire a constituting the burnisher, has a contour corresponding
to the profile of an ordinary shape of heel, such as that applied to men's boots and
shoes. The attachment of the coil to its shaft is effected by clamping nuts c, as
described with reference to Fig. 1. d is the boot 'heel, set in contact with the
rotating burnisher. In Fig. 3, the construction of the burnisher a is modified, for
the purpose of producing a lateral or straining pressure on the surface of the sole,
from the centre outwards. In this figure, a is a burnisher formed of a double spiral
coil, the ends of which are secured, as above explained, to a shaft b, and a¹ is a
second burnisher of 'coiled wire, similarly secured to the shaft b, and serving to
polish the waist of the boot, as well as the breast of the heel.
In applying the double spiral burnisher a to the sole immediately after the sewing
or stitching, it will, by reason of its right and left handed coils, close the channel
in which the stitches lie, by pressing down the lip of the channel towards the edge
of the sole, and also level the sole, bringing it to the proper state for finishing.
When the heel has been attached, the levelled sole is submitted to the finishing
process, and, by friction of contact between the rapidly rotating burnisher and the
sole, sufficient heat will be obtained to ensure the proper polishing of the leather.
The length of the double spiral burnisher should be sufficient to extend across the
broadest sole, to prevent its leaving any mark thereon.
In case it should be found desirable to raise the temperature of the burnisher
before applying the work thereto, an elastic friction pad may be provided, which,
being brought into contact with the burnisher while the same is being rapidly
rotated, will raise the temperature to the desired extent, and enable the burnisher
to act efficiently on the work, immediately it is brought into contact therewith.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: :-
The construction of elastic burnishers as above described, whereby I am enabled
to apply to irregular or curved surfaces, a continuous burnishing action, without
forming lines upon the work.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.