Improvements in Lasting-machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
| Communicated from abroad by GORDON MCKAY, Engineer, and HADLEY
P. FAIRFIELD, Engineer, both of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America.]
Improvements in Lasting-machines.
I, CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of 1 Worship Street, Finsbury in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to lasting-machines employed in the manufacture of boots
and shoes and comprises the following improvements.
One part of my invention consists in providing in combination with a series of
pinchers a vertically or substantially vertically movable bar which is actuated by a
toggle, and which is adapted in its movements to cause the said pinchers to strain
the upper about the last, the whole being further combined with a locking device
for holding the said toggle in any desired position according to the strain wished to
be put upon the upper. Another part of my invention consists in providing a
releasing device which operates automatically to release the aforesaid locking
device to permit the toggle to be broken when desired. I also provide the following
novel combination of parts, viz., a friction pulley or equivalent device, a sector, a
toggle lever suitably connected to the said pulley so as to be actuated or started
thereby, a hand lever provided with a tripping device by which to actuate the
said sector for a greater or less distance, a clutch pulley and cam actuated by it,
combined with a tripping device for the said cam which said tripping device
is adapted to be actuated by the said lever after the sector above referred to has
come to rest.
Another feature of my invention consists in providing a series of bars having
pivoted eveners and nippers attached thereto at opposite sides of the fulcra of the
eveners, combined with a series of rods having pivoted equalizers and nipper-
closing devices carried by each equalizer at opposite sides of its fulcrum.
According to a modification of my invention I provide a lasting machine having
a column, a series of pinchers or pullers to engage the upper, a series of eveners to
support the said pinchers or pullers, suitable devices preferably supported by the
column to actuate the said eveners, and a rotating jack having two sets of side-
lasting devices and suitable means for operating them, the hub of the said jack
being mounted so as to be capable of rotation about the column for the purpose of
bringing either jack under the pinchers or pullers.
A further novel feature of this part of my invention consists in providing a
series of pairs of pinchers or pullers pivoted upon the opposite ends of a series of
eveners, which latter are carried by a series of supporting bars having springs
connected therewith and which are mounted on a vertically movable cross-head.
This cross-head acts through the said springs and determines the extent of strain
put upon the upper by the pinchers.
Lastly my invention comprises the provision of two pairs of pinchers or pullers
jointed to a slotted longitudinally adjustable evener in combination with suitable
supporting devices for the said eveners.

page_text: · COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lasting-machines.
I, CHARLES FREDERIO GARDNER, of 1 Worship Street, Finsbury, 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 :-
My invention relates to lasting machines employed in the manufacture of boots
and shoes and comprises improvements which will be readily understood by
reference to the following description of the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 shows a side view partly in section of sufficient of the machine to
explain my invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 are views of details.
A is the base and B the column of the machine which are suitably arranged
and proportioned to carry the various working parts.
At the head of the column B is a short horizontal shaft C on which is mounted
an arm.D. The shaft C is free to turn in bearings E, E provided in the column
head. From the front end of the arm D depends a vertical rod F jointed on a
pin G and furnished at its lower end with suitable "hold-downs" H, I which rest
upon the insole J of the boot. The hold downs H and I, as also the part K which
carries them, may be of any usual suitable construction. For the purpose of lifting
the "hold-downs" H and I away from the insole J, a hand-lever is provided
which is mounted on the shaft Č and furnished with a pawl M which pawl when
the hand lever L is drawn forward, by the operator, enters a notch N provided in
a piece O attached to the column and maintains the "hold-downs" in their raised
position. The pawl M is furnished with a small handle P for the purpose of
releasing it when desired from the notch N.
Free to slide up and down on the rod F is a vertically movable bar Q which is
made in one with or is attached to a frame R and which is furnished with an upper
guide bearing S. The bar Q is actuated by a toggle T, T₁ which is pivotted to
the rod F on a pin U and at its upper end is jointed to the frame R on pins V, V.
The bar Q carries in a manner hereafter described a series of pinchers W, adapted
to lay hold of the edges of the boot upper X. When the toggle T, T is
straightened it acts upwards upon the frame R so as to lift the bar Q and
pinchers W and strains the upper ✗ about the last Y which is prevented from
rising by the "hold-downs" H, 1 and rod F before described.
The pinchers W previously alluded to are constructed and arranged in the
following manner. In the bar are vertically slotted holes which receive blocks a.
The said blocks fit the holes sideways or in the direction of the width of the last
but have clearance endways or in the direction of the length of the last. This
arrangement is for the purpose of allowing the blocks a to be set in the slots to
accommodate lasts of different lengths and to permit also of their being tipped to
suit lasts of different pitches. When set, the said blocks are cramped fast by
screws a. These blocks a have vertical (or approximately vertical) holes in which
slide hollow bars a adapted at their lower ends to carry, on pivots a", eveners a
from the opposite ends of which the pinchers W hang. The said pinchers or
nippers each consist of a long jaw b and a short jaw & jointed together on a pin b
The short jaw is furnished with teeth ; is a pawl pivotted on a pin b' in
the long jaw for the purpose of holding the jaws closed. The pawl 6 has an arm 6º
adapted to be operated in a manner to release, as hereinafter described, the teeth 6
by contact with a plate or cam b' carried on the rod F. A cam lever 6 herein-
after further referred to is pivotted on a pin & in the long jaw of the pincher and
is adapted to engage a roll or projection 60 on the short jaw so as to close the
jaws upon the upper. The cam levers 68, one to each pincher, are operated through

page_text: links by means of equalizers 61 which are pivotted on pins 6 at the lower ends
of rods 6 In the drawing four pinchers are shewn arranged along the whole
length of each edge of the boot upper, although other convenient number may be
employed and if desired may be concentrated on the fore part of the upper. There
are as many eveners a' and equalizers 6 as there are opposite pairs of pinchers.
The rods 6 are free to slide up and down within the hollow bars a' already referred
to, and at their upper ends they are provided with rolls arranged to engage
with compensating levers c which are, in the manner of whippletrees, carried on
pivots by another compensating lever c. The lever is carried on a pivot e
by a presser lever * pivotted to the frame Ron a pin c. Jointed to the lever c
is a link c which is connected to a handle a mounted on a pin c in the bar Q.
A toothed quadrant is provided in connection with a ratchet pawl clo, having &
releasing handle for the purpose of locking down the presser lever c' when the
latter is depressed by the operator turning the handle c'. Springs c connect the
short jaws of the pinchers to the pivots which support the long jaws b.
The foregoing arrangement constitutes a pincher closing device which operates as
follows. The springs c" act to keep the pincher jaws open, and the cam levers 6º
in such a position as through the links 6" to maintain the equalizers 6" and rods 6"
raised. When the operator turns the handle e' so as to draw down, through the
link c, the levers c and the latter carry down with them the levers c which in
turn press down the rods 6 equalizers and links 6" which operate the cam
levers & so as to close the pincher jaws upon the upper, and as the arrangement
of the equalizers 6" and levers c, and c is such as to evenly distribute the pressure,
applied by the operator, over all the pinchers, the result is that all the pincher jaws
grip the boot-upper simultaneously.
In order that the upward pull exercised by the pinchers upon the boot-upper
may be regulated, springs d and adjusting nuts d' are provided. The latter run
upon screw threads formed on the upper ends of the hollow bars a³, and the
former encircle the bars a resting upon the blocks a and bearing up the nuts d²,
thus when the bar Q is raised by the operation of the machine the strain upon the
"upper
cannot exceed the tension of the springs d which is regulated by the
adjustment of the nuts d¹.
"
The straightening of the toggle T, T' is effected through a rod e the forked end
of which is jointed to the toggle on pins e', . The other end of the rod is
connected to a toggle lever by a joint pin e. The toggle lever e³ is mounted
loosely on a pin carried in the column B and has jointed to it on a pin e³ a rod e³
which is connected to a strap e passing under a friction pulley e and in turn con-
nected to another rod 10 which by means of a short chain el is attached to a
sector at the head of the machine. The sector is made to turn and pull upon
the rode and strain the strap about the friction pulley e which operates the
toggle T, T¹ by means of a hand lever e¹ and catch e". The catch e" engages in a
notch e formed in a quadrant el which, as well as the sector e, is secured upon a
shaft e" free to turn in bearings e provided in the column B. Thus when the
operator pulls upon the hand lever he turns the sector e¹. The hand lever e" is
loose upon the shaft e" and is provided with a tripping device for releasing the
catch from the notch e" of the quadrant e". The said tripping device consists
of a rod and handle f¹ to operate the catch e" and so free the hand lever e* from
the sector. The hand lever e¹³ is also furnished with an arm g which, after the
movement of the sector has been completed and the catch e withdrawn from
the notch e", may be brought in contact with the upper end of a rod g¹² su as to
depress the same. The rod g' rests upon a lever carried on a shaft having
thereon a second lever or catch y which is adapted to engage with a lever o³ for
the purpose of releasing a driving dog or clutch g. The lever g' and the dog g
are preferably made in one and are carried on a pivot g' by a cam 9 mounted
loosely on the driving shaft h of the machine which is revolved in the direction
shewn by the arrow by any convenient driving pulley h'. On the shaft / is secured
the before mentioned friction pulley . The lever & rests when the cam o³ is

page_text: stationary upon the upper end of the lever g' and holds the dog g" out of gear.
The dog is adapted to engage with projections on the pulley, and a spring.i¹ is
provided which acts to throw the dog ginto gear with the pulley whenever
permitted by the withdrawal of the catch from the lever 9. The catch g* is
normally held in engagement with the lever g by a spring but when the rod g'
is depressed the catch g' is withdrawn from the lever g' which then springs into
engagement with the pulley e and the cam g makes a revolution.
in
The cam is for the purpose of operating the three armed lever ; which is
pivoted in the base A. on a pin and is furnished with a cam roll and pin .
The front arm k engages with the wedge which is carried in the base A in 1
a manner so as to be free to rise and fall and operates to close the lasting
jaws which are mounted on pivots the jack. The lasting jaws l³
have rolls on pins 4 at their lower ends to engage the wedge is a
toggle provided to maintain the jaws closed when the wedge is out of
engagement with the rolls. The jaws have bars at their upper ends
which carry adjustable blocks 4 having swivelling jaws 40 in which are pivotted
on pins levers ". The upper ends of the levers are tubular and contain
springs which act upon stems and side lasting devices to keep said devices
forward towards the boot upper X as far as allowed by the nuts or collars " which
when the jaws are open prevent the stems leaving the tubes. The levers k
are furnished also with cam slopes or other convenient arrangements which
engage with rolls & mounted on closing down devices F carried on pivots & in
the side lasting devices ". A rod connects the opposite pairs of levers 12
being jointed thereto by pins ". The effect of this arrangement is that as the
jaws close by the operation of the wedge one of the devices 4" will sooner
or later come into contact with the upper X and be brought to rest. The
jaws continuing to close will cause the levers and rod to move about
this stationary device as upon a fulcrum until the opposite device also comes
into contact with the upper on the opposite side and it too is brought to rest.
The further closing of the jaws will then compress the springs and by
forcing forward the cam slopes I turn over inwards towards the centre of the
last and downwards upon the upper the closing down devices . The closing
down devices in turning over come in contact with the pincher jaws so as
to force them inwards towards the centre of the last and thus put an inward strain
upon the upper ✗. At the same time this inward movement of the pinchers causes
the arms to come in contact with the cam or plate 67 previously referred to as
carried on the rod F, and thus lifts the pawls 6, made in one with the arms b
from engagement with the teeth so as to release the pincher jaws from their hold
upon the upper.
The cam g in raising the arm kas already described acts also to depress the
arm m of the three armed lever; and by pulling down upon a rod m³, by the inter-
vention of the nuts m² depresses a lever m' to which the rod is jointed by a
pin. The lever m³ is secured upon the pin and is preferably forked or double
at the forward end m³ where it is jointed to the rod by the pin U. By this
arrangement the cam g³ in addition to closing the lasting devices upon the upper
serves also to lift the "hold-downs" away from the insole.
As the toggles T, T¹ never come quite into a straight line when the strain is put
on the upper it is necessary to provide a locking device to prevent them from
yielding. This is done by furnishing the toggle levere already referred to with a
toothed quadrant n which engages with a pawl or pawls n' carried on a pin n² in a
part of the column B. In order that this pawl n' may be released when the
"hold-down" is raised, an arm n* is provided on the lever m which arm when the
lever m³ is operated acts upon the pawl n' (made wider than the teeth in the quad-
rant n) so as to raise it from engagement therewith and so permit the toggle T, T¹
to collapse. A spring n³ is also provided to ensure the yielding of the toggles T, T
when released by the pawl n'.
The cam levers 6 previously referred to as operating to close the pincher jaws

page_text: upon the upper are made of such a shape that they act with greater force when
commencing to close the jaws than when the same are nearly closed. The shape
of the cams is in fact an increasing volute and the result of this is that the stouter
the substance of the upper grasped between the pinchers.the tighter the jaws will
grip it.
t
The jack previously referred to is double and constructed so as to be capable
of being rotated about the column B being mounted upon a hub o for that purpose
which rests preferably on rolls or balls o. It carries two sets of lasting devices
and apparatus for actuating them and holds two boots or shoes at the same time so
that while one boot or shoe is being lasted under the machine head by one operator
another operator is engaged tacking and removing a lasted boot and inserting
another boot for the lasting operation to be performed upon it.
In order that the operator may be able to open the jaws for the purpose of
removing the boot, a treadle p is provided pivoted in the base on a pin p' and
acting to raise a rod p' which when raised strikes upwards the toggles ** and so
opens the jaws k³.
The eveners a are sometimes according to this invention made in the form
shewn in Figures 3 and 4 in which the evener q has a longitudinal slot q' and is
adapted to slide upon a die q' which is carried on the pivot a³ in the hollow bar a.
A screw 2³ serves to adjust the evener q upon the die so as to make either end
longer or shorter (measured from the pivot a³) and so increase or diminish as may
be desired the strain put upon either of the pinchers carried as before at the ends
of the evener.
The machine is operated in the following manner.
A boot or shoe upper on a last with an insole are placed in the jack being therein
supported on any convenient heel pin and toe rest and the jack is turned so as to
bring the boot under the machine head. The operator then releases the pawl M
from the notch N and by means o: the handle L lowers the "hold-downs" H
and I upon the insole of the boot, observing that the edges of the upper enter
the open jaws of the pinchers. He then by means of the handle c' presses down
the lever and rods 6 so as to simultaneously close all the pinchers upon the
edges of the upper. Next he pulls upon the lever es which through the catch e" and
quadrant els turns the sector e¹ and strains the strap e about the friction pulley e
(supposed to be constantly running in the direction shewn by the arrow) sufficiently
to cause the pulley to grip and pull down upon the rode' and toggle lever e³ so as to
actuate the toggle T, T¹, and draw upwards the bar Qand pinchers W.
When the operator considers the upper sufficiently strained he (by means of the
handle f¹) releases the catch e thus freeing the sector e" and releasing the strap e
from contact with the pulley e, the pawl or pawls n¹ meanwhile maintaining the
strain upon the upper by dropping into the teeth of the quadrant n of the toggle
levere. The operator then by drawing the lever e¹ still further towards him will
cause the arm to strike upon the rod g' and depress the same thus operating
the levers g' and 9' and withdrawing the latter from the lever g' which then springs
into engagement with the cam 98 and causes the said cam to revolve and actuate
the armsjk and m.
The arm raises the wedge k¹ which acts to close the lasting jaws k³ and side
lasting devices 1. The latter move inwards until arrested by contact with the
boot upper in the manner already described when they stop and the further inward
movement of the jaws causes the cams to act on the devices and close them
down upon the upper. The devices in closing come in contact with the pincher
jaws and bear them inwards towards the centre of the last until the arms & come
into contact with the cam 6 and release the pinchers. The full part of the
wedge is now between the rolls, the jaws are closed, the toggle A² drops
straight so as to retain the jaws closed and the upper is lasted. While the side
lasting and closing operations are in progress the arm m is descending and about
the time when the pinchers are released the arm m strikes upon the nuts m² which
have been previously properly adjusted and through the rod m' and levers m³, m³

page_text: raises the rod F and "hold-downs" H, I. At the same time the arm n² releases
the pawl n' so as to free the toggles T, T¹ which then yield under the influence of
the spring n³, the pawl M falls into the notch N so as to retain the head in its
raised position and the cam g" continues to revolve until, a revolution being
completed, the dog 9 is released by the lever g striking on the catch which
arrests the cam g³.
The jack
performed.
may then be rotated for the tacking and changing of the boots to be
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a machine for lasting boots and shoes, the combination with the pivoted
eveners, equalizers and nippers arranged and operating as herein described of a
holding-down arrangement constructed to hold down the last in position against
the straining action of the lasting pinchers during the operation of the machine,
and to be automatically released "when the operation of lasting is completed,
substantially as described.
2. The combination, with the pivoted eveners, equalizers, and nippers, arranged
and operating as herein described, of a "hold-down" and a hand lever and friction
strap working on a rotating friction pulley constructed and arranged to act upon
a toggle so as to lift the frame which carries the lasting pinchers, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with the pivotted eveners, equalizers and nippers arranged
as herein described of lasting jaws and an intermittently revolving cam controlled by
the operator which shall first close the lasting jaws and then lift the "hold-down,”
substantially as described.
4. The combination with the pivoted eveners, equalizers and nippers arranged as
herein described of lasting jaws, and a toggle which when the lasting jaws are
closed by the operation of the machine shall come into action and retain the said
jaws closed until they are released by other mechanism, substantially as described.
5. The use of the hand lever which actuates the friction strap in connection
with the tripping device and the intermittently revolving cam all so constructed
that when the operator has put the desired strain on the lasting pinchers, he can
release the friction strap and by further movement of the hand lever can put in
operation the cam which shall first close the lasting jaws and then lift the "hold-
down" substantially as described.
6. The locking arrangement for retaining the pincher lifting toggle while the
side lasting and closing-down devices are in operation, substantially as described
7. The device for automatically releasing the toggle-locking mechanism when
the "hold-down" is lifted, substantially as described.
8. Connecting all the lasting pinchers to one closing handle by means of
intervening mechanism in such a manner that they all grip the upper at the same
time, substantially as described.
9. The combination with the pivoted eveners, equalizers and nippers arranged
as herein described of closing levers ³ so constructed that the pinchers exercise
a gripping force proportionate to the thickness of the material being gripped,
substantially as described.
10. The combination, with the pivoted eveners arranged and operating as herein
described, of blocks for carrying the same, said blocks being mounted in slots in
the lifting frame in such a manner that they may be secured in the position and at
the angles most suited for lasting the work, substantially as described.
11. Carrying the pinchers in pairs upon pivoted eveners so as to equalize the
strain upon opposite sides of the upper, substantially as described.
12. The construction of the pivoted eveners which allows the position of the
fulcrum to be adjusted so as to adjust the strain on the two sides of the upper,
substantially as described.

page_text: 13. The combination, with the pivoted eveners equalizers and pippers arranged
and operating as herein described, of side lasting devices arranged in pairs so that
as they are closed inwards by the lasting jaws the one which first touches the upper
will be arrested until its fellow device comes in contact with the opposite side of
the upper whereupon both devices press equally on the last, substantially as
described.
14. The combination with the pivoted eveners, equalizers and nippers arranged
and operating as herein described of closing down devices so constructed that
during the closing movement of the jaws that carry the side lasting devices they
shall act first to carry the lasting pinchers towards the centre of the boot or shoe
so as to draw the upper over the edge of the last, then in combination with the
cam b' to release the pinchers and finally to press down and retain the edge of
the upper upon the last, substantially as described.
15. The use of a double boot-carrying jack capable of being rotated about the
pillar and so constructed that while one boot is under the operation of the machine
being lasted the other is in an open position free to be manipulated by the operator,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
16. The lasting machine constructed substantially as described with reference
to the drawings, and operating as specified.
Dated this with of T1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.