Improved Means for Supporting the Sand-paper, Emery Cloth, or similar Material used for Buffing and Smoothing the Soles of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 18°5
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Supporting the Sand-paper, Emery Cloth, or
similar Material used for Buffing and Smoothing the Soles of
Boots and Shoes.
I SOCRATES KEATS, Mechanical Engineer, of Stafford, in the County of
Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to provide for supporting and holding the
emery and sand paper used for buffing and smoothing the soles of boots and shoes,
in such a way, that the paper, which is constantly wearing out, may be more
readily removed, and replaced by new, than heretofore, and further, to render the
supports elastic, or partially so, for the purpose of ensuring a more efficient acting
surface.
In the ordinary way, it is difficult to get a smooth acting surface for the buffing
device which is capable of prompt renewal when required. The ordinary disc
buffers are made in the following manner :-
A bag of sand paper, emery cloth, or similar material, is made, into the narrow
mouth of which is fixed with difficulty a pad of felt. The lips of the bag are
drawn up as well as may be, and clamped between two conical surfaces, which do
not, however, serve to distend the felt pad, and smooth out the surface of the
buffer, and moreover, dragging the pad through the mouth of the bag, every time
a new surface is required, is a tedious operation. Similarly, in the case of a
cylindrical buffer, the attachment and renewal of the acting paper surface has always
been a difficulty.
According to my invention, in the case of a disc buffer, I substitute for the
solid felt pad, an inflatable bag of india rubber or similar flexible material, which,
before inflation, can be readily inserted in the mouth of the paper bag, however
narrow that aperture may be.
The lips of the bag are then to be drawn over the coned gripping surface, and
secured as usual; the inflating tube is passed up the hollow stem attached to the
conical holding device, and its orifice securely closed by a screw cap. The parts
of the improved disc buffer being thus constructed, it is readily detachable, while
a pad of superior elasticity is obtained.
Disc buffers constructed as above described, may be used as hand tools, or fitted
to a mandrel, and rotated in any convenient manner.
In adapting my invention to buffers of cylindrical form, I may also use an
inflatable bag, or I may take a hollow wooden cylinder, coned at both ends, having
its circumference clothed with a coating of felt; this I slit longitudinally into 6 or
more segments, which I place within a tube of sand paper, or other buffing surface,
and fit them loose onto a mandrel.
The inner coned end of the segmental cylinder fits against a coned collar on the
mandrel, and the outer coned end of the wooden filler is fitted with a loose coned
collar, which can be advanced, to separate the segments and distend the sand-paper
tube to the requisite tension, by a threaded nut on the end of the mandrel.
Dated this 25th day of January 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant...

page_text: Improved Means for Supporting the Sand-paper, Emery Cloth, or
similar Material used for Buffing and Smoothing the Soles of
Boots and Shoes.
I SOCRATES KEATS, Mechanical Engineer, of Stafford in the County of
Stafford, 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:-
The object of the present invention is to provide for supporting and holding the
emery cloth or sand paper used for buffing and smoothing the soles of boots and
shoes, in such a way, that the paper, which is constantly wearing out, may be
more readily removed and renewed than heretofore, and further, to render the
supports elastic, or yielding, for the purpose of ensuring a more efficient acting
surface.
The buffing surfaces commonly used are of two kinds, the one annular and the
other disc-shaped. The annular buffing surfaces take two forms, the one a
cylindrical, and the other that of a ring, convex on its periphery. It is to these
several kinds of buffing surfaces that my invention refers.
In the ordinary way, it is difficult to get a smooth buffing surface which is
capable of prompt renewal when required. The ordinary disc buffing pad consists
of a disc of emery cloth, or similar material, sewn at its periphery to a disc of
woven fabric, which together constitute an open mouthed bag. Into this mouth is
fitted with difficulty a solid holder composed of felt. The lips of the bag are
drawn up as well as may be, and clamped between two conical surfaces, which do
not, however, serve to smooth out the surface of the buffer; and, moreover,
pushing the holder through the mouth of the bag every time a new buffing surface.
is required, is a tedious operation. Similarly, in the case of an annular buffer,
the detachment and renewal of the acting paper surface has always been a
difficulty.
According to my invention, I provide an expanding holder to receive the buffing
surface, whether of cloth or paper, and hold the same at tension. In the case of a
disc buffing pad, I substitute for the solid felt support, an inflatable bag of india
rubber or similar flexible material, which I apply before inflation, and withdraw
after exhaustion.
In the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a rotary disc buffing pad mounted according to
my invention; the ordinary clamping device (slightly modified) being used to secure
the buffing pad to its driving spindle; and
.
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same.
A is a bracket bearing carrying a hollow spindle B, on which is mounted a fast
and a loose driving pulley, for receiving the band for rotating the spindle. The
lower end of this spindle is slightly tapered, to provide for its fitting tightly into
the screwed stem of a cone C, which, with its conical cover C¹, is intended to grip
the mouth of the buffing pad as heretofore.
D is the india rubber bag which constitutes the elastic holder for the buffing
pad E E'. Extending up from the neck of this bag, is a tube D', which passes
through the hollow spindle B, and is fitted with an elastic or other valve, which
opens inwardly, and closes by the internal pressure of the air forced down the tube
to expand the bag, or the ordinary valve applied to air cushions may be used.
This elastic bag, when exhausted of air, is readily inserted in the neck of the
bag E, E, the lips of which are then to be secured between the conical gripping

page_text: surfaces C and C': a nut C' fitting on the thread of the stem of the cone C, serving
to bind the cone C₁ firmly upon the neck of the pad.
When the elastic bag is inserted in the neck E', the attendant, by inflating the
bag with his mouth, will provide an efficient support for the buffing pad, the valve
in the tube serving to retain the air within the same.
I find that the better to ensure a firm grip of the lip of the part E', it may be
desirable to insert a ring of rubber in the face of the cone C, as shewn in Fig. 1.
From the foregoing description it will be readily understood, that the buffing
surface, when worn, may be readily detached (air being first allowed to escape) and
replaced, and that the elasticity and consequent efficiency of the pad, is materially
increased.
In adapting my invention to buffers of cylindrical form, I construct expanding
holders of segment shaped strips of wood, faced with felt, and forming together a
hollow cylinder. This cylinder is coned at both ends internally and externally,
and fitted between two corresponding conical clamping pieces, which, when drawn
together, expand the cylinder to a given limit, so as to fill the cylindrical buffer
without the risk of bursting it.
Fig. 3 shows in longitudinal section the expanding cylindrical holder.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the holder on line 1, 2, of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the cylinder; and
Fig. 6 is an inside view of one of the double coned clamping pieces.
FF are segment shaped strips, by preference 6 in number, composing the
cylindrical holder, which is clothed with felt to form a soft bed for the sand-paper
cylinder. G G¹ are clamping cones fitted to the spindle H, one end of which is
threaded to receive a binding nut I. The clamping cones G G¹are cast with
radial feathers which enter respectively into slots cut in the ends of the segment
shaped strips, for the purpose of retaining them in position, while the strips are
allowed to move radially for the purpose of expanding the holder. The cylindrical
buffing surface is made by lapping a piece of sand-paper, or equivalent material,
round a former, and gumming the lapping edges together; a pressing piece hinged
to the former is brought down upon the gummed joint, and secured in place until
the joint has become dry. The buffing surface thus formed is slipped onto its
holder while that holder is slack, and, by pressing the clamping pieces onto the
coned ends of the strips by means of the binding nut I, the holder, in the shape of
a true cylinder, concentric under all circumstances with its spindle, will be caused
to tighten onto the paper cylinder and hold it firmly while the buffing operation is
proceeding.
It should be understood that this. form of buffing surface is used to take the
grain from the face of the boot or shoe sole, and that the buffing pad is subsequently
applied to complete the finish of the sole. For buffing edges of the sole and the
heel of the boot or shoe, a modification of the holder shown at Figs. 3 to 6 is
employed.
Fig. 7 is a cross section of the holder; and
Fig. 8 is a side view of the same.
In these figures, F are the segment shaped pieces, clothed with felt, as in Fig. 3,
but forming together a wheel instead of a hollow drum or cylinder. These segment
pieces are held together between clamping pieces G G₁, fitted to a screwed
spindle H, the clamping pieces being caused to bind upon the segment pieces by
means of the clamping nut I.
The clamping piece G is doubly coned, like that of Fig. 3, but no radial feathers
are in this case required. In lieu of these, the clamping piece G', which is simply
a flat disc, is radially slotted to receive pins projecting from one side of the several
segment pieces. These segment pieces are guided in their expanding movement
precisely as explained with reference to the cylindrical holder, and thus the
moulded convex ring of buffing paper or cloth, when applied to the holder, is held
firmly by the pressure of the conical gripping piece G on the guided segment

page_text: pieces F. The outer conical surface of the gripping piece G serves to check any
undue expansion of the holder, under the pressure of the binding nut I.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The construction of expanding holders for the reception of buffing surfaces
used in the finishing of boots and shoes, as above described and shown in the
drawing.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.