April 1, 1921 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



479 



sameness in style, no dominating feature to commend them 

 to buyers. The very uniformity of pattern invited the un- 

 scrupulous to flood the market with crude imitations of the good 

 products that discredited the latter and ultimately harmed the 

 entire trade. The remedy for such a condition was to make heels 

 of such distinctive merit and originality that substitution could not 

 be easily attempted by the makers of spurious goods. This 

 proved the turning point in the industry. Since that it has grown 

 by leaps and bounds. 



While there is, and is always likely to be, a great output of the 

 plain type heels of inferior compounds to meet the demands of 

 the buyers of the commonest types of leather footwear, the public 

 is steadily showing a keener appreciation of the rubber heel that 

 is "tailored to the shoe," that has a real non-slip feature — a safety 

 cushion or suction grip, or a heel that imparts a marked springi- 

 ness to the step. Particularly have buyers learned that dura- 

 bility and resilience can be obtained only with high-grade com- 

 pounds and manufacturers have found that the public is willing 

 to pay for an article of real merit. 



.^s indicating the rapid growth of the rubber heel industry, it 

 is stated that some manufacfiirt-rs are turning out nearly 100.000 

 pairs a day, several others about 50,000 and dozens making 5,000 

 to 10,000 a day, making the total daily production about 500,000 

 pairs. The daily output of leather shoes is given at 2,059,000 

 pairs. Thus it would appear that practically 25 per cent of the 

 leather shoes made now either have rubber heels as original 

 equipment or will be fitted with them directly after purchase or 

 when the leather heels are worn down. 



DETAILS OF THE MILLER VULCANIZER 



In our last issue was shown the original Miller machine as a 

 whole. Here is given the latest model and the two important 

 elements, the sole and heel repair table, and the part for ac- 

 complishing other repairs. For sole repairs a type of hot plate 

 or hollow, steam-heated tabic is employed. Sole plates with extra 

 high sidewalls, or upcurled edges, and with the inner surfaces 



clamp with set screw and with it a powerful pressure is obtained. 

 The clamp frame is arranged to be bolted to the hot-plate of the 

 vulcanizcr. 

 The essential features of the Miller inside boot vulcanizer unit 



The New Miller Footwear Vulcanizer 

 * 

 deeply indented to give a serrated or rough configuration in mold- 

 ing arc provided. These are placed upon the hot-plate and upon 

 them are set the boots or shoes to be repaired. Into the foot or 

 shoe is thrust an inside sole last upon which is fitted a C-shaped 



-Miller Sole Rep.mr Unit 



Miller Patching Unit 



are the hollow boot form and the device for applying tension. In 

 making a repair to any part of a boot or shoe other than the sole, 

 the article is placed over the foot-like form, and the revolvable, 

 adjustable outside arm is brought to a point opposite the part of 

 the boot or shoe to be repaired. A cloth or other band is then 

 stretched over the repair spot on the footwear and the desired 

 pull, or pressure, is given by tightening either the side or the 

 underneath tension screws on the swinging arm. 



DILKS RUBBER BOOT REPAIRER 



A self-contained, steam-heated repair vulcanizer for rubber 

 boots and shoes, invented by Charles F. Dilks, provides a very 

 good means for economically and efficient- 

 ly mending rubber footwear. It consists 

 of a hollow metal mold concaved on top. 

 supported on a metal stand, and heated 

 by steam from a boiler underneath, a 

 liquid fuel being supplied by gravity from 

 a tank attached to the apparatus. In sole 

 repair vulcanizing a two-section, wedge- 

 shaped pressure last is inserted in the toe 

 of the shoe or boot and spread by means 

 of a screw having a knob at one end ; this 

 last fits in the shoe tightly above the 

 heel. The outer side of the forward 

 part of the shoe is gripped with a two- 

 section clamp, adjustably joined with 

 screws or bolts ; and, by means of a 

 thumb-screw held in place by a cross- 

 bar, supported by two upright bolts, the The Dilks Boot and 

 clamped shoe is forced against the hot- Shoe Repairer 



plate beneath. 



When the heel of a shoe is to be repaired, the sections of the 

 pressure last may be e.xtcnded so that they will fill the heel part 

 of the shoe. As the mold has twin concavities, with pressure 

 screws, etc., two shoes or boots may be vulcanized at the same 

 time. 



ARTHUR SOLE AND HEEL MOLD FORMEJ? 



An early device for making metal former blanks for soles and 

 heels and adaptable to various sizes and styles of rubber foot- 

 wear is the Arthur. The apparatus consists of a C-shaped clamp 

 fastened to a work bench, upon the horizontal anvil plate of 

 which clamp is placed, with upturned sole, the article of footwear 

 to be repaired. A piece of rubber to be vulcanized to the sole or 

 heel, and conforming in outline to the sole or heel, is then 

 placed on the upturned shoe. Over this is placed a piece of 

 sheet lead somewhat larger than the piece of repair rubber, which 

 may be serrated or indented tn give either heel or sole on mold- 

 ing a roughened surface. 



By means of the handle at the top of the clamp the set screw 

 compresses the three articles tightly together, and the edge of the 

 lead sheet is then beaten with a liammcr iiiilil it ha-igs or over- 



