IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1884

page_text: OF BUITIVATION,
We, EDWARD SHAYLER of 24 Broad Street, Golden Square, Westminster in the
County of Middlesex Bootmaker, and MARSHALL HENRY PEARSON of 9 Acorn
Street, Bishopsgate, in the County of Middlesex, Sewing Machine Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING BOOTS AND SHOES" to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to the repairing of the "uppers" of boots and shoes
by sewing on patches, and known in the trade as "Blind stabbing."
Hitherto this operation has been slow and difficult owing to bristles or needles
having to be attached to both ends of the thread, which are then passed in opposite
directions through the holes that have been pierced or made with an awl in the
patch and "upper" prior to each stitch being made. Great difficulty has also been
experienced in getting a sewing machine to do the work properly, first, on account
of not being able to get the machine needle to work close to the sole or "welt" or
near to the toe, and second, these machines as far as we are aware, have not been
constructed to use a wax'd thread which is very essential in repairing the heavy
class of boots and shoes, and also the cost of these machines has been too great
for this class of work.
Now our invention is designed to overcome these difficulties, and at the same
time to produce a simple, cheap, and effective hand tool or apparatus for sewing on
patches with either a waxed or unwaxed thread in much shorter time than by the
old method, and consists of an awl of ordinary construction mounted obliquely in a
handle (similar externally to that usually employed for hand stabbing) so as to he
at an angle of about thirty degrees with a long double grooved, eye pointed needle
which is securely fastened in the same end of the handle as the awl. The handle
carrying the awl and needle has a conical hole bored longitudinally through it, but
at a slight angle with its axis, so that the smallest end of the hole shall run out or
issue from the handle immediately below the ferule, and close to the secured end
of the needle. Through this hole the thread (which when required may have been
waxed) to the needle is passed, and the required tension is obtained by inserting in
the largest end of the hole a cork, india rubber, or other elastic plug which causes
the thread to pass up between the outer circumference of the plug and the wall of
Price 6d 1

page_text: the hole. The awl is employed for piercing the hole for the needle carrying the
thread to pass through, and a stitch (similar to the lock stitch of a sewing machine)
is formed by passing or lacing the end of the thread-which is carried into the
inside of the boot or shoe by the needle at its first stroke-through the loop
formed by successively inserting and withdrawing the needle in the holes made
by the awl, and then tightening the thread after each stroke of the needle.
In some cases instead of using the herein before mentioned eye pointed needle,
we employ one having a hook at its end similar to a crochet hook, and when this
is the case the lock stitch or lacing is formed on the outside of the boot or shoe
instead of the inside as hereinbefore described.

page_text: DIECIFICATION.
We, EDWARD SHAYLER, of 24 Broad Street, Golden Square, Westminster, Boot
maker, and MARSHALL HENRY PEARSON, late of 9 Acorn Street, Bishopsgate, but
now of 141, Shoreditch, all in the County of Middlesex, Sewing Machine Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING BOOTS AND SHOES
"
This invention has reference to the repairing of boots and shoes by sewing on
patches, toe caps, loose welts, and block leather heels, and known in the trade as
"Blind stabbing." Hitherto this operation has been slow and difficult owing to
bristles or needles having to be attached to both ends of the thread which are then
passed in opposite directions through holes that have been pierced or made with an
awl in the patch or other piece and "upper" prior to each stitch being made.
Great difficulty has also been experienced in getting a sewing machine to do this
work properly, first, on account of being unable to get the machine needle to work
close to the sole or "welt" or near to the toe, and second, these machines as far as
we have been able to ascertain have not been constructed to use a waxed thread
which is very essential in repairing the beavy class of boots and shoes and, also
these machines have been too expensive for this class of work. Now our Invention
is designed to overcome these difficulties, and at the same time to produce a simple,
cheap, and effective hand tool or apparatus for sewing on patches, toe caps, loose
welts, and block leather heels with either a waxed or unwaxed thread in a much
shorter time than by the old method. It will be best understood by aid of the
accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation and Fig. 2. an
elevation at right angles to fig. 1. of a hand tool with a fixed needle constructed
according to our invention. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are respectively elevations at right
angles to each other, and a part plan of a hand tool constructed so that the needle
can be removed or changed at pleasure.
A is a long double grooved eye pointed needle mounted or fixed in a handle B
(similar externally to that usually employed for hand stabbing) and armed with
a short stabbing awl O placed at an angle to the needle. For ordinary work we
find to fix the awl C at an angle of about thirty degrees to the needle will give
good results, but we do not limit ourselves to fixing it at any particular angle
as it may be varied to suit circumstances. D is a conical hole passing obliquely
through the handle B for guiding the thread to the needle, the smallest end d of
of the hole D is made to run out or issue from the handle B immediately below the
ferrule b. fig. 1. Through the hole D a waxed or unwaxed thread E (shown in the
drawings passing loosely through the hole to the needle) is passed to the needle,
and at the lower and largest end d' of the conical hole D is fitted a cork, india
rubber, or other elastic plug F which impedes the ready passage of the thread E by
pressing it into the hole D and against the solid part b₁ of the handle B, and thus

page_text: forms a tension which may be easily regulated or adjusted as required. We have
found that the above described hand tool will give very good results whereby only
one class or kind of boots or shoes are to be repaired, but where different kinds of
materials have to be operated upon it is necessary to use needles of various sizes-
as for instance ladies boots or shoes being made of lighter material than gentlemen's
require the use of a finer needle-and in order to adapt our hand tool for any
class of work, we arrange it so that the needle can be easily changed, and the
conical hole D may also be made shorter than that shown at Fig. 1. We may
also in some cases dispense with the cork or elastic plug F and employ in its place
any known method for tensioning the thread nearer to the point of the needle.
At Figs. 3, 4, and 5 we have shown a clamping device G for receiving the end a¹
of the needle A which permits of the needle being easily removed at pleasure, and
consists of a plate g provided with a tang g¹ fixed in the handle B as shown. In
this plate ga vertical V groove g' is cut or cast for receiving the end a³ of the
needle A, and an adjustable clamping plate g³ is secured to the plate g by means of
a set screw g' which firmly retains the end a¹ of the needle A in the groove g³ and
in position.
Thread eyes go and gº are also provided on or in the plate g³ for guiding the
thread to the needle.
To sew on a patch or other piece we proceed as follows.
When a loose or changeable needle is employed it is required to be secured in the
clamp G by the set screw with one of the long grooves in the needle facing the
awl C. The tool is then ready to be threaded. A waxed or unwaxed thread is
passed through the oblique conical hole D to the eye of the needle from the side
next to the awl, and about eighteen inches of thread pulled through, the required
aindunt of drag or tension-boing_given to the thread as it passes through hole D
by plug F being pressed into the hole D as shown at Fig. 1., or in the arrangement
of hand tool shown at Fig. 3. the thread passes from the short conical hole D
through thread eye g³ and go to the eye of the needle A from tho side next to the
awl. When it is desired to put in a row of stitches, hold the handle B in the right
band with the awl C close to the thumb and stab a hole from the outside through
the leather in the required direction, withdraw the awl, and insert the needle
(carrying the thread) as far as required, draw back the needle about an inch which
causes a slackness and forms a loop of thread inside the boot, then with the fingers
of the left hand pull the loose end of the thread through the hole into the boot.
The needle is now withdrawn and another hole stabbed with the awl, and the
needle again inserted, withdrawn about an inch, and the end of the thread that
was pulled into the boot (through the first hole stabbed) is now passed or laced
through the loop thus formed from the side furthest from the awl, and after the
needle has been completely withdrawn the thread is tightened when a stitch is
formed similar to that made by a lockstitch sewing machine; which operation can
be repeated as often as desired.
In some cases instead of an eye pointed needle we employ one having a hook at
its end similar to that of a crochet hook, when this is the case, the lock stitch is
formed on the outside of the boot or shoe instead of the inside as herein before
described.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the name is to bo performed, we declare that what we
claim is
First. The manufacture and use of a hand tool for repairing boots and shoes,
such as those herein described, having a long double grooved eye pointed, or
crochet hooked needle mounted or fixed in a handle provided with a conical hole
passing obliquely through it for guiding a waxed or unwaxed thread at any
required tension to the needle, and armed with an awl fixed at an acute angle to
the needle for piercing or stal bing boles, substantially as herein set forth and
illustrated in the drawings.

page_text: Second. In combination with the hand tool for repairing boots and shoes, the
herein described arrangement for giving the required tension to the thread as it
passes through or from the handle B to the needle A, substantially as herein set
forth and illustrated.
Third. The method of repairing boots and shoes by means of the herein
described hand tool which consists in stabbing boles from the outside of a boot or
shoe through the piece to be sewn on and the "upper" with an awl fixed at an
acute angle in a handle carrying a long double grooved needle which receives and
conveys a waxed or unwaxed thread (at any required tension) through the said
holes into the inside of a boot or shoe, and afterwards partially withdrawing the
needle to form a loop through which the loose end of the thread in the inside of a
boot or shoe is passed or laced, and then completely withdrawing the needle and
tightening the thread to form a stitch similar to that of a lock stitch sewing
machine, substantially as described.
Fourth. The hand tool as a whole constructed and arranged substantially as
described and illustrated.