IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTS FOR MAKING BOOTS & SHOES
Year: 1884

page_text: We JOHN CAVE PAUL CAVE and AMOS CAVE all of Rushden in the County of
Northampton Shoe Manufacturers trading as John Cave & Sons do hereby declare
the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTS FOR MAKING BOOTS
& SHOES, to be as follows :-
Lasts for machine made boots & shoes are usually of solid iron in two parts.
Our invention is for using iron or other metal hollow from heel to foe by means
of which the weight is reduiced from about 12 to 5 lbs with wood or iron
blocks. The lasting of the boot from joint to toe is considerablly inproved on
account of the lasts being hollow.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
We, JOHN CAVE, PAUL CAVE, and AMOS CAVE, trading as John Cave and Sons,
of Rushden, in the county of Northampton, Shoe Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LASTS FOR MAKING
BOOTS AND SHOES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in lasts for making boots and shoes.
Hitherto it has been the practice to make metal lasts in two parts from solid
cast iron and their consequent great weight has been a serious objection to
their use.
By our improvements the weight of the lasts is considerably reduced and by the
use of our improved last the lasting of boots is improved.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the
same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a plan and
figure 2, a longitudinal section of a metal last constructed according to our
improvements. Similar letters in both figures represent similar parts.
In carrying out our invention we form the lasts of metal in two parts a, and b,
which parts are formed hollow with the exception of a portion of the heel at c,
which is formed solid to allow of the hole d, d¹, to receive the usual holder, being
cast therein; the said hole consists of a circular part d, and a narrow rectangular
part d', by which construction of hole the last is adapted for use for hand or
machine lasting; the top of the part b, is cut away at a¹, from the joint of the last
to the toe as shewn and is formed with a projection e, and the front of the upper
part is provided with a projection f, at each side; the said projections e, and f,
form the joint of the last whereby the two parts are fixed in position one upon the
other. The cut away or open part a' of the last allows of the leather being
stretched across the toe part in a more effectual manner than has hitherto been
the case and the boot or shoe can be thereby lasted in a better manner.
If required the top portion a, of the last may be made of wood instead of being
made of metal as herein before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. Constructing metal lasts for lasting boots and shoes hollow from near the
heel to the toe thereof substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A last for lasting boots and shoes and having a cut away or open part such
as a from the joint to the toe substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
3. The improved last hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.