SHOES. 



bench (and alfo tlirougli holes in the arms, which project 

 from the column to fuftain the Aider), and at the upper end 

 this rod is conneaed with a lever, which moves on a joint at 

 the upper end of the iron column, whilft the extreme end of 

 the lever is connefted with the top of the perpendicular 

 Aider. By this arrans;ement it is clear, that the foot, being 

 prelled upon the treadle, will communicate motion by the 

 iron rod and upper lever to the Aider and piercer, and 

 force its point throusrh the leather, which is placed upon 

 the fmall iron table. A (hort lever and counterpoife are pro- 

 vided to raife up the Aider again the inftant the preAure is 

 removed. To prevent the piercer itriking upon the iron of 

 the table, and breaking the point, a fcrew is inferted in a 

 piece projefting from the Aider, and its point in defcending 

 comes to re!l upon the upper of the two arms which fuftain 

 the Aider, and thus ftops the defcent of the Aider at the 

 proper place. 



The piece of leather for the fole is fixed upon a pattern 

 made of iron plate, cut to the fame fize and Aiape as the 

 ible, which is united to it by two Aiarp gauge pins, which 

 are fixed in the pattern, one at the middle of the tread, and 

 the other in the centre of the heel ; and thefe pins projeft 

 fo far, that they will juft penetrate through the leather, to 

 hold it faft againft the pattern, which is perforated with all 

 the holes which are intended to be pierced in the fole. The 

 leather is applied upon the pattern, and ftruck with a mallet, 

 fo as to force the gauge pins into the leather, and imite the 

 fole and the pattern together ; the pattern is then laid flat 

 upon the table of the machine, with the leather uppermoll, 

 and is brought beneath the joint of the piercer, fo that it 

 will penetrate in the defired place. To afcertain this place, 

 a fmall llud or pin is inferted into a hole in the table, in the 

 exaft fpot where the point of the piercer defcends ; the ftud 

 projefts a little above the furface of the table, but is only 

 held up by a fpring, fo that it can eafily be prefled down. 

 The pattern being placed fo that any of the holes therein 

 receive the pomt of the ftud, it is evident that when the 

 preflure of the foot makes the piercer defcend, its point will 

 make a punfture in the leather which is faftened upon the 

 pattern, which pumSlure will be oppofite to the hole in the 

 pattern ; and though it perforates the leather quite through 

 the thicknefs, the point of the piercer cannot be blunted 

 againft the iron, becaufe it is received in the hole in the 

 pattern, and the ftud defcends by the preAure, fo that the 

 pattern will lie quite flat upon the furface of the table. In 

 this manner the workman pierces any number of holes in the 

 leather, placing it beneath the point of the piercer by the 

 aid of the pattern, and then preffing the foot to bring the 

 point down and pierce the hole. As foon as the piercer 

 rifes, he removes the pattern to another hole, and fo on. A 

 fmall piece of iron is fixed juft above the leather, which pre- 

 vents its being lifted up, and following the piercer when it 

 rifes. The piercer paAes through a hole in this piece. 



Nailing Machine for the /hort Nails The fole being thus 



pierced with holes, the ftiort nails are put into it by a very 

 curious machine, which at the fame time forms the nails, 

 by cutting them oft' from the end of a ftrip of iron or cop- 

 per, of the fame breadth as the length of the intended nails. 



The fole is prefented to the machine by laving it upon a 

 fmall table, fimilar to the laft machine, and'is direfted by 

 means of the fame pattern ; fo that each of the holes in the 

 leather will be fucccAivcly brought beneath the point of a 

 blunt piercer, which defcends by the action of a treadle. 

 In the upper part of the machine is a pair of ftiears, to cut 

 the nails : they confift of a lever, loaded at the extremity 

 with a weight, and conneAed with the treadle, fo that the 

 end of the lever is lifted up when the treadle is dcprcA'ed by 



the foot. Near the centre of this lever is a cutter, which is 

 fixed to it, and moves with it. Another cutter is fupported 

 by the frame, fo as to be ftationary, and in the proper fitua- 

 tion to come in contaiSl with the edge of the moving cutter, 

 when the end of the lever is hfted up. The cutters aft in a 

 manner fimilar to a pair of fhears, to cut off a fmall piece 

 from acrofs the end of a Aip of iron, which is introduced 

 between the cutters. This piece forms the nail or rivet, 

 which is to be put into the hole in the leather ; and im- 

 mediately after it is cut, it falls into a tube, by which it is 

 condufted down to a fmall cell or tube, fituated immediately 

 over the leather. In this the nail ftands perpendicular, and 

 ready, when the piercer defcends, to be forced down into 

 the hole in the leather ; becaufe the cell which receives the 

 nail is exaftly beneath the point of the piercer, fo as to hold 

 it perpendicularly in the proper Ctuation. The workman 

 i; feated before the machine, and with his right hand dircfts 

 the fole, with its pattern beneath the piercer, in the fame 

 manner as before defcribed. In his left hand he holds the 

 ftrip of iron or copper which is to make the nails ; and he 

 introduces the end of it through a fmall hole, which con- 

 dufts to the cutters, puftiing it forward with a gentle 

 force : this caufes the end of the ftrip to enter between the 

 cutters, when the (hears are open. Then adjufting the fole 

 by the pattern, fo that one of the holes in the leather will 

 be beneath the nail contained in the cell, he preAes down the 

 treadle : this forces the nail down from the cell into the 

 leather, by the defcent of the piercer, and at the fame time 

 clofes the Aiears, and cuts off a nail acrofs the end of the 

 ftrip. The nail immediately defcends by the tube into the 

 cell, where it places itfelf perpendicularly, and ready to be 

 put in its place in its turn. Thus the machine, at every 

 Itroke, cuts a freAi nail to fupply the place of that which it 

 puts in the leather by the fame ftroke. The ftrip of copper 

 is turned over every time, to form the uails alternately bead 

 and point. 



When all the nails are put in, they are battered down 

 with a hammer ; and as they are but very little longer than 

 the thicknefs of the fole, this reduces them to an even 

 furface. 



application of the Welt to the Sole. — The welt, or runner, is 

 a narrow Aip of leather applied upon the fole, round its 

 edge, to make the fole of a double thicknefs round the edge, 

 where the upper leather joins to the fole, although the fole 

 is only fingle within. The welt is made from the feather- 

 edged Aips which we have before mentioned, and is faf- 

 tened to the fole by tacking nails of fufncient length to pafs 

 through both the fole and the welt. Thefe nails are ar- 

 ranged all round the circumference of the fole, and the 

 holes are firft pierced through the fole by the punching 

 machine, which we have before defcribed, but by a dif- 

 ferent pattern of iron, which is attached to the fole by its 

 two gauge pins entering the fame holes which were made 

 through the leather in the firft operation. This pattern is 

 pierced with a row of holes all round the circumference, 

 which are arranged within the former row of rivets, or 

 farther from the edge of the fole ; but around the toe and 

 tread of the foot, for half its length, the holes are in double 

 number, or at half the diftance that they are in the heel 

 part. This pattern being ufed in the fame manner as before 

 defcribed, the punching machine pierces the fole with holes, 

 exaftly correfponding to it ; which holes are filled with 

 tacking nails in a feparate machine, fomething fimilar to the 

 nailing machine before defcribed. But as the nails are 

 longer, it would be too laborious to cut them by the fame 

 motion ; the nails are, therefore, cut by a machine made 

 on purpofe, and applied to the leather bv 



Tht 



