SHOES. 



done to all the clamps, the laA. flands infulated in the 

 middle of the table, from which it can be detached by 

 withdrawing the wedge which confines it. The inner fole of 

 the fhoe is firll put upon the fole of the lalt, beirjg (lightly 

 fattened thereto by two (hort pins, one of which is driven 

 through the gauge hole in the toe of the fole, and enters 

 a hole made in the laft ; and the other pin is fixed in 

 the heel part of tlie lalt, and enters the hole in the fole. 

 Tlie upper-leathers are now put upon the lalt in the trua 

 pofition. In this ftate, the lait is taken to the clamping 

 machine, and fattened into its place in the centre of the 

 table ; the clamps are then turned up, one by one, be- 

 ginning at the heel, and the upper-leathers being pulled up 

 all round by a pair of pincers, fo as to make them fit tight 

 upon the lait, the clamps are fcrewed tight. In this (late, 

 the upper-leathers are made to take the form of the lad, 

 being firmly attache.d thereto, except at the fole part : at 

 this part the leather Itanda up all round about three- 

 quarters of an inch, which quantity is turned down Hat 

 upon the edge of the inner fole (previoudy faltened upon 

 the fole of the laft), and a fmall quantity of palte is put in 

 to make it ftick fall : four or five notches are cut out in the 

 leather at the toe and at the heel, to make the part which 

 is turned down lie flat upon the fole, without folds or 

 overlapping, and then, to make a clofe contadl, the leather 

 is beaten down. Parings of leather are likewife palled, and 

 ftuck flat upon the inner fole for levelling, to make up the 

 fole to the fame thicknels in the centre as it acquires to- 

 wards the edges all round by the turning-in of the upper- 

 leathers. In this (tate, the nail which fattened the inner 

 fole to the lail is withdrawn, being now unnectlfary, and 

 the real fole is applied, an iron frame, or faddle, being 

 employed to determine its proper pofition upon the laft. 

 This frame is made of thin iron, and its figure within is 

 fimilar, and of the fame fize as the row of nails which pro- 

 jeft through the fole, and by which the fole is to be rivetted 

 into its place : it is made in two halves, whicli are united by 

 a joint or hinge at the heel part ; and at the toe part are 

 two holes, through which a pin can be put to hold the 

 frame together. This pin, as well as the joint pin of the 

 hinge at the heel, projefts downwards furaciently to enter 

 into a hole made in each of the two clamps at the toe and 

 heel, in fuch a pofition as to guide the frame, fo that it will 

 apply the fole exadlly in the proper pofition. 



The fole, when prepared as before defcribed, by inferting 

 all the long nails in the holes, fo that their points project 

 throBgh the leather, is put into an iron box or mould, and 

 a plate being laid upon it, is put into the fly-prels, and 

 by a fingle blow the fole is rendered concave withinfide, fo 

 as to adapt itfelf to the laft. When it is taken out of the 

 mould, the iron frame before-mentioned is put together 

 round the row of nails, the fize of the infide of the frame 

 being made exaftly of the proper fize to receive the projedting 

 points of the nails, and retain them perpendicular to the 

 leather, and prevent them from fpreading' out. The fole 

 is then applied in its place by the two guide pins of the 

 frame, and by ftriking upon the hcadi; of the nails, their 

 points penetrate through tlie turning-in of the upper- 

 leather, and alfo through the inner fole. When they arc 

 well entered the iron frame is taken away, by withdrawing 

 its pins, and opening its two halves on their joint, and the 

 nails are driven down into their places. This caufes them 

 to projedl through the inner fole into the (hoe, and the 

 points meeting the iron laft are turned back, and thus 

 clenched into their places. To render this more certain, 

 tj^e fole of the lalt is made with a (light groove all round, 

 where the points of the nsils will fall, and the groove 



6 



being of a femicircular figure, the points are more readily 

 turned thereby, ind are all turned the fame way, fo that 

 they will not interfere. 



The (hoe is now put together, and the clamps being re- 

 lieved and turned down, the (hoe is taken off the laft ; for 

 which purpofe the heel of the laft is made in a feparatc 

 piece, and jointed to the other by inclined fittings, and 

 with a tongue or rebate, fo that it can be held faft in its 

 place by a fingle hook or fpring catch ; but this being re- 

 lieved, the (hoe draws o(f the laft with the grcateft eafe, 

 the heel part remaining within the (lioe, and is taken out 

 afterwards. The (hoe is novi' carried to the rlvettlng laft, 

 where it is put upon a laft exadlly fimilar to that of the 

 clamping machine, but faftened down upon a bench, and the 

 fole is fmoolh without the groove, which caufed the points 

 of the nails to turn up. Upon this laft the nails are beaten 

 down, to rivet all faft, and make the lole fmooth withinfide : 

 the heel is then put on by laying it in its place, and driving 

 down the long nails which have been put through it by 

 the nailing machine, in the fame manner as for the (ole. 



The fole of the (hoe is now rafped with a coarfe file, to level 

 all the nail-heads, and render the leather fmooth ; the (hoes 

 are then carried to the grindftone, by which they are poliftied, 

 and finilhcd up in every part, the foles blacked, and polilhed 

 by the wheel with a compofition of bees-wax and ivory 

 black, which renders them glod'y : the upper-leathers are 

 then bruihed by a circular bru(h, which is turned by the 

 lathe, and the (hoes are rendered fit for fale, except thofe 

 which require binding and lining, with a lining of thia 

 leather, in which cafe they are finifhed in the fame manner as 

 common (hoes. 



Nail Machine. — This is equally deferving of notice with 

 any otlier part of this ingenious manufaclory. In our 

 article Nail we have defcribed fome nail machines ; but 

 we confider this as a much better machine for cutting 

 brads or nails without heads. The nails are cut from (heet- 

 iron, the plates being firft reduced into (lips, of a breadth 

 equal to the length of the intended nails, by a large pair of 

 (hears, adling in the fame manner as thofe defcribed in the 

 article Canteen, but are conltrudled in a fuperior manner, 

 by employing call-iron for the framing and for the lever. 

 The iron plate is prefented to the machine by one man, 

 whilft another works the handle, and at a fingle (Iroke 

 cuts oft the defired ftrip of iron : the (heet of iron is cut fo 

 that the diredlioii of the grain, or fibrous texture which 

 the iron acquires by rolling, will be acrols the length of 

 the ftrip. From this it follows, that when the nails are 

 formed by cutting oft narrow pieces from the end of the 

 ftrip, the grain of the iron will be the lengthwile of the 

 nail. 



Theftf///«fo/"/AfnaiZf is readily performed by the machine, 

 which is turned by the foot of the workman, whilft he 

 lupplies the iron by his hands. The motion of the treadle 

 turns a crank and heavy fty-whecl, fimilar to the wheel of a 

 lathe: fnmi the fame crank a rod proceeds to the longer end 

 of a ftoiit lever, the axis of which is iupported on pivots in 

 the upper part of the frame, fo as to be above the wheel 

 and crank. At a (mall dillance from the centre of the 

 lever, and at the oj)ponte fide of the axis to the long lever, 

 a fteel cutter is fixed, which adls againll a lixcd cutter fup- 

 ported by the frame ; the fixed cutter has an edge on the 

 upper fide, and the moving cutter, which is fixed to the 

 lever, is made (harp on the lower fide. The revolution of 

 the wheel and crank caufes the lever to rife and fall, and 

 the edges of the two cutters in this motion pafs as clofe 

 together as poflible, without touching. At the moft elevated 

 pofition of the moving cutter, its edge rife« above the edge 



of 



