IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR HEELING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Horace Holley Bigelow, of Worcester, in the
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for the Invention.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR HEELING BOOTS AND SHOES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Horace Holley Bigelow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st September 1870.
I, HORACE HOLLEY BIGELOW, of Worcester, in the State of Massa-
chusetts, United State of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR HEELING BOOTS,
SHOES," to be as follows:-
,AND
The heel or "blank heel," as it is sometimes termed, is to be made up
into the proper shape ready to be attached to the boot or shoe, the nails
in the said heels being of a length to pass entirely through the heel into
the sole or bottom of the boot or shoe, but the ends of said nails are
left projecting from the heels at the time they are inserted in this heeling
machine.

page_text: I remark that the manner of making the blank heel and preparing it
for use does not form a part of this present Invention, the same being
made in any suitable manner or in accordance with a separate Invention
which I have made,
The present Invention relates to a machine adapted to receive the
blank heel and the lower part of the hoot or shoe to which it is to be
attached and to drive the nails of the heel into or through the sole or
bottom of the boot or shoe and thus secure the heel firmly thereto.
In the machine a bed is provided standing upon a frame or legs and
having a head or frame above the bed to carry a revolving shaft and
eccentric or cam that gives a reciprocating movement to a vertical slide
and to a jack that is hinged to the lower end of said slide, and said jack
is passed into the boot or shoe to drive the same upon the heel and
force the nails home and secure the heel to the boot or shoe. The
eccentric shaft is revolved by suitable power and a movable dog
is introduced between the eccentric and the vertical slide, which dog is
controlled by a foot lever so that the eccentric can be connected or
disconnected with the slide at the will of the operator. Upon the bed
of the machine a disc is mounted carrying hollow dies arranged in a
circle around said disc, these dies vary in shape so as to be adapted to
receive the different sizes and shapes of heels and of boots or shoes, each
of said dies being hollow so that the blank heel can be inserted therein,
and also the lower part of the shoe or boot so that the heel will be held
in proper position to the shoe or boot. The hollow die is kept up by a
spring except when it and the boot or shoe are pressed down by the jack
upon the heel. The heel rests upon a driver stud that is within the
said heel die, and passes through the die and the aforesaid disc and rests
upon an adjustable screw support in the main bed of the machine, so
that the nails of the heel resting upon the said driver will be forced
into and through the sole of the boot or shoe by pressure from the said
jack. The screw support is sustained upon a strong rubber spring or
other yielding support so as to prevent any part being broken by undue
pressure.
It is to be understood that the proper die is to be brought around
with the disc for receiving the heel to be put on, and a stop lever is
used operated by a treadle to push the die down and relieve the heel
when it has been attached to the boot or shoe.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Fatent,
filed by the said Horace Holley Bigelow in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HORACE
HOLLEY BIGELOW, of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Horace Holley Bigelow, Her special licence
that I, the said Horace Holley Bigelow, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Horace Holley Bigelow, my
executors, 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
MACHINES FOR HEELING BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Horace Holley Bigelow, my executors, or
administrators by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Horace Holley Bigelow, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 made to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
:-

page_text: nails in the said heels being of a length to pass entirely through the
heel into the sole or bottom of the boot or shoe, but the ends of said
nails are left projecting from the heels at the time they are inserted in
this heeling machine.
I remark that the manner of making the blank heel and preparing it
for use does not form a part of this present Invention, the same being
made in any suitable manner, or in accordance with a separate Invention
which I have made.
The present Invention relates to a machine adapted to receive the
blank heel and the lower part of the boot or shoe, to which it is to be
attached, and to drive the nails of the heel into or through the sole or
bottom of the boot or shoe and thus secure the heel firmly thereto.
In the machine a bed is provided standing upon a frame or legs and
having a head or frame above the bed to carry a revolving shaft and
eccentric or cam that gives a reciprocating movement to a vertical
slide and to a jack that is hinged to the lower end of said slide, and
said jack is passed into the boot or shoe to drive the same upon the
heel and force the nails home and secure the heel to the boot or shoe.
The eccentric shaft is revolved by suitable power and a, movable dog
is introduced between the eccentric and the vertical slide, which dog is
controlled by a foot lever, so that the eccentric can be connected or
disconnected with the slide at the will of the operator. Upon the bed
of the machine a disk is mounted carrying hollow dies arranged in a
circle around said disk; these dies vary in shape so as to be adapted to
receive the different sizes and shapes of heels and of boot or shoes, each
of said dies being hollow, so that the blank heel can be inserted therein,
and also the lower part of the shoe or boot, so that the heel will be
held in proper position to the shoe or boot. The hollow die is kept up
by a spring, except when it and the boot or shoe are pressed down by
the jack upon the heel. The heel rests upon a driver stud that is
within the said heel die and passes through the die and the aforesaid
disk and rests upon an adjustable screw support in the main bed of the
machine, so that the nails of the heel resting upon the said driver will
be forced into and through the sole of the boot or shoe by pressure
from the said jack. The screw support is sustained upon a strong
rubber spring or other yielding support, so as to prevent any part being
broken by undue pressure.

page_text: It is to be understood that the proper die is to be brought around
with the disk for receiving the heel to be put on, and a stop lever is
used operated by a treadle to push the die down and relieve the heel
when it has been attached to the boot or shoe.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 represents a front view of my improved
machine for heeling boots and shoes; Fig. 2 represents a side view of
the same; Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section on line A, B,
Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section on line C, D, Fig. 1; and
Fig. 5 represents a central vertical section of one of the drivers and dies
shown on an enlarged scale.
A represents the bed or table of the machine supported upon the legs
or standards A¹. B represents a suitable upright frame or head upon
which is supported the driving shaft C, eccentric shaft D, and plunger
E. At the front of the bed or table A a circular plate or disk F is
pivoted at its center in a horizontal position by means of a hollow
spindle a. Supported upon the disk or plate F are a series of spring
holding dies G and driving studs I. The dies G are for holding the
boot or shoe heels in proper position during the operation of attaching
them to the boots or shoes, and the driving studs I, which are provided
at their upper ends with head plates c, are for the purpose of forcing in
the nails by means of which the heels are secured to the boots or shoes.
The dies G and the head plates c of the drivers I are made to correspond
in shape with the heels to be attached, each one of the series being made
for a different sized shoe or boot or for a different pattern of heel. The
lower ends of the driver studs I are fitted into holes drilled in the disk F,
where they are secured in an upright position by means of suitable set
screws at the edges of the disk F, while the dies G are fitted loosely
upon the studs I so that they can rise and fall thereon as required. The
dies Gare held in an elevated position when not otherwise acted upon
by means of springs d around the studs I, between the dies G and disk F,
the lower portion e of the die block being turned down so as to fit
into the coil of the spring to prevent it from slipping out of place.
The dies G are made somewhat deeper than the thickness of the heel,
so that their upper edges form a guide against which to rest the edge
of the sole or lower part of the upper of the boot or shoe while attaching
the heel. The edge of the die G is depressed or removed as shown

page_text: be
at 2 to allow space for the shank of the boot or shoe. Above the disk
F and directly over the front die is the vertical plunger E supported
by the upright frame B, and moved up and down by a dog H in con-
nection with an eccentric J upon the shaft D at the upper part of said
frame. The plunger E has attached to its lower end by means of a
hinge joint K a swing jack L for holding the boots or shoes while
heeling them. The lower end of the jack spindle L is provided with a
steel head suitably rounded to fit the interior of the boots or shoes,
while near the upper end of said jack L is attached a hand lever L',
furnished with a handle L³ by means of which the jack L may
swung forward, as shown in Fig. 2, or back, as indicated in Fig. 3
of the Drawings. Beneath the disc F at the front of the table A is
a device for relieving the machine from injurious strain and shock, it
consists of a cushion block M supported by a strong spring M', encased
in a hollow cylinder M² beneath the table A. In the upper side of
the cushion block M is an adjusting screw g, the end of which projects
above the top of the table A and upon it rests the disc F and the
lower end of the driver stud I. By raising or lowering the screw g the
drivers I are adjusted to the different thicknesses of heels. The spring
M³ rests upon a supporting plate N which latter can be adjusted up or
down by means of a screw or bolt N¹ in the end of the cylinder M², and
by means of which the spring M¹ can be adjusted to withstand any
desired amount of pressure. The eccentric shaft D receives its motion
from the driving shaft C to which it is connected for operation by the
gear wheel D¹ and pinion D³. The driving shaft is provided with a
balance wheel C₁ for equalizing the motion of the machine, and also
with a tight and loose pulley C², C³, to receive the driving belt. The
dog H moves up and down with the continuous motion of the eccentric
J, but it is so arranged that it will swing back and not engage the
plunger E, except when forced forward by the bell-crank lever H* (see
dotted lines, Fig. 2), the rear end of which is connected by a rod O to a
treadle P beneath the machine, which the operator presses down with his
foot when he desires to set the plunger in motion. The lever H³, has
its fulcrum 3 upon the frame B, and when its rear arm is depressed its
forward arm 4 presses the dog H over the end of the plunger E, so that the
next revolution of the eccentric forces down the plunger E and jack L.
The plunger is provided with a finger E¹ at its upper end, which
passes through an opening in the lower end of the dog H, whereby the

page_text: plunger is raised with the upward motion of said dog whether it is swung
back or pressed forward. The dog H is caused to swing backward by
a suitable spring attached to the hook H³ for that purpose. A lever Q
is arranged above the dies G for pressing down the working die and
releasing the heel therefrom; one end of said lever Q is pivoted in an
eye R upon the frame B, and the forward end of said lever projects far
enough to strike the edge of the forward or working die G, and it is
actuated by means of a rod S attached near its central part 5, and which
extends down through the hollow spindle a, and is joined to the treadle T
beneath the machine. An adjustable collar m is arranged upon the
rod S, which strikes the lower edge of the frame B and prevents the
lever Q from rising any higher than is necessary when raised by the
spring V. The treadles P and T are pivoted at their rear ends to
an arm u, and raised by springs V and W.
The operation of heeling a boot or shoe with my improved heeling
machine is as follows:-The driving shaft being set in motion which
communicates power to the dog H, the operator swings out the jack
spindle L and places a boot or shoe upon its head f, places a heel of the
proper size in the forward die G with the nails downward against the
plate c of the driver I. He then swings back the jack spindle until
the back of the upper of the boot or shoe rests against the rear edge
of the die. This brings the parts in proper position to recieve the heel.
He then places his foot upon the treadle P, which operates the dog H
in the manner before stated, and causes it to engage with the plunger E,
thereby forcing down the jack spindle with immense power and pressing
the boot or shoe upon the heel with sufficient force to drive the nails up
through the heel and clinch them against the steel head f of the jack
spindle L; the die G the meanwhile is depressed so that the full pressure
is borne by the driver I.
The relative positions of the parts when the plunger is depressed are
fully indicated in Fig. 3, where x indicates the heel and y the shoe.
As the downward pressure is removed from the head of the plunger, the
spring attached to the hook H causes the dog H to swing back; the
plunger E and jack L are raised by the finger E¹. The operater then
places his foot on treadle T and depresses lever Q, which
down
presses
the die and releases the heel x therefrom. The jack spindle is then
swung outward and the shoe removed, the operation being completed.

page_text: Thus it will be seen that with my improved machine boots and shoes
may be heeled very rapidly, saving much time and labor, and greatly
facilitating their manufacture, and reducing the cost thereof.
facilitating their manufacture, and reducing the cost thereof.
What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,-
First. A spring holding die for retaining the heel in proper position
while it is being secured to the boot or shoe, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination with the holding die G of the driving
stud I provided with a head plate c, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Third. The combination with the holding die G and driving stud I of
the spring d, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the holding die G and driving stud I of
the relieving spring device M, M³, M³, and adjusting screws N¹ and g,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. The combination with the driving stud I and disk F of the
adjustable screw 9, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Sixth. The combination with a series of holding dies G and driving
studs I of the rotating plate or disk F, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Seventh. The combination with the spring die G of the depressing
lever Q, rod S, and treadle T, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
Eighth. The combination with the holding die G, driver stud I, and
operating plunger E, of the swinging jack spindle L, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
Ninth. The combination with the jack spindle L of the hand lever L'
and handle L, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Tenth. The combination with the operating plunger E and power dog
H of the bell crank shipping lever H³, connecting rod O, and treadle P,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Eleventh. A machine for heeling boots and shoes, the parts of which
are constructed and combined together substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Horace Holley Bigelow, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December,
A.D. One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
HORACE HOLLEY BIGELOW. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
THOS. H. DODGE,
Worcester, Mass., U. S. A.
ALBERT E. PEIRCE,
Worcester, Mass., U. S. A.