IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1860

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS
FOR THE FEET, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH SUCH MANUFACTURE." -A
communication from abroad by Alexandre Joseph Duchatel, of Paris,
France.
Sealed the 16th April 1861, and dated the 31st October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
October 1860.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS
FOR THE FEET, AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH SUCH MANUFACTURE," (being a
communication to me from abroad by Alexandre Joseph Duchatel, of Paris,
France,) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a method of and apparatus for "lasting"
or stretching the "vamps" or upper leathers of boots, shoes, or other coverings
for the feet, and connecting them temporarily to the inner soles preparatory
to rivetting or otherwise attaching the outer soles and heels thereto, as
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on behalf of
the said Alexandre Joseph Duchatel, bearing date the 3rd day of May 1860,
No. 1115; and, secondly, this Invention relates to the construction and em-

page_text: ployment of of moveable half soles and heels, which can readily be applied and
renewed when necessary.
In carrying out the first part of the Invention the leather which is to form
the upper part of the boot or shoe, is placed on the last in the ordinary
manner, and the last being turned over the inner sole is placed thereon, and
it then becomes necessary to.stretch the upper leather or "vamp" equally on
all sides, and to fix the same by small sprigs. For this purpose the last (with
the inner sole and "vamp" thereon) is placed in a suitable frame where it is
securely held by supports. A number of small pincers are then attached to
the edge of the vamp, their outer ends being connected by hooks to screws
tapped into the frame. Upon turning these screws successively by means of
a handle or key the pincers are drawn outwards, and thus the "vamp
upper leather is stretched upon the last. In order further to stretch the
vamp" the frame carrying the screws is so arranged that it can be rocked
upon pivots at each end, and the screws and pincers being then finally
adjusted small sprigs are driven in by the aid of a hammer.
. I may here remark that a modification of the above arrangement may be
made by substituting levers for the screws to which the pincers are attached;
the pincers may also be so constructed as to hold the "vamp" firmer the
more they are pulled.
The body of the boot or shoe thus formed is then ready to have the outer
sole and heel rivetted thereto, in the manner and by the means described in
the Specification above mentioned, or in any other suitable manner.
In carrying out the second part of this Invention it is proposed to prepare
half soles and heels, and after piercing holes at suitable distances therein and
corresponding holes in the soles and heels of a boot or shoe, to apply and fix
the half soles and heels by means of small screws. Thus by means of an
ordinary turnscrew any person can remove these outer or moveable half soles
and beels when worn and replace them by new ones, the original sole and heel
of the boot or shoe not being subject to any wear at all.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by. the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the.
30th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, 3
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF BOOTS, SHOES, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE FEET, AND IN APPARATUS
CONNECTED WITH SUCH MANUFACTURE," being a communication to me from
abroad by Alexandre Joseph Duchatel, of Paris, France, upon the con-
dition (amongst others), that I, the said George Davies, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a method of and apparatus for "lasting "
or stretching the "vamps" or upper leathers of boots, shoes, or other coverings
for the feet, and connecting them temporarily to the inner soles preparatory to
rivetting or otherwise attaching the outer soles and heels thereto, as described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on behalf of the said
Alexandre Joseph Duchatel, bearing date the 3rd day of May 1860, No. 1115;
and, secondly, this Invention relates to the construction and employment of
moveable half soles and heels which can readily be applied and renewed when
necessary.
In carrying out the first part of the Invention, the leather, which is to form
the upper part of the boot or shoe, is placed on the last in the ordinary
manner, and the last being turned over, the inner sole is placed thereon, and
it then becomes necessary to stretch the upper leather or "vamp" equally on

page_text: all sides, and to fix the same by small springs. For this purpose the last, with
the inner sole and vamp thereon, is placed in a suitable frame where it is
securely held by supports. A number of small pincers are then attached to
the edge of the vamp, their outer ends being connected by hooks to serews
tapped into the frame. Upon turning these screws successively by means of a
handle or key the pincers are drawn outwards, and thus the "vamp" or upper
leather is stretched upon the last. In order further to stretch the "vamp,'
the frame carrying the screws is so arranged that it can be rocked upon pivots
at each end, and the screws and pincers being then finally adjusted small
sprigs are driven in by the aid of a hammer.
"
I may here remark that a modification of the above arrangement may be
made by substituting levers for the screws to which the pincers are attached;
the pincers may also be so constructed as to hold the "vamp" firmer the
more they are pulled.
The body of the boot or shoe thus formed is then ready to have the
outer sole and heel rivetted thereto, in the manner and by the means
described in the Specification above mentioned, or in any other suitable
manner.
In carrying out the second part of this Invention it is proposed to prepare
half soles and heels, and after piercing holes at suitable distances therein and
corresponding holes in the soles and heels of a boot or shoe, to apply and fix
the half soles and heels by means of small screws. Thus, by means of an
ordinary turnscrew; any person can remove these outer or moveable half soles
and heels when worn, and replace them by new ones, the original sole and
heel of the boot or shoe not being subject to any wear at all."
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "Improvements
in the Manufacture of Boots, Shoes, and other Coverings for the Feet, and in
Apparatus connected with such Manufacture," I will proceed to describe the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into prac-
tical effect, and in order that the same may be distinctly understood I have
annexed bereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
In order to give an exact idea of the practical application of this system of
manufacture I will describe successively each of the operations necessary to
the construction of a pair of shoes. The leather being prepared as usual is
cut out for the formation of the soles the aid of a beam or fly press or other
mechanical apparatus: These soles are then moistened and curved or cambered
between metallic moulds or matrices submitted to pressure. The heels are

page_text: also cut out and cambered in a similar manner, and then flattened by cast iron
matrices, and the "vamp" being cut out and closed in the usual manner,
it then only remains to join the various parts together to form the shoe. The
dressing and polishing of the edges of the soles should be effected before their
union to the vamps, as this operation can then be performed readily and
without fear of burning the vamp, as is frequently the case in the old
process of manufacture. The various pieces, which go to form the shoe, being
thus prepared, the first thing is to "last" the "vamp" and unite it with the
inner sole, for which purpose the lasting machine represented in Figures 1, 2,
and 3 in the annexed Drawings may be employed.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is a plan view of
the same, as seen from above, and Figure 3 is a transverse section taken
through about the line 1, 2, in Figure 1.
The leather destined to form the body of the shoe is arranged on the last A
in the ordinary manner, and after having turned the last over the first or
inner sole is placed thereon. It is then necessary to stretch the leather equally
on all sides and to fix it to the sole by small sprigs. To perform this operation
the "last" is placed in the frame C where it rest at one end on the support S,
and at the other end on another support S'. Each of these supports is cast
with the frame C, and is traversed by a screw furnished at its lower end with
a hand wheel s, s', for turning the same. The screw of the wheel s supports
the "last" simply by the aid of a cross head c', whilst that of the wheel s
works in a nut or female screw let into the "last" and tends therefore to
draw the latter downwards. The "last" being thus firmly held the workman
proceeds to clasp the edge of the "vamp" with each of the small pincers P
arranged round the frame C. Each of these pincers is attached by a small
rod or hook to a screw p tapped into the frame C.
It will readily be understood that the pincers being attached to the "vamp
(as shewn in Figures 2 and 3) if the screws p are turned by a crank handle
these screws will recede from the "last" carrying with them the pincers and
thus stretching the "vamp." The even or parallel stretching of the leather is
ensured by simultaneously turning one of the crank handles or keys M, M',
with each hand, the said keys being applied to each pair of screws successively.
"
In order to prevent the pincers from folding or creasing the leather during
their movement they are raised out of contact with the inner sole by means
of a half-round rod T placed on the middle of the "last." To further insure
the perfect stretching of the " vamp on the "last" the whole of the frame C
may be rocked on the pivots D, D', which traverse the supports E, E¹, fixed
on a bed plate F. The rocking of the frame C can only be effected by
"

page_text: disengaging the gudgeon or pin B, which slides in the support b. Whenever
in order to facilitate the work it is desirable to retain the "last" in a reversed
position this is effected by passing the gudgeon B into another hole on the
other side of the frame C. On returning the frame to its original position
after this rocking motion it is necessary to readjust the screws of the pincers P,
and then drive in the sprigs by means of a small hammer.
The, shoe having arrived at this stage of its manufacture is now ready to
have the outer sole rivetted or fastened to the vamp and inner sole by means
of grooved pegs, pins, or rivets, as described in my former Specification above
referred to. This is effected by the aid of suitable matrices receiving the body
of the shoe containing the "last";" the outer sole being prepared and con-
veniently placed on the same is to be covered with a perforated metallic plate,
which serves as a guide to a series of awls, which pierce the soles and the
vamp." The piercing being accomplished the same plate serves as a guide
to a series of-punches acting as hammers, which drive into each of the holes
the small grooved pins previously placed in the plate. The peculiar form of
the grooved pins or rivets ensures an indissoluble joint. The heels are fixed.
in the same manner, and the operation is complete. The lasting machine
above described may be modified in the manner represented by Figures 4; 5,
6 & 7.
P
Figures 4 and 5 shew respectively a front elevation and a plan view of the
modified machine; Figure 6 is a front view of one of the pincer levers; and
Figure 7 is a full-sized view of one of the pincers. The modifications in this
machine relate, in the first place, to the pincers P intended to seize the edge
of the leather to stretch it over the inner sole. These pincers are formed
simply of a pair of double crossed levers, the longer arms of which are jointed
to a hook q by which they are connected to the tension rods. The screws of
the previously described machine are replaced by a system of levers p. Each of
these levers p is provided with a break m (see Figure 6) acting as a ratchet
without teeth, and formed of a sector in contact with the cylindrical portion p¹
of the lever. The oscillating rod of the sector is held by a spring in the
position where the working of the lever has placed the said piece m. It will
be understood that it is sufficient to depress each of the levers p to the necessary
degree to obtain the required tension of the leather with the desired regularity.
The whole of the lasting machine rests on a pivot k of which the base or
footstep F¹ allows of its turning in a horizontal direction, in order to bring each
part successively within easy reach of the workman; a screw o serves to lock
this pivot so as to hold the apparatus in any position desired.
1
This mechanical system allows of the adaptation by means of pegs to any

page_text: kind of boots or shoes of half-soles and heels, ordinarily called "double soles
and heels." After having previously pierced the holes at the required regular
distances in the soles and heels of the boot or shoe, and also in the half-soles
and heels to be superposed, the latter are fixed by screws on to the boots or
shoes, and the half-soles and heels thus superposed will protect the first sole
and heel from wear, and will also give an additional impermeability to the
boots or shoes, and afford great facility for replacing or renewing the same as
many times as the upper leathers or "vamps" will permit. To this end care must
be taken to pierce the holes in the soles and heels intended to replace others
which have become worn, so that in the different superpositions the pegs or
screws employed shall not meet with the same holes. In this manner each
purchaser of these boots or shoes, by providing himself with one or more pairs
of half-soles and heels, may at any time easily repair them himself by means
of an ordinary turnscrew.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
"Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots, Shoes, and other Coverings for
the Feet, and in Apparatus connected with such Manufacture," together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion, that I claim as the Invention
communicated to me by the above-named Alexandre Joseph Duchatel,-
Firstly, lasting the upper leathers or "vamps" of boots and shoes by
mechanical means as above described.
Secondly, the peculiar construction and arrangement of apparatus for such
purposes, as represented in the annexed Drawings, and above described.
And, thirdly, the application of half-soles and heels to boots and shoes by
means of small screws, as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEORGE DAVIES.
L.S.)