Improvement in Sole Sewing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Feb.; 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Sole Sewing Machines.
I WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of The Hawthorns Newport Road Stafford in the county
of Stafford Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists in an improvement in Sole Sewing Machines of the kind
used for stitching the soles to the welts of boots or shoes, or to that part that
takes the place of the welt and is more especially applicable to that Sole Sewing
Machine commonly known as the New Goodyear Stitcher.
In stitching the soles of boots to the welts by machine it is very usual to employ
that form of sewing known in the shoe trade as "fair stitching." This consists in
laying a plump and regular stitch on the face of the welt, mostly with white or
yellow thread, and in order to give the appearance preferred by the trade this stitch
should be "pearled," that is to say laid in a somewhat diagonal direction. This
appearance is obtained when stitching with the New Goodyear Stitcher by grinding
the point of the awl in a diagonal direction in reference to the line of direction of
the feed of the work forward.
By this means the hole through which the needle draws the loop of thread is
rendered somewhat oval in a diagonal direction and when drawn up the stitch tends
to assume the desired "pearl" or diagonal aspect.
means
Owing to the slight degree of ellipticity imparted to the thread hole by the
diagonally pointed awl and to the varying twist taken by the loop while being
drawn up, the obtaining of the "pearled" position of the stitch is by no
certain, and at times it is liable to be reversed and so to produce an irregular and
unsightly appearance and it can only be obtained with sufficient certainty to be
practically useful by causing the looper to maintain the thread running to the needle.
(while the stitch is being pulled up) in a direction towards the operator and as far
as possible from the machine.
But causing the looper to project so much from the front of the machine towards
the operator is often inconvenient and calculated to damage the shoe upper; and in
cases when it is desired to stitch the sole to the welt without removing the shoe or
boot from the last it is quite impracticable. In such cases the looper to avoid
contact with the boot must remain behind the line of the needle and as far as
possible from the work, and the line of thread running to the needle instead of
extending outwards toward the operator must extend inwards towards the machine.
In this position of the thread it is quite impossible to ensure a regular "pearled'
stitch the thread taking up any irregular and zigzag position.
"
"
In order to obviate this and to ensure a regular "pearled line of stitching at
all times and especially when stitching on the last I employ an automatic moveable
bar which works to & fro' close beneath the table and is furnished with a suitable
guide notch for the thread.
The bar is made to come forward immediately the needle point is drawn up with
the work, and bear the line of thread, coming from the looper to the needle, forward
so as almost to touch the front side of the table slot.
As soon as the needle has completed its movement & has drawn up the loop
the bar recedes to allow the needle to return thro' the work. By thus giving a
positive forward direction to the line of thread close up to the underside of the work.
a regular "pearled " line of stitching is ensured.
The bar is so mounted as to move with the table, and its connecting mechanism

page_text: so contrived that it shall need no adjustment for varying thickness of work. It
receives a positive movement from a cain in the main shaft, or other suitable part
of the mechanism, so as to ensure its exact timing to the other movements of the
machine and it is so constructed as to work clear of the movement of the awl.
.il: oil יב
1
1000
W. H. DORMAN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Sole Sewing Machines.
I WILLIAM HENRY DORMAN of The Hawthorns, Newport Road, Stafford, in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in an improvement in Sole Sewing Machines of the
kind used for stitching the soles to the welts of boots more especially applicable
to that class of Sole Sewing Machines represented by the machine commonly known
as the New Goodyear Stitcher.
In stitching the soles of boots to the welts by machine it is usual to employ
that form of sewing known in the shoe trade as "fair stitching." This consists in
laying a plump and regular stitch on the face of the welt often with white or
yellow thread, and in order to give the appearance preferred by the trade this stitch
should be "pearled" that is to say laid in a somewhat diagonal direction.
This appearance is obtained when stitching with the New Goodyear Stitcher by
grinding the point of the awl in a diagonal direction in reference to the line of
direction of the feed of the work forward. By this means the hole through which
the needle draws the loop of thread is rendered somewhat oval in a diagonal
direction and when drawn up the stitch tends to assume the desired "pearl" or
diagonal aspect.
Owing to the slight degree of ellipticity imparted to the thread hole by the
diagonally pointed awl and to the varying twist taken by the loop while being drawn
up the obtaining of the "pearled" position of the stitch is by no means certain,
and at times it is liable to be reversed and so to produce an irregular and unsightly
appearance, and it can only be obtained with sufficient certainty to be practically
useful by causing the looper to maintain the thread running to the needle (while the
stitch is being pulled up) in a direction towards the operator and as far as possible
from the machine.
But causing the looper to project so much from the front of the machine towards
the operator is often inconvenient and calculated to damage the shoe upper and in
cases where it is desired to stitch the sole to the welt without removing the shoe or
boot from the last it is quite impracticable. In such cases the looper to avoid
contact with the boot must remain behind the line of the needle as far as possible
from the work and the line of thread running to the needle instead of extending
outwards towards the operator must extend inwards towards the machine.
In this position of the thread it is quite impossible to ensure a regular "pearled"
stitch, the thread taking up any irregular and zigzag position.
"
In order to obviate this and to ensure a regular "pearled" stitch at all times and
especially when stitching on the last I employ an automatic moveable bar which
works to & fro' close beneath the table and is furnished with a suitable guide notch
for the thread:
The bar is made to come forward immediately the needle point is drawn up into
the work and bear the line of thread, coming from the looper to the needle, forward
so as to almost touch the front side of the table slot. As soon as the needle has
completed its movement & has drawn up the loop the bar recedes to allow the
needle to return thro' the work.

page_text: Dy is giving a posi
ΤΟ be mine of thread close up O
under side of the work a regular "pearled "line of stitching is ensured. The bar
is so mounted as to move with the table and its connecting mechanism so contrived
that it shall need no adjustment for varying thickness of work. It receives a
positive movement from a cam on the main shaft or other suitable part of the
mechanism so as to ensure its exact "timing" to the movements of the machine
and it is so constructed as to work clear of the movement of the awl.
The accompanying drawings shew my invention as applied to that Solo Sewing
machine commonly known as the New Goodyear Stitcher.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation shewing a modification.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view shewing the work.
Fig. 5 is a plan shewing portions of the table and the "pearler."
In all these figures the same letters indicate similar parts.
A is a portion of the main frame of the New Goodyear Stitcher which is provided
with bearings B, of which one only is shewn, for carrying the cam shaft C on which
are mounted the cams for actuating the various moving parts of the machine.
The lever D, known as the table segment, is pivotted to the main frame A by the
pivot E the jaws F F₁ being fitted one on either side. The table H is carried
upon the table segment D by the screws I. I'. The lower end of the table segment D
terminates in a tooth J. which is a working fit in a gap K. in the locking
slide L.
The locking slide L slides in the guide M and is pressed forward by the action
of the spring N so as to cause the table H to press up the work which is carried
upon it against the channel gauge O. The locking lever P pivotted on the pin Q
locks fast the locking slide by the action of the spring R and the rod S except
when the machine is feeding forward the work; at which time a cam acting on the
roll presses down the locking lever P and releases the locking slide L.. The
channel gauge O is mounted in a slide U which is moved up & down by the lever V
pivotted on a pin W and operated by a cam acting on the cam roll X.
The work being held between the channel gauge O and the table H-it is needful
for the purpose of inserting or taking out the work to depress the table H by means
of the hand lever Y which is mounted on a pin Z. When the hand lever Y is
pressed downwards by the operator towards the machine the projection a acts upon
the toe of the locking lever P and so releases the locking slide L, the continued
movement of the hand lever Y causes the part c to come in contact with and carry
before it the pin d in the table segment D and so depress the table H. The
needle e is mounted in its stock and moves in a circular path about the pivot g
on which the needle stock is mounted.
The awl works from below up through the slotted hole in the table H.in a
path similar to the path of the needle, the awl stock being mounted on a pivot gl
concentric with the needle stock pivot g. The looper i passes the thread around the
needle point and lays it in the needle barb at the proper time during the working
of the machine. Thus far this description refers to the New Goodyear Stitcher
as ordinarily constructed.
In order to produce with certainty a "pearled" stitch, it is necessary as already
described that from the time the hook of the needle is fairly within the thickness of
the work, while the stitch is being drawn up, the thread coming from the looper
should be held in a direction as shewn in Fig. 4, that is, away from the machine
and since for the reasons already adduced it is impracticable to do this by means of
the looper I use a reciprocating bar or piece ; which
call a "pearler." The
"
pearler" is fitted as closely as possible underneath the table H which is formed with
a lip to protect the upper which the "pearler" in its forward position touches,
or nearly touches. The "pearler" is formed with a notch in the front edge just
deep enough to allow the thread to draw through between it and the lip of the
table; the ends m m¹ of the notch coming so close to the lip k as to prevent the

page_text: is
thread escaping between. In the position just described the "pearler" lies directly
in the path of the needle and awl. As soon therefore as the stitch is fully drawn
up the "pearler" retires and allows a clear way for the movement of the awl and
needle up and down through the slotted hole prepared for the purpose in the
table H. The pearler j forms part of, or is attached to a slide n fitted to move to
and fro in a way o prepared for it in the table segment D. The reciprocating
movement of the "pearler "j, is in the direction of a straight line from the table
lip to the needle stock pivot g the part which operates on the thread moving as
closely as possible under the slotted hole 7. in the table H. In the slide n is a
notch p in which works a tooth q formed upon the end of the lever r. The lever
carried upon a spindles turning in a bearing t formed in the table segment D,
another lever u is carried upon the other end of the spindle s and is jointed at v to
the link w, set screws a. serve to cramp and adjust the levers and u.
The upper
end of the link wo is jointed at y to the lever which is in one piece with the
lever a¹ the two forming a bell crank pivotted on the pin in the main frame A.
A stop c¹ prevents the centre of the joint y from rising above the centre of the
table segment pivot E and the spring di tends always to draw the lever to the
stop c'. The object of thus bringing the centre of the joint y into exact line with
the centre of the table segment pivot E, at the time when the " pearler" is in its
forward position is that in the various positions of the table H brought about by
the varying thickness of the work the "pearler" j shall still come up to the same
position in relation to the lip k of the table H.
2
The link e' is jointed at f¹ to the lever a¹ and at h¹ to the link . The same pin
which forms the joint carries also the cam roll which is. acted upon by the
cam k¹. The lower end of the link is jointed at to the lever n' which is carried
upon a spindle o' turning in a bearing p₁ formed in a bracket y' fixed to the main
frame A. The other end of the spindle o¹ carries a lever which is jointed
ats' to the link t¹. The link t' being jointed at u¹ to the locking slide L.
When the work placed between the table H and the channel gauge O is thick
the table being depressed to a greater degree, the needle e in its upward movement
drawing up the thread reaches the under surface of the work earlier than when the
work is thin and the object of the above described mechanical arrangement is to meet
this variation and cause the movement of the "pearler" to synchronise with the
entrance of the hook into the work in all circumstances.
When thick work is placed between the channel gauge O and the table H the
latter will be depressed, the tooth J will push back the locking slide L and through
the connections t¹, r¹, o¹, n¹ and the cam roll j¹ will be raised so that the cam k¹
which revolves in the direction of the arrow will act earlier upon it and when the
sole is thin the spring N will draw forward the locking slide L and through the same
connections t¹, 1, 01, π and i¹ the cam roll j¹ will be brought lower so that the cam k¹
will act later upon it.
When the step ¹ of the cam passes under the roll j¹ the action of the
spring pulls up the lever z against the stop cl and presses forward the "pearler" 'j
to the lip of the table H, the depression w¹ being clear of the roll and when the
step acts upon the roll the lever will be pulled down away from the stop
and the pearler; be drawn back from the lip k thus allowing the awl and needle to
pass. The centres of the joints f' and the centre of the cam shaft C are all in
the same straight line when a medium thickness of sole is being worked upon as in
this position the arc described by the movement of the cam roll about the centre f
will most nearly coincide with the arc y' of the cam k¹.
It will be seen from the above description that the thickness of the work
determines the time of the movement of the "pearler." It being relatively earlier
when the work is thick and later when the work is thin and that the movement is
obtained by means of the steps v' and ' in the cam k¹.
:
The parts are so arranged and proportioned that the "pearler" shall always come
forward as speedily as possible without striking the point of the needle after the
needle has gone past in its upward movement with the thread and shall reniain

page_text: forward in contact with the thread maintaining the same against or very close to
the lip of the table H until the needle has completed its upward stroke and drawn
up the stitch after which the " pearler is withdrawn to make way for the
advancing awl.
The movement of the looper i is the same as described in the specification of former
Letters Patent dated 18th of January 1889 No. 923.
In the modification shewn in Figure 3 the cam k² has a piece which is
adjustable by means of the screws a² in the slots cd so that the steps v2 22
may be set by the operator to suit the thickness of work being operated upon.
The cam piece acts upon the cam roll and moves the lever a³ ³ with its
connections to the pearler in the same manner as before described.
This arrangement is of course not automatic as is the one already herein described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a sewing machine of the kind used for stitching the soles to the welts of boots,
the use of a bar, or piece which I call a "pearler," which during the time the needle
is drawing up the loop bears forward the thread in order to ensure the formation
of a "pearled" stitch, substantially as described.
W. H. DORMAN.