IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BRUSHING AND POLISHING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Southall, of Leeds, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
BRUSHING AND POLISHING BOOTS AND SHOES."
Sealed the 6th October 1875, and dated the 17th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Southall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th April 1875.
I, CHARLES HENRY SOUTHALL, of Leeds, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR BRUSHING AND POLISHING BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in so arranging and constructing the machine
that when motion is applied to it the boot or shoe is caused to move
slowly round in a peculiar manner, and thereby present the desired
parts to be acted upon by a brush which is caused to move backward

page_text: and forward with rapidity, the proper pressure being applied by springs
or other means whereby the desired polish is speedily obtained.
I place a horizontal sliding shaft in bearings on one end of a frame.
On one end of this shaft I fasten a fork into which I joint an expanding
last which holds the boot or shoe. On the same shaft, and by preference
between bearings, I key a grooved cam, the groove of which works on
a fixed stud on a bracket, and by this means the shaft is made to slido
a certain distance backward and forward.
To an arm projecting from the expanding last and at a suitable
distance from the centre on which it works, I connect one end of a
jointed rod, and on the other end of this rod I make another joint
which I attach, by preference, to a projection fixed to the boss of a
wheel through which motion is conveyed to the last, and carries round
with it the sliding shaft. The result is that when the shaft and last
are pushed out as far as it is intended the toc and sole of the boot or
shoe are drawn to a right angle to the shaft, and when it is drawn back
as far as it is intended the toe and upper part of the boot or shoe are in
a straight line or thereabouts with the centre of the shaft, and by
this means in onc revolution of the shaft every part of the boot or
shoe which it is necessary to polish is brought under the action of
the brush.
In order that the boot or shoe may receive the proper amount of
brushing its motion requires to be slow, and I reduce the speed of the
sliding shaft by one or more wheels driven by a worm or screw, which
I key on to a short horizontal driving shaft. On one end of this driving
shaft I key the driving pulley, and on the other I key an adjustable
crank with slot and stud in the usual way to shorten or lengthen the
stroke of the brush.
On the opposite end of the machine in bearings I place a vertical
rocking bar and couple an arm to the upper end, on the end of which
arm I fix the brush. To give pressure I connect any part of this arm
to the lower part of the rocking bar by a spring. When at work the
brush rests on the boot or shoe.
The expanding last I make in two pieces, so shaped that they may
slide upon each other, and with a stud on one and a corresponding hole

page_text: in the other they are enabled to maintain their position. On the stud I
cut a number of ratchet teeth and arrange a catch and spring,
these hold the parts asunder when it is necessary to expand the last,
and by this means the last is made to fit any size of boot or
shoe.
In working the machine I slip a boot or shoe on the last and expand
same, with a lever or other similar means, until the heel and toe parts
are fitted tightly. I then lower the brush which was held up by a catch
and allow it to rest on the boot or shoe machine.
When the machine is put in motion the boot or shoe begins to move
slowly round, and in so doing presents every part to be acted upon in
the desired position, whilst the brush moves backward and forward with
rapidity and soon effects the desired polish. The machine can be driven
either by hand or power.
In some cases I use a lever jointed in bearings fixed to the frame
instead of the vertical rocking bar, and connect it to the driving shaft
crank with rod and joints in the way described, whereby a longitudinal
motion is given to the brush.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Henry Southall in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY SOUTHALL, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Henry Southall, Her
special licence that I, the said Charles Henry Southall, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Henry Southall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BRUSHING AND
POLISHING BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Charles Henry Southall, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Henry Southall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that
is to say :-
This Invention consists in so arranging and constructing the machine,
that when motion is applied to it the boot or shoe is caused to move?
slowly round in a peculiar manner, and thereby present the desired parts
to be acted upon by a brush which is caused to move backward and
forward with rapidity, the proper pressure being applied by springs or
other means, whereby the desired polish is speedily obtained.
I place a horizontal sliding shaft in bearings on one end of a frame.
On one end of this shaft I fasten a fork into which I joint an expanding
last which holds the boot or shoe. On the same shaft, and by
preference, between bearings I key a grooved cam, the groove of which
works on a fixed stud on a bracket, and by this means the shaft is made
to slide a certain distance backward and forward.
To an arm projecting from the expanding last and at a suitable
distance from the centre on which it works I connect one end of a
jointed rod, and on the other end of this rod I make another joint which
I attach, by preference, to a projection fixed to the boss of a wheel,
through which motion is conveyed to the last and carries round with it
the sliding shaft. The result is that when the shaft and last are

page_text: In some cases I use a lever jointed in bearings fixed to the frame
instead of the vertical rocking bar, and connect it to the driving shaft
crank with rod and joints in the way described, whereby a longitudinal
motion is given to the brush.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 an end elevation; and Fig. 3, a part
elevation showing altered position of "last" for holding the boot or shoe
during the brushing or polishing operation.
a is the frame for carrying the various motions; 6 is the horizontal
sliding shaft mounted in bearings at one end of the frame. On one end
of this shaft b is the fork c into which I joint the expanding "last" d
which holds the boot or shoe; e is the grooved cam which as the shaft 6:
turns round causes it to slide backward and forward by means of the
fixed stud fand roller fr. To the army on the expanding "last" & I
connect the end of the jointed rod h, and the other end of this rod h
I connect to the projection h' cast or otherwise fixed to the boss of the
worm wheel i through which motion is transmitted to the sliding shaft 6:
and expanding "last" d. The result is that when the shaft 6 and
expanding "last" & are pushed out as far as it is intended the toe and
sole of the boot are drawn to a right angle to the shaft b, as shewn at
Figure 3, and when it is drawn back as far as it is intended the toe and
upper part of the boot or shoe are in a straight line or thereabouts with
the centre of the sliding shaft b, as shewn at Figure 1, and by this means
in one revolution of the shaft 6 every part of the boot or shoe
which it is necessary to polish is brought under the action of the
brush u.
In order that the boot or shoe may receive the proper amount of 3
brushing its motion requires to be slow. To effect this I employ thic
large worm wheel i, and drive it with the worm or screw k, cut, keyed,
or secured by other equivalent known means on the horizontal shaft ɩ,
shewn better at Figure 2. On one end of this horizontal shalt / I key or
secure by other equivalent means the driving pulley m and loose a

page_text: pulley n, and on the other end of the horizontal shaft I key or fasten
by other equivalent means the adjustable crank o with the slot and
stud
P in the usual way to shorten or lengthen the stroke of the brush 14
as may be required.
On the opposite end of the machine, and in suitable bearings q I
place two adjustable screws for carrying the rocking bar r, and I couple
the arm levers to the upper end of the rocking bar r with the
stud t.
When required any other equivalent means may be employed for
carrying the rocking bar r, being adjusted by other suitable known
means.
8
On the end of the lever s I place the brush u, and use the screws v
to alter its position when required. To give the required pressure I use
the spring 10 or its equilivant, and connect it with the stud
screw into the lower part of the rocking bar 7.
which I
The expanding last d I make in two pieces, as shown in Figures 1
and 3, so shaped that they may slide on each other, and the study on
one and a corresponding hole in the other. On the stud y I cut a
number of small ratchet teeth and arrange a catch 1 and spring 2 so
that the lower end of the catch 1 is always pressing into the ratchet
teeth, and when the "last"d is expanded the catch 1 holds the parts
asunder. By this means the "last" is made to fit any sized last or shoe.
I connect the adjustable crank o and the rocking barr by means of
the rod 3 and ball joint 4 and 5, or by other equivalent known
means.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and shewn
by Drawings how the same may be carried into practice, I would in
conclusion remark that I do not limit myself to the exact limits, details,
or configuration of the parts I have explained and shown, as the same
may be varied or modified without in any way departing from the
nature or principle of my Invention; but what I do claim and desire to
be secured to me by Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The arrangement, construction, and application of sliding
shaft 6 and parts connected therewith for giving the required motion
to the boot or shoc, substantially as and for purposes herein set
forth.

page_text: Secondly. The arrangement, construction, and application of expand-
ing "last" d and parts connected therewith, substantially as and for
purposes herein set forth.
Thirdly. The arrangement, construction, and application of rocking
shaft and arm or levers and parts connected therewith for giving the
required motion to the brush u, substantially as and for purposes herein
set forth.
Fourthly. The arrangement, construction, and combination of the
various parts forming the machine for brushing and polishing boots and
shoes, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry Southall, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five.
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