Toolbox Tuesday- Cast Iron Shoe Form

Cast Iron Shoe Form

 

The cast iron shoe form was used throughout the 1800s to make shoes.  Though making shoes was done by hand and made for the individual’s foot, the mass production of shoes began in the 1850s.  A shoemaker in Leicester, Tomas Crick, patented the design for a riveting machine in 1853. His machine used an iron plate to push iron rivets into the sole. The process greatly increased the speed and efficiency of production. He also introduced the use of steam-powered rolling-machines for hardening leather and cutting-machines, in the mid-1850s.^[4]

The sewing machine was introduced in 1846, and provided an alternative method for the mechanization of shoemaking. By the late 1850s, the industry was beginning to shift towards the modern factory, mainly in the US and areas of England. A shoe stitching machine was invented by the American Lyman Blake in 1856 and perfected by 1864.  The form that is pictured above would have been used to make sure that the shoes were uniform in their design and there were different sizes of forms for men, women, children, and also for shoes, boots, etc.