IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE."
Year: 1882

page_text: "C
LETTERS PATENT to John Keats of Bagnal near Stoke upon Trent in the
County of Stafford, temporarily of Frankfort on the Main in the Empire of
Germany, for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CERTAIN PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Keats at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1882.
JOHN KEATS of Bagnal near Stoke upon Trent in the County of Stafford,
temporarily of Frankfort on the Main in the Empire of Germany IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND IN THE
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE."
This Invention relates firstly to a novel mode of manufacturing welts for Boots
and Shoes, and Secondly to an improved mode of preparing the soles of Boots and
Shoes for the purpose of giving elasticity to the shank which forms the "waist
the Boot or Shoe.
of
In carrying out the manufacture of welts, I take the leather which is to form
the welts, and cut it into strips of a suitable width. These strips I then split
longitudinally into two, each retaining the full breadth of the strip, and I give to
them a wedge shape in cross section.
The next operation is to mould suitable lengths of these strips into welts of a
shape corresponding to the form of a sole to which the welt is to be attached, and
by means of pressure to give them a permanent set. For this purpose I prepare a
die with a U shaped groove or recess of corresponding form to the welt required to
be moulded. In this groove or recess I place the strip, previously softened by
water, with its thin edge inwards, and I bring down upon it a counter die which
is furnished with one or more ribs, V shaped in cross section, and corresponding to
the curve of the welt. By applying pressure to this counterdie, the leather will
be set to the form which it has taken, and a groove or grooves will be indented in

page_text: the leather in the line or lines which the sewing (by which the welt is attached to
the upper and insole) is intended to take. Or the die may be made to receive two
or more strips, the same being separated from each other by a plate of suitable
form. The pressure then put upon the upper die will cause the several strips
which are placed in the lower die to be moulded and set to the required shape
simultaneously. The advantage of thus forming welts is not only that an economy
in the leather used, and in the labour required, is effected, but great facility is also
afforded to the workman in making up the goods; the set forin of the welt being
itself a guide for the workman in sewing the parts together. Moreover, in
chamfering the inner edge of the welt by splitting the strip as above indicated, the
space required to be filled up between the inner and outer sole is minimised, greatly
to the advantage of the Boot.
In order to provide an elastic waist for the Boot or Shoe, I subject the shank of
the outer sole to pressure in dies, and I thus form it with a fish back hollow ridge,
taking care not to harden the edges of the shank by pressure.
For imparting pressure to the two kinds of moulding dies, I prefer to use a
double press, the two plungers of which will consist each of a vertically sliding
rod that is brought down upon the top die by means of a snail cam mounted in
the upper part of the frame of the press, and actuated by spur gear from a hand
wheel. For adjusting these rods so that they may put any desired pressure on the
dies, a screw thread is cut on them, and a nut is applied to the screw-thread.
This nut is held between lugs through which the rod passes such lugs projecting
from the face of the plate, which receives a tendency from springs to hold the rod
in contact with the overlying snail cam. By simply turning this nut, the amount
of depression to be given to the rod by a given amount of axial motion of the
snail cam, may be adjusted to suit the work in hand, or I compress a spiral spring
which surrounds the bar, as in the case of some eyletting machines, and in that
case use a support which is lowered or raised by a screw to come sooner or later in
contact with the pressing bar for thicker and softer leather.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Keats in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st October
1882.
"
JOHN KEATS of Bagnal near Stoke-upon-Trent in the County of Stafford,
temporarily of Frankfort on the Main in the Empire of Germany
IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES AND IN THE
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
"1
This Invention relates firstly to a novel mode of manufacturing welts for Boots
and Shoes, and secondly to an improved mode of preparing the soles of Boots and
Shoes for the purpose of giving elasticity to the shank which forms the waist of
the boot or shoe.
It is a common practice in the boot and shoe manufacture to stamp out the welts
to the form required, but this involves the waste of a large proportion of the
leather employed as will be seen by reference to fig: 1 Sheet I of the drawings
which represents a piece of leather suitable in size for yielding two pairs of welts
as ordinarily produced, the interlocking curved lines representing the cuts made in
the leather by the stamping dies. Welts thus produced require moreover to be
chamfered on their inner edge before being used and thus much labour as well as
much leather is expended in their production. These welts present the advantage
of guiding the workman while assembling the parts to forin a
"lasted upper
preparatory to stitching the upper, the insole, and the welt together.
however that I can produce a welt which will equally well serve to enable the
workman to maintain the desired contour of the boot without expending so much
leather and labor in its production. I can moreover mark upon the welt at the
time of shaping it, the line or lines in which I desire that the stitches shall run.
"
I find
In carrying out the manufacture of welts according to my Invention I take the
leather which is to form the welts, and cut it into strips of a suitable width (say
three-quarters of an inch) corresponding to the width of welt I desire to produce
These strips I then split longitudinally into two each retaining the full breadth of
the strip, and I thereby give to then a wedge shape in cross section.
Fig 2 shews a piece of leather of the same proportions as that represented at
fig: 1 from which four welts were made. From this piece of leather I manufacture
fourteen welts by my improved process. Thus I divide up the leather into seven
lengths, as indicated by the dotted lines of fig: 2, and each of these lengths I
slit breadthwise as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig: 2ª, and I thus obtain
fourteen strips which have the section shewn at Fig: 2b and of a length sufficient
to form a welt.
The next operation is to prepare these lengths to receive the shape which they
are intended permanently to retain. For this purpose I moisten them in water
and submit them to the action of a curling instrument which is shewn at fig: 3.
Sheet Il as applied to a press, wich will be hereafter more particularly referred to ;
it may however be mounted in any other convenient manner, without its action
being thereby affected This instrument, which may be described as a rotary tool
or presser working in a stationary elastic or yielding case, is shewn in the plan
view at Fig 4. and in the detached views figures 5.
a is the rotary presser forming the termination of a horizontal spindle b which
its bearings in a bracket c, bolted to the casting A of the press.
This presser is
rounded at its end, and it is enclosed in a cup shaped cap d which is secured to
the bracket c, by tie rods e. e. An opening is made in the side of the cap piece
for the admission of the softened strip of leather, the chamfered edge of which is,
as the leather is presented to the tool, nearest the axis of the tool.
On rotary

page_text: motion being imparted to the tool, it will (having taken a bite of the leather) draw
in the strip, pass it round the cap, and discharge it through the opening by which
it was admitted, but in a curled form, somewhat similar to that represented at
fig: 6. To ensure a proper bite of the leather, the tie rods e, e have play allowed
them in the bracket c, and coiled springs ff. are placed between their heads and
the bracket. Thus the cap d, will bear elastically upon the strips submitted to the
tool and thereby ensure a proper pressure on the leather as it is being drawn
round in the cap to prepare it for the shaping operation to which it is to be
subjected. The spindle b. is driven through a spur pinion, which it carries, taking
into a spur wheel C³. on the cam shaft C of the press, but if desired, the tool may
be actuated by fitting the spindle with a winch handle.
The next operation is to mould the prepared lengths into welts of a shape
corresponding to the form of the in-sole to which the welt is to be attached, and
by means of pressure, to give them a permanent set. For this purpose I employ a
die constructed as shewn in Sheet I Fig: 7 being a plan view of the die open,
This
Fig: 8 a longitudinal section, and Fig: 9 a transverse section of the same.
die consists of a hinged clamp A to the lower half of which is fitted a frame B
shewn detached at Fig: 10. This frame forms a recess for the purpose of receiving
a metal core or mould C, around which the prepared leather D is laid to obtain the
desired set. Over the leather is placed a counterpart E to the mould or core, and
the whole is then held in place by turning over the upper half of the hinged
clamp A and securing it by a thumbscrew. On the face of this counterpart E
I form a rib or ribs, V shaped in cross section, and taking the curve of the welt.
The object of the rib or ribs is to indent in the leather a groove or grooves in the
line or lines which the sewing for attaching the welt to the insole and upper is
intended to take.-Pressure is now to be applied to this mould, which may be
done either by means of screws a. a. passing through the upper half of the clamp
and bearing upon the back of the plate E, or the whole may be placed in a press
and retained therein until the moulded leather has become set.
The die may if desired be made to receive two or more strips the same being
separated from each other by a plate of suitable form as indicated in the sectional
view Fig: 11, which represents the upper and lower portions of the die as
furnished with the V projections. Similarly if interposing plates of suitable shape
are used a series of welts may be moulded at the same time.
On pressure being applied to this die, the several welts contained therein will be
moulded and set to the required shape simultaneously. From the foregoing
description it will be understood that not only is there an economy in the leather
used and in the labour required in forming welts, according to my invention, but
great facility is also afforded to the workman in making up the goods; the set
form of the indented welt being itself a guide for the workman in sewing the parts
together. Moreover, in chamfering the inner edge of the welt by splitting the
strip as above indicated the space required to be filled up between the inner and
outer sole is minimised greatly to the advantage of the Boot.
In order to provide an elastic waist for the Boot or Shoe I subject the shank of
the outer sole to pressure in dies and I thus form it with a "fish back" hollow
ridge, taking care not to harden the edges of the shank by pressure.
This mode of treating the shank is illustrated in Sheet I where Fig: 12 is a plan
of the Boot sole; Fig: 13 an edge view, and Fig 14 a cross section of the same
taken at the line 1. 2 of Fig: 12. The dies by which this work is accomplished
are shewn in side view at H, I, Figures 15, and in cross section at Figures 16
and 17, the former being taken in the line 3. 4 and the latter in the line 5. 6 of
Figure 15. The width of these dies is so proportioned with regard to the width
of the sole, that when brought into contact therewith, a margin of the sole will be
left untouched by the dies. Thus, although the sole is subjected to great pressure
to produce the raised form required, and is consequently condensed and hardened,
the part untouched by the dies will retain its natural character, and offer no undue
resistance to the penetration of the sewing needle. On applying a sole in a soft

page_text: "
state to pressure between the dies H I, the fish-back" ridge, which is deemed
essential to a fashionable boot, will be readily produced. This effect has however
hitherto been obtained only by the laborious process of hammering.
For imparting pressure to the two kinds of moulding dies above described
I prefer to use a double press, the two plungers of which will consist each of a
vertically sliding rod that is brought down upon the top die by means of a snail
cam mounted in the upper part of the frame of the press, and actuated by spur
gear from a hand wheel.
This arrangement of press is shewn in Sheet III where Fig: 18 is a front view
and Fig: 19 an end view of the same partly in section. This press may be
described as consisting of three standards A rising from a bed plate A¹ and cast
with bracket projections A². A³, which form guides for a pair of vertical plungers B
and B. The weight of these plungers is carried by coiled springs B2 situate
between the brackets A². A³. The standards are fitted at their upper ends with
bearings for receiving a divided horizontal shaft C, to which are keyed cams D. D¹.
situate respectively immediately above the plungers B. B¹. and serving to depress
the plungers against the upward pressure of the springs B-On the outer ends of
the divided shaft C, spur wheels Care keyed, into which gear pinions C2 formed
on the boss of hand wheels C³ mounted loosely on stud axles C, projecting from
the sides of the standard A. Fitted to the lower end of the plungers is a pressure
plate or, a die, as the case may be, and opposite the die of the plunger is a counter
die carried by a table E, which is supported by the bed plate, and adjustable
vertically thereon. The two tables E are each furnished with a threaded stem or
screw which enters a threaded nut El bolted to the base plate, and by turning the
tables in either direction they will be raised or lowered to suit the work in hand.
Thus when increased pressure is to be applied to the die or dies the table is raised,
preparatory to the depression of the plunger and the unvarying amount of
depression which the cain can impart to the plunger will thereby be made equal to
the duty required of it.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
manufacture of certain parts of Boots and Shoes and in the apparatus to be
employed in such manufacture" and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect I wish it to be understood that I claim :-
First The manufacture of bevilled moulded welts as and for the purpose
above set forth.
Secondly: The construction of dies or moulds as above described for shaping
welts and indenting thereon the lines of the course of the stitching they are to
receive.
Thirdly Shaping the shank of boot and shoe soles by pressure in dies in the
manner and for the purpose above set forth.
Fourthly: The arrangement of press above described with reference to Sheet III
of the drawings for imparting pressure to the dies employed for moulding my
improved welt and the shank of boot and shoe soles.
In witness whereof, I the said John Keats have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the twenty fourth day of October in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
JUHN KEATS (L.S.)