IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Francis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
April 1855.
I, HENRY FRANCIS, of 456, West Strand, do hereby declare the nature of
the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING BOOTS AND SHOES" to be
as follows:-
The Inventions for Improvements in Manufacturing Boots and Shoes consist,
first, in the use of metal lasts made with recesses for screws and studs or pins
set out accurately, whereby the soles and heels are guided, and kept in their
proper places without depending upon the skill of the workman in fixing the
inner sole on the last and the outer one on the upper leather, the position of:
all the fastenings and nails in the work depending upon similar pins placed at
the same distance in "dies," to be hereafter described.
Second, preparing wedge-shaped pieces of metal, nails, and wooden pegs used
in making boots and shoes, by covering the wedges and nails with fixed oils,
resins, wax, or gums, or any of them combined, to prevent them rusting in the
leather; also to make them stick or adhere more securely in it. The wooden

page_text: pegs are to be saturated with such oils or resins to render them waterproof,
as well as covering them with such combinations of oils and resins as will
increase their holding power.
Wedge-shaped pieces of metal or nails used in fixing the soles on boots and
shoes, or nails used for the purpose of increasing the wear of the leather, are
placed in a piece or pieces of metal with the same number of mortices and
holes in the required form to contain the quantity of wedges and nails to be
inserted in the sole. The wedges are placed in the mortices in the die base
downward, the width of the mortice being the same. as the thickness of the
wedge, and its depth about one-third the length of the wedge, thus keeping
them true, and points upwards. In the dies there are steel pins fixed at the
same distances and relative positions as in the last. The sole, which is cut out
and perforated to slide down the pins, will come in contact with the points of
the wedges and nails. A piece of wood is then placed on the top of the sole,
and by a blow or pressure the wedges and nails are forced into the sole, which
when lifted up draws them out of the die. The sole is turned over and taken
to a last which has the inner sole and "upper" secured on it. The sole is
then slid down the guide pins that are in the last, and the workman has only
to complete the driving of the wedges and nails into the "upper" and in the
inner sole, and the boot or shoe's sole is securely fixed. The sole is then to
be cleaned off (which I believe can be best done by a grindstone). The heel
is prepared by being pressed in cups or dies and then nailed on, and the boots
finished. The wedges and nails are to be picked up by a round magnet, which
will greatly facilitate placing them in the dies. The wedges and nails are to
be galvanised, if necessary, before submitting them to my preparation. The
advantages of the wedges over nails are, that their sides being parallel do not
compress the leather, and render the soles of light boots inelastic or hard; the
holding surfaces are increased without increasing the weight of metal in them;
the wedge being obtuse has no tendency to force or work itself up through
the sole; the base of the wedge being broad and the sides parallel, cause
them when placed in the dies to keep cach apex upwards and true, the
mortices in which they are placed being also parallel; the weakness or
thinness of the point of the wedge causes the point to bend over in clenching
on the metal last.
Lasts may be cast in chills and galvanised for the object of rendering
their surface hard and smooth; also for preventing them straining the inside
of the boots, &c.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Francis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
FRANCIS, of 456, West Strand, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Francis, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Francis, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Francis,
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 MANUFACTURING
BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henry Francis, by an instrument 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Francis, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
The Inventions for Improvements in Manufacturing Boots and Shoes consist,
first, in the use of metal, lasts made with recesses for screws and studs or pins
set out accurately, whereby the soles and heels are guided and kept in their
proper places without depending upon the skill of the workman in fixing the
inner sole on the last and the outer one on the upper leather, the position of
all the fastenings and nails in the work depending upon similar pins placed at
the same distance in "dies," to be hereafter described.
Second, preparing wedge-shaped pieces of metal, nails, and wooden pegs
used in making boots and shoes, by covering the wedges and nails with fixed
oils, resins, wax, or gums, or any of them combined, to prevent them rusting
in the leather, also to make them stick or adhere more securely in it.
wooden pegs are to be saturated with such oils or resins to render them
The

page_text: waterproof, as well as covering them with such combinations of oils and resins
as will increase their holding power.
Wedge-shaped pieces of metal or nails used in fixing the soles on boots
and shoes, or nails used for the purpose of increasing the wear of the
leather, are placed in a piece or pieces of metal with the same number of
mortices and holes in the required form to contain the quantity of wedges and
nails to be inserted in the sole. The wedges are placed in the mortices in the
die base downward, the width of the mortice being the same as the thickness
of tho wedge, and its depth about one third of the length of the wedge, thus
keeping them true, and points upwards. In the dies there are steel pins fixed
at the same distances and relative positions as in the last. The sole, which is
cut out and perforated to slide down the pins, will come in contact with the
points of the wedges and nails. A piece of wood is then placed on the top of
the sole, and by a blow or pressure the wedges and nails are forced into the
sole, which when lifted up draws them out of the die. The sole is turned over
and taken to a last which has the inner sole and "upper" secured on it. The
sole is then slid down the guide pins that are in the last, and the workman has
only to complete the driving of the wedges and nails into the "
upper" and
inner sole, and the boot or shoe's sole is securely fixed; the sole is then to be
cleaned off (which I believe can be best done by a grindstone). The heel is
prepared by being pressed in cups or dies and then nailed on, and the boots
finished. The wedges and nails are to be picked up by a round magnet, which
will greatly facilitate placing them in the dies. The wedges and nails are to be
galvanized, if necessary, before submitting them to my preparation. The
advantages of the wedges over nails are, that their sides being parallel do not
.compress the leather, and render the soles of light boots inelastic or bard; the
holding surfaces are increased without increasing the weight of metal in them;
the wedge being obtuse has no tendency to force or work itself up through the
sole; the base of the wedge being broad and the sides parallel, cause them
when placed' in the dies to keep each apex upwards and true, the mortices in
which they are placed being' also parallel.; the weakness or thinness of the
point of the wedge causes the point to bend over in clenching on the metal last.
Lasts may be cast in chills and galvanised for the object of rendering their
surface hard and smooth; also for preventing them staining the inside of the
boots; &c.
:
.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and the means whereby the
same was to be performed, I will now proceed to describe the accompanying
"Drawings, in the various Figures of which the same letters in all instances
indicate like parts.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of the metal last which I employ,
having guide pins a, a, set therein. The insole of a boot or shoe is cut out by
stamping or otherwise, is perforated in two or more parts, corresponding in
distance with the guide pins a, a, of the metal last; it is then placed upon the
guide pins a, a, by passing them through its perforations, they serving to retain
it in its proper position thereon. The uppers having been previously prepared,
the last is placed therein, and the edges thereof are pulled over by the last
and "insole" by basting, as shown in Figure 2, or by other means, the guide
pins a, a, serving to secure the basting thread to form the heel and. toe. The
sole is next prepared by stamping or otherwise, and is perforated to slide on to
the guide pins a, a, and is further prepared by having all the perforations for
the nails required to secure it to make the boot or shoe.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation of the apparatus for perforating the
sole. It consists of a plate of metal b, having steel pins c, c, suitably formed
firmly set therein, to cause the sole to be perforated to receive the nails, which
I prefer to be placed in the directions, as shown in Figure 4.
Figures 5 and 6 show a means whereby the nails used in connecting the
soles of boots and shoes are inserted in the outer sole. The nails are placed
in the mortices d, d, formed in the plate e, base downwards; the sole is then
slidden on to the guide pins a, a, and pressed or otherwise driven. on to the
points of the nails, after which, by means of a wedge f, the studs g,g, will be
caused to rise in their sockets, and thus lift the sole from the die, having the
nails partially driven therein, which, by being turned over and placed upon the
guide pins a, a, of the last, having the upper and insole secured in manner'
described, the nails partially driven therein are to be completely driven in, so`
that their points become securely clenched by the metal last. The same
wedges f and studs g, g, for lifting the sole from the dies are employed in both
instances.
Figures 7 and 8 show a plan and section of apparatus for perforating
the heels (prepared by turning or otherwise) for receiving, the nails usually.
employed. The dies are prepared .in the same manner as the sole dies f for
inserting all the requisite nails, forming the clumps, or making the perfora-.
tions for nails to secure them to the boot. In forming the insoles of boots and
shoes according to my Invention, I. prefer rolling or compressing the insole,
that it may afterwards, by expanding or rising above, leave the clenchéd nails,
below its surface.
3...

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the means employed by me for
carrying the same into practice, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein given so long as the peculiar
character of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the manner of
making boots and shoes, &c. as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Francis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
FRED* HARRIS.
HENRY FRANCIS. (L.S.)