IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH LASTS AND LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY of 321 High Holborn in the county of Middlesex,
Fellow of the Institute of Patent agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH LASTS AND LASTING BOOTS AND
SHOES, (a communication to me from abroad by Stillman Williams Robinson,
professor at the Ohio State University and Orlando Ethelbert Lewis capitalist,
United States) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
'
In the manufacture of. boots and shoes wherein the sole and upper are united in
a machine by means of metallic nails or fasteners, it is customary to last the boot
or shoe upon one last, tacking the soles in place, and thereafter the said last is
withdrawn from the lasted boot or shoe preparatory to placing the latter over and
upon the horn or anvil of the nailing machine to have the sole and upper finally
secured, and the nails having been driven the boot or shoe is removed from the
horn and again applied to a last to be rubbed, treed or finished.
Desiring to obviate the expense attendant upon removing the last from the boot
or shoe between the lasting operation and that of driving or inserting the metallic
sole fastenings and also to finish or tree the shoe on the same last upon which it
was lasted, we have produced a hollow metal shell-like last upon which the boot or
shoe may be lasted, and thereafter by the removal of only the block of the last the
said hollow last may be applied to the horn of a nailing machine for boot and shoe
work, the last being moved about on the surface of the horn while the nails or sole
fasteners are being inserted.
In the manufacture of boots and shoes on a machine having a horn to enter the
boot or shoe either the tip of the horn or the nose is always brought to a definite
position when a fastener is being driven, the part not so brought to a definite or
fixed position yielding to adapt itself to the thickness of the stock being worked
upon, and the member which is thus variable as to its position usually automatically
controls the length of the fastener to be driven, especially if a wire is used.

page_text: In this instance we have shown our improvement applied to a horn the top of
which is supposed to always stand at a defined level while the fastener is being
inserted, the horn being such as represented in British Patent No. 6941 dated
April 29-1884 wherein the horn always occupied the same position while the
fastener is being inserted, and wherein the nose rises and falls to adjust itself to 5
the thickness of the stock and to vary the length of the fastening.
The hollow or shell-like last upon which the boot or shoe is lasted and which
last is applied to the horn while the shoe is upon it, is so chambered as to permit
the horn to pass into the last and have its tip presented with reference to the sole
and upper just as when the boot or shoe is applied directly to the last, and to 1
prevent the last from interfering with the production of fasteners of the proper
length we have found it essential to make that part of the last which comes
directly in contact with the top of the horn of uniform thickness so that the bottom
of the last supported by the horn will always come to a certain definite height just
as when the horn was used alone.
The end of the fasteners being inserted meet the bottom of the metal last the
horn merely supporting the last.
Our invention consists in a hollow metallic shell-like last cut away to receive
the end of the horn and to take bearing on the top of the horn entirely around the
toe portion of the last, the bottom of the last being of uniform thickness where it
rests upon or comes in contact with the top of the horn, substantially as will be
described.
Also in a hollow shell-like last chambered at its body and into its toe for the
reception of the top or salient end of the horn, and having a removable block and
provided with a hole to receive a jack in, while the shoe, the sole and upper having
been united permanently, is being treed or finished as will be described.
Fig. 1 in side elevation and partial section represents a sufficient portion of a
macbine for uniting soles to uppers to enable our invention to be understood.
Fig. 2 a partial view of the last and its block the latter being held in place.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the last partially broken out to show the devices for
retaining the block in position with relation to the body of the last.
The rotating horn His substantially the same as in other nailing machines
heretofore employed in boot and shoe work as for instance in said British Patent
No. 6941.
The body A of the last is made to represent a thin last-shaped shell, the bottom b
of which along each edge of the last from heel to toe and about the toeand
heel as shown by section and dotted lines Fig: 1, is of substantially uniform
thickness so as to always present in all positions of the last upon the tip of the
horn while the last is moved longitudinally and rotated on the said tip, the same
amount or thickness of material.
The block c of the last provided with the usual prong or catch and with
projections c¹ to pass into the body of the last to assist in holding the block
securely in place thereon, is made longer than heretofore in metal lasts so that
ample room is left for the reception and rotation of the horn when the block is
removed from the last, the block being retained chiefly by the block locking
device d, shown as a latch pivoted at d¹.
The upper and the sole of the boot and shoe to be made having been lasted upon
the last composed of the body A and block c, and the outer sole having been
tacked upon the lasted boot or shoe, the block c is withdrawn and the last body
with the shoe or boot yet upon it is placed on the horn H, the tip of the horn
acting as a support for the inner side of the bottom of the last as the latter is
moved longitudinally on the horn.
The fasteners having been inserted the last with the shoe or boot yet on it, is
removed from the horn, the block c is again inserted in the boot or shoe, and the
upper and sole are thereafter finished in the usual manner, after which the last is
placed upon the pin of a jack, the last having a hole 3 made therein for such
purpose and the heel is applied in usual manner,

page_text: By not removing from the boot or shoe the last upon which it was lasted until
after the sole and upper have been permanently secured, the boot or shoe is kept
in its original shape instead of being stretched out of shape as is apt to be the case
when the boot or shoe in the process of its manufacture is applied to first one and
then another last and is entirely removed from a last when the sole and upper are
being united in a railway machine while held by hard.
The operator will move the last and shoe on the horn and will partially rotate
the horn just as he formerly moved the lasted shoe after removing the last.
The last is entirely unobstructed at the inner side of its bottom from edge to
edge so that the last may be freely moved on the horn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The hollow metallic shell-like last cut away substantially as shown and
described to receive the end of the horn and take bearing on the top of the horn
entirely around the toe portion of the last, the bottom of the last being of uniform
thickness where it rests upon or comes in contact with the top of the horn, substan-
tially as and for the purpose described.
2. The hollow metallic shell-like last, chambered at its body and into its toe for
the reception of the top or salient end of the horn, and having a removable block
and being provided with the hole 3, to operate substantially as described.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.