AN IMPROVED MODE OF UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1865

page_text: Omice, No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF
UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE
OF BOOTS AND SHOES."-A communication from abroad by John Chipman
Hoadley, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltino at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
October 1865.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office, No. 8, South--
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE
OF UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE MANUFACTURE
OF BOOTS AND SHOES," a communication, to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to uniting pieces of leather in the manufacture of
boots and shoes, and other articles by means of pegs of thread or other similarly
flexible material, an artificial stiffness or hardness being temporarily given to
the said pegs to render them sufficiently rigid to be forced into suitable boles
formed in the pieces of leather to be united. These pegs afterwards regain to

page_text: a great extent the original flexibility of the material of which they are formed,
thereby preventing the stiffness imparted to the united pieces of leather, more
especially to the soles of boots and shoes, by the use of permanently rigid pegs
or nails.
Thread has heretofore been employed for uniting the soles to the
uppers of boots and shoes by sewing or stitching. The continuity of the thread
is substantially preserved throughout the seam, and upon this continuity the
durability of the work chiefly depends. By use, however, the sewn thread is
soon worn away from the under surface of the sole, and the continuity of the
seam is thus destroyed. The separate portions of the boot and shoe are then
only held together by sections of the thread, which, sections form a series of
thread staples, whose prongs are united at their upper ends, the points of the
said prongs extending downward through the soles. The thread in this case
holds simply by the species of heading or rivetting which occurs to the points
of the thread staples, caused by the pressure thereon when the boot is worn,
and (when the stitching has been well performed) by the binding of the
thread in the holes through which it. is drawn. This binding only
takes place when a proper proportion exists between the thread and boles,
which can be attained by hand sewing or stitching with difficulty, as severe
labour is required in drawing a thread sufficiently large to completely fill the
hole in the leather. In machine sewing it is obviously impossible to observe
this proportion, from the fact of the needle and thread at the time of
stitching having to pass through the holes together, the thread alone being
left therein to fill the space made for the passage of both needle and thread.
While the thread forming the seam remains unbroken it is a cause of great
stiffness to the sole, for the latter cannot bend in either direction without
stretching the thread to a certain extent on one side of the sole. When the
continuity of the seam has been destroyed the bending of the sole tends to
draw the thread staples from their holes, and where the thread does not fit
the said holes the different layers forming the sole slide upon each other and
thereby divide the thread between the said layers. Pegs made of thread or other
similarly flexible material are free from all of the above-described objections,
and afford a means whereby the separate portions of boots, shoes, and other
articles of leather can be closely, firmly, and durably united. The thread of
which the said pegs are formed is first saturated with a solution of glue or
other similar substance (by preference soluble in water) capable of imparting
the required degree of stiffness to the same. The superfluous portions of
this solution are then removed by drawing the thread through suitable holes
formed in a plate of metal or other suitable material in a manner somewhat
resembling the process of drawing wire. This drawing process and the con-

page_text: traction of the solution in drying reduces the thread to its smallest diameter.
The thread is more advantageously dried while under tension. When this is
properly done the thread is wound upon a reel and can then be cut into pegs
of any required length. This can be done either by hand or by an ordinary
pegging machine. A tube is provided of suitable diameter and length, into
which the pegs are left when cut off. A punch or driver is inserted into one
end of this tube, the other end of the said tube being placed over the hole
in the sole or other portion into which it is desired to insert the peg. Pressure
is then applied to the said punch or driver, which forces the peg into its hole.
The tube being of the same diameter as the pegs will guide them and prevent
their bending. The holes in the leather are by preference made somewhat
smaller than the pegs to be inserted therein, which causes the said pegs to fit
the holes tightly. The pegs being contracted to their smallest possible
diameter any change that afterwards takes place therein when they are pro-
perly proportioned to their holes will be an enlargement. This will insure
the closeness and durability of the work, and as the said pegs soon regain
their original flexibility, the portions of the boot or other article united thereby
will be found entirely free from the rigidity attendant upon the use of wooden
pegs, nails, or ordinary stitching or sewing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of "the International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Haseltine, my 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MODE OF UNITING PIECES OF LEATHER, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO
THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and causo the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
forming a part of this Specification:-
The said Invention relates to uniting pieces of leather in the manufacture
of boots, shoes, and other articles by means of pegs formed of thread or other
similarly flexible material, an artificial stiffness or hardness being temporarily
given to the said pegs to render them sufficiently rigid to bear forcing into
suitable holes formed in the pieces of leather to be united. These pegs after-
wards regain to a great extent the original flexibility of the material of which
they are formed, thereby preventing the stiffness imparted by the use of per-
manently rigid pegs or nails to the united pieces of leather, and more especially
to the soles of boots and shoes. Thread has heretofore been applied to the
purpose of uniting the soles to the uppers of boots and shoes by sewing or
stitching them together. When the thread is so employed its continuity is
substantially preserved throughout the seam, and upon this continuity the
durability of the work chiefly depends. By use, however, the sewn thread is
soon worn away from the under surface of the sole, the continuity of the seam
being thereby destroyed. The sole and other portions of the boot or shoe are
then only held together by sections or short pieces of the thread, which sec-
tions form a series of staples whose prongs are united at their upper ends, the
points of the said prongs extending downward through the soles. The thread
in this case holds the work together partly by the species of heading or
rivetting which occurs to the points of the thread staples from the pressure
thereon when the boot is worn. When the stitching has been well performed
the thread also holds partly by binding in the holes through which it is drawn.
This binding can only take place when a proper proportion exists between the
threads and holes. In hand sewing, if great care is observed, this proportion
between the thread and holes may be obtained, but the work is performed

page_text: slowly and with great difficulty on account of the severe labour required in
drawing through the holes in the leather a thread large enough to fill them.
-In machine sewing it is obviously impossible to observe this proportion from the
fact of both needle and thread at the time of stitching having to pass through
the hole together, the thread alone being left to fill the space made for the
passage of both needle and thread. While the thread forming the seam
remains unbroken it is a cause of great stiffness to the sole, for the latter
cannot bend in either direction without stretching the thread to a certain
extent. When the continuity of the seam has been destroyed the binding of
the sole tends to draw the thread staples from their holes, and where the
thread does not fit the said holes it allows the different layers forming the sole
to slide one upon the other, and thereby divide or cut the thread in two
between the said layers. Pegs made of thread or other similarly flexible
material are free from all of the above-described objections, and afford the
means whereby the separate portions of boots, shoes, and other articles of
leather can be closely, firmly, and durably united. The thread of which the
said pegs are formed before being waxed is by preference first saturated with
a solution of glue or other similar substance, which though soluble in water
is capable of imparting temporarily the required degree of stiffness to the pegs.
The superfluous portions of this solution are removed by drawing the thread
through suitable holes, formed in a plate of metal or other hard substance in
a manner somewhat resembling the process of drawing wire. By this drawing
process and by the contraction of the solution in drying the thread is reduced
to its smallest diameter, the drying being more advantageously effected while
the thread is under tension. When properly dried the thread is wound upon a
reel, and may be cut into pegs of any required length. If preferred wax alone
may be employed to stiffen the thread, the stiffness of the wax being varied to
suit different degrees of temperature and different diameters and lengths of the
pegs, or the pegs may be produced by first forming a broad band or sheet of
fibrous particles saturated with the solution above described or other suitable
cement, and then cut into pegs of the required length. The pegs formed in
this manner are square in section, and if desired may be bevelled or tapered
towards each extremity. These pegs may be inserted either by hand or by an
ordinary pegging machine. In either case a tube of suitable diameter and
length is provided, into which the cut-off portions of the thread are received.
A punch or driver is inserted into one end of this tube, the other end of the
said tube being placed over the hole in the sole or other portion of leather
into which it is desired to insert the peg. Pressure is then applied to the said
punch or driver, by which the peg is forced into its hole. The bore of the

page_text: .
shews how the thread pegs may be employed in making turns. The vamp
is shewn inside out, its proper position when turned and finished being
indicated by the dotted lines. The thread pegs D are shewn on one side of
the sole E inserted in an inclined direction, and not passing through the said
sole. On the other side the pegs D are shewn, driven through the vamp into
the sole E. The awl or piercing tool represented in Figure 7 is preferably
of a round sectional form with a round or piercing point, so as to displace the
leather by punching instead of by cutting it. The said awl is also taper in
its length, so that the holes formed thereby will permit the pegs D to enter
easily. The said pegs will enlarge as they are forced inward, and fill the holes,
which are also partially filled by the wax pressed from the front end of the
peg. If the square pegs are used the awl. must be of the same sectional
form. When the thread pegs are inserted by hand the portions of leather
to be united are by preference placed in such clamps as will bring the
said portions closely and solidly into contact. Holes may be formed at
uniform distances in suitable portions of the said clamps to. correspond with
the positions in the leather into which the pegs are to be inserted. An awl
and driver operated by hand may be employed in connection with these per-
forated clamps, or an apparatus may be used to form the holes in the leather
and to drive the pegs therein. Either with or without a clamp a peg tube is
advantageously employed. It may consist of a small piece of metal provided
with one or more holes for the reception of the thread, a gauge being also
provided to regulate the distance of the holes from the edge of the sole or
other piece of leather. The said holes may either be first formed and the peg
tube then placed over them, or they may be formed by driving the awl through
the said peg tube. The pegs may then be driven into the said holes by means
of the driver and peg tube, or if the thread has been properly prepared they
may be driven in by a simple hand hammer without the aid of a peg tube.
In the manufacture of boots or shoes the work is performed generally in the
manner of ordinary pegging or nailing upon a last, a groove or channel being
formed on the surface of the said last in the line of the pegs to prevent their
ends entering the last and obstructing its removal from the boot or shoe. The
projecting ends of the thread pegs may then be removed by cutting or rasping.
This will somewhat enlarge the pegs at their inner ends and so increase their
holding power.
Having thus fully described my Invention, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it understood
that I do not confine myself to any particular method or system of applying
the
pegs; but I claim,

page_text: First, uniting pieces of leather in the manufacture of boots, shoes, and other
articles by pegs of thread or other similar flexible material.
Second, imparting a temporary artificial rigidity to the said pegs for the
purpose and substantially in the manner set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.B.)
Witness,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE,
"International Patent Office,"
8, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.