March 1, 1921 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



397 



Repairing Rubber Footwear' 



A New and Fast Growing Industry 



Early Methods — Metal Plate Repairs — The Chain Matrix — The Fabric Matrix — An Eng-lish Sole Clamp — Miller's Tennis Sole Press — Repairo Mender 

 — Rubber Shoes Recalled from the Junk Pile — Faults in F€>otwear — Overseas Boot Repair — Up-to-Date Boot Sole Repair Methods — Processes ot 



Dryinff, Preparing, Cementing — Mold Making — Sole Stocks and How Applied — Curing — Boot Heel Rcpail Mending Uppers — Repairing Tenjiis 



Shoes — Tools and Equipment Needed — Vulcanizing Machines in General — The Arthur Apparatus — Rubber Footwear Patching and Curing Forsis 

 — Method of Using Half-Soltng Forms — The Miller Machine — The M. A E. System — The Brackett Vulcanizei — Cements for Repair Work — Patented 

 Machines (or Rubber Footwear Repa.r. 



EARLY METHODS 



WHILE tire repairing began almost witli the birth of the pneu- 

 matic tire, the repair of rubber footwear has been, up to a 

 comparatively recent date, of a sporadic nature. The manu- 

 facturers have never attempted the repair of rubber footwear. 

 Damaged goods were either sold as "punched" (seconds) or 

 scrapped. Attempts have always been made by thrifty people at 

 home to fix tears in rubber footwear with rubber patches stuck 

 on with rubber cement, but such work has been neither consider- 

 able nor lasting. 



Occasionally a thrifty cobbler added a can of rubber cement to 

 his kit and crudely affi.xed pieces of sheet rubber over tears or 

 holes in rubber shoes or sewed soles and patches on rubber boots, 

 but the volume of work was small at best. 



METAL PLATE REPAIRS 



One of the early rubber boot menders was a double clamp of 

 metal that, while it was not elegant, served to stop leaks in rub- 

 ber boots. It was called the "Easy Quick" repairer. It con- 

 sisted of two concave plates arranged to fasten together. One 

 plate was placed within the boot with one or more threaded 

 studs passing through the torn portion. A second plate on the 

 outside, through which the stud passed, was clamped tightly to 

 the first by means of a small nut. The plates were very thin and 

 the mender was easily applied and worked well. 



A real attempt at workmanlike repairing came when a noted 

 sporting goods house arranged to resole and overhaul its tennis 

 and other athletic shoes. Following this, expert repairmen in 

 France during the late war took up the problem of mending 



German Sole Press — Fabric Matrix 



INNER PLATE 



rAT AUQ. II, I90S 



Rubber Boot Mender 



trench boots and did a lot of it and very well. Not only did the 

 French take hold of the problem, but other Europeans also did 

 some good work in this line. 



A German invention, for example, was this: 

 THE CHAIN MATRIX 



A flexible metal surface composed of a series of fine chains 

 placed side by side, was employed as a matrix for ihc sole. The 

 apparatus is shown in the illustration, that on the left being a 

 longitudinal section, and that on the right a cross section. In use, 

 the repaired sole on a last is placed under the pressure block g, 



^ Copyrighted by Henry C. Pearson. 



German Sole Clamp— Chain Matrix 



the sole resling on a strip of gauze packing which is placed on 

 the mat of chains. The screws b, one for each chain, are then 

 tightened and adjusted, drawing the chains tight against the sole. 

 The chamber i 

 is then heated 

 by a gas burner, 

 by electricity or 

 by steam, and 

 the vulcaniza- 

 tion effected. 



THE FABRIC 

 MATRIX 



Another Ger- 

 man invention, 

 also taken out 

 during the war, 

 is for attaching 

 soles that are 

 vulcanized either 

 by self-vulcaniz- 

 ing solution, or in dry heat after affixing. The press is simply a 

 frame A, on which a strong, flexible web B is stretched. A 

 curved metal band C, threaded at D, holds a screw E. This 

 screw raises or lowers the press plate F. 



ENGLISH SOLE CLAMP 



An English invention that is simple and quick in its work is 

 used in applying rubber soles to footwear of all kinds. It was 

 designed primarily for composition soles. It is really an adjust- 

 able clamp fitted with welt grips and adjustable thumb-screws. 

 In use, the sole is cemented, put in place, the clamps applied, and 

 the job left until adhesion is complete. Of course a cold cure or 

 a self-vulcanizing cement would be necessary in many cases. 



MILLER TENNIS SOLE PRESS 



A special American apparatus used in making and repairing 

 tennis shoes is Miller's press. The sole and foxing is molded to 

 the canvas and vulcanized while under pressure. 



Referring to the drawing, which shows two views of the de- 

 vice : A is a. table upon which rests a steam chest B provided 

 with steam pipes C and D. Connected with the table by rods £, 

 is a yoke F into which are threaded clamping screws G and H. 

 These screws are raised or lowered by hand wheels / and /. 

 Resting on the steam chest are molds K and L, each made in one 



