IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederic Gardner, of Worship Street, in the
County of Middlesex, and William Henry Dorman, of Stafford, in the County .
of Stafford, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Frederic Gardner and
William Henry Dorman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 10th September 1880.
CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of Worship Street, in the County of Middlesex,
and WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN, of Stafford, in the County of Stafford.
RE IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
This Invention relates partly to apparatus for paring or trimming the heels of
boots and shoes, and is designed to serve as an attachment to the machine described
in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated September 14th, A.D. 1872,
No. 2736, or to other machines for the same purpose.
This part of our Invention comprises a clamp or holder for holding the boot or
shoe firmly and presenting it in the proper position to the action of the paring or
trimming knife, and consists in the novel form of the said clamp whereby while
holding the boot or shoe it serves as a guide to the said knife. The clamp
heretofore used consists of two thin plates formed to fit around the seat or back
part of the boot or shoe and jointed or hinged and pressed together by a spring, the
said clamp being secured to a U-shaped piece or frame connected with an adjustable
bracket in the said machine. According to our present Invention we construct the
said clamp of two parts hinged together, and with a flange or flat portion for
securing it upon the said U-shaped frame, and a broad curved and inclined rim
which encloses and conforms to the shape of the seat or back of the boot or shoe,
and while holding the same serves as a guide to the knife. The said knife is
arranged to bear against the aforesaid rim of the clamp, which is so formed that
the upper part of the knife is thereby caused to move in a path conformable to the
shape or configuration of the seat of the boot or shoe, while the lower part of the
said knife is guided by means of a cam which causes it to travel in a path
corresponding with the shape of the top piece of the heel.

page_text: The heels of some boots and shoes have a very great pitch or slope, and to
facilitate the actionof the knife in shaping, paring, or trimming such heels, we
provide means for imparting to the said knife an up and down movement during
its passage around the heel. For this purpose the lower end of the paring knife or
cutter is attached to a pivotted block or piece, which allows the said knife to adapt
itself to the form of the different portions of the heel as it passes around the same
and is acted upon by different parts of the guiding rim of the clamp.
Another part of our said Invention relates to providing the said machine with
improved apparatus for attaching the soles and heels to boots and shoes by rivets
or nails.
The rivets or nails are simultaneously driven into the boot or shoe by
means of a die and series of drivers, that is to say, the said die is shaped to suit the
shape of the sole, and is provided with a series of holes corresponding in number and
position with the nails or rivets. The drivers project into these holes, and the nails
or rivets are dropped therein so that their heads rest on the said drivers. The
machine is provided with an iron last, on which the boot or shoe is placed, and the
said block or die, loaded with nails or rivets, is moved in such a manner as to cause
the drivers to force the said nails or rivets into the heel or sole of the said boot or
shoe. According to our present Invention we provide hydraulic apparatus in
combination with the said dye for forcing the nails into the heels or soles.
said hydraulic apparatus may be constructed and arranged in any convenient and
suitable manner; the cylinder must-be-firely-secured upon the frame of the machine,
and the piston or ram must be connected with the said block or die in such a
-ınanner-that-the.same_can_be_moved up and down as required to force the nails or
rivets into the soles or heels; and I prefer to provide means-for-the-ready-
attachment and removal of the dies, so that-dies-adapted-to-differently_shaped soles
may be used.
The

page_text: attachment to the machine known as the McKay heeling machine, described
in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated September 14th, A.D. 1872,
No. 2736, or to other machines for the same purpose. The said Invention also
comprises mechanism or apparatus for attaching the soles and heels to boots and
shoes by rivets or nails, as hereinafter described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a machine for the manufacture
of boots and shoes with our improvements applied to the same.
Figure 2 is a side elovation of a nailing and rivetting device hereinafter
described.
Figure 3 is a side olevation, and
Figure 4 a plan of our improved heel paring or trimming apparatus drawn to an
enlarged scale.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in sido view and front view one form of the trimming
knife and its block drawn.
Figure 7 is a plan, and
Figure 8 a side view of the carriage for the said knife and block.
Figure 9 is a side view of a carriage for another form of knife and knife block,
and
Figure 10 is an end view of the same.
Figures 11 and 12 are side views shewing modified forms of the said knife and
knife block hereinafter described.
Figure 13 is a side view, and
Figure 14 is a plan of a clamp constructed in two parts, as hereinafter described,
and
Figure 15 is a rear view of the said clamp.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
We will first proceed to describe our improvements in heel paring or trimming
apparatus, in which we employ a clamp of novel construction arranged in combi-
nation with the last, which holds the boot or shoe, and presents it in the proper
position to the action of the paring or trimming knife, which clamp serves as a
guide to the said knife, and protects the boot or shoe from injury during the
operation of trimming.
The clamp heretofore used consists of thin plates which fit around the seat or
back part of the bolt or shoe, and enter into the groove or nick at the junction of
the sole and the upper, technically known to shoemakers as the "feather;" these
plates are jointed or hinged and pressed together by a spring, and are secured to a
U-shaped piece or frame connected with an adjustable bracket on the machine-
frame.
This clamp serves to protect the upper from injury by the trimming knife, but
does not contribute to direct its movement.

page_text: According to our Invention we make the clamp of such a shapo as to embrace
and cover part of the seat or back part of the boot upper itself, while it also is
provided with a flange to enter into the "feather."
The said clamp is made of uniform thickness, and as thin as practicable, so that
when it embraces the boot or shoo its exterior surface is of a form substantially
similar to, but (slightly larger) than the seat of the boot enclosed within it. The
knife for trimming the heel is operated in the same manner as that described in the
Specification of the aforesaid Letters Patent, but instead of the upper portion of
the said knife being guided during its movement by the edge of the sole as described
in the said Specification, it is prolonged and made to press against and be guided
by the clamp in its movement around the heel, and thus it shaves or trims not only
the heel, properly so called; but also the heel part of the sole, in conformity to the
shape of the back part or seat of the boot. Our improved clamp is shewn in
Figure 1 in place upon the machine, and in detail in combination with other parts
in Figures 3 and 4. The said clamp r, as shown in these Figures, is made sufficiently
elastic or flexible to permit it to open and close slightly, as hereinafter described;
it is carried by a U-shaped or horse-shoe frame r¹, Figures 3 and 4, and is provided
with a flange to enter the "feather" of the boot or shoe and a guide-pin³ at
the back which works in a hole in the said frame r¹. The said clamp is provided
at each side with a lug, to which is pivotted a pin ; this pin slides freely in a
socket 74, which is coupled by the pivot or joint to the frame
The object of these devices is to open the clamp to receive the boot and to press
it firmly against the same when-it-is-within-it-To-open_the_said_clamp_it_is_
-drawn-forward-out-of_the_frame_r,_as_shewn in Figure 4, and being elastic or
flexible with a tendency to expand, and being allowed to do so by the pins and
sockets, it will expand at its mouth or open end sufficiently to allow the
boot to be freely introduced, and when the clamp is pushed back into its place so
that the base or shoulder 7 of the guide pin touches the frame the pins and
sockets,, force the sides of the clamp inward again to press against the sides
of the boot. In this action the said pins and sockets are assisted and governed by
the stop or set screws 3, 5. The frame is suspended in the machine by the
journals. Instead of making the clamp flexible or elastic, as shewn in
Figures 3 and 4, we may make the same in two parts y, y', jointed at the back, as
shewn in Figures 13, 14, and 15; these parts of the clamp are made of metal of
uniform thickness, and are furnished with a flauge y³ to enter the feather, the said
parts meeting at the back in a toothed joint at 7. The said two parts or halves
of the clamp are held up to the horse-shoe frame 3 by the screws 7 working
in slotted holes y in the frame y' to allow of the opening and closing of the
clamp.
The back spring y³ serves to press the sides of the clamp together. To enable
the said clamp to be readily opened to admit the boot or shoe it is furnished with
handles or levers y10, pivotted together at 313, and coupled to the clamp sides at y¹³.
The trimming knife heretofore employed is fixed to a block which is free to
oscillate around a pivot, which forms its centre of oscillation, as described in the
said former Specification. Hitherto, this centro has afforded an uncertain and
variable support for the reason that the suspending holes in the block and its
carriage have been made very large, while the pivot itself has been small (usually a
piece of wire) so as to leave great freedom to the block to adapt itself to the
contour of the guide while being carried round the same. This arrangement is
satisfactory for straight or slightly inclined or sloped heels, such as are used on
men's boots, but it is unsuitable for heels that are sloped much more at the back
than at the sides, and particularly for those of the ogee shape, or whose contour is
composed of compound curved surfaces.
In order to pare these heels successfully it is necessary to accurately fix the
centre of oscillation or pivot of the knife-block in relation to the curve of the heel.
If the form of the heel is such that the inclination of the knife requires to be
increased more as it passes from the side to the back of the heel, then we make the

page_text: centre of oscillation to coincide with the lowest point of the edge of the knife n,
and form the block n', as shewn in Figures 5 and 6, with a flange or projection n³,
which is a segment of a circle whose centre is at n*; this flange fits and travels in
a corresponding groove n in the carriage o³, Figures 7 and 8; n³ represents a
screw by which the knife is secured to the said block n¹.
If the contour of the heel to be trimmed is a compound curve or of ogeo
shape this mode of pivotting is not suitable, and we prefer the arrangement shewn
in Figures 11 and 12, in which the knife-block n¹ is hung on a pivot at no, the
centre of which more or less accurately coincides with the centro of the curve from
1 to 2. We may make these knife-blocks with an unadjustable pivot hole, as
shewn in Figure 12, each block being suitable for a series of knives not widely
differing from each other in forin, or we make the said knife-blocks with adjustable
pivot-holes, as in Figure 11, to suit a variety of forms of knives. For this
purpose the pivot-hole n³ is formed in a novable piece no attached to the block by
& screw.
We will now proceed to describe our improved construction of the working gear
of heeling and sole rivetting machines. For heeling we use the ordinary device,
consisting of a die with holes to receive the nails and drivers to force them into the
heel, and we may trim the heel with a suitable knife, such, for instance, as that
described in the Specification of the said former Letters Patent, but where the kind
of work to be done renders it desirable we employ the improvements herein before
described, but the pressure needful to compress the heel or the sole to its place, and
force in the nails, and the power necessary to actuate the trimming arrangements
we obtain by means of a hydraulic cylinder and mechanism, which we will now
proceed to describe, and which is illustrated in Figure 1 of the Drawings.
In this Figure A represents the main frame of the machine; B, the last-carrier;
C, the boot placed upon an iron last to be heeled; D, the parts by which the clamp
is carried and adjusted to its work; and d, the clamp slide, which sliding freely up
and down in its box d' at the will of the operator allows the clamp to be adjusted
to the heel of the boot; e is the clamp-holder which carries the horse-shoe frame
of the clamp in the bearings e¹; f is the nailing device furnished with holes for
receiving the nails, and fitted with drivers for pressing the nails into the heel
These drivers rest upon the nail-driver-plate f', which is fastened by means of the
hollow post f to the die-bed spindle E. The nail-block f is furnished with a
stem termed the nail-block-post f³, which, passing through the hollow post f²,
enters a hole in the die-bed-spindle E, and rests upon a spiral spring f. The said
die-bed-spindle E, which is square in transverse section, has an up and down
motion in the guides E³, E², for the purpose of driving the nails into the heel. In
the Drawings it is shewn in its highest position, the nails being supposed to be
already driven into the heel c. But when it descends, after the operation is
complete, the recoil of the spring f' will separate the nail-block f from the nail-
driver plate f, and when the dic-bed-spindle is at the bottom of its stroke, the
nail-block remains elevated a short distance above the nail-driver-plate. This
distance is equal to the "drive," that is to say, the distance the nails are driven by
tho machine. The upper part E¹ of the die-bed-spindle is circular, and around
this circular part is fitted, so as to be free to revolve, the trimming-lever carrier G,
which, by means of the driving pins g', g', carries round the trimming lever G¹;
upon which are mounted the devices for carrying and adjusting the trimming
knife n. This trimming lever carrier is made to revolve by means of the sprocket-
wheel G, which is attached to the said carrier.
The slides for carrying and adjusting the heel-trimming knife are shewn at H; o is
the knife-carriage-slide; o, the knife-carriage cross-slide; and o³, the knife-carriage;
x is the form-plate in which are the grooves for directing the motion of the trimming
knife to cause it to pare a beel to the more or less oval forn desired. This mechanism
is fully described in the aforesaid former Specification, and as it comprises the common
or ordinary features of construction of the McKay heeling machine, it needs no
further description. In some varieties of the said McKay heeling machine the

page_text: die-bed spindle E is made to rise and fall by means of a knee-joint arrangement
actuated by a crank, connecting rod, and gearing. In other forms the last-
carrier B is made to move up and down by means of a cylinder fitted with a
piston operated by compressed air; this cylinder is attached to the frame A of the
machine at the back, and the piston actuates the last carrier B by a connecting
rod and a walking beam vibrating on the pin shewn at Z.
According to this Invention, however, we dispense with those arrangements, and
prolong the die-bed-spindle E, and so form its lower end E³ as to constitute the
ram of a hydraulic press working in the cylinder E. This press cylinder is cast in
one with, or fimly fixed to, the frame A.
The movements of the die-bed-spindle are governed by two hydraulic valves, one
on each side of the cylinder; one of these valves is shewn in dotted lines at F.
These valves (one of which is the inlet valve and the other the outlet valve) are
operated by two handles and rods F2, F', or they may be worked by treadles if
desired.
If the inlet valve is opened the die-bed-spindle rises, and if it is closed and the
outlet valve is opened, the die-bed-spindle descends.
The water for working this hydraulic press may be supplied from an ordinary.
hydraulic pump and accumulator; or may be obtained from any other source
--affording-sufficient pressure:
The trimming lever G', carrying the trimming knife, is made to revolve around
the heel c by means of the sprocket-wheel G², which is moved by the chain V.
In the aforesaid M'Kay heeling machine as commonly constructed, this chain
is attached to a vibrating-lever-which-receives-motion-from-the-main-driving-
genring of the machine.
We use a hydraulic press to revolve the sprocket-wheel G². For this purpose
we place a shaft K in suitable bearings at the back of the frame A, and upon this
shaft is fixed a toothed wheel or pinion K¹. Fast to the lower part of the frame A
is fixed a hydraulic cylinder L containing a ram L¹, the upper part of which is
formed with a rack L³ gearing with the said pinion K¹. This rum is still further
prolonged to form a guide-rod L³, working in a guide-bracket L. On each end of
the shaft K a chain wheel K2 is fixed; around these wheels and in opposite
directions the two ends V1, V2, of the chain are wound and secured, passing on
opposite sides of the frame A.
The movements of the ram L' are controlled by an inlet valve M, and an outlet
valve on the opposite side of the frano A at M. This inlet valve M is operated
by the treadle M2, which is pivotted to the frame A at M³, and is connected to the
valve lever M by the slotted rod M and the levers or cranks M², M7. On the
ram L' is an adjustable tappet L³. The valve lever M is so placed that one of its
ends m will engage with this tappet, and the other end m¹ is in a position to
operate on the tappets N or N¹ on the valve rod N. The outlet valve M' is
operated by the lever P, pivotted at P¹ on the frame A; this lever P engages with
a tappet on the side of the ram opposite to that upon which the tappet L' is
arranged, and is also acted upon by the tappet P°. The lever P operates the valve M¹
through the tappets P³, P', and valve rod P³.
The operation of this mechanisin is as follows; that is to say-The operator
having driven the nails into the heel by means of the apparatus previously described,
and while the heel is still held fast by the hydraulic pressure from the press E
depresses the treadlo M', and opens the inlet valve M to the water pressure; the
ram L' then rises and revolves the shaft K, carrying with it the wheels K³, thereby
winding up one end and giving out the other end of the chain V, so that through
the sprocket wheel G³, revolution is imparted to the trimming lever and trimming
device; this movement continues until the ram has raised the tappet L high
enough to strike the lever M*, which, assisted by the weight Z¹, immediately turns
and closes the inlet valve M, arresting at once all further progress of the said
ram L¹
At the same time the tappet on the opposite side of the ram to the
tappet L³ strikes the lever P, and the said lever, assisted by the weight 22, turns

page_text: and opens the outlet valve M, and the ram descends by its own weight and
revolves the trimming lever G' in the opposite direction, until, having arrived at
the point it started from, the tappet P² forces down the lever P and closes the
valve M, thus stopping all further descent of the ram L¹.
It is evident that by adjusting the positions of the tappets on the ram the
movements of the trimming lever cain can be accurately controlled as desired.
The two levers M and P should be so proportioned that, while the valves appear
to move simultaneously, the valve M should close the instant before the valve M¹
opens.
When the machine is to be used for rivetting soles to boots or shoes, the
trimming mechanisin is dispensed with, and a nailing device suitable for acting
on a sole is used instead of that used for attaching the heels; Figure 2 shows this
apparatus. In this Figure, a* is the nail-block, of suitable form to receive the
part of the sole to be rivetted. This block has holes 6* to receive the nails, which
loles are fitted with drivers b'; c* is the nail driver plate, and d the hollow post
through which the nail-block-post e* passes. This nail-block-post rests on the
spring in the dio-bed-spindle E (Figure 1), and the nails being dropped head
downward into the holes b*, b*, the operation of driving them is precisely similar
to that of driving the heel-nails.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we claim,-
First. The novel construction of the clamp or clamping guide, whereby the same
is formed of or is provided with a rim or shell for guiding the knife around the
heel of a boot or shoe, and at the same time protecting the upper during the
operation of trimming or paring the heel, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination of the said clamp with a trimming or paring knife, so
arranged and operating that the said knife in passing around the heel of a boot or
shoe properly placed on a last and enclosed in the clamp is guided by the latter
and thereby imparts to the heel the desired contour or configuration, substantially
as set forth.
Third. The combination with the said clamp of the devices for holding and
adjusting the same, substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4,
or Figure 14 of the Drawings, and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The novel construction and combination of parts, whereby the knife is
supported in the knife-block to work freely in curved bearings concentric with the
point around which the knife oscillates, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. Arranging the centre of oscillation or pivot of the knife-block concentric
with one portion of the curve of the knife, substantially as described with reference
to Figure 12, and for the purposo specified.
Sixth. Providing the knife-block with an adjustable pivot or centre of oscillation,
substantially as described with reference to Figure 11, and for the purpose
specified.
Seventh. Providing the machine with hydraulic apparatus for operating the
mechanism whereby the heels and soles are attached to the boots and shoes,
substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederic Gardner, for myself and on
behalf of the said William Henry Dorman, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight.
hundred and eighty-one.
C. F. GARDNER. (L.S.)