530,981. Lasting shoes. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO., Ltd., and ROBERTS, W. T. B. June 23, 1939, Nos. 18293 and 30542. Addition to 506,270. [Class 17 (i)] The machine for trimming marginal material from the toe portions of uppers after pulling- over and before lasting disclosed in the parent Specification is modified. Shoe clamping means co-operate with the heel end of the shoe, and a manual control therefor sets the machine into power operation by a further movement. The shear support for the toe end marginal material comprises articulated blocks forming a recess with means for adjusting them so that the width of the recess may conform to the size and style of the shoe. A support is provided for the toe of the shoe. The pivoted fingers laying the margin over its support are arranged to be moved automatically forward above the shoe from a rearward inoperative position, then to be lowered into proximity to the shoe, and thereafter to be pressed down and moved rearwardly to perform the laying-over operation. A thin flexible steel strip acts as a' shear member for the knife. The shearing block comprises two articulated blocks 59, 61, each recessed to receive a lining member 63, a flexible metal strip 81 being clamped between the parts. The strip is vertically adjustable so that it may act as a shearing member correctly to co-operate with the knife. The two halves of the upper margin supporting surface are adjusted to the desired width of toe by a right and left hand screw 91. Arc-shaped guides 89 on a base plate 49 engage guide-ways on the blocks to restrain the blocks during adjustment. Shoe positioning means comprise an abutment plate 109 extending across the shoe bottom, and an abutment finger 111 engaging the shoe bottom near its toe end. These members are adjustable by screws 121, 129. A rubber covered roll 135, supported by a spring 143 in a post guided by a slot in a bar 149 raised by a treadle, supports the toe end of the shoe. To enable the operator to have good sight of the shoe when positioning the same, the upper margin-spreading fingers 151 are normally retracted, and are advanced by a cam actuated arm 159 when the machine is started. The fingers are raised and lowered as required by toggle links 171, 173 actuated by a rod 179 carrying a spring 183 contacting a friction block 185 and urged to toggle straightening position by a light spring 181. The toggle is maintained broken by the drag on the rod until the fingers are well forwardly of the upstanding upper materials. When the spring 183 is clear of the friction block the spring 181 causes the fingers to descend towards the shoe bottom. To cause the fingers to exert a pre-determined pressure on the upper materials as they move apart, the slide 169 carrying the fingers is engaged by a lever 193 adjustably connected to a lever 197 slotted to receive a roll on a lever 213 having an arcuate slide bar 219 co-operating with an opening in a friction locking plate 221 urged against a stop surface by springs 225. A cam-operated lever 229 carries a stop 235 engaging the lever 213 and a stop screw 239 engaging a pivoted arm carrying the plate 221. The spreading fingers 151 are normally urged downwardly by a spring pressed plunger 232 engaging an adjustable abutment in the lever 197. When the fingers have moved forwardly and then downwardly towards the shoe bottom by the straightening of the toggle 171, 173, the lever 229 is moved to allow the fingers to engage the shoe bottom under the yielding pressure of the spring plunger 231. During this movement the arcuate member 219 slides freely through the opening in the plate 221. The fingers open and move rearwardly as described in the parent Specification, being allowed to move upwardly against the action of the spring plunger 231. Having thus measured the thickness of the material, the fingers are locked by rock of the plate 221 by the stop 239, the stop 235 having moved away from the lever 213. Continued movement of the lever 229 will force the spreading fingers on the work with a pre-determined pressure to press the out-turned upper margin firmly down on the shearing block. Just before the knife 37 cuts into the upper the fingers are positively lifted by the stop 235, during return movement of the lever 229, so that the fingers, on return to the rearward position, do not damage the shear strip 81. When heavy uppers are to be operated on, a small comb member is secured to each of the fingers to ensure even spreading. The knife is preceded by spring pressed fingers depressed by a cam track 251, as described in the parent Specification. The fingers are lifted as they return, to prevent them damaging the trimmed upper and the strip 81. For this reason the cam tracks are supported at their rearward ends by toggle levers 261, 263. The knife slide carries rods 269 each having a step 277 and lock nuts 2&1 which actuate the corresponding toggle to break it as the knife reaches the end of its stroke, to raise the fingers, and to straighten the toggle as the knife regains its normal position. Some of the fingers normally occupy a lower position than the others, to press the upper materials firmly into the spaces between the ridges of the members 63. To clear the knife of trimmings, a finger 317 projects outwardly and downwardly from a disc rotatably supported above the knife. A cable 325 is secured to the disc and to a stationary member 329 ; a second cable 323 connects a pin on the disc with a member 327. Both cables pass over a guide pulley 321. As the knife reciprocates the finger 317 passes over the front of the knife, but is out of the way when the knife is cutting. A heel end abutment 334 is provided, carried by a slide connected by a link 351 to a lever 349 connected to the starting handle 9 by a spring plunger 375, the spring being adjustable by a head 381 splined to engage a spring poppet 383 which holds it in adjusted position. A pawl 337 pivoted to the starting handle co-operates with a rack connected to a clutch-engaging lever. When power actuation commences, the heel end abutment is urged more firmly against the heel end of the shoe by a pawl 429 which, on sliding off a masking plate 435 engages teeth 433 on the slide carrying the heel end abutment. The pawl is moved by a lever 423 resiliently connected to a cam-actuated lever 396. The operator must support the shoe with one hand while he starts the machine with the other, ensuring against the operator having a hand in the path of the knife. The machine cannot be started unless a shoe is in position, since the spring plunger 375 does not yield as the handle 9 is raised, to allow the pawl 337 to engage its rack. Specification 470,749 is referred to.