complete sole leather department. Instead, they have what is called a
stock-fitting department. There are independent cut sole houses, etc., in
the trade, which supply the soles to manufacturers. The same system of
buying supplies also applies to many other parts of the shoe, as in the
top lift, half sole, welt, rand, etc. In the upper leather department,
manufacturers of both men’s and women’s shoes often buy trimmings and
other parts of the upper all prepared.
A large proportion of the men’s shoe manufacturers are now buying heels
all built, while fully nine tenths buy counters all molded. The soles and
other parts that are needed for a shoe are put up in different qualities
and grades, and a manufacturer can buy any grade of sole he wants, so
that it is considered an advantage to buy some parts, instead of cutting
them. In a side of sole leather there are twenty-five or more different
qualities and grades of soles, and very few manufacturers, especially in
the women’s trade, can use all of these. The greater variety of shoes a
manufacturer turns out, the more advantageous it is for him to cut his
own sole leather, and prepare all parts in his own factory.
In this country the number of factories in the shoe trade appears to be
growing less and the average factory larger each year. It is estimated
that there are at present something like fifteen hundred factories in
all. These range from the smallest product up to the largest. The average
factory may be said to produce about twelve hundred pairs of shoes per
day. Many turn out five thousand pairs daily, while a few manufacturers
turn out ten thousand or more pairs. Several manufacturers and firms have
half a dozen or more factories and have a total output of between twenty
thousand and thirty thousand pairs of shoes a day. There is no such
thing as a trust or monopoly of any kind in this trade, and there never
has been up to the present time.
In all factories and all classes of work, the “case” has always been
of such a number of pairs that it can be divided by twelve in every
instance. A case can be twelve, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-eight,
sixty, or seventy-two pairs, and in children’s work it is often sixty and
seventy-two pairs. All cases of these numbers are regular cases, whereas
any other number would be out of the ordinary. Of course, a case of shoes
may contain any number of pairs, but the numbers given above have always
been used in regular work.
Cases of shoes may differ, but every pair of shoes in any one case must
be made exactly alike. All shoes are made in cases, except in the matter
of custom work or single-pair orders or samples. In making men’s heavy
shoes, or working shoes, the regular case was formerly sixty pairs or
thirty-six pairs, but the tendency has been of late to have a standard
case of twenty-four pairs. In the men’s fine trade the regular case is
twenty-four pairs, while in the women’s it is thirty-six pairs. Long
boots for men have always been made in twelve-pair cases.
Goods are sold by the samples, sent out with the traveling salesman. As
fast as he receives an order, he sends it to the main office. Here the
orders are subdivided and sent to the factories making the goods. For
example, an order for seventy-five dozen men’s shoes of a certain style
received by the main office from the traveling salesman would be sent
to the factory in the form of a typewritten order, covering the general
description and sizes written out in the proper form, for each case is
made according to the specifications on the tags that are made out in the
office. These tags specify the sole, heel, upper, kind and quality, how
stitched, the last to be used, how bottomed finished, treed, and packed.
Everything is marked plainly on the tags so that a buyer can have any
shoe made just as he wants it.
This order would be sent from the factory office to the cutting room,
where a clerk would make out twenty-five long tickets.
Twenty-five are made because the shoes go through the factory in lots
of twenty-four pairs, each lot being called a job and when finished
making a case of shoes. The long ticket is made in duplicate form, and is
perforated so it may be tied to a lot of shoes. Both parts of the tickets
are made out to contain the various operations with the specifications
as to detail. The lower part is sent to the stock or sole leather room,
while the top part remains with the uppers which are cut in the cutting
room. While each part of the ticket is sent by a different route through
the factory, they finally meet in the form of finished shoes.
In addition to the long ticket already described, two other tickets are
made out, the top ticket and the trimming ticket. The top ticket is sent
to the leather bins of the factory, where the sorter knows by experience
exactly the amount of leather required to cut the order, being careful to
see that it is all of uniform quality and free from blemishes. He rolls
the leather in a bundle, attaches the ticket and sends it to the cutter.
In the cutting room there are three classes of cutters; cutter of
trimmings, who cuts lace stays, top facings, back stays, tongues, etc.;
outside cutter, who cuts quarters, vamps, tops, tips, etc.; and the
lining cutter, who cuts cloth linings.
[Illustration: A Nine and One-Half Foot Skin divided to best advantage
before Cutting.]
Skins of leather are received in the shoe factory in different shapes.
Some are perfect, others have blemishes or imperfect spots. The skins
that are to be used for upper stock are carefully graded by two or three
men, as to quality of leather and weight. This is necessary in order to
be sure that a lot of shoes made for a certain dealer will be uniform. On
account of the leather coming in different shapes, some skins perfect,
others having imperfect spots, the cutter must place his patterns in such
a way that certain parts of the shoe will use up all the perfect parts,
and others, less important, will be composed of the weaker parts of the
skin. This explains why you sometimes find the inside top part of a shoe
made of flanky leather, while the vamp is made of a better grade.
There is a pattern for each and every size shoe, and each piece of
leather is cut out separately on a block of wood. Nothing is wasted.
In order to make each cutter as efficient as possible, the cutters are
divided, so as to have a different cutter for each grade of leather. In
this way they become better judges of leather.
The lining cutters use patterns and knives on drilling. The facing is cut
out with a knife and pattern. The side stays and the tongue are cut out
by dies.
After the leather has been cut into the desired shape, uppers, vamps, toe
pieces, back stays, lace stays, etc., cutting at times ten pieces, and
for some styles of shoes as many as fourteen pieces, the cutters take
care to keep the parts for the same shoe together, matching and marking
them so that eventually all will meet again in the shoe.
Machines are used now on almost every operation, and annually several new
machines make their appearance. The cutting of uppers up to four or five
years ago was performed by an operator cutting the leather by running the
knife along the side of the pattern. Now they are using a cutting machine
and dies to cut uppers in nearly all factories. This cutting machine is
called the “clicking machine,” and it is considered quite a labor saver
in a department where it was the universal opinion that machines never
could be used.
It is impossible to give a list of all the operations performed and have
it complete. But a good general idea of the system can be given and the
name and meaning of the main operations in the several departments.
It should be kept in mind that the methods in rooms differ, and that
hardly any two factories put a shoe through in exactly the same manner.
The general system and plan is the same everywhere and the machines are
the same in all factories, but the details and minor operations are so
numerous that there is plenty of scope for them to vary.
The function of the clicking machine is to cut the upper leather into the
desired shapes required. It consists of an iron frame, with a cutting
board on the top of it. Above this is a large beam which can be swung to
the right or left of any portion of the board. The skin to be cut, which
may be of any kind, is placed on the board and a die of the design or
shape of the leather desired is placed on it. The handle of the swinging
beam is taken by the operator and moved over the die; then by pressure
of the handle the beam is brought downward, pressing the die through the
leather. As soon as this is done, the beam automatically returns to its
full height.
These dies are made in different designs and sizes to meet the different
sizes and designs in the upper of the shoe. One die for each design and
size. They mark the vamps for the location of the toe cap and blucher
foxings as well as the size by means of nicks in the edge of the piece
cut. The dies are about three-quarters of an inch in height and so light
that they do not mar the most delicate leather.
[Illustration: Cutting the Leather by Means of Pattern and Knife. _Page
118._]
[Illustration: Goodyear Stitching.
A machine that sews around the edge of the welt and joins it to the sole
exactly at the heel. _Page 119._]
After the outside cutter has cut the skin into pieces to make up the
shoe, these are tied up in separate bundles, that is, the twenty-four
of tips in one bundle, twenty-four pairs of vamps in another. These are
turned over to girls who stencil the sizes on the edge and match them,
that is, see that each upper is exactly like the mate.
After the different parts have been cut by the operator of the clicking
machine or by hand, the edges of the upper leather, which shows in the
finished shoe, must be thinned down (skived) by a “skiving machine” to a
beveled edge. This is done in order that the edges of the leather that
are to show in the completed shoe may be folded to give a more finished
appearance. The machines are operated by girls; each one an expert on one
particular piece.
The order number and size of shoe are stamped on the top lining of each
shoe. After all linings have been prepared, according to the data given
on the instruction card attached to parts of the shoe, the parts are
sent to the stitching department, where the stitchers on a multitude
of machines stitch all the different parts together very rapidly and
accurately.
The toe caps are then given a series of ornamental perforations along
the edge. This is done by either “power tip press,” or a “perforating
machine.” The first consists of a series of dies placed in a machine by
which the leather is perforated according to the designs desired. Each
series of dies represents a different design.
The perforating machine resembles a sewing machine, but instead of a
series of dies, the one in this machine is made of single or combination
dies which make one or more holes on each downward movement. The machine
feeds automatically and does the work very accurately. The cutting
tool is kept from becoming dull by pressing against a band of paper.
Ornamentation on other parts of the shoes, such as the edges of vamps,
etc., is made by this machine.
Before going to the stitching room, every bundle is examined by sorters.
The sorters are divided and subdivided; that is, one man always sorts
tips, another vamps, etc. They examine each piece for imperfection, and
if any is found, the piece is thrown out and a new one put in. The last
operation is the assembling of pieces. Here each job of twenty-four pairs
is brought together and securely tied and numbered.
This stitching department is one in which female labor is generally
employed, although in late years more men are being used to operate
machines, especially on vamping or other heavy parts. In some parts of
the country it is called the fitting room. The work of the department
consists of stitching the different parts of the upper together, so
that it is ready to put on the last. The terms used mean in most cases
stitching the part named to the rest of the upper. There are very many
operations in the department, several of which are named below, together
with their meaning.
The bundles of pieces which have come from the cutting room are placed
on the table, where they are subdivided into three parts, the linings,
the tops, the vamps and the tips.
The linings for the tops of the shoes are pasted together (with the back
strap and top bands), care being taken to join them at the marks made for
that purpose. After being dried, they go into the hands of the machine
operators, where they are joined together by a stitching machine, and
the edges, etc., trimmed. The sewing machines used are very similar to
an ordinary home sewing machine, with the exception that they are much
larger and stronger.
[Illustration: Stock Fitting Room.
Where all bottom stock is prepared after being cut. _See page 120._]
The lining is finished. The next step is to join the lining to the piece
of leather making up the outside of the same shape, called the top. The
top receives the eyelets by a machine placed in proper position. The top
and lining can be put together by sewing them face to face. The top is
inspected and all threads clipped off.
After the shoe uppers have been properly stitched together, the eyelets
are placed on by a “duplex eyeletting machine,” which eyelets both sides
of the shoe at one time. The top of the eyelets are solid black knobs, so
as not to wear brassy, while the bottom (which clinches inside the shoe)
called the barrel, is of nickel. This finishes the shoe upper.
The vamp, tongues, and tip are then put together. The edges of the
vamps, quarters, tips, etc., are covered with a cement made of rubber
and naphtha, which is kept in small bowls on the benches in front of
employees. Several grades of cements are used. The cemented parts
are allowed to dry, and the edges are then turned over by “pressing
machines,” which gives a finished appearance. The shoe is put together
by stitching the vamp to the quarters. This work is done by both men and
women, and is work which demands much care.
In stitching men’s uppers, the system varies in various factories as much
as it does on women’s. Here are some of the operations, which will give
an idea how men’s uppers go through.
Extension or toe piece sewed to vamp.
Leather box stitched on.
Tip stitched to vamp.
Vamp seamed up back.
Top folded around edge.
Top seamed up.
Eyelet row stitched up and down.
Lining seamed up.
Side facing put on lining.
Top facing put on lining.
Lining and outside pasted together.
Under trimming.
Eyeletting.
Hooking.
Vamping.
The upper is complete when it leaves the stitching room and is all ready
to be put on the last. While the upper is being prepared, the soles,
insoles, counters, and heels are made in other departments.
When the foreman of this department has received the tags with the data
necessary for the preparation of outsoles, insoles, counters, toe boxes,
and heels, they are sent to the stock room, where these parts are kept.
The soles are roughly cut out by means of dies, pressing down through the
leather, in “dieing out machines.” Before the soles are cut, the leather
is dipped in water and sufficiently dampened. After they are cut out,
they are made to conform to the exact shape by rounding them in a machine
called the “rounding machine.” The roughly died out piece of leather is
held between clamps, one of which is the exact pattern of the sole. The
machine works a little knife that darts around this pattern, cutting the
sole exactly to conform. The outsole is now passed to a heavy rolling
machine, where it is pressed by tons of pressure between heavy rolls.
This takes the place of the hammering which the old-time shoemaker gave
his leather to bring the fibers very closely together, so as to increase
its wear.
Counters and toe boxes (stiffening which is placed between the heel and
toe cap and the vamp of shoe) are prepared in the same room with the
heels. After they are made, they are sent to the making or bottoming
room, where the shoe upper is awaiting them. As the counter is an
important feature in the life of a shoe, much depends upon the quality of
leather that goes into it.
The sole is next fed to a “splitting machine,” which reduces it to an
absolutely even thickness. The insole is made of lighter leather than the
outsole, but has the same thickness and is cut out in the same way one at
a time. The sizes are stamped on them and they are sorted.
[Illustration: Lasting. _Page 127._]
[Illustration: Welting.]
If you examine a Goodyear welt shoe, you will notice no stitches in
sight, the seam being fastened to an under portion of the insole. The
durability of the shoe relies, to a great extent, on the quality and
strength of the insole.
The smooth-appearing insole of a welt shoe must be either pasted in
or fastened underneath in some manner. This fastening is accomplished
by passing the insole through a very small machine called a Goodyear
channeler, which makes two incisions at one operation. It cuts a little
slit along the edge of the insole, extending about one-half inch toward
its center.
The upper part of insole made by the slit on the edge is turned up on
a lip turning machine so that it extends out at right angles from the
insole. In other words, the channel is opened up and laid back, forming
a ridge around the outer edge of the sole. This forms a lip or shoulder,
against which the welt is sewed. In this way the thread used in sewing
cannot be seen in the finished shoe. The cut made on the surface serves
as guide for the operator of the welt sewing machine when the shoe
reaches him.
The inner and outer soles as well as the uppers are now brought into the
lasting or gang room. The first part of lasting is called “assembling,”
which means that many parts are brought together, such as upper, counter,
insole, box toe, and last. The counter is placed in the upper, between
lining and vamp, while the box toe is shellacked and put in the toe of
the upper (provided it has not been stitched in the stitching room). The
operator first tacks the inner sole on to a wooden last.
There are very many different styles of lasts, and in cutting uppers a
different pattern must be used for each style. Then the upper is placed
in position on the last, and it is ready to be pulled and stretched to
the wood and take its required shape. This is accomplished by placing the
shoes on the “pulling over machine,” where the shoe uppers are correctly
placed on the last by the pincers of a machine holding the leather at
different points securely against the wood of the last. By the movements
of levers the shoe uppers are adjusted correctly. Then the pincers draw
the leather securely around the last and at the same time two tacks on
each side and at the toe are driven in part way, to hold the uppers
securely.
It is now placed on the “hand method lasting machine,” where the leather
is drawn tightly around the last. Before this operation, it is dipped in
water to preserve its shape when formed and that it may be more easily
formed by the machine. At each pull of the pincers a small tack, driven
automatically part way in, holds the edge of the upper exactly in place,
so that every part of the upper has been stretched in all directions
equally. A special machine by means of a series of “wipers” is used to
last the toe and heel. After the leather has been brought smoothly
around the toe, it is held there by a little tape fastened on each side
of the toe, which is held securely in place by the surplus leather,
crimpled in at this point. The surplus leather crimpled in at the heel is
forced smoothly down against the insole and held there by tacks driven
by an ingenious hand tool. In all these lasting operations the tacks are
only driven in part way, so they may afterwards be withdrawn and leave
the inside perfectly smooth, except at the heel of the shoe, where they
are driven into the iron heel of the last and clinched.
[Illustration: Rough Rounding. _See page 131._]
[Illustration: Edge Trimming. _See page 130._]
After these operations, the surplus leather at the toe and sides of the
shoe is removed by the “upper trimming machine,” which cuts it away by
means of a little knife and leaves it very smooth and even. A small
hammer operating in connection with the knife pounds the leather on the
same parts. A pounding machine hammers the leather and counter around
the heel so that the stiff position conforms exactly to the last.
After the “lasted” shoe has been trimmed and pounded down to the shape
of the last, it is turned over to the tack setter, who pulls out all the
tacks except a few, called draft tacks. The insole is then wet to make it
pliable, and is turned over to a very experienced operator, called the
“inseamer,” who is to sew the welt on.
The shoe is now ready to receive a narrow strip of prepared leather,
that is sewed after it is wet to make it pliable, along the edge of the
shoe, beginning where the heel is placed and ending at the same spot on
the opposite edge. This is called the welt, and is sewed from the inside
lip of the insole, so that the curved needle passes through the lip, the
upper, and the welt, uniting all three securely and allowing the welt to
protrude beyond the edge of the shoe. The thread is very stout linen, and
is passed through a pan of hot wax before being looped into chain stitch
that holds the shoe together.
The nature of the stitch is a chain--two rows of threads on the outside
that loop with the single thread in the inside lip of the insole. When
the welt is finally sewed on, and the shoe put down on the bench, it
looks like an ordinary shoe resting on a wide flange of leather. This
flange is the welt, and to it the heavy outer sole is to be sewed fast.
Should a single stitch break in this operation, it is passed to a
cobbler, who repairs it by hand.
Before the outer sole is put on, the edges of the uppers must be trimmed
along the seam that holds the welt. A slip of steel called steel shank
is laid along the insole where the hollow of the foot is, and a piece of
leather board laid over this to give the necessary stiffness and prevent
the shoe from doubling up. As the welt has left a hollow space along the
ball of the foot, it is necessary to fill this up, either with a piece
of leather, tanned felt, or other filler. Felt is not waterproof, and
leather squeaks, hence a mixture of ground cork and rubber cement is
used. This is heated and spread on the sole, and run over a hot roller
until the bottom of the shoe is perfectly smooth and even. The shoes are
placed on a rack and are ready for the outsole.
Sole fastening is performed by a number of operations, in which a score
or more of separate machines are used. The sole layers smear a rubber
cement over this welt with a “cementing machine,” after the outsole has
been soaked in water to make it pliable, and then place it on the shoe
and tack a single nail in the heel. The “sole laying machine,” through
great pressure, cements the sole on and fits it to every curve of the
last. Then the sole is trimmed by a “rough rounding machine,” which trims
the soles to the shape of the last. This machine also channels the outer
sole at the same time, which is necessary for the next operation. The
“channel opening machine” now turns up the lips of the channel and the
sole is ready to be stitched to the welt.
The outsole is now sewed by a waxed thread to the welt, by an “outsole
lock stitch machine,” which is similar to a welt sewing machine. The
stitch is finer and extends from the slit (channel) to the upper side of
the welt, where it shows after the shoe has been finished.
It unites the sole and welt with a tightly drawn lock stitch of
remarkable strength. It sews through an inch of leather as easily as a
woman would sew through a piece of cloth. The stitches are made through
the welt and outer sole, the seam running in the channel of the outsole.
[Illustration: Leveling. _See page 135._]
[Illustration: Heeling. _See page 136._]
The inside of the slit in which this stitch has just been made is now
coated with cement by means of a brush. The channel lip is forced back to
its original position after the cement has dried, by a rapidly revolving
wheel of a “channel laying machine.” In this way the stitches are hidden.
Welt shoes are stitched on in three different ways: “channeled,” which,
when finished, leaves an invisible stitch on the bottom of the sole;
“regular stitched aloft,” showing the stitches on both sides; and “fudge
stitched,” in which the seam is sunk down in a groove, being almost
invisible from the welt side.