IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING THE SOLES AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IMPROVED APPARATUS IN CON- NECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Seiferheld, of Albion Works, Lansdowne
Road, Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING THE SOLES
AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IMPROVED APPARATUS IN CON-
NECTION THEREWITH."-A communication from abroad by Adolphe
Deregnaucourt, of Paris, France.
Scaled the 8th July 1873, and dated the 10th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Seiferheld at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th January 1873.
I, ALBERT SEIFERHELD, of Albion Works, Lansdowne Road, Hackney,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING
THE SOLES AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IMPROVED APPARATUS IN CON-
NECTION THEREWITH," a communication to me from abroad by Adolphe
Deregnaucourt, of Paris, France, to be as follows:-

page_text: the lever i, can be moved to and fro for the purpose of giving a pre-
paratory bend to the sole to hold it firmly, and to facilitate its removal;
this to-and-fro movement of the guides g' may be dispensed with if
desired.
B (Figs. 2 and 3) is the die for blocking soles. It corresponds in
shape with the mould A, into which it is guided by the guides 9 and g¹,
passing in the slots l.
The leather for forming the sole being placed in the mould A, on the
plate a, the die B is brought down upon it by the press, and it receives
at a single stroke the exact form and ornamentation given to the plate a.
C (Figs. 7 and 8) indicates the mould for blocking liccls; D, dic or
mandrel for same.
The mould C has a hole m of the oxact shape to be given to the heel,
and a movable bottom n for the purpose of permitting the removal of
the heel after it has been blocked; or the bottom may be fixed and
perforated for the passage of a lever o to throw out the heel when com-
pressed.
The heel will be made as follows:-The "lifts" are cut out and super-
posed in the mould C together with any suitable agglomerating material,
the mandrel D is brought upon them by the press, and the heel is
blocked. When the mandrel is removed the movable bottom and the
heel may be driven out from the under side by a mallet, or if the bottom
is fixed the heel is driven out by the lever o.
I prefer to use the knife shown, Fig. 9, for cutting the "lifts," this
knife having the cutting edge p outside instead of inside, as in ordinary
knives for this purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Albert Seiferheld in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALBERT
SELFERHELD, of Albion Works, Lansdowne Road, Hackney, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Albert Seiferheld, Her special licence
that I, the said Albert Seiferheld, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Albert Seiferheld, my exccutors,
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 and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR BLOCKING THE SOLES AND HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IM-
PROVED APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," a communication to me from
abroad by Adolphe Deregnaucourt, of Paris, France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Albert Seiferheld, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause 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 Albert Sciferheld, 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 two
Sheets of Drawing, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon

page_text: Thirdly. In an improved construction of knife for cutting the lifts.
Fig. 1 (Sheet I.) represents a plan view of a machine or appara-
tus embodying that part of this Invention relating to the blocking
of a sole of the form shown, Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the upper part (Fig. 3)
being removed, Fig. 1* being a transverse section of same machine
at A, B, Fig. 1; Fig. 2, a side elevation of same partly in section; Fig. 3,
a top plan view of the die; Fig. 4, plan of sole blocked and perforated;
Fig. 5, a side view of same; and Fig. 6, a transverse section thereof.
A indicates the mould for blocking the sole; its upper part has the
precise shape to be given to the sole (see also plan and section, Figs. 1*
and 2). a is a plate of brass or other suitable metal of say about 3/16" of an
inch in thickness, which is laid in the mould corresponding exactly with
the upper part thereof. This plate has for object to prevent the soles
from getting dirty, as would be the case if they were brought in direct
contact with the iron; also to facilitate the application of the fillets e,
used to form the grooved ornamentation in the sole, and which may be
of any shape; and, further, to permit the application of the steel points f
for preparing holes for pegs; 9 are guides for guiding the solo into its
proper place on the plate a, and also for guiding the die thereupon under
the stroke of the press; g¹ arc movable guides which, by means of the
shaft, carrying the eccentric rollers k, and operated by the lever i, can
be moved to and fro, for the purpose of giving a preparatory bend to the
sole to hold it firmly, and to facilitato its removal. The to-and-fro
movement of those guides ' may be dispensed with if desired.
B is the dic for blocking the sole; it corresponds in shape with the
mould A, into which it is guided by the guides 7 and 9' passing in the
slots 2.
The operation is as follows:-The leather for forming the sole being
first cut out in the ordinary manner is damped, and then placed in the
mould A on the plate a; the die B is brought down upon it by the press,
and it thus receives at a single stroke the exact form and ornamentation
given to the plate a. The die B having been raised again, the lever i is
brought down, causing the guides g' to retire from the mould, and the
finished sole is lifted from the plate a by the aid of any instrument
passed between it and the plate a. It will be evident that when the sole
is not to be ornamented or perforated these guides g¹ might be fixed and
the sole be taken off of the plane plate a from the top or end of the
mould.

page_text: Figures 10 to 15 inclusive (oncet 11.) iustrate a modification of the
above, for the purpose of making entire sole and heel in one piece, and
at one stroke of the press; Fig. 10 being a plan of bottom block or die;
Fig. 10, plan and end view of metal plate for strengthening heel;
Fig. 11 is an clevation or side view of a pair of blocks or dies, with
leather shown in mould; Fig. 12 is a plan of leather blank, as cut ready
for the dies; and Fig. 13, a side view of same after leaving dies.
A; bottom mould or die, shaped so as to give the requisite form to the
leather, and in which fits the top die B; A* part of die A. for shaping
heel; a, metal plate interposed between leather and bottom of A to keep
the soles clean, and which may be a plane surface, or be furnished with
pins for preparing holes for pegging or nailing, and with fillets for
producing any shape of ornamentation at the same time that the shaping
and blocking is effected; C, metal plate for strengthening heel; D, D,
openings in bottom mould A, to receive ends c of heel plate C when
forced through the leather e; f, part of leather blank, which when
operated upon in the dies forms vertical part of heel; g,.movable bottom,
which facilitates the clearing of the leather out of the dic after the
blocking by the aid of a lover or any convenient means; ½, groove on dio
B for driving in heel plate O.
The operation is as follows:-The leather is cut out in the ordinary
manner, but with the heel part enlarged, as at f, in proportion to the
height of heel required. The leather thus cut out is damped, and thus
rendered clastic; it is then placed in the mould A on the plate a; the
dic B is then brought upon it by a powerful press, and the leather takes
the exact shape of the lower die, that is to say, the hind part of the sole
is driven down into A*, and blocked into shape of heel, the other part of
the sole being at same time blocked to shape with "shank" and orna-
mentation and perforations as may be desired. If the boot or shoe is to
'bo sewn the plate a will necessarily be without pins. The die B is then
raised, and if it is desired to strengthen the heel with metal the plate C
is bent and placed on the leather, the ends c downwards, as at Fig. 11;
the die B is then again brought down by the press, and its groove /
coming on to C drives the ends c through the leather into the openings D,
and flush with the bottom surface of the heel. The die B is then raised,
and the leather cleared by pressure under the movable bottom y. The
hollow of the heel, indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 13, may be filled

page_text: up with any cheap and suitable material, composition, leather, or gutta
percha for example.
The above-described method of manufacturing soles gives great saving
of labour and nicety of make, the "shank," ornamentation, and holes for
pegging being obtained in the most regular and symmetrical manner,
and the manufacture of the sole and heel in one piece, as set forth, not
only affords great saving in labour and material, but renders the striking
of the heel from the sole impossible, an important advantage, particularly
in military boots, owing to the difficulty of replacing a heel when cam-
paigning.
Fig. 7 (Sheet I.) is a sectional elevation of a mould for blocking heels
only; Fig. 7*, is a plan view of same; and Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation'
of die or mandril for blocking heels.
O indicates the mould for blocking heels; D, die or mandril for same.
The mould C has a hole m of the exact shape to be given to the heel,
and a moveable bottom n for the purpose of permitting the removal of
the heel after it has been blocked. Or the bottom may be fixed and
perforated for the passage of a lever o to throw out the heel when com-
pressed.
The heel is made as follows:-The "lifts" are cut out by the special
knife herein-after described, or in any convenient manner, and superposed
in the mould C, glue or any suitable agglomerating material being placed
between them; the mandril D is then brought upon them by the press,
and the heel is blocked. The mandril is then raised, and the heel driven
out from the under side by the lever o, if the bottom n is fixed, or by a
mallet if the bottom is movable, or in any convenient manner. This
method of making heels by the compression of the "lifts" in a mould is
executed much more rapidly and therefore more economically than by
the ordinary method.
Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a knife for cutting the "lifts," in
which the cutting edge p is outside instead of inside as in ordinary knives
for this purpose, the advantage being that the edge of the "lift" receives
an inclined instead of a straight cut.
It will be understood that although, as I have above stated, a single
stroke of the press is in most cases sufficient to produce the sole or sole
and liccl, or heel only, it may be necessary in some cases to repeat the

page_text: stroke, and I therefore do not limit myself to any particular number of
strokes of the press.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention
communicated to me as aforesaid, and in what manner the same is or
may be performed, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself 5
to the precise details hercin-before set forth, as such may be varied while
retaining the essential features of this Invention, nor do I confine myself
to the use of any particular metal or material in the manufacture of the
apparatus, or of the sole, or sole and heel, or heel, and that what I claim
as secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,- 1
Firstly. The use of machinery or apparatus for blocking soles, when
combined and operated, substantially as hercin-before described, and
illustrated, Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, Sheet I. of the accompanying Sheets
of Drawings.
Secondly. The use of machinery or apparatus for blocking soles and 1
heels in one piece when combined and operated, substantially as herein-
before set forth and illustrated, Figures 10 to 13 inclusive, Sheet II. of
the accompanying Sheets of Drawing.
Thirdly. The use of machinery or apparatus for blocking heels only
when combined and operated substantially as herein before set forth, and 2
illustrated, Figures 7, 7*, and 8, Sheet I. of the accompanying Sheets of
Drawing.
Fourthly. The use of a knife for cutting the "lifts," having its cutting
edge outside, as herein before described and shown, Fig. 9, Sheet I. of
the accompanying Sheets of Drawing.
In' witness whereof, I, the said Albert Sciferheld, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.