IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BURNISHING THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineers, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
BURNISHING THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from
abroad by Benjamin Frankin Larrabee, of Boston, State of Massachusetts,
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th December 1880.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineers. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BURNISHING THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
A communication from abroad by Benjamin Frankin Larrabee, of Boston, State
of Massachusetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements upon any machines for burnishing the
heels of boots and shoes, but is peculiarly applicable to a certain machine for which
Letters Patent, No. 762, of the year 1871 were issued to Vivian Kimball Spear, of
Lynn, U.S.A., said machine being the one at present mostly used by the shoe
manufacturers of Great Britain.
The first improvement relates to an equalizing pressure head; the second
improvement to a swivelling tool block; the third improvement to a swivelling
burnishing tool; the fourth improvement to a tilting and adjustable jack.
1. Equality of pressure upon the heel is obtained by attaching to the rocker
shaft (which gives motion to the tool) a modified burnisher carrier and swing
block, the latter being reduced in size and having attached to its base the rear end
of a leaf spring. The front and free end of this spring plays on the upper surface
of a roller working on a pin in a slot in that portion of the burnisher carrier which
depends below the rocker shaft. Whenever the tool is raised by the greater
diameter of any portion of a heel which is being operated upon the burnisher
carrier is raised, the spring compressed, and its tension thereby increased; but at
the same time the roller travelling on the circumference of the circle, whose centre
E

page_text: is at the hinge of the burnisher-carrier, moves upward and forward towards the free
end of the leaf spring, which has a peculiar slope or curve, the action of which
results as the roller travels towards the end in decreasing its leverage in a ratio
proportionate to the increase of tension.
2. I arrange the burnisher carrier with a horn at its outer end. Upon this horn
I swivel a tool block carrying the burnishing tool. This block is centred by a
spring in such manner that when not forced out of place by the surface of the heel
it will retain its normal position; but as in certain classes of work this swivel is
not an essential feature, I have added a set screw so that the swivelling action may
be arrested if desired.
3. I construct the tool of a peculiar shape and pivot it into the swivelling tool
block on a screw or pin inserted in the block, and running through a hole in the
tool at a point not far from its nose and front face. The peculiar construction and
profile of the tool not only enables it to work into the reentering curve of the most
extreme heel, but the more or less flattened surfaces of the front part of the tool
enables it to rise open the back of a heel when such rise is very steep.
4. I have arranged a joint at the toe of the jack at the upper end of the jack
post, and have added proper stop screws in such manner that as the heel is being
advanced under the action of the tool, the jack post will strike the stop as
previously adjusted by the operator, and by the further previous adjustment of
stop screw a suitable inclination will have been given to the jack.
By this improvement it will be seen that the jack can thus be made to present
the seat of the heel to the stroke of the tool in such a position as that the stroke
will be parallel to the heel seat over its entire curve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th June 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
"IMPROVE-
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer.
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BURNISHING THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
A communication from abroad by Benjamin Franklin Larrabee, of Boston, State
of Massachusetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements upon any machines for burnishing the
heels of boots and shoes, but is peculiarly applicable to a certain machine for
which Letters Patent, No. 762, of the year 1871, were issued to Vivian Kimball
Spear, of Lynn, U.S.A., said machine being the one at present mostly used by the
shoe manufactures of Great Britain.
The first improvement relates to an equalizing pressure head; the second
improvement to a swivelling tool block; the third improvement to a swivelling
burnishing tool; the fourth improvement to a tilting and adjustable jack.
1. Equality of pressure upon the heel is obtained by attaching to the rocker
shaft (which gives motion to the tool) a modified burnisher carrier and swing
block, the latter being reduced in size and having attached to its base the rear end
of a leafspring. The front and free end of this spring plays on the upper surface of
a roller working on a pin in a slot in that portion of the burnisher carrier which
depends below the rocker shaft. Whenever the tool is raised by the greater
diameter of any portion of a heel which is being operated upon the burnisher carrier
is raised, the spring compressed, and its tension thereby increased; but at the same
time the roller travelling on the circumference of the circle, whose centre is at the
hinge of the burnisher carrier, moves upward and forward towards the free end of
the leafspring, which has a peculiar slope or curve, the action of which results as
the roller travels toward the end in decreasing its leverage in a ratio proportionate
to the increase of tension.
2. I arrange the burnisher carrier with a horn at its outer end. Upon this horn
I swivel a tool block carrying the burnishing tool. This block is centred by a
spring in such manner that when not forced out of place by the surface of the heel
it will retain its normal position; but as in certain classes of work this swivel is
not an essential feature, I have added a set screw so that the swivelling action may
be arrested if desired.
3. I construct the tool of a peculiar shape and pivot it into the swivelling tool
block on a screw or pin inserted in the block and running through a hole in the
tool at a point not far from its nose and front face. The peculiar construction and
profile of this tool not only enables it to work into the reentering curve of the
most extreme heel, but the more or less flattened surface of the front part of the
tool enables it to rise upon the back of a heel when such rise is very steep.
4. I have arranged a joint at the toe of the jack at the upper end of the jack
post, and have added proper stop screws in such manner that as the heel is being
advanced under the action of the tool the jack post will strike the stop as previously
adjusted by the operator and by the further previous adjustment of stop screw a
suitable inclination will have been given to the jack.
By this improvement it will be seen that the jack can thus be made to present
the seat of the heel to the stroke of the tool in such a position as that the stroke
will be parallel to the heel seat over its entire curve.

page_text: in the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation and part
section of the spear machine with my improvement added.
Figure 2 is a section of my equalizing pressure head.
Figure 3 is a cross section or line x, x, of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a cross section or line y, y, of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a front view of my burnishing tool resting on a section of a heel
showing the concave tool extending beyond the breast of the heel.
Figure 6 shows the position of my burnishing tool in its block when resting upon
the back of a curved heel. In the spear patent the pressure of the tool upon the
heel is secured by a leafspring, the rear end of which is attached to the swing block
on the rocker shaft, the free end playing upon the upper and forward part of the
burnisher carrier, which is likewise hinged to said swing block. This arrangement
of devices operates in such a manner that when the tool is elevated as the larger
portions of the heel come under its action the spring is compressed so as materially
to increase its tension, and at the same time the free end of the leafspring slides
forward upon the burnisher carrier so as to materially increase its leverage, the
joint action of the two resulting in multiplying the pressure of the tool upon the
heel at its thickest parts to the great detriment of the work. This trouble it has
since been attempted to modify by a foot lever, not shown in the spear patent but
introduced in my Drawings, marked "A," by which the operator can raise or lower
the jack while the heel is being acted upon by the tool. This foot lever enables the
operator to vary the length of the stroke of tool, as he raises and depresses it
through the medium of the lever, jack, and heel, and is valuable for that purpose;
but it is not a sufficiently sensitive device to secure anything like uniform pressure
of the tool upon a heel whose proportions vary to any extent. And no heels have
a uniform or semi-circular shape, moreover, in the universally worn heels of the
day, whose contour presents such extremes of size; and indeed in any heel it is
essential to the practical usefulness of the machines that absolute mechanical
equality of pressure upon each and every part of the heel be secured.
This equality of pressure the improvement secures in the following manner :-I
attach to the rocker shaft B a modified burnisher carrier C and swing block D, the
latter being reduced in size; and to it I attach below the rocker shaft B the rear
end of the leaf spring E. The forward and free end of this leaf spring plays upon
the upper surface of a roller working on a pin in a slot in that portion F of the
burnisher carrier C which depends below the rocker shaft. It will be observed
that whenever the tool is raised by the greater diameter of any portion of a heel
which is being operated upon the burnisher carrier C is raised, the spring E
compressed, and its tension thereby increased. But at the same time the roller f
travelling on the circumference of the circle whose centre is at the hinge of the
burnisher carrier o moves upward and forward towards the free end of the leaf
spring E, to which has a peculiar slope or curve shown in Figures 1 and 2, the action
of which results as the roller travels toward the end in decreasing its leverage in a
ratio proportionate to the increase of tension. I arrange the burnisher carrier C
with a horn G at its outer end. Upon this horn I swivel a tool block H, as shown
in Figure 2, carrying the burnishing tool I. This block H is centred by a spring
in such manner that when not forced out of place by the surface of the heel it
will retain its normal position. The swivelling of the tool, block accomplishes two
purposes, first, it allows the tool to accommodate itself to the surface of the heel
operated upon (see Figure 5) so as to present its face constantly at right angles to the
radius of the heel, and to enable a concave surface to be employed on the tool; and,
second, it enables me to give a broader face to the tool, which results not only in
speedier and better burnishing, but also allows part of the face of the tool to be
carried beyond the edge of the breast of the heel at each stroke (see Figure 5), thus
giving a sharp and unbroken burnish to this edge, which in the spear machine is
apt to be either damaged or left unburnished. But as in certain classes of work
this swivel is not an essential feature, I have added a set screw 9, Figure 1, so that
the swivel action may be arrested if desired. I construct the tool I of a peculiar
'

page_text: shape, shown plainly in Figure 6, and pivot it into the swivelling tool block H on a
screw or pin inserted in the block and running through a hole in the tool at a
point not far from its nose and front face. The peculiar construction and profile of
this tool not only enables it to work into the re-entering curve of the most extreme
heel, but the more or less flattened surface of the front part of the tool enables it
to rise upon the back of a heel when such rise is very steep.
I have arranged a joint at the toe of the jack K at the upper end of the jack-
post L, and have added proper stop screws k, k, in such manner that as the heel is
being advanced under the action of the tool the jack-post L will strike the stop 1,
as previously adjusted by the operator, and by the further previous adjustment to
stop-screw a suitable inclination will have been given to the jack.
post L, and have added proper stop screws k, k, in such manner that as the heel is
being advanced under the action of the tool the jack-post L will strike the stop l,
as previously adjusted by the operator, and by the further previous adjustment to
stop-screw a suitable inclination will have been given to the jack.
CLAIMS.
1. In a machine for burnishing the edges of the heels of boots or shoes, a
mechanism for equalizing the pressure of the tool upon the various curves and
slopes of the heel, substantially as described.
2. In a machine for burnishing the edges of the heels of boots or shoes I claim a
tool block swivelled upon the burnisher carrier, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. In a machine for burnishing the edges of the heels of boots or shoes I claim a
tool pivoted into a tool block and having substantially the form described for the
purposes set forth.
4. In a machine for burnishing the edges of the heels of boots or shoes I claim a
jack with a joint so placed and arranged as to allow the heel held therein to be
presented to the action of the tool at any angle desired by the operator or necessary
to the work, substantially as described.
5. In a machine for burnishing the edges of the heels of boots or shoes I claim
the arrangement of stop-screws in a jack with a tipping joint so placed as to enable
the operator to adjust the amount of inclination which the jack will take to the
class of work to be operated upon..
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, A.D. 1881.
T
I HADDAN 1201