IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOEз, OR COVERINGS FOR THE FEET, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH Manu- FACTURE
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julian Bernard; of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOEз, OR COVERINGS FOR
THE FEET, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH Manu-
FACTURE."
Scaled the 21st April 1857, and dated the 11th November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
left by the said Julian Bernard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
November 1856.
I, JULIAN BERNARD, of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOES, OR COVERINGS FOR
THE FEET, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANU-
FACTURE." to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the adaptation of an apparatus for holding
a boot or shoe during the process of cutting or paring the edges of the sole
and heel by hand labor: the principle of holding a boot or shoe in a holder or
frame whilst being pared by machinery having been secured to me by my
former Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.

page_text: Also, to an arrangement or cutting instrument employed in culling or paring
the sole and heel.
According to the first part of this Invention, 1 employ a suitable holding
apparatus, in which the boot or shoe to be pared is fixed, whilst at the same
time it is capable of being turned round or adjusted therein, so as to present
any desired side or edge of the sole or heel to the paring instrument of the
workman. This cutter has two handles, and is fitted with gunrds or fences in
such a manner as to prevent it from accidently cutting or injuring the upper
leather.
Secondly, to an arrangement of machinery or apparatus for bidling or
polishing the soles of boots and shoes, and to an apparatus for holding the boot
or shoe during the process of bulling or polishing; the improved buffing or
polishing apparatus consists of a reciprocating slide or vibrating arm, worked
by an eccentric cam or crank, and fitted with the requisite buffung or polishing
tooling. which is rubbed backwards and forwards over the sole, the boot or
shoc being contained in a holder, which may be raised or lowered, as desired.
by a treddle or other arrangement, actuated by the attendant. This holder
is capable of turning horizontally upon a centre, and also of turning verti-
cally or laterally on other centres placed at the toe and heel parts of the
holder. By this means the boot or shoe sole may be presented with great
facility at any desired angle to the buffing or polishing tool. A spring may
be imparted either to the buffing tool or to the boot or shoe, so that the
buffing tool may pass or traverse easily over the curved surface of the sole; and
provision may be made for easily changing or turning the buffing tool in its
holder or reciprocating slide or vibrating arm, when found requisite.
The third part of my Invention relates to a modification of the method of
cutting out the soles or other parts of boots and shoes, described by me in the
Specification of an Invention for which British Letters Patent were granted
to me on, or about the Twenty-ninth day of March. One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three, and consists in the employment of a hollow ram or
piston for mising the cutter which is placed upon it. such cutter being of
a corresponding size and shape to the article to be cut, and is made hollow
or open in the middle, the leather to be cut being laid upon its cutting edge.
The whole is then clevated by means of eccentrics acting upon the ram.
and the leather is cut out by being pressed against an overhead cutting
table, the piece or pieces of leather so cut being allowed to drop through the
opening in the cutter and in the hollow ram or support for such cutter. The
cutting table is so arranged as to be capable of being moved out of the way
after each cut, by self-acting mechanism worked by the machine, by which

page_text: means the view of the workman is not obstructed when he has to replace the
leather for a fresh cut.
By another arrangement, the hollow ram may be dispensed with, and the
cutting table may be made to descend on to the cutter, whilst the cut leather is
allowed to fall through the cutter and through a corresponding opening in the
supporting table.
I propose using also a cutter fixed to a plate, such plate having an opening
in it corresponding or nearly corresponding to the shape and size of the cutter.
This plate and cutter are portable, and are placed on a table, a ram having an
opening in it large enough to admit of any required sized piece of cut leather
dropping through it. The table, with the materials upon it, is made to rise
with or by an ascending piston, and is free also to revolve.
The fourth part of this Invention relates to an improved cutting surface, to be
used in cutting leather for boots and shoes, and consists of wood or any fibrous
material compressed in such a manner as to close up or render the grain or
fibres perfectly homogenous. In this state the compressed material is placed
in a metal frame with the grain or fibres running vertically, so as to present
the ends of the fibres to the action of the cutter.
The fifth part of my Invention consists in the application and use of an
inner sole composed of fibrous material, woven, felted, or combined with adhe-
sive materials, which sole I propose in some cases to employ in connection
with a thin skin or leather sole, such leather sole being united to the fibrous
sole (which prefer to be of cotton canvass), by means of a suitable adhesive
substance, the two being pressed together so as to combine and form' one sole.
The sixth part of my Invention relates to an improved form of last for boots
and shoes, whereby it may be more readily removed from the shoe. The upper
or moveable part of the last is tapered to a thin edge at the end nearest to or
at the toe, in place of being cut off square, and abutting against a corresponding
abutment on the lower part, as in the ordinary last. I also use a guide for
ensuring that the two parts of the last be properly put together, such guide
consisting of a slot (which may be dovetailed) on one part of the last, and a
corresponding projection or pin on the other; the projection or pin being slid
down the slot when joining the two parts together.
The seventh part of my Invention relates to a mode of ensuring the entrance
of the piercer (belonging to the pegging mechanism employed in pegging the
soles and heels) into the same holes it had previously made in the lasts,
thereby reducing the wear and tear of the lasts to a great extent. This I
accomplish by adjusting the sole in a holder, and then placing the boot or shoe
over it, and which boot or shoe is so guided by suitable projections inside the

page_text: holder that it will always be presented to the piercing instrument in one par-
ticular or central position, by which means the piercer will always enter he
holes previously made by it in the last.
The eighth part of my Invention relates to an improved mode of of shaping
the split "lifts used in making the heels of boots and shoes, and consists in
pressing the strip of leather for forming the split lift into the desired shape
between a pair of corrugated dies, the lower one having a raised edge round it
corresponding to the required contour of the lift. The lift may then be
removed to and pressed between a pair of dies, which squeeze it flat. The
lift might be made at one operation, but I prefer to complete it by two
operations.
Ninth, to the application of the same system or mode to the cramping (or
preparing for lasting) of the heels and toes of boots and shoes. The upper die
is attached to a rod or slide, whilst the bottom die corresponds to the heel or
toe of a boot or shoe which is placed upon a holding stud. the top die being
actuated either by hand or by power.
Another mode of cramping or preparing the upper for being mounted or
lasted at the heels and toes of boots and shoes consists in the employment for
the heel and toe of a number of cramping levers, each set of levers working on
one common shaft of its own, and are made to descend on to the leather by
means of cams, and are then all further pressed thereon by any convenient
pressing apparatus.
Tenth, to a mode of splitting the lifts, which consists in passing a strip of
leather between a fixed knife and a roller, which roller is so shaped as to
enable the strip to be cut diagonally across its thickness into two lifts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Julian Bernard in the Great Seal Patent Oflice on the
11th May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIAN
BERNARD, of the Albany, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
i
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto me, the said
Julian Bernard. Her special license, that I, the said Julian Bernard, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Julian
Bernard, my executors, administrators, or 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF BOOTS AND SHOES, OR COVERINGS FOR THE FEET,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Julian Bernard, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
SUCH MANUFACTURE," upon
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Julian Bernard, 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 had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates, firstly, to the adaptation of an apparatus for
holding a boot or shoe during the process of cutting or paring the edges of the
sole and heel by hand labor, the principle of holding a boot or shoe in a holder
or frame, whilst being pared by machinery, having been secured to me by my
former Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four; also to an arrangement of cutting instrument employed
for cutting or paring the sole and heel.
According to the first part of this Invention, I employ a suitable holding
apparatus, in which the boot or shoe to be pared is fixed, whilst at the same
time it is capable of being turned round or adjusted therein, so as to present
any desired side or edge of the sole or heel to the paring instrument of the
workman. This cutter has two handles, and is fitted with guards or fences in
such a manner as to prevent it from accidentally cutting or injuring the upper
leather.
Secondly, to an arrangement of machinery or apparatus for buffing or polish-
ing the soles of boots and shoes, and to an apparatus for holding the boot or
shoe during the process of buffing or polishing. The improved buffing or
polishing apparatus consists of a reciprocating slide or vibrating arm, worked
by an eccentric cam or crank, and fitted with the requisite buffing or polishing
tool, which is rubbed backwards and forwards over the sole; the boot or shoe

page_text: being contained in a holder, which may be raised or lowered, as desired, by
a treddle or other arrangement actuated by the attendant. This holder is
capable of turning horizontally upon a centre, and also of turning vertically
or laterally on other centres placed at the toe and heel part of the holder.
By this means the boot or shoe sole may be presented with great facility ut
any desired angle to the butting or polishing tool. A spring may be imparted
either to the buffing tool, or to the boot or shoe, so that the buffing tool may
pass or traverse easily over the curved surface of the sole. Provision may also
be made for easily changing or turning the bufling tool in its holder or
reciprocating slide or vibrating arm, when found requisite.
The third part of my Invention relates to a modification of the method of
cutting out the soles or other parts of boots and shoes, described by me in the
Specification of an Invention for which British Letters Patent were granted
to me on or about the Twenty-ninth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three, and consists in the employment of a hollow ram or
piston for raising the cutter which is placed upon it, such cutter being of a
corresponding size and shape to the article to be cut, and is made hollow or
open in the middle, the leather to be cut being laid upon or under its cutting
edge; the whole is then elevated by means of cams or eccentrics acting upon the
ram, and the leather is cut out by being pressed against an overhead cutting
table, the piece or pieces of leather so cut being allowed to drop through the
opening in the cutter, and in the hollow ram or support for such cutter or
material. The cutting table is so arranged as to be capable of being moved
out of the way after each cut by self-acting mechanism worked by the machine,
by which means the view of the workman is not obstructed when he has to
replace the leather for a fresh cut.
By another arrangement the hollow ram may be dispensed. with;, and the
cutting table may be made to descend on to the cutter, whilst the cut leather
is allowed to fall through the cutter and through a corresponding opening in
the supporting table. I propose using also a cutter fixed to a pinte, such
plate having an opening in it corresponding or nearly corresponding to the
shape and size of the cutter. This plate and cutter are portable. and are
placed on a table or ram, having an opening in it. large enough to admit of
any required sized piece of cut leather dropping through it. The table. with
the materials upon.it, is made to rise with or by an ascending piston, and is free
also to revolve.
The fourth part of this Invention relates to an improved cutting surface to
be used in cutting leather for boots and shoes, and consists of wood or any
fibrous material, compressed in such. a. manner as. to, close up, or render the

page_text: grain or fibres perfectly homogenous. In this state the compressed material
is placed in a metal frame with the grain or fibres running vertically, so as to
present the ends of the fibres to the action of the cutter.
The fifth part of my Invention consists in the application and use of an
inner sole composed of fibrous materials, woven or felted, and combined with
adhesive materials, which sole I propose in some cases to employ in connection
with a thin skin or leather sole, such leather sole being united to the fibrous
sole (which I prefer to be of cotton canvas, by means of any suitable adhesive
substance, the two being pressed together so as to combine and form one
sole.
!
The sixth part of my Invention relates to an improved form of last for
boots and shoes, whereby it may be more readily removed from the shoe.
The upper or moveable part of the last is tapered to a thin edge at the end
nearest to or at the toc. in place of being cut off square and abutting against
a corresponding abutment on the lower part, as in the ordinary last. I also use
a guide for insuring that the two parts of the last be properly put together,
such guide consisting of a slot (which may be dovetailed) on one part of the
last, and a corresponding projection or pins being slid down the slot when join-
ing the two parts together.
The seventh part of my Invention relates to a mode of ensuring the
entrance of the piercer (belonging to the pegging machine employed in
pegging the soles and heels, and described by me in a former Specification)
into the same holes it had previously made in the lasts, thereby reducing the
wear and tear of the lasts to a great extent. This I accomplish by adjusting
the sole in a holder, and then placing the boot or shoe over it, and which.
boot or shoe is so guided by suitable projections inside the holder that it will
always be presented to the piercing instrument in one particular or central
position, by which means the piercer will always enter the hole previously
made by it in the last.
The eighth part of my Invention relates to an improved mode of shaping
the "split lifts," used in making the heels of boots and shoes, and consists in
pressing the strip of leather to form the split lift into the desired shape
between a pair of corrugated dies, the lower one having a raised edge round it
corresponding to the required contour of the lift. The lift may be then
removed, and pressed between a pair of dies, which squeeze it. The lift might
be made at one operation, but I prefer to complete it by two operations.
Ninth, to the application of the same system or mode to the cramping (or
preparing for lasting) of the heels and toes of boots and shoes. The upper
die is attached to a rod or slide, whilst the bottom die corresponds to the heel

page_text: OF 100 OF DOOL O Shoe Wich is priced upon a norung stud, the top (no being
actuated either by hand or by power.
Another mode of cramping or preparing the upper for being mounted or
lasted at the heels and toes of boots and shoes consists in the employment for
the heel and toe of a number of cramping levers working on one common shaft
as a centre, and made to descend on to the edges of the upper by means of
cams, whereupon they are all further pressed thereon by any convenient pressing
apparatus.
Tenth, to a mode of splitting the lifts, which consists in passing a strip of
leather between a fixed knife and a roller, which roller is so shaped as to enable
the strip to be cut diagonally across its thickness into two lifts.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood. I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same; and for that purpose shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed. the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
I
Figure on Sheet I of my Drawings represents an end elevation of my
apparatus for holding a boot or shoe during the operation of paring the edges
of the sole and heel by hand labour; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same,
and Figure 3 is a corresponding elevation of the opposite end of the apparatus
to that shewn at Figure 1.
The object of this apparatus is to hold a boot or shoe firmly during the
operation of hand paring, whilst at the same time it may be readily adjusted or
turned so as to present any side to the action of the paring instrument.
A is a shoe fitted into the holding apparatus in readiness for paring; it is
held firmly between the block B and the pressing plate C. The block B is
hollowed or recessed so as to admit of the top side of the last, with the boot
and shoe upon it, being fitted therein. This block turns on a pivot or stud D),
in the upper end of the bracket E, and on this stud is fixed a notched disc F,
for the facility of holding the shoe at any desired angle, the position being fixed
by means of the detent G, acted upon by the spring II, which serves to keep it
in any one of the notches in the disc. The pressing plate C is curved slightly
to fit over the sole, and turns on a pivot or stud in the upper end of the
lever I, so as to be capable of turning with the shoc. The lever I works in
n fixed centre at K, and is fitted or formed with a tail piece at L, such
tail piece being acted upon by an eccentric M, fast on the spindle N.
In order to secure the shoe firmly in the apparatus, the upper part of the
last is first placed in the block B, and the pressing plate C is then brought up
to the sole by turning the spindle N, by means of the winch handle O, or other

page_text: suitable contrivance, so as to cause the eccentric M to bear against the under
side of the tail piece L. The edges of the sole and heel may now be pared by
the instrument herein-after described (with reference to Figures 1 and 2,
Sheet 2 of my Drawings) with facility, the shoe being held perfectly firm in
any desired position by simply turning or adjusting the notched disc F, and
fixing it by means of the detent G. A spring P serves to withdraw the plate C,
when the pressure of the eccentric is removed, for the purpose of releasing the
shoc after the operation of paring has been completed.
I may here observe, that I do not confine myself to the precise details of
construction, as the same may obviously be varied without deviating from this
portion of my Invention, which consists in holding a boot or shoe firmly in a
suitable holder, which shall admit of it being turned or adjusted in any desired
manner therein, for the more readily paring the edges of the sole and heel by
hand labour.
Figure 4 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of a machine
for buffing or polishing the soles of boots and shoes, and Figure 5 is a front.
clevation of the same, in the acting of buffing a shoe sole. The shoe to be buffed
is fixed in any convenient manner in the holder A, which is free to turn laterally
on the studs or trunnions B, B, resting in bearings in the end lugs of the slide
C, which slides along the bed plate D. E, E, are two handles, fitted one on
each side of the holder A, for the purpose of turning more or less the shoe sole,
so as to present all parts to the action of the buffing tool.. By fitting the holder
into a slide C, different portions of the length of the sole may be brought, as
required, under the action of the buffer, and the shoe may be removed out of
the machine. If found desirable, a longitudinal as well as a lateral angular
motion may be imparted to the shoe holder, by causing it to work on lateral
pivots or trunnions, so that the toe or heel portion of the shoe may be raised or
lowered, as required; and a vertical rising and falling movement may be used,
in connection with a treaddle or winch handle and eccentric, whereby the height
of the shoe may be adjusted according to the position of the buffing tool. I
have not considered it necessary to illustrate on my Drawings these simple
modifications, as they will obviously suggest themselves to any practical
mechanic, and would only tend to complicate the Drawing.
The buffing tool F consists of a piece of hard wood, bone, or other buffing
or polishing material, fitted into the lower end of a vibrating arm G, which works
freely to and fro on a fixed centre of oscillation at H, in the top of a vertical
slide I, working inside the front end of the overhanging bracket K. This slide
I is held down by springs L, L, so as to hold the buffing tool in the end of. the
vibrating arm firmly down by elastic pressure upon the sole, thereby allowing

page_text: it to rub freely over the curved portions thereof. The requisite vibrating motion
may be imparted to the arm G by the slotted disc M and connecting rod N.
This disc is fast on the end of the driving shaft O, supported in suitable bearings
on the standards of the machine, and carrying the ordinary fast and loose
driving pullies P. P. By using a slotted disc the stroke or traverse of the
bufling tool may be adjusted to any desired extent. A small handle or knob
may be fitted to the vibrating arm G, for the facility of elevating the same, and
placing the buffing tool or the shoe sole when a fresh shoe is introduced into
the machine.
Figure 6 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents a front elevation of a
machine for cutting out the uppers or other parts of boots and shoes; Figure 7
is a side elevation of the same; and Figures 8, 9, and 10 are details thereof.
A is the framing which supports the cutting mechanism; and B is the framing
for carrying the cutting table or surface C. The die or cutter D (shewn on
an enlarged scale at Figure 15, is placed in a proper position upon the flanged
support E. which rests upon the hollow moveable slide or ram F (Figure 9).
by means of four pins fitting in the corresponding holes ., in the top of the
ram, as clearly shewn in Figure 9. This rani is accurately adjusted in its
guides by the set screws g. g. and is surrounded by a wooden table F', which
supports the skin during its adjustment, and may be free to revolve round the
die for the greater facility of placing or adjusting the skin. G is an outer fixed
box or casing enclosing the ram F, an opening being made at each end of the
casing and ram, through which is passed the shaft H, working in bushes I. I,
in the framing. K, K, (Figure 8) are two eccentrics or cams fast on the
shaft H, which serve to raise the ram F, and with it the cutter and supporting
table, for the purpose of making a cut, the leather being cut against the cutting
table or surface C, and the cut portion of leather falling through the cutter and
ram into the bottom of the machine. The motion of the shaft II is derived
from the driving shaft L by means of the pinion M and spur wheel N.
Ordinary fast and loose driving pullies O, O', and a fly wheel P. may be fitted
on to the main shaft. A self-acting disengaging clutch Q (Figure 10) may
be employed for throwing the machine out of gear after each cut. This is
effected by an incline R, on the spur wheel N, coming in contact with the pin
or stud S, which is thus pushed inwards and disengages the clutch by striking
the clutch lever T.
In order that the view of the workman may not be impeded by the presence
of the cutting surface or table C, when adjusting the skin over the die, I cause
this table to be moved out of the way after each cut, and to be brought over
the cutter again when the skin has been adjusted thereon. For this purpose

page_text: the table C slide in dovetail guides on the upper portion B of the framing,
and is connected by a pin to the horizontal lever V, which works on a fixed
centre at W, and is connected at its outer end by a link X to the vertical
lever Y. This lever works on a centre at Z, and is actuated by the grooved
cam a, fast on the shaft H, so that the action of the two levers will cause the
table C to be slid out and in again at each revolution of the shaft H. I prefer
that the cutting surface or table be composed of compressed wood or fibrous
material let into an iron frame, as described under the fourth head of this
Invention.
Figures 11 and 12 on the same Sheet of Drawings represent, in section and
plan, an improved form of wooden last, which, in place of being only divided to
the extent of the instep, is divided through to the toes, by which means it is
much more easily withdrawn from the shoe than the ordinary ones. The two
parts of the last a and b are held together, when fitted to each other, by means
of a small projecting tongue or dovetail c, which fits into the corresponding
grooved in the under portion of the last.
Figures 13 and 14 represent a side and front elevation of a small fly press
fitted with a corrugated die A (the construction of which is herein-after fully
described and illustrated in Sheet 2 of my Drawings), such die being used for
the purpose of cramping or evenly folding over the edges of the upper on to
the heel or toe of the last, so as to prepare it for mounting or lasting. The
surface of the last at these parts forms a counterpart to the die A, so that
when the latter is brought forcibly down (by the action of the fly press B) on
to the last, the leather will be evenly creased and folded over the heel or toe,
as the case may be.
Figure 15 represents an enlarged view of one of my cutting dies, shewing
the mode of attaching it to a plate A. which has a dovetail slot formed in it to
enable it to be readily fitted on to the tube of the cutting press. This cutter
and plate may be adapted. if found desirable, to the sliding table C, shewn in
Figures 6 and 7, in which case the cutting surface will be placed on the ram F,
thus reversing the positions of the cutter and cutting surface illustrated by
Figure 6 of the Drawings.
Figures and 2 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings represent respectively a plan
and side elevation of the instrument herein-before referred to, which I employ, in
combination with the holding apparatus described in reference to Figures 1, 2,
and 3 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, for paring the edges of the sole and heel of
boots and shoes by hand labor. This instrument consists of a double handle A,
somewhat similar to an ordinary spoke shave, and is fitted with a knife or
cutter B, capable of adjustment by means of the thumb screws C, C, such

page_text: knife being furnished at each extremity with a raised guard or fence D. D. for
the purpose of protecting the upper from being injured during the process of
paring; when used, it is held by the two hands of the workman, which enables
him to make a firm and steady cut in paring the edges of the sole or heel.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings represent the corrugated
dies. herein-before referred to, which I employ for making split lifts.
The
leather, which has been previously bevilled or split by the roller and knife
herein-after referred to, is first cut to the desired length, and is bent round
(with its thin edge inside) so as to fit into the recessed portion of the cor-
rugated die A, shewn in section and plan at Figures 4 and 5.: a second cor-
rugated die B, forming a counterpart to the die A, is now brought down
upon it with considerable pressure, and the leather is thereby properly and
evenly creased or puckered on its inner thin edges. The lift is now removed,
and is placed between the two plain dies C and D. shewn at Figures 6, 7,
and 8, the edge or rim of the under die D being mised to receive the lift, and
its surface is slightly convex, so as to leave a hollow in the lift for the purpose
of fitting it accurately over the heel of the last. Any convenient mode of
applying pressure may be employed for squeezing the lifts; for example, the
dies may be placed in a small fly press, similar to that shewn at Figures 13
and 14 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings. herein-before described.
Figures 10 and 11 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings represent respectively a plan
and section of one of the frames employed in my pegging machine, described in
a former Specification, such frame being so constructed that the sole and shoe
may be accurately fitted therein in one particular position, whereby the piercer
of the pegging machine will always enter the last in the holes previously made
therein, and thus the lasts are less deteriorated or cut up than when the
piercer is free to enter into fresh wood at each pegging operation. In using
this frame the sole A is first adjusted inside the recess in the frame, as shewn in
Figure 11; the last, with the upper upon it, is now placed inside the frame on
the top of the sole, and its position is guided and adjusted therein by means of
the guides B, B. A slightly wedge-shaped guide G, which embraces the heel
of the last, is now inserted, and driven home between the last and the frame,
so as to wedge the last therein. It will thus be obvious that while the sole
and the last are always in the same positions in the frame, they will also be
in the same relative positions to each other. As the frame itself is always
accurately placed in the pegging machine, it follows that the piercer will
always enter the last in the same holes it had previously made when so
adjusted.
Figures 12 and 13 represent a plan and transverse section of an apparutus

page_text: for splitting the leather to be made into split lights. This leather must be
bevelled or tapered off at one edge. And in order to effect an economy of
material, I propose to take a strip of leather and divide it evenly diagonally,
so that each half will form a perfect split lift without any waste in paring. To
accomplish this I use a conical roller A and a fixed knife B, which nearly
touches the wider portion of the roller, but is some distance from the small
portion thereof, so that a thicker cut will be made on one edge of the leather
than on the other. The leather is first divided a short distance by hand, and
the lower portion is passed through between the knife and the roller, whilst
the upper portion passes over the top of the knife, as shewn in the Drawing.
A spindle C, under which the leather is passed, serves to keep it well down
on to the roller during the time it is being pulled through by the workman.
Figure 14 on Sheet 2 of my Drawings represents a front elevation of a
cramping machine, fitted with a series of cramping levers worked by cams, for
cramping or preparing for lasting the uppers of boots and shoes; Figure 15
is a vertical section of the same, taken at right angles to Figure 14; and
Figure 16 is a sectional plan thereof. A is the last with an upper upon it,
which is placed on a suitable support B, in the main framing C of the
machine. D, D, are a series of cramping levers, working on one common
centre at E, and actuated individually by the series of cams F, F, on
the driving shaft G, which may be driven in any convenient manner. These
levers are depressed by the cams, and are elevated by springs, as at ll.
In the upper part of the machine is a fly press I, fitted with a ram or
pressing plate K, which is brought down on to the levers with a powerful
pressure after they have descended on to the last. This latter pressure may,
however, be dispensed with, if thought desirable.
In cramping by this machine, when the last has been properly adjusted on
its supporting block, the driving or cam shaft is started, and the rotation of the
cam causes the levers D to descend singly, or otherwise, in any desired order
on to the projecting edge of the upper, and thereby fold it over in regular
plaits on to the last. The whole of the levers having thus descended, and
whilst still resting upon the last, may be further pressed thereon, so as to
squeeze the leather firmly down by the action of the fly press, such pressure
being kept on until the leather is properly set. The pressing plate is then
removed, and the levers having been released by the hollow portions of the
cams coming under the tails of the levers, they are elevated slightly by the
action of the springs, so as to permit of the shoe being easily withdrawn.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried

page_text: into effect, would 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 principles or main features of my said 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 general constructions and arrangements of machinery or appa-
ratus employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes, as herein-before
described.
Second, the system or mode of holding a boot or shoe. fixed in a suitable
holding apparatus. during the paring by hand of the edges of the sole and heel,
as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of a double-handled cutting instrument, the
knife of which is adjustable, and is fitted with a guard or fence at each
extremity for paring the edges of the sole and heel of a boot or shoe, which
is held in an apparatus or holder capable of allowing the boot or shoe to be
fixed in any convenient angle, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of bulling or polishing the soles of boots and
shoes by means of a suitable buffing tool contained in a vibrating arm or slide,
worked by cams. eccentrics, or cranks, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the system or mode of holding and adjusting a boot or shoe during
the process of bufling or polishing, as herein-before described.
Sixth, the peculiar constructions, combinations, and arrangements of ma-
chinery or apparatus for cutting out the various parts of boots and shoes, as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Seventh, the adaptation of cutters to portable metal plates, which are
capable of being readily fitted to any suitably constructed cutting machine,
as herein-before described.
Eighth, the application and use of cutting machines, fitted with a moving
cutting surface in combination with a moving cutter, both being worked by
the machine. Also, the removing of the cutting surface after each cut, for
the purpose herein-before described.
Also, the application and use of a perforated or open table or surface in
combination with a cutter for the purpose of allowing the cnt material to pass
or fall through, as herein-before described.
I also claim the constructing and arranging cutting machines in such a
manner that the cutter or cutting surface is made to rise or ascend in place
of descending whilst cutting, such ascending cutting action being derived from
any convenient mechanical arrangement.

page_text: Ninth, the application and use to and in cutting machines of revolving
tables or platforms for the greater facility of adjusting the skin over or under
the cutter or cutting surface. as herein-before described.
Tenth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of cutting surface, as
herein-before described in the fourth head of my Invention.
Eleventh, the application and use of felted materials, combined by adhesive
material with dressed or other skins of leather, for the purpose of forming the
inner soles of boots and shoes, as herein-before described. Also, the applica-
tion and use of canvass or other similar woven fabrics, separately or in com-
bination with dressed or other skins of leather, for the purpose of forming the
the inner soles of ordinary boots and shoes; but I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not claim such application or combination when applied
to the class of shoes known as india-rubber over-shoes, goloshes, or other
waterproof shoes composed wholly or chiefly of gutta percha or india-rubber.
Twelfth, the peculiar form of last for boots and shoes, as hercin-before
described.
Thirteenth, the system or mode of adjusting the last and sole accurately in
the holding frame, in which they are submitted to the action of the pegging
mechanism, described by me in the Specification of a former Patent, for the
purpose herein-before described.
Fourteenth, the application and use. of corrugated and plain dies for the
purpose of shaping the split lifts of boots' and shoes, as herein-before
described.
Fifteenth, the system or mode of splitting the lifts, as herein-before
described.
'
Sixteenth, the systems or modes of cramping or preparing the uppers for
being mounted or lasted, as herein-before described and illustrated by my
Drawings.
!
In witness whereof, I, the said Julian Bernard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of May. One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.
JULIAN BERNARD. (L.S.)