IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN RENDERING THE SAID MANUFACTURE WATERPROOF; ALSO IN THE MACHINERY AND MATERIALS TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP
WEBLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of April,
in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Philip Webley, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said Philip Webley, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Philip Webley, my
exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN RENDERING THE SAID MANUFACTURE WATERPROOF; ALSO
IN THE MACHINERY AND MATERIALS TO BE USED THEREIN ; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, requiring that I, the said Philip Webley, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, shall particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and shall cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent::
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Philip Webley, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by this present instrument in writing as follows, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates, firstly, to a new and improved method of nailing
or pegging the heels of boots and shoes; secondly, to the manufacture or
production of a new material, which I term "compound leather;" third, and
lastly, to an improved method of rendering boots and shoes waterproof.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of Drawings represents a side elevation and partial
section of my machine for nailing the heels of boots and shoes; and Figure 2
is a front view of the same. A is the bed of the machine, having cast upon it
the vertical standard B. The driving shaft C works, in the two bearings D
and E, the former being bolted to the side of the standard, and the latter
supported by the smaller cast-iron standard F, attached to the bed plate of
the machine; G and H are fast and loose driving pulleys; and I is a 'fly
wheel. A second shaft J works in a bearing formed in the centre of the
standard B, and carries at one extremity a moveable eccentric K, while at the
opposite end is keyed the large spur wheel L, which receives motion from
the pinion M keyed on to the driving shaft. The shaft J is fitted with a
clutch box N, and disengaging handle O for the facility of stopping the
machine when requisite. The eccentric works in a ring P formed on the lower
extremity of the vertical slide Q, thereby causing it to rise and fall alternately
for every revolution of the shaft J. A short length R of this shaft is six-sided
in place of being cylindrical, and fits accurately into a similar shaped open-
ing in the eccentric. This hexagonal opening is formed only half way
through the eccentric, the other half being made circular to fit the cylindrical
portion of the shaft. S is a helical spring which tends to press the eccentric
well up against the collar T. A small inclined piece U is cast on the inner
side of the eccentric, and opposite to it is cast a corresponding incline V on
the front of the standard, the application and use of which is herein-after full
described. The heel of the boot or shoe to be nailed is supported by the
fixed frame W, the top of which is fitted with a recess into which the heel is
placed. This recess is of a shape corresponding to a boot or shoe heel, and
has a series of holes drilled vertically through it, which correspond in number
and position to the number and position of the nails or pegs to be inserted into

page_text: the heel. A moveable frame X, which slides in the dovetailed grooves Y, Y,
inside the frame W, has a perforated top, corresponding to the perforations in
the recess, which receives the boot heel. This moveable frame carries a pair.
of vertical slides. Z and a, which work in grooves formed in its two sides.
The slide Zis furnished with a number of sharp pointed steel piercers b, which
are screwed into it, and correspond to the drilled holes herein-before men-
tioned. The lower side of the slide. Z has- a. dovetailed groove formed in it,.
which receives the expanded head c of the vertical slide Q, allowing it to enter.
longitudinally. The slide a is fitted with a number of steel mandrils d, having:
flat ends, which project a short way into the perforations in the thick top e of:
the frame. The nails to be forced into the heel are inserted into the upper
portion of the holes in the top, and severally rest upon the ends of the man--
drils d, as, shewn in the Drawing Figure 2 in black lines. In nailing by this.
machine the piercers may be discarded if sharp pointed nails are employed;
f, f, are two stops bolted on to the sides of the frame X, and serve to regulate
the length of its traverse by coming in contact with the ends of the fixed framio
W; g is a handle for the facility of traversing the frame X in its grooves.
A rod his pressed on to the last by a screw working through the top of the
standard and actuated by the hand wheel i. The action of the machine. is
as follows:-The boot or shoe to be nailed is placed with its heel in the recess,
and the rod h is brought down on to the last by the screw and hand wheel i;
the traversing frame is now moved in its grooves in order to bring the piercers
6 immediately under the holes in the recess, which is accomplished by moving
the sliding frame until the stop f comes in contact with the fixed frame W.
The piece Z which contains the piercers being immediately over the vertical
slide Q, is now forced up by the latter through the agency of the eccentric K,
and thereby causes the points or piercers 6 to enter the heel simultaneously, the
downward stroke of the eccentric withdrawing them again. The slide Q.
having arrived at the bottom of its stroke, the eccentric is thrown out of gear.
by the incline U coming in contact with the inclined projection V, on the face-
of the standard; this has the effect of forcing the eccentric off the angular
portion R of its shaft, and thus leaves it stationary until the angular portion.of.
the shaft again corresponds to the angular hole in the eccentric, when, tho
latter is pushed forward to the collar T and commences a new revolution. It
will be evident to a practical man--that-if-the-part R. of the shaft be
made six-sided, the eccentric after being pushed off by the inclines U and V
will remain off, and consequently receive no motion for a. sixth part
of a revolution of the shaft J; if eight sides are used it will remain sta-
tionary an eighth of a revolution; if four sides a fourth of a revolution,

page_text: and so on. This "rest" of eccentric is for the purpose of allowing
time for the attendant to move the sliding. frame and bring the slide
a with the mandrils and nails to correspond to the holes already made.
in the heel: This action of course has the effect of removing the piece Z
from the surface c of the vertical slide and bringing the piecé a in its place.
The eccentric has by this time got into gear again, and the ascent of the slide.
Qpresses up the sliding piece a, which contains the mandrils, thereby forcing
the nails which rest upon them into the holes formed by the piercers. A helical
spring which is placed between the slide a and the tope has the effect of
bringing down the mandrils after the nails have been inserted in the heel.
The boot or shoe is now removed, the operation being completed. The second:
part of my Invention, which relates to the manufacture of what I.call.com-
pound leather," consists in thoroughly washing the scraps and waste parings of
leather by steeping them in warm water for some time. They are then taken
out and partially dried by centrifugal machinery or other convenient desiccating.
apparatus. In this state they are placed in a solution of size or glue and left in.
it until they are thoroughly saturated. After this process and in the saturated
state they are arranged evenly and flatly in a metal case with an open top; the.
bottom and sides of this case are perforated with numerous holes to allow the.
liquid in the scraps to run off. The case having been filled-as already.
described, is now brought under a powerful press, the pressing plate of which
fits into the interior of the case and compresses the scraps into a compact mass,
at the same time expelling. the superabundant. liquid contained in it. This.
liquid may be again employed for the same purpose, by the addition of a small
quantity of size or glue, to allow for what has been already taken up by the last
mass. After the mass has remained under the action of the press for a sufficient
length of time, it is taken out of the case and dried. When dry it is subjected to
another operation herein-after described, namely, that of reducing it to minute
particles by rasps and cutters; this is accomplished by the following machine,
which is composed of a bed plate carrying two vertical cast-iron standards;
these standards are each fitted with a bearing to receive the two journals of a
driving shaft. On to this shaft is keyed a fly wheel, motion being communicated
by a strap, and driving pulleys. A number of cutting and rasping instruments
are bolted or screwed on to the side of the periphery of the fly wheel, which are
made to rasp and cut the face of the block of scraps to be operated upon.
For
this purpose the block is placed in a tube, the internal diameter of which is
about equal to that of the block to be inserted. This tube is so situated as to
be parallel to the axis of the fly or cutting wheel, and has one end brought
exactly opposite the cutters and rasps in its periphery; it follows that as the

page_text: wheel revolves it will rasp off the face of the block of scraps; which is kept con-
stantly pressed up to the rasping instruments by the aid of a spring or other
convenient arrangement. These raspings or minute particles are now steeped
in hot water in order to dissolve or soften the glue contained in it. When this
has become well softened the pulp is taken out, and is washed and dried, by
centrifugal machinery; it is then spread upon trays composed of wire gauze or
other. porous material, and is placed in chambers heated by hot air or steam.
After having by this means been well desiccated it is ready for mixing, with
gutta percha or.caoutchouc, or both combined; this is effected in the following
manner: The gutta percha after being prepared in the ordinary manner is
placed in a closed iron cylindrical vessel furnished with a moveable top; this
vessel is surrounded by a steam jacket, and supported by a cast-iron support.
After the gutta percha has become sufficiently soft by the heat imparted to.it
by the steam, the dried pulp is added to it, and is thoroughly mixed with it by
an agitator consisting of a vertical shaft, working in bearings immediately
over the cylindrical vessel. The lower portion of this shaft is furnished
with arms or blades, and when the mixture requires to be stirred the cover is
removed, and the lower end of the vertical shaft with its blades is let down
into the vessel and caused to rotate, thereby thoroughly mixing the two mate-
rials; it is then raised out of the vessel by a counter weight, and the cover is
secured on to the vessel by bolts or other convenient method. The bottom of
this vessel is made like a piston, and fits accurately into it; it is forced up by
a screw, thereby causing the substance inside to issue by a stop-cock, which has
an expanded flat mouth, and made to pass between rollers. This completes
the manufacture.
I shall now proceed to describe the third part of my Invention, which
consists in rendering boots and shoes waterproof. For effecting this, I em-
ploy a thin sheet of gutta percha, which I mould when warm over a last, or
fac simile of the one on which the boot or shoe is formed. This has the
effect of producing a thin gutta percha sole, moulded to correspond exactly
to the curvatures of the sole of the shoe to be thus waterproofed. As I am
aware that gutta percha has been previously employed in the waterproofing of
boots and shoes, I may observe that what I look upon as my Invention is, the
shaping of the gutta percha sole on a last,, as already described.
Having now fully described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the

page_text: principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the application and use of a double-acting press for the purpose
herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of perforated pieces and slides containing
piercers and mandrils, either separately or combined, for the purpose herein-
before described.
Third, the application and use of a press in combination with perforated
pieces and slides containing piercers and mandrils, or either, for the purpose
herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of treating the scraps or parings of leather in
the manner herein-before described, and the mode of reducing them to pulp
or raspings.
Fifth, the use of the scraps or parings of leather combined with or united
by means of gutta percha or caoutchouc.
Sixth, the system or mode of waterproofing boots and shoes in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof I, the said Philip Webley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.