October 1, 1920.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



15 



cause the matter of heels has become a highly specialized business. 

 Sometimes the rand and the base are combined in one unit and 

 especially is tliis true of paper or fiber heels. At other times the 

 rand is first tacked to the heel seat of the shoe, then the base is 

 nailed on by the heeling machine, and finally the toplift is nailed 

 on top of all and is slugged with brass or zinc finishing nails for 

 appearance. After that, the heel is rough trimmed by a special 

 cutter, breasted or trimmed evenly on the front side of the heel 

 and is then sanded and scoured on the breast and outside. Next 

 comes a coat or two of wax heel ink and then a brushing and 

 burnishing for finish. It is quite the thing in some lines of shoes 

 to add to all this effort a fancy wheeling effect produced with a 

 hot wheeling iron. 



A whole rubber heel comes all shaped up to fit on the heel seat 

 of the shoe (Figs. 5 and 6) and is first cemented and then nailed 

 to the shoe with one machine-nailing operation. There is no top- 

 lift to bother with, no breasting, no rough trimming, no burnish- 

 ing wax, no fancy slugging with brass or zinc wire, no wheeling 

 and no assembling of the various parts as in leather heels. After 

 it is nailed on, the heel is scoured on a sandpaper wheel and is 

 then treated with one coat of special rubber heel ink and brushed 

 out with a revolving brush. 



Even to the layman the comparison of processes reveals the 

 fact that the whole rubber heel certainly requires less labor, to 

 say nothing of the number of parts that must be kept in stock 

 and assembled when leather heels are required. 



about the effect that one gets in wearing such a shoe. The specific 

 gravity of compounds for whole heels should be less. The im- 

 portance of perfecting this detail is apparent after comparing the 

 figures above and estimating the saving to be effected in a year's 

 output of shoes equipped with whole rubber heels. It is indeed 

 strange that no rubber manufacturer has successfully marketed a 

 whole rubber heel as light in weight as a leather heel. 



GREIATER PUBLICITY DE^SIRABLE 



I could go on telling of the changes in design and methods 

 which have had a goodly effect upon the sales of rubber heels 

 and more particularly upon the public acceptance of them. What 

 we now need is a closer study of the demand and the plan for 

 merchandising them. Let the farmhand and laborer know that a 

 whole rubber heel will outwear several pairs of leather heels such 

 as he habitually gets on working shoes. Call his attention to the 

 reason why his last pair of farm slioes lost their heels because the 

 iron nails that held them corroded off after constant contact with 

 ammonia and lime. Tell the railroad man why the undcrlifting on 

 his heels squashed out because he was standing on the wet floor 

 of the firebox area. Tell the public in general how much more 

 wear they can get out of a rubber heel. Tell the parents how 

 desirable it is for their children to wear rubber heels. It reduces 

 the jar on their sensitive nerve centers just as it does on grown- 

 ups, it's as quiet in the home and in the schoolroom as your own 

 rubber heels would be. Would walking hold the same pleasures 

 for the elderly if rubber heels were denied? Are they less afraid 

 of walking on rugs and polished floors when rubber shod? Do 



FI6.I 



Fie.2 



Fie.3 



RAND. Beveled 

 Strip of Leather 

 Intended+o build 

 Heel Seat Level. 



HEEL BASE, 

 Roughly made 

 Shapcof Heel 

 consisting of "Lifts" 

 or piecesof Leather 

 or Paper. 



TOP LIFT. The Piece 

 of Lea+her that 

 shows on+heTop 

 of a finished Heel. 



FIG.5 



Whole Rubber Heelall reody 



to be attached at one nailing 



proces&- 



F16.«o 



Reverse Side of whole 

 Rubber Heel showing 

 Cupping. No Rand or Base 

 is necessary. 



FI6.4 



Rubber Top-L if +s are usually 

 ^/i€>" Thick and thus serve the 

 Purpose of Two Leather or 

 Poper Lifts in Heel Building 

 besides costing less. 



Complete Heels for Shoes may be 

 made of the following Combinations 

 Figures 1,2 and 5 

 f iguresl.Zand 4 

 Figures 5 is Complete. 



The Whole Rubber Heel Requires Less Labor and Fewer Parts Than the Leather Heel 



I said in a previous paragraph that the whole heel had not sold 

 as well as the half heel and apparently because of its excessive 

 weight and improper shape. Unfortunately, most whole rubber 

 heels have the appearance of rubber boot heels and no amount of 

 sanding and trimming have converted them into anything satis- 

 factory in appearance. The greater volume of rubber of a whole 

 heel makes the weight more apparent, and you will get the effect 

 I am trying to describe if you will take a finished boot that has 

 been heeled with a whole rubber heel and lift it by the top. In- 

 stead of the toe pointing down as it should, the added weight of 

 the rubber heel will make the heel point down and that is ju.st 



you appreciate it when your office force dons rubber heels and 

 yet you allow your children to play around home with stccl-shod 

 leather heels? 



Even a little study of the rubber heel market shows unlimited 

 possibilities. Whether you wish to manufacture a high grade 

 heel or a low grade one your interest can be stimulated if you 

 will visit a high class shoe store for information concerning the 

 high class demand and question the manager of your local 5 and 

 10 cent store as to the size of his orders for the lower grade 

 article. If you go further and call on a jobber of shoe findings 

 you will l)e amazed at the traffic in that direction. The pos^i- 



