An Improved Appliance for Top-ironing Boots and Shoes
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1895
Complète Specification Left. 19th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Appliance for Top-ironing Boots and Shoes,
ARTHUR KELLY, Artizan, 26 Wilson Street St. Pauls Bristol, THOMAS
JOSEPH COE, DOUGAL HENRY MCPHERSON and HAROLD QUARINGTON
CHURCH all Manufacturers of 19 King Square Bristol do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improved appliance for top-ironing boots and shoes by which the heel' ball
is automatically distributed evenly along the edge of the boot by the same operation
with which the boot is top-ironed, thus saving. the time of first applying the heal
ball to the boot by hand..
The splashing of the molten heel ball by the rotating iron upon the finished'
bottom of tlie boot is entirely prevented:
It is capable of being fixed to any top-ironing machine.
The appliance is composed of a tin reservoir mensuring four inches deep and
four inches in diameter which contains wax or heel ball used for topironing boots
or shoes the same being kept in a liquid state by a small jet of gas beneath the
bottom of reservoir which is slanted upward at the back to prevent gas fumes
rising to the operator.
The reservoir has a half round tin tube three quarters of an inch across fixed on
the side which is filled to the top with a peice of felt. There is an aperture on
the inside of this tube through which the molten wax or heel ball flows and
saturates the felt..
The apparatus is fixed on the top ironing machine in a position so that the top
iron of the machine will bed its edge into the peice of felt, from which the warm
iron (when in a rotating motion) "draws the wax or heel ball; und so lays it
automatically along. the edge of the boot or shoe.
It therefore eaves the operation of a man applying the heel ball by hand, thereby
saving upwards of 50% labour.
We, ARTHUR KELLY, Artificer, THOMAS JOSEPH COE, DOUGAL HENRY
MOPHERSON and HAROLD QUARINGTON CHURCH, Boot Manufacturers, of
26 Wilson Street, St. Pauls, Bristol, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed' to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to machinery used in the finishing of boots and
shoes and consists of an appliance or device, as hereinafter described, for containing
in a molten condition the becl-ball, wax or such similar preparation as is used in the

page_text: process of "top-ironing"; the said device being also constructed and arranged in
such a manner as to automatically supply the finishing tool, technically termed the
"top-iron" with the said wax and thereby obviate the necessity for the operator to
place, by hand, the said wax in small portions around the edge of the sole of a boot
or shoe, prior to the latter being submitted to the top-iron to produce the usual
narrow marginal border thereon which is known in the trade as top-ironing.
For the purposes of the present invention we employ a device or vessel of suitable
shape arranged internally into two compartments one to contain water and the other
wax and adapted to be heated so as to cause the wax to be melted and conducted
by a piece of felt or other conducting material in contact therewith, to the top-iron
which transfers it to the sole of the boot or shoe and forms a marginal border
thereon when the said sole is held against the top iron by the operator in the well
known manner.
The invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 shows a vertical section of the improved device constituting the present
invention and shown as applied to a top-iron tool, and
Figure 2 a plan of the said device, the tool being omitted.
A represents a device the interior of which is divided into two compartments or
chambers B and C respectively, the former of which, when in actual uec, contains
water and the latter wax, heel-ball or similar preparation, hereinafter referred to
as wax, used in the formation of the narrow marginal border on the soles of boots
and shoes.
In its normal condition this wax is in a solid state and to render it suitable for
top-ironing it has to be reduced to a molten condition which under ordinary
circumstances is effected by bringing it into contact with the heated finishing
tool.
To reduce the said wax to a liquid state according to this invention heat is
applied to the device by a gas jet D or other means and the water in the
chamber B upon reaching the proper temperature melts the wax in the chamber C
whereupon the said wax passes through an opening C, in the side of the device
forming ono wall of the said chamber, and enters a tube or smaller chamber F
open at its upper end and in which is located a piece of felt G extending
upwardly therefrom a sufficient distance to enable the top-iron tool E to revolve
in contact with the same.
The felt being located in the liquid wax becomes saturated therewith and by
capillary attraction conducts it also to that upper part of the said felt which is
outside the chamber so that as the tool revolves in contact with the said felt
it removes a portion of the wax and becoming coated thereby transfers it to the
sole of a boot or shoe in the well known manner.
The chamber B may be filled so that the water itself supplies the requisite
heat to the chamber C or partly filled and the generated steam allowed to effect
the sanie purpose.
A funnel-shaped tubo H is located in preferably the fixed upper part H' of the
device so as to admit of the chamber B being filled with water and also to allow
nuy vapour or steam generated therein to pass out of the said chamber.
A lid J is hinged at J' transversely of the upper part of the chamber C to
permit of the latter being replenished with wax from time to time as may be
necessary.
An upwardly protruding lip J 2 prevents the lid falling too far back when in
the open position.
The base of the device is inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the gas fumes may
Cɛcape in a direction away from the operator.
The device has a plate K attached thereto by rivets K' or equivalent by which
it can be connected to a convenient part of the standard of a top-ironing machine
with the top-iron tool E in contact with the felt G as shown.
The exact position upon the framing of the machine at which the device is
10 be fixed will vary according to the shape or contour of the upper part or

page_text: framing of the top-ironing machine, the essential condition however to be complied
with is that the top-ironing tool while revolving shall be in contact with the wax-
conducting material G.
The invention is not limited to the particular construction of the device as shown
in the drawing nor to the precise arrangement of the water and wax chambera
indicated, nor to the uso of folt as a means of conducting the wax from the wax
chamber to the finishing tool as it is obvious that the detail of these may be varied
considerably within the main lines of the invention.
It is also obvious that the conducting material G might be placed direct in
the chamber C instead of in F.
Neither is the invention confined, to top-ironing machines but may be applied
to other finishing machines in which a waxy preparation is laid on to the sole or
heel of a boot or shoe by a heated rotary tool, such a machine included in this.
category is the rotary edge setting machine.
The melting of the wax by steam or hot water as described prevents burning
of the same and the colour of the wax is maintained to the last.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
olaim is :-
1. The combination with a boot and shoo-finishing machine of a wax melting
device consisting of a chamber containing water, meaus for heating the same, a
chamber containing wax and adapted to be heated by the said water so as to.
melt the wax and means interposed between the latter and the finishing tool for
automatically conducting the wax to the latter substantially as described.
2. In a boot and shoe finishing machine the combination of a device comprising
a chamber containing molten wax and heated by water or steam from an adjacent
chamber, a tube or equivalent communicating with the wax chamber and means
within the said tube to conduct the wax to the finishing tool substantially in the.
manner and for the purpose described.
3. In a boot and shoe fiuishing machine the combination of a device for
automatically supplying the finishing tool with wax, constructed, arranged and
operating substantially in the manner described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated this 18th day of November 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.