IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOES, AND IN FITTINGS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Bell at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th December
1870.
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I, ANDREW BELL, of the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Smith and Farrier, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE-SHOES, AND IN FITTINGS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This said Invention consists in new or improved constructions of heels
and toe pieces for horse-shoes with fewer and more simple parts, for and
modes and means of portably fixing them to and removing them from
the shoes than heretofore, in a manner capable of sharpening both the
heels and toe pieces without slackening or removing the shoes from the
horse's feet, and for the purpose of preventing the horse's feet from
slipping on hard streets or roads and in frosty weather.
And the nature of the Invention or improvement in reference to the
heels substantially consists in making the two heel pieces separate, of
steel, with the downward vertical kneed part which rests on the ground
sharpened and hard tempered, each having a long broad thin flat part
projecting forward and bedded firmly on the face and heel of each limb

page_text: of the shoe, with a flange and edge or rim projecting up and round the
inner curved edge or side thereof as a groove for holding on to the shoe,
each piece having also a small hollow boss or cylindrical part formed on
them and projecting out towards each other with a small simple fixing
screw inserted and working therein between them in the plane of and
across the middle of the shoe in front of or close to the fore part of the
frog; this fixing spindle is screwed so as to work in the said lateral boss
or socket of one of the heel pieces, while the other end turns freely in
the socket boss of the other heel piece, all so that as it is turned by a
small square formed in the middle and a screw key it forces the two heel
pieces apart and hard against the two inner curved edges of the shoe
so as to fix them firmly thereto by the form of the curved shape of
the shoe and slots in the flanges of the heel pieces and power of the
screw.
When preferred however both ends of the fixing spindle may be
screwed so as to work into the opposite hollow screw bosses with a right
and left handed screw, and either of these two screw spindles may be
further fixed when desired with thin jam nuts screwed hard up against
the ends of the hollow screw bosses.
The nature of the Invention in reference to toe pieces substantially
consists in forming a long shallow slot across the lower face or front part
of the toe or shoe or into a shallow toe piece welded or formed thereon,
and in driving a dovetailed and slightly tapered mandrel into it while
hot; so as to form a tapered and dovetailed groove for the reception and
insertion of a thin steel sharpened toe piece of the height desired, which
when tempered may either be driven and fixed into this dovetailed
groove while the shoe is hot or cold, so that these sharpened toe pieces
when inserted may be "calked" or "set up" along the two edges of the
groove so as to firmly secure them therein yet still allow of their being
removed or driven out laterally when they get worn or require sharpening
and have new sharpened pieces inserted and fixed therein when desired
without requiring the removal of the shoes from the horse's feet.