Improvements in Boots and Shoes for Mankind and Animals.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Boots and Shoes for Mankind and Animals.
:
CHARLES JACKSON Engineer 134 Robin Hood Chase Nottingham do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for 'IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS & SHOES FOR
MANKIND AND ANIMALS; "to be as follows:
3
The object of this invention is the application of Hardened Asbestos as &
substitute for the materials used at the present time for Boots & Shoes for Men
and Horses. ?
I mix with asbestos a resinous or other binding material, then mould it to the
form required and expose it to great pressure and sufficient heat to render insoluble
or change the nature of the binding material.
This method of hardening asbestos is embraced by another patent application
bearing even date herewith No 11976.

page_text: I CHARLES JACKSON Engineer of 134 Robin Hood Chase Nottingham do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of this Invention is the application of hardened asbestos as a
substitute for the materials used at the present time for boots and shoes for men
and horses.
I mix with asbestos a resinous or other binding material then mould it to the
form required and expose it to great pressure and sufficient heat to render
insoluble or change the nature of the binding material.
This method of hardening asbestos is embraced by another Patent application
bearing even date herewith No 11976.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the way in which I prefer to proceed.
.
To make the sole of a boot or shoe I prefer to proceed as follows. I take asbestos
in the form of loose fibre and I saturate it with a concentrated solution of shellac
in spirit. I dry the fibre in a drying shed through which a current of air passes
leaving the fibre say about a week to dry. I prepare a metal mould in the form
of the sole and I pack the fibre into the mould. I also by preference lay spirals of
soft steel wire in the mould amongst the fibre so that the spirals may become
embedded in the sole.; this addition strengthens the sole and renders it more
durable. I pack the prepared asbestos fibre well in amongst the spirals and then
by a moderate pressure I mould the sole to form. I return the moulded sole to the
drying shed and there let it remain for some weeks. I then again saturate the solo
with shellac solution and again dry it. When it appears thoroughly dry I expose
it to a very heavy pressure in the metal mould several tons pressure to the inch at
the least should be used. After the sole has been thus pressed and preferably after
an interval of some days I pass the sole into an oven heated to about 250 degrees
Fahrenheit and I keep it there for eight or ten hours. Next I again press the sole
in the mould the mould being now heated to about 300 degrees. After this
pressure in the heated mould I again expose the sole to a heavy pressure.
After
this pressure the sole is returned to the oven and kept there for several hours; the
oven being heated to about 300 degrees. In making up the shoe or boot the sole
is treated as if it were a leather sole.
In a similar manner I make the upper of a boot or shoe but of course without
the wire spirals. The upper also is made considerably thinner than the sole and
as it is required to be more supple I use less of the shellac solution and expose the
moulded material to a lower temperature.
In a similar manner I also make the soles and upper for horse boots such as are
used where horses are employed to roll turf to prevent the grass being marked by
the horses feet.
I can also in like manner make horse shoes similar in form to ordinary iron
horse shoes,

page_text: The material for this purpose is required to be as hard as it can be obtained.
I therefore use much of the binding material repeatedly saturating and drying the
asbestos before exposing it to the heavy pressure.
I also use a temperature up
to 400 degrees in the oven in which the moulded shoe is stoved. The shoe is
repeatedly pressed in a mould as already described and it is fixed to the hoof of
the horse by nails like an iron shoe.
The details of the process admit of variation without departing from the spirit
of the invention; I prefer however to conduct it in the manner set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
(1.) The use in the manufacture of boots and shoes for mankind and animals
of asbestos combined with a binding material and hardened by pressure and heat
substantially as described
(2.) Boots and shoes made with hardened asbestos substantially as described.