Improvements in Football and other Boots.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Football and other Boots.
I, WILLIAM HENRY STEVENS, of Fernshaw, Springfield Road, Leicester, Boot
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to an improved method of preparing hard leather toe caps
with a view to enable them to be readily sewn to the uppers and to avoid the necessity
for hammering the same to fit them to the last. The invention also relates to means
for strengthening the front end of the toe cap in order to enable the latter to retain
its form even when softened by saturation with moisture.
Heretofore hard leather toe caps have been prepared by ribbing the leather by
passing them between a pair of rollers suitably shaped and pressed together. These
toe caps being in the flat and not conforming to the shape of the toe of the last, it is
necessary when applying them to the last in the ordinary course of manufacture to
moisten the same and hammer them to the shape of the toe of the last, whereby the
embossing or ribbing is partially obliterated.
Toe caps of hard leather have also been blocked to the shape required for ordinary
boots when in a finished state, that is to say, they have been formed to fit both over
and under the last, this has caused great difficulty in sewing such toe caps to the
uppers and also caused great difficulty in lasting them. Such latter toe caps were
also blocked plain that is to say not embossed in any way.
Now according to my invention I overcome these objections by the following
means:-
block the embossed or ribbed part of the toe cap in steel dies to conform to the
exact shape of the toe and front portions of the toe of the last, leaving the remainder
or surrounding parts of the leather flat which enables it to be readily sewn to the
upper by an ordinary machine and also enables the workman to complete the lasting
of the upper with the toe cap attached thereto without hammering the embossed or
ribbed part.
In order to stiffen the front or vertical portion of the toe cap and to cause it to
retain its shape even when soft and when trodden upon I split a portion of the toe
cap leather and insert therein a plate of metal or other suitable material of the
required shape; and in order that the said plate may retain its proper position I form
it either perforated or with a roughened surface which in the process of blocking the
toe cap causes the leather to obtain a firm hold of the same.
Dated February 27th 1897.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: I, WILLIAM HENRY STEVENS, of Fernshaw, Springfield Road, Leicester, Boot
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 :-
The invention relates primarily to an improved method of preparing hard leather
toe caps with a view to enable them to be readily sewn to the uppers and to avoid the
necessity for hammering the same to fit them to the last. The invention also relates
to means for strengthening the front end of toe caps in order to enable the latter
to retain their form even when softened by saturation with moisture.
Heretofore hard leather toe caps have been prepared by ribbing or embossing the
leather by passing them between a pair of rollers suitably shaped and pressed
together.
These toe caps being in the flat and not conforming to the shape of the toe of the
last, it is necessary when applying them to the last in the ordinary course of
manufacture to moisten the same and hammer them to the shape of the toe of the
last, whereby the embossing or ribbing is partially obliterated.
Toe caps of hard leather have also been blocked to the shape required for ordinary
boots when in a finished state, that is to say, they have been formed to fit both over
and under the last, this has caused great difficulty in sewing such toe caps to the
uppers and also caused great difficulty in lasting them. Such latter toe caps were
also blocked plain, that is to say, not embossed or ribbed in any way.
Now according to my invention I overcome these objections by the following
means which I will describe in connection with the accompanying drawings.
I cut a leather blank of form and size to produce a toe cap and as shown at
Figures 1, 2, 3, which are respectively, a plan, a front view and a cross section of the
blocked blank, I block the embossed or ribbed part a. a' of the same in steel dies to
conform to the exact shape of the top and front portions of the toe of the last, leaving
the remainder or surrounding parts a², a³, a of the leather flat or thereabouts which
enables it to be readily sewn to the upper by an ordinary machine and also enables
the workman to complete the lasting of the upper with the toe cap attached thereto
without hammering the embossed or ribbed part a. a.
In order to stiffen the front or vertical portion a' of the toe cap when made of a
single piece of leather as above described and to cause it to retain its shape even
when soft and when trodden upon, I split a portion of the toe cap leather comprising
the part to form the front or vertical portion a¹ and insert therein before the blocking
operation a plate b, of the required shape, shown separately at Fig: 4, such plate
being made of metal or other material capable of retaining the shape of the toe cap
even when the latter is softened by saturation with moisture; and in order to assist
the said plate in retaining its proper position I may form it either with
perforations b¹ as shown or with a roughened surface which, in the process of blocking
the toe cap, causes the leather to obtain a firm hold of the said plate.
Fig 5 represents a vertical section of the toe cap after it has been lasted showing
the parts as a turned underneath the last and fixed to the insole c.
I would here remark that in carrying my invention into effect. I prefer to use
leather of sufficient thickness to form the toe cap or if thinner leather is employed
the required thickness may be obtained by cementing together, preferably with
waterproof cement, a sufficient number of layers in which latter case the stiffening
plate b is placed in proper position between two of such thicknesses and the blank
blocked as above described. I would also remark that this method of stiffening the

page_text: front end of the toe cap may also be employed in cases where the toe cap is not shaped
or blocked previously to the lasting of the upper.
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. The improvements in football and other boots, substantially as herein set
forth.
2. In football and other boots the improved method of blocking the material
forming the toe caps, substantially as herein set forth and for the purpose stated.
3. In football and other boots the method of blocking the toe caps by limiting the
blocking operation to those parts conforming to the shape of the top and front
portions of the toe of the last and leaving the remainder or surrounding parts of the
inaterial more or less flat, substantially as herein set fort and for the purpose
stated.
4. In football and other boots the improved toe cap substantially as herein set
forth.
5. In football and other boots the improved toe cap provided with a stiffener of
metal or other material capable of retaining the shape of the toe cap, even when the
latter is softened by moisture, and inserted in the front or vertical portion of the toe
cap substantially as herein set forth.
6. In football and other boots, the insertion within the material to form the front
or vertical portion of the toe cap, of a stiffener of metal or other material capable
of retaining the shape of the toe cap even when the latter is softened by moisture
substantially as herein set forth.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.