Jan Matzeliger’s patent for a “Nailing Machine” was a critical component of his larger, more famous invention: the lasting machine. This patent, No. 421,954, granted on February 25, 1890, specifically describes the mechanism for separating, distributing, and driving tacks and nails.
The key innovation of this patent was its intricate system for automated tack delivery. It featured a single-threaded screw shaft that would receive tacks one by one from an inclined raceway. As the shaft rotated, it would transport each tack to a “receiver” well. The end of the screw was cleverly beveled, allowing the shaft to retreat just in time for a spring-loaded driver to descend and hammer the tack into the shoe. This mechanism was a major improvement over manual tack placement, which was slow and prone to errors.
Societal Impact
While the patent is for a specific mechanism, it was an integral part of an invention that revolutionized the shoe industry and had a major societal impact.
- Mass Production and Affordability: Matzeliger’s lasting machine automated the most difficult and skilled part of shoemaking, which was previously done entirely by hand. A single machine could produce between 150 and 700 pairs of shoes a day, a dramatic increase from the 50 pairs a skilled manual worker could complete. This innovation drastically reduced the cost of shoes, making them affordable for the average consumer and contributing to the growth of major shoe manufacturing centers.
- Industrial Transformation: The machine changed the nature of labor in shoe factories. It shifted the industry from a reliance on highly skilled craftsmen to a more mechanized process that could be performed by less-skilled workers. This was a key step in the industrial automation that defined the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- The Inventor’s Legacy: Jan E. Matzeliger was a Black inventor born in Suriname, who arrived in the U.S. and worked in the shoe factories of Lynn, Massachusetts. He saw the need for automation and dedicated himself to inventing a solution, receiving his first patent for the lasting machine in 1883. Despite facing racial prejudice and financial hardship, his persistence led to a series of patents that collectively made his invention a cornerstone of the modern shoe industry. It is said that the Consolidated Lasting Machine Company, which acquired his patents, eventually became a part of the United Shoe Machinery Company. His inventions made him a key, if often overlooked, figure in American industrial history.
This patent was an improvement on his earlier nail machine patent that focused on a different part of the process: the separation and distribution of a single tack. It introduced the specialized screw shaft and beveled end that could precisely separate one tack from a hopper, deliver it to a receiver, and then allow a driver to descend and hammer it. This patent solved the critical problem of ensuring a continuous and jam-free feed of single tacks to the driving mechanism.
