IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Morrill Hinckley, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES."
A communication from Frederic Shilaber Hunt, of Lynn, in the County of
Essex and State of Massachusetts, in the United States of America.
aled the 26th May 1876, and dated the 10th April 1876.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Morrill Hinckley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1876.
CHARLES MORRILL HINCKLEY, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of
Massachusetts, in the United States of America. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from Frederic Shilaber
Hunt, of Lynn, in the County of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, in the United
States of America.
"
The purpose of this machine is to supersede hand labor in the lasting of boots
and shoes, not by stretching the entire upper over the boot as is customary in most
lasting machinery, but by stretching such upper at one point at a time only,
practically as is now accomplished by hand labor; a second object of this machine
being to tack the upper to the last at the point where and the time when the said
upper is stretched. To this end I employ, first, a last supporting jack, mounted
upon the top of an adjustable post and adapted to carry a last, over which the
upper is to be stretched and tacked or lasted; secondly, of a vibratory or
swinging beam or carriage, carrying at top a head, which is provided with an
elastic adhesive pad or cushion, and so disposed with respect to the lasting jack, or
the gage or stop which determines the position of such jack, that, with each
forward swinging motion of the beam and head the pad wipes against the upper
at one point and stretches it over the edge of the last; thirdly, in the combination
with the swinging beam and its head of a reciprocating bolt or tack driver,
operated by suitable mechanism in such manner that as the stretching head of
the machine reaches its extreme outward position the driver descends and drives
the tack through the upper and into the last.
The Drawings accompanying this Specification represents in Figure 1 a sidė
elevation of my machine.

page_text: Figure 2 is an elevation of the upper part of the same from the other side.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation; Figure 4 is a front elevation, of the upper part of
the machine.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cam which controls the bar that operates
the hammer lever.
In these Drawings, A, A¹, represent two uprights housings or standards, erected
upon a suitable base B, united by cross bars C, D, and at the top by a cross beam
E. The last supporting jack is shown at F as mounted upon the upper end of
an upright swinging rod or bar G, which is stepped at bottom in a pedal H, suit-
ably pivoted to the lower cross bar C of the machine frame, while the last is shown
at I as applied to the jack, the construction of such jack being similar to many now
in use, and being retained in an upright position when not in use by a chain
attached to it and the machine frame.
The upper which is to be lasted is placed about the last I, and the adjustable or
variable support of the jack enables the position of the last and upper to be varied
at pleasure; but as it is desirable that an uniform height of the bottom of the last
with respect to the stretching head shall be maintained, I affix to the front of the
cross beam E a gage or stop composed of a furcated or channeled abutment U. The
horizontal horns a, a, of the latter, which determine the height of the last, over-
hang the said last, and permit the stretching head to pass between them in the act
of turning and rubbing the edge of the upper over upon the last.
The stretching head before. alluded to as shown at J as a rectangular block
mounted horizontally upon the upper end of a swinging or vibratory beam K, erected
upon a horizontal rock shaft L, which is journaled within the standards A, A¹, at the
front of the latter, and at about midway of their height, the lower front edge of the
head J, being covered with a shoe or pad a² of india-rubber or other elastic or
tenacious material, in order to adhere with considerable friction to the edge of the
upper. The front of the head J, as it reaches its extreme forward position, extends
between the horns a, a, of the gage, and the height of the said head is such that as
it swings forwards its elastic pad shall wipe against the edge of the upper and
turn it down upon the last.
To effect the requisite vibratory motion of the beam K and head J, I connect one
of the journals of the rock shaft L outside of the standard A¹ to one end of the
crank N, to the opposite end or wrist pin c of which I pivot one end of a pitman
O, the opposite end of such pitman being in turn pivoted to the wrist pin d of a
crank wheel P, which is mounted upon the journal of a horizontal countershaft R,
such shaft being mounted in boxes e, e, affixed to the rear of the standards A, A³,
and driven by a belt f from a superdisposed driving shaft S. Each revolution of
the shaft R effects a vibratory motion of the beam K and head J.
To raise the head J from off the last or the upper upon the latter, as such head
completes its forward stroke, I apply the head to the vibratory bar K in an
adjustable manner, which, in the present instance, consists in inclosing the shank c
of the head and the upper part of the bar K in a tubular sleeve d, and applying a
spring in a suitable manner to draw the head down; and I next affix to one
end of the shaft R à crank or crank wheel e¹ to the wrist pin of which I pivot
one end of a pitman e², the opposite end of such,pitman being in turn pivoted to
the lower end of an arm or crank f, whose upper end is affixed to the outer
extremity of a horizontal rock shaft g, while to the inner end of such shaft I aflix
the rear end of a crank h², to the front end of which crank I pivot the lower end of
an upright rod or bar, whose upper end is forked and embraces a lateral stud ²,
projecting from the side of the head J; the arrangement of the sleeve ", crank
e, f, and, and rods e² and 2, being such that each rotation of the shaft R
produces a rocking of the shaft g², and such rocking of the latter shaft is trans-
mitted to the head J to raise the latter from off the last. or the upper upon it, the
mechanism being so timed that the rod or bar lifts the head at the moment the
. latter reaches its extreme forward position, and immediately prior to its return.
I propose to combine with this machine a device for tacking the upper to the last

page_text: simultaneously with the turning over of the upper upon the latter; and to this end
I employ a vertical bolt 1, which plays within an orifice in the front of the head J,
and to and fro thereof with respect to the last jack below; this bolt being depressed
by a proper spring and actuated by a lever m², which is fulcrumed to the top of
said head by a pivot m², and engages the bolt, as shown in the Drawings; the rear
end of the handle o of this lever being operated in such manner that as the head
moves forward the bolt is held at its highest point and restrained from falling
until such head has completed its forward movement and stroked the edge of the
upper of the boot over upon the last, when the handle o2 is released, and the bolt
immediately descends and drives the tack..
To actuate the hammer lever I employ an upright oscillating bar p², pivoted at
ps to the inside of the frame, and arranged to vibrate to and from the stroker J. It
is provided at its upper end with a stud or projecting pin q² which wipes or
operates at proper times the hammer lever.
The bar is operated by a double wedge or cam attached to the side of bar K,
said cam being depressible, but normally upheld by a spring. Opposite the cam
on the bar p² is a pin adapted to operate in conjunction with the cam in such
manner that when the head J moves forward the pin 3 will ride over the inclined
top of the cam, and the bar p² by its spring p will be held toward the head J
with its pin q in position to wipe over and depress the part o² of the hammer
lever. This continues until the stroking head J reaches its forward position, and
has pushed forward, stretched, and folded the upper over the last, at which time
the hammer lever clears the pin, and the hammer or bolt 2 descends and drives
the tack.
When the head J moves back the cam 2 (depressed during the forward move-
ment by the overriding pin 3, but now released and returned to its normal position)
wipes with its side incline against the pin, and so forces back the bar p² far
enough to cause the upper pin q to clear the hammer lever.
I propose adding to this machine a device for feeding and presenting the tacks to
the action of the driving bolt or hammer, but the combination of a tack feeding and
driving device with this system of lasting will be the subject of a separate applica-
tion for a Patent. The movement and action of the stroking head are designed to
imitate as far as possible hand work. The head has a wiping or stroking action
which tends to properly draw and stretch the leather, a result which is furthered
by making the acting face of the head of rubber or other material that will take
hold of the leather.
As soon as the head has performed its work and the tack has been driven the
head is then raised by the lifting bar far enough to clear the leather and is then
retracted.
.
The mode of connecting the head with its stock also enables me to exert a
powerful but yielding pressure on the work.
It will be evident to persons familiar with this class of machinery that the
relative movements of the jack and reciprocating head may be transposed, that is
to say, the head J may remain stationary, and the stroking movements requisite to .
turn over the upper be imparted to the jack.
CLAIMS.
First. In a machine for lasting boots and shoes the combination, substantially
as shown and described, with a jack movable in required directions of a vibratory
stroking head which moves to and from the work in any direction, substantially as
stated.
Second. The vibrating stroking head, provided on its acting face with rubber or
analogous material, in combination with the jack or work support, said parts being
for operation as shown and set forth.
Third. The combination, with an adjustable jack or work support, of a stroking
head having an up-and-down and to-and-fro movement, substantially as shown
and set forth.

page_text: Fourth. The stroking head, vibrating upon an axis, so as to move to and from
the work in any manner with or without in combination with the tack or nail
driving mechanism and jack or work support, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Morrill Hinckley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, 1876.
CHARLES MORRILL HINCKLEY. (L.S.)