IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CRIMPING LEATHER FOR THE UPPERS OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR CRIMPING LEATHER FOR THE UPPERS OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
A communication from abroad by Jason Smith and Charles Clarence Foster,
both of Boston, County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America
Sealed the 21st August 1877, and dated the 30th June 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th June 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CRIMPING LEATHER FOR
THE UPPERS OF BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from abroad by Jason Smith
and Charles Clarence Foster, both of Boston, County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America.
The object of this Invention is to furnish a machine for crimping the uppers of
boots and shoes without unduly straining the leather, and which will leave the
upper in the desired form without. thickening at the instep or ankle.
The Invention consists in the arrangement in a suitable frame of a tree or form
rigidly supported by standards attached to cross bars of the frame, and in plates
that slide in grooves in the said standards, one upon either side of the tree, and
carry wedge-shaped or bevelled pieces having the same curvature as the tree or
form. It also consists in a clamping device for clamping the leather, and carrying
it down over the tree, and in smoothing plates for pressing the leather smoothly
upon the tree, and in levers and screws for operating the various parts, as herein-
after more fully described.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved leather-crimping machine; Figure 2
is a side elevation; Figure 3 is a front elevation in part section; Figure 4 is a
central vertical section; Figure 5 is a horizontal section in line x, x, in Figure 4 of
the crimping plates and tree or form; Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on
line 3, 3, in Figure 5.

page_text: Figure 7 represents the top or upper before being, crimped, and Figure 8 repre-
sents the same after it is crimped.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the Drawing A, A, are the side picces of the frame that supports the
various parts of the machine; B, the lower cross piece; and C, C, are standards
attached to brackets a formned on the said cross piece. A tree or form D is sup-
ported by the said standards, it being placed in slots formed in the upper ends of
the standards, and secured by pins. The tree is placed with its concave edge
uppermost, and on each side of it plates E are placed, which are guided by grooves
forined in the standards C. To each of the plates E a curved bevelled piece F is
pivoted at b, the curvature of. which is the same as that of the tree D. The
pieces Fare provided with projections c, which are engaged by screws d that
extend through earse attached to the plates E. The pieces F being placed on
opposite sides of the bar D must of necessity be right and left.
Adjusting screws f pass through ears g that project from the centre of the
plate E at their lower edges; these screws rest upon the plate h, which is supported
by levers i, that are pivoted in the blocks j, formed on or attached to the frame G,
which is supported by the head H, which will be presently described. To each of
the levers a screw is jointed, which is turned down to form a guide that extends
through the side of the frame G, and upon which is placed a nut I, having formed
upon.it the toothed sector J. Above this nut a lever K is pivoted to the side of
the frame G, and is provided with a toothed sector L that engages the sector Jon
the nut I. The lever K is formed into a handle at the front of the machine, and is
provided with an adjustable weight m at the rear of the machine, and an eye bolt n
through which a rod o passes. These levers and their connections in each side of
the frame G, aside from being right and left, are precisely alike. The frame G is
provided with studs p, which slide in slots 7 formed in the projection that extend
downwardly from the end pieces of the head H. Dogs S having the curved ends t
are pivoted in the sides of the part r, and are capable of engaging the studs p
when the head H passes downward, and the frame G is supported by a device
herein-after described. The head H consists of two hollow cylindrical parts K¹,
connected by a yoke L¹, and provided with end pieces M that are fitted to ways
formed on the side pieces A of the inain frame. To the lower side of the parts K¹,
corrugated curved bevelled pieces N are attached, which are the counterpart of the
pieces F on the plates E, and when brought into contact with the said pieces F they
clamp the leather with sufficient pressure to draw it evenly over the tree in the
operation of crimping. A tubular follower O having a head u is fitted to each of
the cylindrical parts K¹, and to each of the heads u a corrugated plate vis attached,
which is fitted to a rabbet formed in the upper side of the ribbed piece N. In
some cases a plane plate will be placed above the corrugated plate. to assist in
smoothing the leather. A sleeve P projects from the end piece M through a slot in
the side of the main frame, and contains a sliding nut w that is moved by a screw a¹,
and is provided with the ears b¹, between which the three-arm lever c¹is pivoted.
The arm of the said lever projects into the follower o, and is connected with a
stud e¹ that projects from the inner surface of the head u by a link f¹. This
arrangement forms a toggle by which the follower O may be forced out and locked.
The sleeve P is slotted, and the arm g' of the lever c¹ projects upward and the
arm downward through the sides of the sleeve. The arm g¹ is connected with
an angled lever i pivoted at the top of the part K¹, and the arm h¹ is rounded so
as to be engaged by a cam j that is attached to the side piece A of the main frame.
The nut w is provided with a feather that projects into the slot in the sleeve P to
prevent it from turning. The screw a¹ is formed on a spindle m¹ that extends
through the end of the sleeve P, and is provided with a collar n¹, having a serrated
or radially grooved face, and it is also provided with a thread and nut at its outer
end for clamping the lever o¹, which lever is also provided with a serrated or grooved
face, which bears against the face of the collar n¹. One arm of the lever O₁ is pro-
vided with a weight p¹, and the other is provided with a roller q' that is engaged

page_text: by an arm that projects from the side piece A. An arm s¹ is fitted to the sleeve
P, and clamped by a set screw in any required position. The outer end of this
arin is bent at right angles, and forms a stop for the lever o¹. The various parts
described are similar in both ends of the head H. A screw is secured to the
yoke L, and extends upward through an internally threaded sleeve R that is
journalled in the top piece S of the frame of the machine, and upon which is placed
a mitre wheel T that is driven by a mitre wheel U on the end of the shaft V,
which journalled in standards that project upward from the top piece S. Upon
the shaft V two pulleys t¹, t2, are placed loosely, and capable of being engaged by
a friction clutch W that is splined to the shaft V. The said clutch is moved by a
forked lever A¹ placed on a rocking shaft u', journalled in the top piece, and pro-
vided with an arm which extends downward, and is provided with a stud u.
This stud is received by a diagonal slot a² in the bar B, which is slotted at its
upper and lower ends, and is guided by the shaft u and by the stud b². This bar
is provided with an arm c² near its upper end, and a series of ratchet teeth a² in
its edge near its lower end; it is also provided with a handle e by which it may
be moved. A spring is attached to an eye at the back of the bar B2 and to the
stud for the purpose of drawing the bar downward. A. spring pawl f2 is
pivoted at g, and is provided with a finger h, which diverges from the bar B².
pin projects from the end piece M, and engages the pawlf when the
head H is at the lower portion of the main frame, and engages the arm c" when
the said head is at the upper part of the main frame. A treadle C is pivoted in
the hangers, that are attached to the cross bar B. To this treadle the rods o are
jointed, and bent levers D2, which are pivoted in ears E2 at the sides of the main
frame, are also connected with it by means of links or short connecting rods .
A spring F is attached to the cross bar B and to the treadle C for drawing the
latter upwardly as it is released by the foot. Plates 12 are attached to the side
piece A for tripping the dogs S.
A
The operation of the machine is as follows:-An uncrimped upper is placed on
the bevelled pieces F when all the parts are in the position shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 4. Motion is imparted to the pulleys t, t, to drive them in opposite direc-
tions; the foot is placed on the treadle C with sufficient force to raise the levers K,
so as to retract the screw c and throw the levers D under the ends of the frame G;
the levers & are moved so as to lock the toggle in the follower O, and the bar B² is
raised until one of the notches is engaged by the pawl h². By this means
the clutch W is brought into engagement with the rotating pulley t¹, which carries
the clutch, and consequently the shaft V, and rotates the internally threaded sleeve
so as to drive the head H downward, the frame G being prevented from descending
by the levers D; the corrugated pieces N clamp the leather down upon the bevelled
pieces F, and the dogs 8 engage the studs simultaneously. The treadle C is now
released when it is raised by the spring F, throwing the upper ends of the levers
De outward, so that the frame G may descend with the head H, and at the samo
time the weighted ends of the leyers K descend and turn the nuts I, carrying the
screws forward, so as to move the levers i, and throw the plates E and the
bevelled pieces F upward, clamping the leather with more or less force between
the bevelled pieces F and the bevelled and corrugated pieces W. At the same time
the rollers of the levers o' become disengaged from the face of the arms r¹, and roll
under the said arm and permit the weights P to descend, gradually turning the
screws a' and forcing the followers O toward the tree D, and causing the corru-
gated plates v to press on the leather on the tree with a gradually increasing force.
The head H and frame G descend together, the leather meanwhile being drawn
smoothly over the tree by the bevelled pieces F, w, and further pressed and smoothed
by the corrugated plates v. When the operation of crimping is completed the
arms t of the dogs & touch the trips and move the dogs, so that the frame G drops
down and permits the bevelled pieces F to fall away from the corrugated pieces N.
Iminediately after this is done the arms of the three-arm levers c' strike the cams j',
and unlock the toggle in the followers O, and retract the said followers. The pin

page_text: now trips the pawl h², allowing the bar B2 to drop and throw the clutch W into
the wheel t², which being rotated in the direction opposite to that of the wheel t¹
reverses the motion of the shaft V and sleeve R, and causes the head H to raise
until the pin strikes the arm c², and stops the machine by throwing the clutch W
into a central position between the two pulleys. The crimped leather is now
removed, and the operation may be repeated.
Having described the Invention, and the manner of performing the same, I
declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. The combination in a crimping machine of a head made as described, and
two followers carrying corrugated plates, a screw and a nut for moving each
follower, and a toggle for locking and releasing them, substantially as shown and
described.
2nd. The combination of the head H having the end pieces M and sleeves D, the
followers O, links f, three-arm levers c¹, nuts, screws a³, and weighted lever o¹,
substantially as shewn and described.
3rd. The adjustable arms & in combination with the sleeve P and lever o¹ for
limiting the motion of the latter, substantially as specified.
4th. The arms in combination with the weighted levers o¹, substantially as
shown and described.
5th. The combination of the lever i with the lever c¹ for releasing the followers O,
substantially as shewn and described.
6th. The movable frame G having the studs p in combination with the head H,
carrying the dogs s, for supporting the leather clamping mechanism, as shewn and
described.
7th. The levers K having the eyes n and toothed sectors L, the nuts I having
the toothed sectors J, the screws L,. and levers i in combination for operating the
leather-clamping jaws, substantially as shewn and described.
8th. The plates E placed in the grooves in the vertical posts C on opposite sides
of the tree D, and provided with adjusting screws f, in combination with the curved
bevelled pieces F and the mechanism for operating the plates, substantially as
shewn,
9th. The combination in a leather-crimping machine of the bevelled curved pieces
C and the bevelled corrugated and curved pieces N for drawing the leather over
the tree, substantially as herein shewn and described.
10th. The cams j affixed to the side pieces A. for tripping the lever h¹, substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
11th. The levers D2 in combination with the treadles C for supporting the frame
G, substantially as shewn and described.
12th. The combination of the treadle C², rods o, and levers K, substantially as
shown and described.
13th. The combination of the bar B2 having the slot a², arm c², and ratchet teeth
², the pawl f, the pin ³, and shifting lever V, substantially as shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)