Improvements in Welting Strips for Boots and Shoes and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 24th D c., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by FRANK WOODARD MERRICK, of Corner of
Grampian Way and Rockland Avenue, Boston, in the County of Suffolk and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.]
Improvements in Welting Strips for Boots and Shoes and other
Articles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of articles from leather or similar material, as, for example,
in the manufacture of boots and shoes, certain seams, such as the seam of the leg
of a boot, and the seam at the back of a shoe-upper, require to be "closed" as it
is termed; that is to say, it is customary to render the said seams tight and to give
them a finish by the insertion in each thereof of a welting or closing strip. This
welting or closing strip is laid in position between the edges of the pieces of
leather which are to be secured together, and when the pieces are sewed the
stitches are caused to pass through both of the pieces of leather and also through
the intervening welting or closing strip. The stock is then turned, that is, the
pieces of leather are separated or spread apart in substantially the same plane, and
the seam is beaten out and otherwise finished. When viewed from the finished
side of the leather, that is from the exterior of the boot-leg or shoe-upper, the edge
of the welting or closing strip is visible.
Hitherto, it has been common to employ a welting or closing strip for thus
closing and finishing the seam which has been made from a strip of material
having the sides thereof parallel with each other. There are various practical
objections and defects in the case of this old form of welting or closing strip which
it is the object of my present invention to obviate and remedy.
In accordance with my present invention, I provide and employ a welting
or closing strip of novel and improved character, as I will now proceed to
explain.
The welting or closing strip is placed between the pieces to be secured together,
at the edges of the latter. The stitches pass through the pieces to be secured
together and the closing strip and unite the whole together.
The usual form of welting or closing strip which has been employed heretofore
is rectangular in cross section or has its sides parallel with each other. The
improved form of welting or closing strip is in cross-section wedge-shaped, it being
thicker at one edge thereof than at the other and having converging or bevelling
sides. Preferably, it is formed from leather and may conveniently be produced by
taking a four-sided strip of leather stock, the said strip of stock being severed into
two parts lengthwise by an inclined or diagonal cut, thereby dividing the said strip
of stock into two smaller strips each of which is wedge-shaped, that is to say,
thicker at one edge thereof than at the other. It may be noted that since the
strip of stock is rectangular in cross-section, the welting or closing strips produced
by severing the same by a cut along one of the diagonals of the rectangle or
parallelogram have the form in cross-section of right-angled triangles, and in
cross-section will be slightly unsymmetrical. By making the strip of stock, of the
shape of a rhomboid in cross-section, the welt produced by splitting the same on
the diagonal will be in cross-section of a symmetrical triangular form. In making

page_text: a seam containing the wedge-shaped welting or closing strip, the thicker edge of
the said strip is arranged to show on the finished side of the work. This edge of
the strip may be left flat but preferably it will be finished by rounding the same.
When the edge is rounded it may or will be blacked and burnished to give it a
finished and corded appearance.
By the employment of a welting or closing strip of wedge-shape as described, the
edges of the pieces of leather through which the stitches pass are laid and held tightly
against the inclined face of the welting or closing strip, and when the seam is
beaten out the pieces of leather are not turned so sharply on themselves as in the
cases where a rectangular strip is used. Therefore, the stitches are subject to less
strain and the same is not so liable to gap or crack, as it is termed, at each side of
the welting strip on the finished side of the goods. Also, the inside of the seam is
improved. It is not so wide as would be the case if a parallel-sided welting or
closing strip were employed. The inner edge of the welting or closing strip, being
thin, is more flexible than the inner edge of the parallel-sided welting or closing
strip and permits the seam to be beaten out more perfectly and easily than is the
case where the welting or closing strip is as thick at one edge thereof as at the
other. When the work is turned after having been stitched, that is to say, when
the pieces of leather are spread apart in the same plane the stitches are less apt to
show or "grin" than is the case where the other form of welting or closing strip is
employed. The broad edges of the wedge-shaped welting or closing strip covers
the stitches after the seam is beaten out because of the fact that the said strip is
wider at the exposed edge than it is where the stitches pass through it.
It will be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the welting or closing strip is
such that twice the length of the strip may be made from the same amount of
stock as could be made if the welt were of equal thickness at both edges. That is
to say, a strip of leather which is of a size sufficient to make a welting or closing
strip of equal thickness at both edges may be severed diagonally with the result of
producing quantity of welting strip of twice the former length. The said wedge-
shaped welting or closing strip will have the same appearance in the finished seam
that the original piece of stock would have if placed in the seam, and with the
additional advantages which have been enumerated herein in the finishing, beating
out and the like. Thus, an effective welting or closing strip is produced by the
employment of which a seam of superior quality is obtained, said welting or closing
strip being produced at a minimum of expense by the employment of a minimum
amount of stock.
Dated thin wrth 1
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SP CIFIC TON.
Improvements in Welting Strips for Boots and Shoes and other
Articles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
In the manufacture of articles from leather or similar material, as, for example,
in the manufacture of boots and shoes, certain seams, such as the seam of the leg
of a boot, and the seam at the back of a shoe-upper, require to be "closed" as it
is termed; that is to say, it is customary to render the said seams tight and to give

page_text: them a finish, by the insertion in each thereof of a welting or closing strip. This
welting or closing strip is laid in position between the edges of the pieces of leather
which are to be secured together, and when the pieces are sewed the stitches are
caused to pass through both of the pieces of leather and also through the intervening
welting or closing strip. The stock is then turned, that is, the pieces of leather
are separated or spread apart in substantially the same plane, and the seam is
beaten out and otherwise finished. When viewed from the finished side of the leather,
that is from the exterior of the boot-leg or shoe-upper, the edge of the welting or
closing strip is visible.
Hitherto, it has been common to employ a welting or closing strip for thus
closing and finishing the seam which has been made from a strip of material having
the sides thereof parallel with each other. There are various practical objections
and defects in the case of this old form of welting or closing strip which it is the
object of my present invention to obviate and remedy.
In accordance with my present invention, I provide and employ a welting or
closing strip of novel and improved character, as I will now proceed to explain
with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 shows a length of the improved form of welting or closing strip which
I propose to employ.
Figure 2 is a view showing the saine in cross-section on the line 2-2 of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view showing in transverse section a strip of stock, such as may
be employed in the production of the said welting or closing strip.
Figure 4 is a similar view showing a modified form of the said strip of stock.
Figure 5 is a view in cross-section showing the welting or closing strip finished
by rounding the edge thereof which is exposed in the seam.
Figure 6 is a view showing in cross-section two pieces of leather united at their
edges, with the improved form of welting or closing strip in position between them,
and all three pieces united by stitches passing through them.
Figure 7 is a view in cross-section showing the position of the pieces of leather
after they have been turned and
Figure 8 is a view showing in cross-section the form of welting or closing strip
which heretofore has been employed.
Referring first to Figures 6 and 7,
A and B are the respective pieces of leather which are secured together, and
C is the welting or closing strip which is placed between the said pieces A, B, at
the edges of the latter. The dotted lines at D are intended to represent the
stitches which pass through the parts A, B, C, and unite the whole together. In
the said Figures 6 and 7, the welting or closing strip C is shown as being of the
improved form which I am about to describe.
The usual form of welting or closing strip which has been employed heretofore
is represented in cross-section at E in Figure 8. As stated hereinbefore, and as
shown in Figure 8 the sides of the welting or closing strip E are parallel with
each other and the strip E is rectangular in cross-section. The improved form of
welting or closing strip which is designated C is in cross-section wedge-shaped, it
being thicker at one edge thereof than at the other and having converging or
bevelling sides, as shown. Preferably, it is formed from leather and may
conveniently be produced by taking a four-sided strip of leather stock, such as is
shown in cross-section in Figure 3, the said strip of stock being severed into two
parts lengthwise by an inclined or diagonal cut as indicated at 2 in said Figure 3,
thereby dividing the said strip of stock into two smaller strips each of which is
wedge-shaped, that is to say, thicker at one edge thereof than at the other.
may be noted that since the strip of stock represented in Figure 3 is rectangular in
cross-section, the welting or closing strips produced by severing the same by a cut
along one of the diagonals of the rectangle or parallelogram have the form in
cross-section of right-angled triangles, see Figure 2, and in cross-section will be
slightly unsymmetrical. By making the strip of stock, as shown in Figure 4, of
It

page_text: the shape of a rhomboid in cross-section, the welt produced by splitting the same
on the diagonal 2 in Figure 4 will be in cross-section of a symmetrical triangular
form. In making a seam containing the wedge-shaped welting or closing strip, the
thicker edge of the said strip is arranged to show on the finished side of the work.
This edge of the strip may be left flat but preferably it will be finished by
rounding the same as shown in Figure 5. When the edge is rounded it may or
will be blacked and burnished to give it a finished and corded appearance.
By the employment of a welting or closing strip of wedge-shape as shown and
described, the edges of the pieces of leather A and B through which the stitches
pass are laid and held tightly against the inclined face of the welting or closing
strip, and when the seam is beaten out the pieces of leather are not turned so
sharply on themselves at the points designated 3, 3 in Figure 7, as in the cases where
a rectangular strip is used. Therefore, the stitches are subject to less strain and
the same is not so liable to gap or crack, as it is termed, at each side of the welting
strip on the finished side of the goods. Also, the inside of the seam is improved.
It is not so wide between the points 4 and 5, Figure 7, as would be the case if a
parallel-sided welting or closing strip were employed. The inner edge of the
welting or closing strip, being thin, is more flexible than the inner edge of the
parallel-sided welting or closing strip and permits the seam to be beaten out more
perfectly and easily than is the case where the welting or closing strip is as thick
at one edge thereof as at the other. When the work is turned after having been
stitched, that is to say, when the pieces of leather are spread apart in the same
plane as indicated in Figure 7, the stitches are less apt to show or "grin" than is
the case where the other form of welting or closing strip is employed. The broad
edges of the wedge-shaped welting or closing strip covers the stitches after the
seam is beaten out because of the fact that the said strip is wider at the exposed
edge than it is where the stitches pass through it.
It will be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the welting or closing strip C
is such that twice the length of the strip may be made from the same amount of
stock as could be made if the welt were of equal thickness at both edges. That
is to say, a strip of leather which is of a size sufficient to make a welting or closing
strip of equal thickness at both edges may be severed diagonally as shown in
Figures 3 and 4, with the result of producing quantity of welting strip of twice
the former length. The said wedge-shaped welting or closing strip will have the
same appearance in the finished seam that the original piece of stock would have
if placed in the seam, and with the additional advantages which have been
enumerated herein in the finishing, beating out and the like. Thus, an effective
welting or closing strip is produced by the employment of which a seam of superior
quality is obtained, said welting or closing strip being produced at a minimum of
expense by the employment of a minimum amount of stock.
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. As a new manufacture, the improved welting or closing strip consisting of a
strip of leather which is tapering in cross-section from one edge thereof to the
other, the thicker edge being rounded, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the two pieces of material A, B, of the interposed
welting or closing strip consisting of a strip of material which is tapering in cross-
section from one edge thereof to the other, the whole united by stitches passing
transversely therethrough, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of November 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.