Heels of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 15th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Dec., 1887
Heels of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES SMITH LARRABEE, of 8, Untermain Anlage, Frankfurt on the Main, in
the Empire of Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of machines known in the trade as the "Tapley
Heel Burnisher" which are designed to polish the heels of boots and shoes, such as
are used in England and America, that is, the heel is either straight, or slightly
curved, and not too high, but experience has shown that these machines are not
adapted for polishing or burnishing heels that are very high, or very curved, or
underset. My invention is designed to make the machine capable of polishing or
burnishing all kinds of heels of any height or curve, and consists, of giving to the
polishing or burnishing iron an eliptical instead of a circular movement, and of
adjusting automatically the pressure of the polishing iron on the heel whilst at work,
this latter is of importance as the pressure in the old machine at the heel seat is so
heavy as to split the heel if the polishing iron is adjusted to polish the lower part also.
The circular or semi-circular movement in the old machine causes the iron at the
completion of the throw to lay its corner on to the side of the heel, thus scratching and
preventing any fine work being done, whereas by my improvements the eliptical
movement so governs the polishing iron that as the heel is also eliptical it lays its face
to the same all round.
According to my invention the main shaft is mounted as hitherto horizontally
in bearings on the machine stand or framework, and a rotary reciprocating motion is
imparted to it through a gear wheel and segment from any suitable source. On the
shaft is fixed by any convenient means a supporting piece to which is pivoted two
levers, one of which is enlarged and provided with a slot hole for the supporting piece
to pass through it, whilst the second lever is forked at the end where it is pivoted to
the slotted lever and supporting piece, and provided at the opposite end with journals
in which is mounted a rocking shaft carrying the burnishing tool. Attached to the
second lever is also a balance weight which is hollowed to allow for the passage of the

page_text: main shaft through it, as well as for the movement of the herein before mentioned
levers. A spring attached at one end to a projection on the slotted lever and at the
opposite end to the balance weight may be employed for giving the required pressure
to the polishing tool, and the distance between the two levers (for the varying sizes of
heels) may be adjusted by a set screw. On the end of the slotted lever is formed or
attached a pin which engages with and works in a hole or bearing formed in or on an
eccentric strap. The eccentric strap works on a circular projection or boss attached
to or formed on a plate carried in vertical slides on the stand or framing, so as to
work freely up or down when actuated by hand or treadle through a suitable arrange-
ment of levers. Through the plate and boss is a slot hole for the passage of the main
shaft. When the slotted boss on the plate is concentric with the axis of the shaft the
movement of the burnishing tool will be circular; but when the plate and eccentric
boss is moved up or down by the hand lever arrangement, the centre of the slotted
boss will be correspondingly placed above or below that of the shaft, and on any
movement being given to the eccentric strap (from the main shaft through the
supporting piece) such motion will be at once conveyed to the burnishing iron
through pivoted levers and spring, and by continuing to reciprocate the strap round
the boss or disc an eliptical movement will thereby be given to the burnishing iron.
In order to give the burnishing iron a rocking or rubbing motion, similar to that
given to hand tools, simultaneously with the cliptical reciprocating movement,
provide a pin on a cranked portion of the herein before mentioned rocking shaft
which engages with a bent and forked lever pivoted to the upper end of the supporting
piece. The forked end of this lever works in a groove formed or cut in the periphery
of the eccentric boss which is made to project beyond the strap for receiving this
lever. By pivoting this lever to the supporting piece, as the forked end is operated
upon by the surface of the eccentric, a rocking motion is given to the iron through
the upper end of the bent lever, pin, and rocking shaft.
Dated this Eighteenth day of January 1887.
W. FAIRBURN HART,
Agent for the Applicant.
3

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Polishing or Burnishing the
Heels of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES SMITH LARRABEE, of 8, Untermain Anlage, Frankfurt on Main, in the
Empire of Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 that class of machines known in the trade as the "Tapley
Heel Burnisher," which are designed to polish the heels of boots and shoes such as are
used in England and America, that is a heel which is either straight or slightly curved
and not too high, but experience has proved that the Tapley machines as at present
constructed are not adapted for polishing or burnishing heels that are very high, or
very curved, or underset.
This Invention is designed to make the machine capable of polishing or burnishing
all kinds of heels of any height or curve, and consists in providing means for giving
an elliptical instead of a circular movement to the polishing or burnishing iron, and
of automatically adjusting the pressure of the polishing iron on the heel whilst at
work, this is of importance, as the pressure in the machines, as at present constructed,
at the heel seat is so heavy as to split the heel if the polishing iron is adjusted to
polish the lower part also. To circular or semi-circular movement in the old style of
machines causes the iron at the completion of its throw to lay its corner onto the side
of the heel, thus scratching and preventing any fine work being done, whereas by the
use of the herein described improvements the elliptical movement so governs the
polishing iron that as the heel is also elliptical it lays its face to the same all round.
In the drawings hereunto annexed
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of the machine with my improvements applied.
Figs. 2 to 6 are elevations of the mechanism for altering the throw of the polishing
iron as well as raising and depressing it in its relation to the work.
Fig. 7. is a section at c Fig. 1.
Like parts in all the views are marked with the same letters of reference.
A is the main driving shaft of the machine which is mounted, as hitherto,
horizontally in bearings a, a on the stand or framework B. To the shaft a rotary
reciprocating motion imparted from any suitable source through a gear wheel and
segment C.
On the shaft A is fixed by any convenient means such as a key or set screws, a
supporting piece D of the form shown in the drawings at Fig. 1. To the supporting
piece is pivoted or fulcrumed or pinned at C two levers E and F. One of these
levers (E) is enlarged as shown at Fig. 7 and provided with a slot hole e' through which
the supporting piece D passes, whilst the second or outer lever F is forked at the end
where it is pivoted to the slotted lever E and supporting piece.
At the opposite or
unforked end of lever F is provided the bearings e in which is mounted a rocking
shaft I of the form shown at Fig. 1; One end of which carries the polishing tool K

page_text: whilst its other end engages with a bent bifurcated lever Pas hereafter described.
To the lever F is also attached a balance weight G which is made hollow to allow the
main shaft A to pass through it and also to permit of the movement of the berein
before mentioned levers E and F.
The set screw b is provided and is made to pass through lever F for regulating the
distance between the levers E and F, that is, for a large heel the set screw is screwed
more through the lever F thus raising that lever, or for a smaller heel the screw is
more released or withdrawn thus permitting the levers to be closer together and
causing the polishing or burnishing iron to move in a smaller circle or ellipse.
A spring H is provided for giving the required prossure to the polishing iron K, one
end of the spring is attached to the hollow weight G whilst the other end is attached
to the lower end of lever E so that any movement that is given to lever Ę is at
once communicated to lever F. A thumb nut is provided for increasing or
diminishing the tension of the spring. The spring by acting simultaneously on the
levers E and F gives the required pressure to the polishing iron K on the heel, and
as will be observed later on the tension is the same no matter whether the polishing
iron presses on the lower part of the heel at the top lift or at the highor part near the
heel seat.
On or at the upper end of the slotted lever E is formed or attached a projecting
pin which engages with and works in a hole or bearing formed to receive it in or on
an eccentric strap 0. The eccentric strap works on a circular projection or hoss M
attached to or formed on a plate L carried and working in vertical V slides Qattached
or fixed to the stand or framing B. To the plate L may be imparted when required
an up and down motion by a suitable arrangement of levers, such as q, r, s, t, u, from
a hand lever. A slot hole m' is provided in the plate L and boss M through which
the shaft A passes, and which permits of the boss and plate to rise or fall as it is acted
upon by the hand or treadle levers. When the slotted boss M is concentric with the
axis of the shaft A the movement of the burnishing tool K will be circular; but when
the plate I, and boss M are moved up or down by the hand lever arrangement the
centre of the slotted boss will be correspondingly placed above or below that of the
shaft, and on any movement being given to the eccentric strap (from the main shaft
through the supporting piece) such motion will be at once conveyed to the burnishing
iron through levers E and F and spring H. By continuing to reciprocate the
eccentric strap 0 round the boss or disc an elliptical movement will thereby be
given to the burnishing iron.
In order to impart to the burnishing tool K a rocking or rubbing motion (similar
to that given to hand burnishing tools) simultaneously with the elliptical recipro-
cating movement I provide a pin g on the cranked end of shaft I. This pin g
engages with a tongue piece n on the horizontal portion of the bent bifurcated lover P.
The lever Pis pivoted at m to the supporting piece D, and its bifurcated end works
in a groove N formed or cut in the periphery of the eccentric boss M which is made
to project beyond the strap O for the purpose of receiving it. It will readily be
understood that by pivoting the lever P to the supporting piece as described, as the
forked end of the lever is operated upon by the surface of the eccentric boss Ma
rocking motion will be given to the burnishing iron through the horizontal portion
of lever P, tongue n, pin g, and shatt I.
The action of the herein described mechanism is as follows
It by means of the band lever arrangement t, u, 8, 7, 9, the plate L is placed so as
to bring the boss M in relation to the shaft A as shown at Fig. 2. it will be seen
it ceases to act as an eccentric and has no influence on the levers E and F, and
the movement of these levers will be semi-circular. But if the boss M is placed
as in Fig. 3. then it acts as an eccentric, the lever E being depressed at / raises
both levers E and F at their opposite ends, and on any movement being given to
the eccentric strap O from the inain shaft A through the supporting piece D will
cause the polishing iron K to receive a reciprocal elliptical movement as shown in
dotted lines at Fig. 3. Whilst, if the boss M is placed as in Fig. 4. a very small
movement of the burnishing iron could only be obtained. The action of the burnishing

page_text: as shown at
or polishing iron K so far as presenting its face to the heel is concerned is governed
by the lever I which is controlled by the pin or projection which engages with the
eccentric strap 0. When the boss M and strap O are placed in position
Fig. 2. no influence will be made on the levers because all will be parallel (or nearly
so) with the shaft and revolve round the same axis. But when the boss M is placed
as in Fig. 3. the boss M being practically the fulcrum of the lever P-the movement
of the forked end of lever P round the eccentric surface changes the position of the
fulcrum point and thus acts on the lever Pas shown at Figs. 5 and 6 whereby the
shaft which is carried in the bearings ee on lever E is actuated through pin g, and
the face of the polishing iron K presented to the heel during the whole of its elliptical
movement.
The boot or shoe may be held in position and presented to the action of the
burnishing tool in the ordinary manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a heel polishing or burnishing machine, the combination of a variable
eccentric such as M and levers such as E and F, and parts connected therewith for
giving an elliptical movement to the polishing iron K as and for the purposes above
described.
2. In a heel polishing or burnishing machine in combination with a variable
eccentric, the lever E fulcrumed to a supporting piece D carried on the main shaft of
the machine, spring H, thumb nut and screw and weight G attached to or forming
part of a forked fulcrumed lever F for regulating the pressure on the polishing iron K
as and for the purposes above set forth.
3. In a heel polishing or burnishing machine such as herein described, the com-
bination of the bifurcated lever P pivoted to the supporting piece D at m, ping,
shaft I carried in bearings e, e on lever E, said levers P and E being connected
with the variable eccentric M and strap O for imparting an oscillating motion to the
polishing iron K and keeping its face to the heel, substantially as herein described
and illustrated.
4. In a heel polishing or burnishing machine, the combination of the lever
arrangement t, u, s, r, with the variable eccentric M and fulcrumed levers E
and Fas and for the purposes herein set forth.
5. The combination of the various parts forming the heel burnishing or polishing
machine as a whole, constructed and arranged substantially ashorein set forth and
illustrated.
Dated thin Thin
1
C. S. LARRABEE.
By W. Fairburn Hart,
1, East Parade, Leeds,
Agent.