A Manual of Shoemaking and Leather and Rubber Products. William H. Dooley
the sole is called the upper. The top of the shoe is that part measured by the lacing which covers the ankle and the instep. The vamp is that section which covers the sides of the foot and the toes. The shank is that part of the sole of the shoe between the heel and the ball. This name is often applied to a piece of metal or other substance in that part of the sole, intended to give support to the arch of the foot. The throat of the vamp is that part which curves around the lower edge of the top, where the lacing starts.
Backstay is a term used to denote a strip of leather covering and strengthening the back seam of the shoe. Quarter is a term used mostly in low shoes to denote the rear part of the upper when a full vamp is not used. Button fly is the portion of the upper containing the buttonholes of a button shoe. Tip is the toe piece of a shoe, stitched to the vamp and outside of it. The lace stay is a term used to denote a strip of leather reënforcing the eyelet holes. Tongue denotes a narrow strip of leather used on all lace shoes to protect the instep from the lacing and weather.
Names of the Different Parts of Foot Wear. Page 2.
Foxing is the name applied to leather of the upper that extends from the sole to the laces in front, and to about the height of the counter in the back, being the length of the upper. It may be in one or more pieces, and is often cut down to the shank in circular form. If in two pieces, that part covering the counter is called a heel fox. Overlay is a term applied to leather attached to the upper part of the vamp of a slipper. The breast of the heel is the inner part of the heel, that is, the section nearest the shank.
CHAPTER TWO
HIDES AND THEIR TREATMENT
If we examine our shoes, we will find that the different parts are composed of material called leather. The bottom of the shoe is of hard leather, while the part above the sole is of a softer, more pliable leather. This leather is nothing more than the hides of different animals treated in such a way as to remove the fat and the hair.
After the hides have been taken from the dead body of the animal, they are quite heavily salted to preserve them from spoiling. In this salted condition they are shipped to the tanneries.
The process or series of processes by which the hides and skins of animals are converted into leather is called tanning. The process may be divided into three groups of subprocesses as follows:—
Beamhouse process, which removes the hair from the hides and prepares them for the actual process of the tanning or conversion into leather; tanning, which converts the raw hide into leather; and finishing, which involves a number of operations, the objects of which are to give the leather the color that may be desired and also to make it of uniform thickness, and impart to it the softness and the finish that is required for a particular purpose.
Hides are divided roughly in the tannery, according to the size, into three general classes:—
(1) Hides, skins from fully grown animals, as cows, oxen, horses, buffaloes, walrus, etc. These are thick, heavy leather, used for shoe soles, large machinery belting, trunks, etc., where stiffness, strength, and wearing qualities are desired. The untanned hides weigh from twenty-five to sixty pounds.
(2) Kips, skins of the undersized animals of the above group, weighing between fifteen and twenty-five pounds.
(3) Skins from small animals, such as calves, sheep, goats, dogs, etc. This last group gives a light, but strong and pliable leather, which may be used for a great many purposes, such as men’s shoes and the heavier grades of women’s shoes.
The hides, kips, and skins are divided into various grades, according to their weight, size, condition, and quality.
The quality of the hides not only depends upon the kind of animal, but also upon its fodder and mode of living. The hides of wild cattle yield a more compact and stronger leather than those of our domesticated beasts. Among these latter the stall-fed have better hides than the meadow-fed, or grazing cattle. The thickness of the hide varies considerably on different animals and on the parts of the body, the thickest part of the bull being near the head and the middle of the back, while at the belly the hide is thinnest. These differences are less conspicuous in sheep, goats, and calves. As regards sheep, it would appear that their skin is generally thinnest where their wool is longest.
In the raw, untanned state, and with the hair still on, the hides are termed “green” or “fresh.” Fresh, or green hides are supplied to the tanners by the packers or the butchers, or are imported, either dry or salted.
Hides are obtained either from the regular packing houses or from farmers who kill their own stock, and do not skin the animal as scientifically as the regular packing houses, in which case they are called country hides. There are different grades of hides and leather, and these different grades are divided in the commercial world into the five following grades:—
I. NATIVE HIDES
Native Steers
Native Cows, heavy
Native Cows, light
Branded Cows
Butts
Colorado Steers
Texas Steers, heavy
Texas Steers, light
Texas Steers, ex-light
Native Bulls
Branded Bulls
II. COUNTRY HIDES
Ohio Buffs
Ohio Ex.
Southerns
III. DRY HIDES
(Raised on plain. Rough side suitable for soles.)
Buenos Ayres
IV. CALFSKINS
(Green salted)
Chicago City
V. PARIS CITY CALFSKINS
Light
Medium
Heavy
Hides obtained from steers raised on Western farms are known as native steer hides.
Native cowhide (heavy) is hide weighing from fifty-five to sixty-five pounds, obtained from cows.
Native cowhide (light) is cowhide weighing under fifty-five pounds.
Branded cowhide is hide obtained from cows that are branded on the