IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE SEWING MACHINERY TO BE USED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Keats, of Wood Green, in the County of Middlesex,
Boot Manufacturer, and Arthur Greenwood, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE SEWING MACHINERY TO BE USED IN SUCH
MANUFACTURE."
Sealed the 20th February 1877, and dated the 1st September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Keats and Arthur
Greenwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st September
1876.
"f
IM-
JOHN KEATS, of Wood Green, in the County of Middlesex, Boot Manufacturer,
and ARTHUR GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE SEWING
MACHINERY TO BE USED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE.”
The object of this Invention is to sew boot soles to the welt in such a manner
that the shuttle thread shall form the under thread of the finished boot, that thread
as employed in the Crispin machine being subjected to little or no friction, and
consequently retaining the whole of the wax with which it is charged.
It is well known by all boot makers that stitches made of threads properly
waxed will, even when the continuity of the thread is destroyed, hold the work
firmly after the manner of pegs, but that in the absence of a sufficient quantity of
wax the work will be liable to become seam rent. It is chiefly to avoid this result
that the present improvements have been designed
We also propose to stitch closer to the upper and the inner or welt seam than
has heretofore been effected by machinery when stitching on the outer sole, and
thus to produce what is known as the best quality of work.
We also propose in some cases, as in the manufacture of slippers, to employ only
one waxed thread, viz., the shuttle thread, so that the stitches formed by the
hooked thread (which may be of the same colour as the interior lining of the shoe
or slipper) will appear without danger of soiling the foot or stocking of the wearer.
To attain these ends we propose to sew from the face of the sole downwards,
piercing the sole and welt at an incline outwards, and we thus obtain a good
margin with a comparatively small size of sole. As, however, we cannot in this case
[Price Gd.]

page_text: avail ourselves of channels in the leather as guides in feeding the boot over the
rest or support, we have designed caps for both the post and the inclined horn
(whichever is used) to receive and support the work, and to guide it in its traverse
under the hook, after the manner of the guide roller described in the Specification
of our Patent, dated February 18th, 1874, No. 620
In order that these caps may insure the formation of stitches for sewing on the
solo at an uniform distance from the wolt seam we so shape them that they will
enter and fill the angle formed by the junction of the upper to the welt. The
bearing face of the caps is inclined from the horizontal in order to cant the sole and
allow of the hooks piercing it in a slanting direction; a good margin is thus
obtained, and the stitching is set in as closely as in hand work. The caps will be
pierced as usual for the traverse through them of the vertical hook to fetch up the
thread from the whirl or looper, and the thickness of the inetal at the side of the
cap nearest the upper will be such as to allow of the hook working as near as
possible to the welt seam.
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Keats and Arthur Greenwood in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st March 1877.
JOHN KEATS, of Wood Green, in the County of Middlesex, Boot Manufacturer, and
ARTHUR GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN THE SEWING MACHINERY TO
BE USED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE"
The object of this Invention is to sew boot soles to the welt in such a manner
that the shuttle thread shall form the under thread of the finished boot, that thread,
as employed in the Crispin machine being subjected to little or no friction, and
consequently retaining the whole of the wax with which it is charged.
It is well known by all boot makers that stitches made of threads properly
waxed will, even when the continuity of the thread is destroyed, hold the work
firmly, after the manner of pegs, but that in the absence of a sufficient quantity of
wax the work will be liable to become seam rent It is to avoid this result that
the present improvements are mainly designed
We also propose to stitch closer to the upper and the inner or welt seam than
has heretofore been effected by machinery when stitching on the outer sole, and
thus to produce what is known as the best quality of work
To attain these ends we propose to sew from the face of the sole downwards,
piercing the sole and welt at an incline outwards, and we thus obtain a good
inargin, with a comparatively small size of sole. As however we cannot as
heretofore avail ourselves of channels in the leather as guides in feeding the boot
over the rest or support, we have designed caps for both the post and the inclined
horn (whichever is used) to receive and support the work, and to guide it in its
traverse under the hook, after the manner of the guide roller described in the
Specification of our Patent, dated February Eighteenth, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four, No. 620.
In order that these caps may insure the formation of stitches for sewing on
the sole at an uniform distance from the welt seam we so shape them that they will
enter and fill the angle formed by the junction of the upper to the welt. The
bearing face of the cap is inclined from the horizontal in order to cant the sole
and allow of the hook piercing it in a slanting direction; a good margin is thus
obtained, and the stitching is set in as closely as in hand work. The caps will be
pierced as usual for the traverse through them of the vertical hook to fetch up the
thread from the whil or looper, and the thickness of the metal at the side of the
cap nearest the upper will be such as to allow of the hook working as near as
possible to the welt seam.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shows in sectional elevation the end of an

page_text: inclined horn, fitted according to our Invention with a cap for supporting the work
while being sewn in an inverted position, and guiding it under the vertical hook;
Fig 2 is a partial front elevation of the same, showing the hook raised above the
work, and the feeding finger bearing upon the work; Fig. 3 shows in side view
the cap detached from the horn; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.
By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the cap A is secured by screws to the
extremity of the horn B, and that it is formed at top with an inclined flat surface,
which serves to support the welt and sole of the boot C while passing under the
vertical hook. The side of the cap against which the boot upper bears is hollowed
out vertically to receive it This hollow side is rounded off horizontally to facilitate
the turning of the boot in either direction. The inclined flat bearing surface, and
the hollow rounded side form at their junction an angle, which enters the angle
between the welt and the upper, and thereby serves to gauge and render uniform
the distance between the outer seam that joins the welt to the upper, and the line
of stitches by which the sole is to be attached to the welt The cap is pierced
vertically at a, Fig. 1, in the line of the axis of the wheel 6 for the descent of the
hook c, Fig. 2; and as the work is canted towards the plane of the hook's motion it
will be seen that the sole is pierced at an angle to the sole face, whereby a good
margin is secured without an undue breadth of sole being required, the stitches
being "set in" substantially like that of hand work; d, Fig. 2, is the feeding finger
which bears upon the face of the sole, and traverses the work in the duection
desired by the attendant, as will be well understood by persons acquainted with the
Crispin sewing machine.
The sole may be channelled or not as thought most desirable, but inasmuch as
the shuttle thread is that relied on for carrying wax into the seam, and the under
thread is subjected to the greater strain, the inversion of the position of the shuttle
thread by giving it a holding in the sole will effect an important improvement in
the manufacture of boots and shoes.
In order to adapt post machines to the carrying out of our improvement in the
manufacture of boots and shoes, we apply to the top of the post a modified form of
cap, as shewn at Figures 5, 6, and 7; Fig. 5 being a plan view of the cap; Fig. 6, a
vertical section taken in the line 1-2 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7, a vertical section
taken in the line 3-4 of Fig 5, and looking in the direction of the arrow. In this
example the peculiar characteristics of the cap shewn at Figures 1 to 4 are retained.
Thus the top of the cap forms a bearing surface inclining upwards to the work, and
that side of the cap against which the upper is held is hollowed vertically to receive
it, and the junction of the upper bearing surface; and this hollowed side forms a
gauge which enters the angle between the upper and the welt for the purpose above
explained. In this arrangement, A is the cap pierced at a to receive the hook c,
and b is the whirl, into the centre of which the hook enters to allow of the thread
being laid in its barb. A vertical opening d is made through the top of the cap to
permit of the action of the feed bar e, which is arranged to traverse the work under
the hook c, as described in the Specification of Messieurs Keats, Greenwood, and
Keats' Patent, dated February Eighteenth, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four, No. 620.
An incidental advantage arising from the inversion of the position of the shuttle
thread in the work is that when applying a sole to shoes or slippers (where the sole
is attached directly to the upper) we can use, and that without detriment to the -
stability of the work an unwaxed colored thread for the inner or hook thread, as
the appearance of this thread within the shoe or shipper will be rather ornamental
than otherwise, the necessity which will exist for lining the slipper or shoe to hide
the unsightly appearance of the sewing where a waxed thread is employed will
not arise, and thus an economy in the manufacture of the shoe or slipper will be
effected.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in the
Manufacture of Boots and Shoes, and in the Sewing Machinery to be used in such
Manufacture," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it

page_text: to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, we claim, the
application to the inclined horns and post of boot and shoe sewing machines of
supporting and guiding caps, constructed as above described for permitting of the
inversion of the work, and the sewing of the sole to the welt in the manner, and
for the purpose above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Keats, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the First day of March, in the year of our Lord, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.