CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SHOE HEEL AND TOE TIPS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALEXANDER
SOUTHWOOD STOCKER, of the Union Rolling Mills, Birmingham, and THOMAS
JOHNSON, of the Ridgacre Iron Works, in the County of Stafford, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twentieth day of July, in the third year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Alexander South-
wood Stocker and Thomas Johnson, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said Alexander Southwood Stocker
and Thomas Johnson, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as we,
the said Alexander Southwood Stocker. and Thomas Johnson, our exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,.
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING SHOE HEEL AND TOE TIPS;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that we, the said Alexander
Southwood Stocker and Thomas Johnson, shall cause a particular description-
of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or the hand.
and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High-Court-of
Chancery within six calendar months. next and immediately after the date

page_text: of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as upon reference thereto wr
more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Alexander Southwood Stocker and Thomas Johnson, do hereby declare that
the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the figures and letters marked thereon.
By the ordinary process of making what is denominated solid backed iron
shoe tips, the square rods that are produced in the "bolting rolls" are sub-
sequently, and at a single operation, passed through a groove made in another
pair of rolls, which groove is of such a form as to convert the aforesaid square
rods into what is technically called solid backed tip-iron. This tip-iron consists
of small rods or bars, having an alternate series of solid parts and grooves,
disposed in such manner that when the rods or bars are divided transversely
into the desired lengths, and are afterwards bended, punched, and polished,
they constitute what is denominated solid backed shoe tips. Now one of the
defects that results from this (the ordinary mode of making solid backed shoe
tips, is that the circular backs of the tips are "slack," that is, deficient in the
requisite fulness of metal. To provide a remedy for this defect in the manu-
facture of solid backed tips is one of the objects of our Invention, and we
effect it by a process intermediate between that of the bolting rolls and the
ordinary tip-iron rolls, the rationale of which process consists in effecting a
more gradual change from the square bar to the true tip form, and hence
results, mercantilely speaking, "a handsome article." There are two modes
(perhaps equally obvious) of effecting this gradual change and accuracy of
One
figure, both of which modes are exclusively claimed under this Patent.
of these modes is to have a distinct pair of "preparing rolls," containing only
"leading" or preparing grooves, for the purpose of partially forming the tip-
iron before it is fully developed in the ordinary rolls, but which we, now
denominate the "finishing rolls. The other mode consists simply in making
"leading" grooves in the rolls ordinarily in use, and passing the product of
the bolting rolls through the said leading grooves before they are conducted
into the finishing groove. In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents
a pair of our preparing rolls, designed for partially forming the solid backed
tip iron; the upper roll a is a plain cylinder, and the lower one 6 is cut into
grooves to produce the forms required; c, c, are the necks of the rolls, which
turn in the frames of the mill (not introduced into the Drawing); d, d, are
the "tenons
or "wabblers," and e, e, are the spindles or revolving shafts,

page_text: over which are slided the clutches f, f, on to the tenons d, d, when the rolls
are put into gear or brought into operation. It will be observed that there
are spaces at g of about half an inch between the tenons and the driving
shafts to prevent contact when the rolls are out of action, but rotation is
communicated to them by sliding the clutches f, f, on to the tenons, as shewn
on one side of the Figure. In the making of solid backed tips the iron, as it
comes from the bolting rolls, is first passed through the leading groove / or j
which give it the sectional form shewn by the red color at h¹ or . Two other
grooves for preparing tips of a different make are shewn at i and k. This
preparatory process adapts the iron for the finishing process; a pair of
rollers for which purpose is delineated by Figure 2, the same letters of
reference in which, as well as in the subsequently described Figures, indicate
the same parts as have been described in Figure 1. For finishing the solid'
backed tips, the iron that has passed through the preparing or leading grooves
hand (Figure 1) is to be passed through either of the grooves 1, 1, in
Figure 2, and the iron that has passed through the preparing grooves i, k, is'
to be passed through either of the grooves 'm, m, in Figure 2. The principal
object aimed at in these finishing rolls is the completion of the groove
wherein the heads of the nails (that are used for putting the tips on to boots
and shoes) are sunk; but as the means by which these grooves are produced
are not new, nor are claimed under this Patent, they are only adverted to in
explanation of the projections at o, o, in the interior of the grooves of the
rolls.
Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sections of the finishing rolls; at o', o', are"
represented the position of the nailing grooves, and at p, p, the parts that
are left solid; some of the rolls are arranged for forming three tips in the
length of its circumference, as shewn in Figure 3, and others for four tips,
as seen in Figure 4, each tip being a segment of the circle, one of which
viewed from the interior of the circle is shewn by Figure 5.
:
Our next improvement in the machinery for manufacturing shoe tips con-
sists in giving such a form to the rolls as will have the effect of lightening or
reducing the weight of the metal, and at the same time preserve their apparent
size or fulness. Our mode of lightening the tips without diminishing their ex-
ternal appearance of fulness consists in hollowing out the upper side of the solid
part of tips. For this purpose the upper roll a, Figure 6, is furnised with a
series of projecting pieces of metal u, u, u, which as they roll round' imbed
themselves in the solid parts of the tip-iron, and thereby make hollows or
depressions therein, as shewn in the section of the red-hot tip at v. The form
given to the projecting pieces of metal is quite arbitrary, that is, they may be

page_text: of the form shewn in the Figures, or varied from them in any degree: The
separate Figure 7 shews a section of the upper roll a and the projections
thereon; and Figure 8 affords a transverse section of the lower. roll. b,
through one of its grooves, and shews in dotted lines the depressions formed
in the solid parts of the tips. Our claim to Invention under this head of our
improvements consists in the construction and application of rolls so formed as
to produce the depressions or hollows described in tip-iron.
Our further and last improvement consists in an apparatus for bending the
before-mentioned metallic or other bars of iron into the desired shape, to
constitute what is commonly called a heel tip for a boot or shoe. This im-
provement is shewn at Fig. 9, where A is a crank working the connecting
rod B, which is attached to the sliding bar C. The latter is fitted to slide
through the two chairs or guides D, D; E is a pinion, which works into the
tooth rack F; this pinion is keyed on to the shaft G, which is shewn in eleva-
tion at Fig. 10, with the pinion upon it, in order that it may be more clearly
understood; G¹, G', is a foot block, which is shewn in plan at Fig. 11, and
carries the shaft, and which has relation to the neck or journey on the latter.
This journey turns in a chair which is screwed down to a wood bench, from
which the machine, when at work, takes its fulcrum. This is not shewn in
the Drawing, as it may be easily understood. H, in plan view, Fig. 12, and
in the elevation, Fig. 13, is a piece of metal made the desired shape, to form
the heel tip, and its place, when at work, is upon the upper part of the
shaft G, shewn at I, Fig. 10, which is square and rests upon the shoulder of
the shaft G, and must be screwed down firm by the bar or nut at the top of
the shaft G. This piece of metal is so formed as to leave a flanch on which
the heel tip rests while being formed; and K is a set screw. which confines it
while in the operation of being bent, and may be altered at pleasure; L, L,
are two guides, carrying an angle piece, which has a pin and bur at the end
M, and upon it rides a friction roller N, which bears against and confines the
bar O while being made; P is an adjusting screw, which may be readily
altered suitable to the size of the article required to be made; but to effect
this (viz, the making the various sizes required,) it will be obvious that the
piece of metal H must be removed, and another size supplied in its place.
The connecting rod B will be seen has an adjusting screw Q, which will act
conveniently according to the workman's desire; this is an important mc-
chanical part of the Invention, and found of great convenience; R is a
pulley, upon which a band works which gives motion to the machine. When
the crank A has formed one revolution, the pinion will have travelled about
two-thirds round, which will have bent the piece of iron O into the form of a

page_text: heel tip or toe tip, the latter end of which, when bent, falls off the friction
roller M, and will be readily released; the pinion then travels back again,
carrying the piece of metal II with it; it is then again fed with another piece
of iron O, and so on without loss of time. We wish it to be understood that
our claim for the process (viz, bending,) consists principally in the adjusting
screw Q, the rack F, the pinion E, and in combining and arranging such
parts and others referred to in the Drawing so as to form a particular machine
for bending a heel or toe tip, whereby great accuracy is performed in the
shape or curve of the article produced by it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Southwood Stocker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
ALEX SOUTHWOOD (L.S.) STOCKER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Alexander Southwood Stocker came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twentieth day
Inrolled the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.