Device for toe and ball lasting of a shoe unit

A device for toe and ball lasting a shoe unit consisting of a last with a shoe upper superimposed thereon and an insole arranged on the last bottom, comprising a shoe support acting against the shoe bottom to support the shoe unit, a heel clamp provided with adjusting means for movement towards and away from said shoe support, and main wipers seated above the shoe support for linear movement and pivotal movement about a fulcrum point and carrying, on their side opposite the fulcrum point, ball wipers arranged for longitudinal displacement, said main wipers being provided with corresponding drive means for moving them, in a combined longitudinal and pivotal inward movement, below the contour of a shoe unit placed on the shoe support, wiping simultaneously the lasting margin of the upper against the insole, during which combined movement the ball wipers can be moved by corresponding adjusting means, from an initial rearward position towards the fulcrum point, characterized in that the said device comprises a sensing element for scanning the length of the shoe unit placed upon the shoe support, and for emitting a signal indicative of the length of the said shoe unit, said sensing element coacting with adjusting means which are controlled by said signal and which serve to automatically adjust the initial position of the ball wipers on the main wipers to the respective length of the shoe unit.