Abstract
Shoemaking is a very ancient craft, but it is rather less than a century since machinery was first used for the purpose, though in 1810, when the need arose for large quantities of boots for the troops engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, the elder Brunei invented the first riveting machines, which attached the uppers to the soles by nails which were driven and clenched.
A number of methods of construction are commonly employed, and the Goodyear welted process is described in the paper in some detail. Attention is then directed to some of the mechanical problems which have been solved in the design of the various machines used. These include a single-revolution clutch capable of stopping the machine with an accuracy of a few degrees of a revolution, and devices for selecting, separating, and feeding such loose articles as tacks, nails, and eyelets.
The outsole lockstitch machine is described in detail as an example of what has been accomplished by way of speed and quality of the product. The machine sews at the rate of 1,000 r.p.m. The automatic edge setting machine is also dealt with in detail on account of the arresting feature which might be called its “sense of touch”.
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