IMPROVEMENTS IN STAMPING, MARKING, AND PUNCHING VAMPS, TOE CAPS, AND OTHER PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander John Fraser, of Water Lane, in the
City of London, Merchant, and Frederick Squire, of President Place,
Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Machinist, for the Invention
*of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STAMPING, MARKING, AND PUNCHING VAMPS, TOE
CAPS, AND OTHER PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 12th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION' left by the said Alexander John Fraser
and Frederick Squire at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th April 1864.
WO, ALEXANDER JOHN FRASER, of Water Lane, in the City of London,
Merchant, and FREDERICK SQUIRE, of President Place, Clerkenwell, in the
County of Middlesex, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STAMPING, MARKING, AND PUNCHING VAMPS,
TOE CAPS, AND OTHER PARTS OF .BOOTS AND SHOES, AND. IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
In ornamenting the toe caps and vamps or uppers of boots and shoes by
stitching, it has been usual to stamp or mark the design on the leather or
other material by an instrument held in the hand comprising a certain

page_text: portion of the design, and by repeatedly applying the instrument in different
positions the whole design is made up, or two or more such instruments may
be used in the process; it is also usual to introduce perforations in such orna-
mental designs, which are made separately by punching. These instruments
are usually of a curved or. gouge-like form of steel, having a sharp edge
serrated and formed into sharp steel points.
Now, according to our Iuvention, we produce the whole design at one time
by pressure, punching at same time the perforations, if such are to constitute
a portion of the design. By our improvements more elaborate-designs are
easily obtained, and which are always produced with accuracy. In stamping or
marking the above-mentioned articles we employ an instrument consisting of
a plate of a shape suitable for the article to be stamped, in which we insert a
number of sharp steel pins in the form of the design required. To do this
we prick off on a thin brass plate the design required, and drill a number of holes
therein at distances according to the stitching to be produced in the stamped
article, and insert in such holes short pieces of wire, the points of which are
sharpened and allowed to project through the face of the plate. a uniform
distance, say, one-sixteenth of an inch, more or less. The back of the. per-
forated plate and the pins are flush and turned, so as to solder it and the pins
to a strong backing plate. In this backing plate we insert or form on it a
suitable stem, and fit it to a lever or other press, by which it can be readily
forced on the leather or other material and the impression produced. If holes
constitute part of the design we insert hollow punches in the instrument by
which they are produced at same time with the marking of the design; · holes
from these punches pass through the plates of the instrument to clear the
material punched out; we screw or otherwise fix the punches in the plates in
such manner that they can be removed for renewal or sharpened at pleasure;
if the stem fitting the press interferes with the punches it may be replaced
by a stem with tripod or arms extending beyond the limits of the design. By
this means an instrument of elaborate design can readily be formed, and being
produced on the leather or other material at one operation is always perfect,
and is moreover rapidly produced as compared with the ordinary modes of
operation and apparatus employed. We may also attach cutting edges to
these instruments, and so cut out the toe cap or piece of leather or other
material simultaneously with the marking of the design.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander John Fraser and Frederick Squire in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALEXANDER
JOHN FRASER, of Water Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, and
FREDERICK SQUIRE, of President Place, Clerkenwell, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto we, the
said Alexander John Fraser and Frederick Squire, Her special licence that
we, the said Alexander John Fraser and Frederick Squire, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Alexander John
Fraser and Frederick Squire, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make;
use, exercise, and vend, within. the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STAMPING, MARKING, AND PUNCHING VAMPS, TOE CAPS, AND OTHER
PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES; AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR THE
SAME," upon the condition-(amongst others) that we, the said Alexander John
Fraser and Frederick Squire, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alexander John Fraser and Frederick
Squire, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
:
In ornamenting toe. caps and vamps or uppers of boots and shoes by
stitching, it has been usual to stamp or mark the design on the leather or
other material by an instrument held in the hand, comprising a certain
portion of the design, and by repeatedly applying the instrument in different

page_text: positions the whole design is made up; or two or more such instruments may be
used in the operation. It is also usual to introduce perforations in such orna-
mental designs which are made separately by punching. These instruments
are usually of a curved or gouge-like form of steel, having a sharp edge
serrated and formed into sharp steel points.
Now, according to our Invention, we produce the whole design at one time
by pressure, punching at same time the perforations, if such are to constitute
a portion of the design. By our improvements more elaborate designs are
easily obtained, and which are always produced with accuracy. In stamping or
marking the above-named articles we employ an instrument consisting of a
plate of a shape suitable for the article to be stamped, in which we insert a
number of sharp steel pins in the form of the design required. To do this
we prick off on a thin brass or other plate the design required, and drill &
number of holes therein at distances according to the stitching to be pro-"
duced in the stamped article. We insert in such holes short pieces of wire,
the points of which are sharpened and allowed to project through the face of
the plate a uniform distance, say, one-sixteenth of an inch, more or less. The
back of the perforated plate and the pins are made flush and tinned, so as to
solder it and the pins to a strong backing plate, the soldering also fixing the
pins in the thin plate. In this backing plate we insert or form on it a suitable
stem, and fit it to a lever, screw, or other press, by which it can be readily
forced on the leather or other material, and the impression produced. The
instrument instead of being fixed in a press may be furnished with a stem
and suitable handle, and the stamping performed by the pressure of the hand,
or the back may be flat, and pressure applied by any suitable means. If the
holes constitute part of the design we insert hollow punches in the instru-
ment, by which they are produced at same time with the marking of the
design; holes from these punches pass through the plates of the instrument
to clear the material punched out; we screw or otherwise fix the punches in
the plates in such manner that they can be removed for renewal or sharpened
at pleasure. If a central stem fitting the press interferes with the punches it
may be replaced by a stem with tripod or arms extending beyond the limits
of the design. By constructing the instrument as above described an
elaborate design can readily be formed, and being produced on the leather
or other material at one operation is always perfect, and moreover may be
rapidly produced as compared with the ordinary mode of operation and appa-
ratus employed. To these instruments we may also attach cutting edges, and
so cut out the toe cap or piece of leather or other material simultaneously
with the marking of the design in the manner of cutting envelopes, the cutter

page_text: being fixed around the edge of the backing instrument, which is made of the
exact form of the piece of material required to be cut out.
:
In the annexed Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a design for a toe cap, and'
also a face view of a stamping instrument according to our Invention; Fig. 2
represents a side elevation of the same, while Figs. 3 and 4 represent parts of
the instrument detached, as before mentioned. It is made of a thin sheet of
metal, a, a, represented in edge view, and detached at Fig. 8; 6, b, is the
backing plate, also separately represented at Fig. 4 in edge view. The thin
plate a, a, having been cut of the form desired, has a number of minute holes
bored in it, the design required being previously traced upon or transferred to
it. These holes we dispose at distances according to the size of the stitches
to be afterwards produced on the material to be operated on. The holes being
so bored, according to the design, we fit a series of small steel pins c, c, in
these holes (see partial section, Fig. 3), the points of which are previously
sharpened. We make the whole of the points flush, that is to say, at a
uniform level, while the other ends should be also flush with the back of the
plate or slightly projecting; we then reduce the back of the plate a and pins
to a level, smooth, and clear surface, which we afterwards tin with a soldering
iron or by other means, as well understood, and apply a slight coating of
solder; this solder unites to the back of the plate, as also the back ends of the
pins. The face of the backing plate (by preference we make them both of
brass) is also tinned, and we unite the two together by soldering, as will be
readily understood, thus fixing the two plates together, and at same time fixing
the pins c, c, in addition to the hold they have in the plate a. These pins we
simply fix in plate a, in the first instance, by driving them moderately
tight, the solder afterwards fixing them in the holes as also to the back plate b.
Instead of depending on the solder alone, each pin may be screwed into the
plate; but we have found this unnecessary for the purpose, as the soldering
holds them sufficiently. When visible holes or perforations are to form part
of the ornamental design we fix punches d, d, in the instrument, as seen in
the Figs. 5 and 6. These are simply small hollow or tubular punches, as
best seen in the partial section, Fig. 6. We screw these punches into the two
plates, and make them somewhat longer than the pins, to allow for wear, the
punches being removed from time to time, in order to sharpen them. By
these means elaborate designs may be produced, and by such instruments are
readily transferred to leather or such like material, by pressure, the whole
design being imparted at one time and in an expeditious manner. The
example of the design given at Fig. 1 will be sufficient as an illustration, and it
will be readily understood that flowers and other elaborate designs will be as

page_text: readily produced on boot and shoe toe caps and other parts as simple designs.
after the instrument is produced, and which in itself, even if elaborate in
design, may be made without difficulty. The instrument is made with a stem e,
by which it is fixed in the screw or other press, and so brought to bear on the
leather or other material that is to receive the impression and it is desired to
so ornament. When the perforating punches d are in the centre, the stem e
may be inconvenient, we therefore provide a tripod stem f,f, as seen dotted
in Fig. 6, whereby to fix it to the press, or the stem may be dispensed with.
altogether. When it is desired to cut out the piece of leather or other
material by the instrument we fix a cutting edge around it of the form in
which the material is to be cut, as seen dotted at 9, 9, in Fig. 6.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the con-
struction of instruments for marking or pricking toe caps, vamps, and other pieces
of leather and other material, as herein-before described, as also the marking
and ornamenting such articles by instruments such as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander John Fraser, for myself and
the said Frederick Squire, have hereuuto set my hand and seal, this
Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
ALEX. J. FRASER. (L.s.)