Improvements in the Manufacture of Shoes and other Articles of Enamelled Leather.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Shoes and other Articles of
Enamelled Leather.
1, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18 Southampton Buildings, London W.C.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent (a communication from abroad by
James Cousins, the younger, of 197 Grand Street, in the City, County and
State of New York, United States of America, Shoe Manufacturer), 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:-
In the lasting of patent leather shoes, or shoes having patent leather tips>
particularly those having pointed toes, in the methods of manufacture at present
in use, great difficulty and loss is experienced from the cracking of the enamelled
surface of the patent leather. This cracking occurs principally along the median
line of the tip or shoe near the toe. Out of a dozen pairs of shoes not unfrequently
as many as eight pairs will show these cracks. This necessitates repair before the
shoes are merchantable, which is usually done by sand papering off the enamelled
surface of the patent leather until the cracks are eliminated, applying a coating of
collodion and then applying upon the collodion two or three conts of liquid enamel,
each coat being allowed to dry thoroughly before another is applied. In an output
of five hundred pairs of such shoes a day, the labor of three men will be constantly
required merely to repair these cracks. My invention has been tried on many
hundred pairs of such shoes and obviates this difficulty.
Furthermore in the old process of manufacture of such shoes an excellent and
expensive quality of imported patent leather is required to avoid excessive cracking
of the enainel in lasting. In my process a cheaper domestic article may be used
and will prove almost if not quite as serviceable, while cracking of the enamel will
be avoided.
Briefly described my process consists in cementing a flexible crack-resisting
patch of thin cloth or similar material to the enamelled surface of the leather
over the place where the cracks usually occur, before lasting, which patch is
removed at some stage of the manufacture after the lasting, preferably when the
shoe is finished.
In the drawings forming part of this Specification :-
Fig. 1 represents a pointed toe shoe having a patent leather tip, finished except
that my patch has not been removed.
Fig. 2 represents the vamp of the same shoe before the vamp is put upon the
last, and just after my patch has been applied.
A. represents the vamp of the shoe; B. the patent leather tip; and C. my
patch.
In carrying out my process I preferably use thin linen or cotton cloth for the
patch C. Almost any textile fabric or similar material will do that has little
stretch. Most textile fabrics stretch very little in the direction in which the
threads run, that is lengthwise and crosswise of the fabric; while they stretch
much more easily on the bias. This should be taken into account in cutting the
patch, since it is desirable to have a patch which will stretch as little as possible.
The patch should therefore preferably be cut so that the threads of the cloth, if
of cloth, run lengthwise aud crosswise.

page_text: As the cracking occurs principally along the median line of the toe in Insting
pointed toe shoes, the patch should cover the median line of the toe and reach
over the end of the toe ns far as is practicable, yet not so far as to be fastened
in during the subsequent process of uniting the sole to the upper as is clearly
shown in the drawings. It is not necessary to extend the patch downwards at all
closely toward the line where the sides of the upper join the sole.
This patch C. is cemented to the enamelled surface of the patent leather B.
while the vamp A. is flat and before lasting, as shown in Fig. 2. Usually a
patch one to one and a half inches long, and about an inch wide at the widest and
half an inch at the narrowest part will answer.
Any cement will answer which will stick the patch firmly to the leather aud
keep it there during the process of lasting, provided it is such that the patch
enn he subsequently removed without injury to the axolled surface of the
lenther.
I have used with most satisfaction thin linen or silesin having one surface coatol
with gutta percha tissue, the gutta perehn forming the cement. The patch having
been cut of the desired size and shape, is laid upon the desired place with the
gutta percha surface in contact with the enamel of the patent leather. A warm
iron is then applied to the surface of the cloth which melts the gutta percha and
cements the patch to the leather. The vamp is then laid aside till the gutta percha
sets firmly. The vamp is then lasted in the usual manner. It is better to leave
the patch in position until the shoe is finished. Then by warming the patch
gently over a flame, it can be peeled off without injuring the enamelled surface of
the leather, and the leather enn be easily clenned so that no trace of the patch
remains, by wiping with a rag.
It is best to have the under surface of the pateb smooth or at least without
much grain, let it mark its grain upon and thus somewhat disfigure the enamelled
surface of the leather to which it is applied.
Of course my process is applicable wherever it is required to stretch patent
leather over an approximately sharp edge in process of manufacturing the
leather into merchandise.
Patent leather when strained during process of manufacture into merchandise
is apt to crack if exposed to sudden change of temperature, particularly coll.
Patent leather will not crack under these circumstances where covered by my
patch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The within described process of making patent leather shoes or shoes having
patent leather tips which consists in first cementing a flexible crack-resisting
patch upon the enamelled surface of the patent leather where the enamel is liable
to ernek, then lasting the shoe and proceeding with its manufacture, and lastly
removing the patch.
2. In the manufacture of patent leather shoes or shoes having patent leather
tips, the within described process of preventing the enamel from cracking during
the process of making the shoe which consists in cementing a removable crack-
resisting patch of suitable flexible material upon the enamelled surface of the
leather where the enamel is liable to crack and permitting the same to remain
attached until after the shoe is removed from the last.
3. In the manufacture of patent leather shoes or shoes having patent leather
tips, the within described process of preventing the enamel from cracking during
the process of making the shoe which consists in cementing to the enamelled
surface of the patent leather where the enamel is liable to crack a removable
crack-resisting patch of suitable cloth coated on the side next to the enamel with
gutta purcha, and permitting said patch to remain until after the shoe is removed
from the lust.

page_text: 4. The within described process of making merchandise from patent leather
where, during the process of manufacture the leather must be stretched over an
approximately sharp edge, which consists in first cementing a flexible crack-
resisting patch upon the enamelled surface of the leather where the enamel is liable
to crack, before stretching the leather, then proceeding with the manufacture in
the ordinary way, and lastly removing the patch.
5. The within described process of preventing patent leather from cracking
from change of temperature during its manufacture into merchandise which
consists in first cementing a crack resisting patch upon the enamelled surface of
the leather where the enamel is liable to crack, then proceeding with the
manufacture in the ordinary way, and lastly removing the patch before packing
the merchandise for sale.
6. A shoe-vamp or the like for patent leather having its enamel temporarily
reinforced by a superposed crack-resisting patch.
7. A shoe-vamp or tip of patent leather provided with a removable crack-
resisting patch censented to the enamel along the median line of the toe.
Dated this and 3511000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.