Improvements in Machines for Burnishing Heels of Boots.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Burnishing Heels of Boots.
""
I, WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of "The Hawthorns Newport Road Stafford in the
County of Staffordshire Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
"
My Invention is more especially applicable to the machine known as the " "Tapley
Heel Burnisher" and consists firstly in rendering the to and fro motion of the "Jack"
and with it the Boot under the Burnishing iron-automatic.
Secondly in providing means, whereby the angle of the "Jack" may be varied so
as to present the Boot heel to the Burnishing-iron at any desired angle.
Thirdly in providing an arrangement for working the "Jack" and Boot to and fro
under the Burnishing-iron by hand when the automatic driving arrangement is thrown
out of gear.
To render the motion of the "Jack" automatic I provide at the rear of the machine
and carried in a frame or bracket a cam of heart or other suitable shape driven off the
main shaft of the machine by a worm and wheel or gearing and with a band with
cone pulleys for varying the speed of the cam or other equivalent mechanical
arrangement.
The Cam acts by means of a suitable lever arrangement upon a horizontal sliding
bar which passes through the pillar of the machine and is connected by a gab
removable pin or other suitable device to the Jack in such a manner as to be casily
disconnected when it is desired to work by hand.
An adjustable coupling nut is provided in the horizontal sliding bar to regulate the
position of the Boot heel under the Burnishing-iron.
To allow of varying the angle of the Jack I provide a hinged joint at the point
where the "Jack frame" joins the rod which supports it, and to hold the Jack in
position I provido a quadrant which is fixed to the Jack frame and cramped to the
supporting rod by means of a hand set screw.
"
In order to be able to work the Jack more certainly and effectually by hand I
provide a hand wheel on a screw working in a swivelling nut attached to the "Jack
the other end of the screw being carried in a swivelling bearing attached to any
convenient part of the machine.
By this arrangement the Boot heel is moved to and fro under the action of the
Burnishing Iron, as required.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Burnishing Heels of Boots.
I WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of The Hawthorns Newport Road Stafford in the
County of Stafford Engineer 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
My invention is applicable to machines for performing that part of the operation of
"finishing" a boot which consists in burnishing, with a hot polished burnishing iron,
the heel after it has been made smooth and covered with a coating of ink, the object
being to produce a hard smooth polished surface.
The class of machines to which it is intended to be applicable are such as hold the
boot in a frame or holder commonly known as a "jack "and in which the burnishing
is done by a heated iron of suitable form rubbing rapidly on the surface of the heel

page_text: passing gradually from one part to another until the whole surface has been brought
to the desired polish.
Hitherto while the motion of the iron has been produced by the action of the
machine the "jack" which carries the boot has been moved to and fro under the
burnishing iron by the operator.
In my invention I make the to and fro movement of the "jack" automatic.
I also provide means for varying the angle of the "jack" so that the boot heel may
be presented to the burnishing iro. at any desired angle to suit the different pitches
of heels which may be required to be burnished.
And provide an arrangement for working the "jack" and boot to and fro under
the burnishing iron by hand when the automatic driving arrangement is thrown out
of gear.
To render the motion of the "jack" automatic I provide at the rear of the machine,
and carried in a frame or bracket, a cam of heart or other suitable shape, driven off
the main shaft of the machine by a worm and wheel, or gearing, and with a band
with cone pulleys for varying the speed of the cam, or other equivalent mechanical
arrangement.
The cam acts, by means of a suitable lever arrangement, upon the "jack" through
a horizontal connection which passes either through or alongside of the pillar of the
machine and is connected to the "jack" by a gab, removable pin, or other similar
device in such a manner as to be easily disconnected.
An adjustable coupling nut is provided in the horizontal connection to regulate the
position of the boot heel under the burnishing iron.
To allow of varying the angle of the jack" I provide a hinged joint, at the point
where the "jack" frame joins the rod which supports it, and to hold the "jack " in
position I provide a quadrant which is fixed to the "jack" frame and is cramped to
the supporting rod by means of a hand set screw.
เ
In order to be able to work the "jack more certainly and effectually by hand
provide a hand wheel on a screw working in a swivelling nut attached to the
jack" the other end of the screw being carried in a swivelling bearing attached
to any convenient fixed part of the machine.
moved to & fro under the action of the burnishing iron as required.
By this arrangement the boot heel is
In the accompanying drawings my improvements are shown applied to a
Heel Burnisher" constructed in the well known manner.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation.
Fig. 2 is a back clevation.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation shewing a different construction.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same.
Fig. 5 is a back elevation.
Figs. 67 & 8 are enlarged views of details.
Tapley
Figs. 9 & 10 shew an alternative construction of the automatic arrangement.
A. is the base and B the pillar to which the various parts of the machine are
attached.
Forming part of the pillar B is the bracket which is furnished with the
bearings, D in which revolves the main shaft E. F, F are the driving pulleys.
On the inner end of the main shaft E. is mounted the crank disc G. which has a
radial slot in which the crank pin H can be adjusted and cramped fast. The crank
pin gives motion by means of the connecting rod to the bell crank lever J
which is mounted on the pivot K. The upper end of the lever terminates in a
toothed segment which gears with the pinion M. mounted on the rear end of the
shaft N. The shaft N is free to turn in the bearings 0, 0 which are provided for
it in the head of the pillar B. Fixed upon the shaft N' near the middle is the block P
which is furnished with a pin Q on which hinges the arm R. The arm R is free
to turn upon the pin Q in a direction radial to the centre of the shaft N. The
balance weight S is attached to the arm R having a clearance slot in its centre
through which the shaft N passes. A spring T is made fast to the block P and its
free end acts upon the roll and pin U in the weight S and so holds the arm R
い
10.11 L

page_text: in towards the centre of the shaft N as closely as permitted by the regulating
screw V.
The burnishing iron W is mounted on a hinge pin X in the free outer end of
the arm R; it is free to turn on the pin X as far as permitted by the spring Y.
At the lower end of the pillar B. is a bracket Z having an open jaw in one direction
through which passes the post a and having in the other direction two deep notches & in
which may slide vertically the ends of the pine which is fast in the post a and
projects on each side of the post into the notches . Carried on the base A is a
bracket in the jaw of which is pivotted on a pine the treadle f. This treadle f
has a toe g which acts upon the screw in the bottom of the post a.
The screw h
is adjustable and is jammied fast by the nut i. Thus far the description refers to
the Tapley Heel Burnisher as usually made. I now proceed to describe my improve-
ments & to shew how they are applied. In order to be able to vary the angle of
the "jack" with the machine I pivot it to the upper end of the post a on the
pin and for the purpose of securing it in any desired position I attach to the
jack" ka quadrant which passes through a slot m in the post a and can be
cramped fast by the screw n.
$
The "jack" is free to slide to and from the pillar B between the guides o, o'
but is prevented by these guides from moving sideways.
which
Mounted upon the main shaft E at the rear of the machine is a cone pulley 7
drives by a band a similar cone pulley q¹ mounted upon a shaft s carried in
bearings, by the bracket C. On the shaft s is a worm which gears with a worm
wheel mounted upon a shaft w which runs in a bearing a carried upon the bracket C.
On the other end of the shaft w is a heart cam y which acts upon one end of a
lever which is pivotted at a¹ (Figs. 1 & 2) to a fixed part of the machine.
t:
The upper end of this lever is made with a curved slot in which can be adjusted
the pin which carries one end of the connecting rod e². The length of the con-
necting rod can be regulated by the right and left screw coupling nut and the
other end of the rod c² is jointed to the sliding bar el at the point.
The pivot K is hollow and in addition to serving as a mount for the bell crank J
serves also as a bearing through which the bar e' may slide.
Jointed to the end of the sliding bar e within the pillar B is a gab gl which can
be dropped over the pin attached to the "jack" k so as to make a connection
or may be lifted as shown at g² & held up by the spring & hook when it is
desired to operate the "jack" by hand or to take out the boot.
In figs. 3. 4 & 5 is shewn another mode of applying my improvements to the
machine. The cam lever is mounted on the end of a shaft a³ which is carried
in a bearing and the other end of the shaft a has mounted upon it a curved
slotted lever. The connecting rod c³ is carried on the pin which can be
adjusted, nearer to or farther from the centre of movement, in the slotted lever
and cramped fast by the hand nut 63. The connecting rod c³ is provided with a
right & left screw coupling 2 to regulate its length.
The connecting rod slides freely in a tube which is pivotted to the "jack" at m'.
In the tube and in the rod are slots thro, which when it is desired to connect
the "jack" to the automatic movement the taper cotter or flat pin n¹ is passed thus
holding them firmly together.
The taper cotter n is mounted upon a lever p' which is pivotted to the tube l
at and is furnished with a handle s'. The spring catch a' acting in the notches v₁ v²
serve to hold the cotter n in or out of action. This arrangement allowing the
connecting rod to pass outside the pillar and to be attached to the front part of
the "jack
at m is preferable because the distance between the centres 62 & m'
being greater the angle the connecting rod forms at the points of greatest and least
travel is less.
In burnishing boot heels it is important that the burnishing iron should work
quite close up to the edge of the heel seat and yet not pass over so as to touch
the upper. In operating by hand the operator is careful not to travel his "jack
"

page_text: too far but when working with an automatic arrangement the travel once adjusted
is of course invariable and to have to readjust it for every occasional variation in
height of the heel would be practically inconvenient. It is therefore desirable to
reverse the construction of the jack, and instead of making the top piece pad f^
the fixed point on the jack against which the boot is clamped in fixing it in the
machine I make the hinged block e which takes against the insole the fixed point
and make the top piece pad the moveable or clamping piece. The result being that
though the heels may not all be exactly the same height still the burnishing iron will
work up to the heel seat, and if the iron runs off the heel at all it will work onto the
edge of the top piece pad and the upper will not be damaged.
For this reason the "jack" is made to open for the removal or insertion of a boot-
Figs. 3. 4. 5. by means of the hand wheel w' and screw a which act to draw together
or separate the arm ² of the "jack" from the "jack".k. The horizontal part y' of
the "jack" is of a box shape and the arm 2 has also a horizontal part which slides
within this box being held down by the cover a³. The screw a revolves within the
nut which is fast in the "jack "k and the inner end of the screw a terminates in a
double collar journal which runs in a bearing attached to the horizontal part of the
arm k
The stem is fast in the upper part of the "jack" and is provided at its inner
.ond with a hinged block e which fits inside the boot and receives the pressure of the
arm when brought home against the boot heel by the screw and hand wheel w¹.
The toppiece pad (preferably of leather) of the same shape as the top piece of the
heel is interposed between the arm k and the heel of the boot.
The balance g, g* carried on the arms, which are attached to the post a serve
to balance the weight of the "jack" k."
When it is desired to burnish a heel without removing the boot from the last the
stem is made shorter and the block e is made with a flat face e (see Fig. 6)
so as to bear properly upon the last. If desired the stem may be merely a stump c
(see Figs. 6 & 7) projecting a short way into the boot and the blocks e, e may be
carried on socketed stems of different lengths to suit boots with or without lasts.
The sockets of these stems fitting over the stump and being retained by the taper
pin d³.
The apparatus used to more effectually work the "jack" by hand is shewn in
Fig. 1. The hand wheel turns the screw working in the swivelling nut
attached to the "jack", the other end of the screw being carried in a swivelling
hearing attached to the guide o, and thus moves to and fro the "jack" k and
with it the boot heel under the iron W.
If the automatic movement be used this apparatus must be disconnected.
The operation is conducted in the following manner. The machine is set in motion
and having been adjusted by the pin 2 being set in the slot so as to give a travel
to the "jack" proportioned to the height of the heel desired to be burnished and
the connecting rod c³ adjusted by the coupling nut d to such a length that when
connected up by the taper cotter n the burnishing iron W in its extreme move-
ment will just reach the seat. A boot p with the heel inked is placed in the "jack" k.
which is disconnected lying back resting against the end o³ of the guides o, 01.
The boot is cramped fast by turning the hand wheel w¹. The jack
k is then
pushed forward towards the pillar B until the cotter n' will engage with the slot in
the rod so as to connect it to the automatic driving arrangement.
Mean-
By this movement the heel is brought under the action of the reciprocating
burnishing iron. The burnishing iron W bearing on the boot heel commences to
burnish the same on a line more or less parallel to the seat of the heel as determined
by the inclination given to the "jack" by the quadrant 7 and set screw n.
while the cone pulleys q. the worm and wheel v and connections give motion to
the heart cam y and the levers & and so through the connecting rod c³ a to &
fro motion is given to the "jack and the boot heel is traversed backwards &
forwards under the vibrating iron W until every part of it has been sufficiently acted
"

page_text: upon. The compound movements of the iron W and the boot p being each capable
of exact regulation the entire surface of any required boot heel can be exactly gone
over until the desired polished is obtained.
The ordinary gas apparatus is used for heating the iron W but is not shewn upon
the drawings.
The treadle serves to raise and lower the "jack" and with it the boot p.
In the alternative construction of the automatic arrangement shown in Figs. 9 & 10
the cam lever has a long slot y³ in which can be adjusted the fulcrum pivot a³ there
being also a slot w³ in the frame 3.
The fulcrum pivot a may be cramped fast by the nut u³ in any desired position in
the slot of the frame and as this position is nearer to or further from the cam
roll so will the travel of the joint pin s3 in the top of the lever be greater
or less.
The sliding bar is carried in a bearing and is jointed to the cam lever s³.by the
pin 83.
The bar passes through the pillar B of the machine in the same way as does
the bar e (Figs. 1 & 2) and carries the gab g' at its front end.
In this construction the connection is rigid and the joint is not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of an arrangement for
automatically moving the "jack" consisting of the heart cam the cam lever with a
curved slotted arm for adjusting the extent of the travel of the "jack" the jointed
connection passing through the pillar & the gab connection to the “ jack " substantially
as described.
2. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of an arrangement for
automatically moving the "jack" consisting of the heart cam, the cam lever with straight
slot and adjustable fulcrum the rigid connection passing through the pillar and tho
gab connection to the "jack" substantially as described.
3. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of an arrangement for
automatically moving the "jack" consisting of the heart cam the lever with curved
slot for adjusting the extent of travel of the "jack" the connection passing to the
"jack" outside the pillar the right and left hand screw coupling for adjusting the
position of the boot and the tubular connection for connecting and disconnecting the
jack" substantially as described.
"
"
4. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of a "jack pivotted
to the post on which it is supported so that the angle at which it stands may be varied
and of a segment by which it may be secured in the desired position.
5. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of a "jack" or boot carrier
in which the boot is so held that the top edge of the heel (commonly known as the
"heel seat") that is the edge of the heel next the " upper comes always into one
position relatively to the body of the "jack" any variation in the height of the heel
notwithstanding.
33
6. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of a "jack" in which the
arrangement for automatically moving it is attached to that part of the "jack
relatively to which the edge of the heel next the "upper" always comes into the
same position.
22
7. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots in which is used a "jack" in
which the edge of the heel next the " upper aiways comes into the same position
relatively to that part to which the arrangement for automatically moving it is
attached, the use of a an automatic arrangement consisting of the heart cam the lever
with curved slot for adjusting the extent of travel of the "jack" the connection passing
to the "jack"outside the pillar the right and left hand screw coupling for adjusting
the position of the boot and the tubular connection for connecting and disconnecting
the "jack"substantially as described.

page_text: 8. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots in which is used a "jack" in
which the edge of the heel next the " upper" always comes into the same position
relatively to that part to which the arrangement for automatically moving it is attached,
the use of a connection between the automatic mechanism and the "jack" in which one
part of the connection slides within the other and in which a pin or cotter passing
through both parts couples them together at will (the object being to readily connect
and disconnect the jack) substantially as described.
23
9. In a machine for burnishing the heels of boots the use of a hand wheel and
screw attached to the frame of the machine and passing through a nut on the "jack"
(or vice versa) for more readily moving the boot backwards and forwards under the
burnishing iron by hand substantially as described.
,,
23
10. A machine for burnishing heels comprising besides the parts usually going to
make up such a machine a "jack" in which the edge of the heel next the upper
comes always into the same position relatively to the part to which the arrangement
for automatically moving it is attached and an automatic mechanism consisting of the
following parts vis, a heart cam a lever with curved slot for adjusting the extent of
travel of the "jack a connection passing from the automatic mechanism to the
"jack" outside the pillar a right and left hand screw coupling for adjusting the position
of the boot a pivotted connection between the "jack" and the post which carries it
and a connection between the automatic mechanism and the jack in which one part of
the connection slides within the other and in which a pin or cotter passing through
both parts couples them together at will as herein described.
11. A machine for burnishing boot heels comprising besides the parts usually going
to make up such a machine a jack" and an automatic uechanism constructed in
cither of the alternative modes herein described.
Dated this 16th day Novembar 1880
W. H. DORMAN.