The Iron Age 1890-03-06: Vol 45

"THE THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1890. IRON AGE Coke Brick for Furnace Linings. t At the last meeting of the Germsn So- ciety of Iron and Steel Metallurgists, F. Burgers, of Gelsenkirchen, presented a short statement of his experience with a special brick used to line the bosh and hearth of blast furnaces. ; It is a matter of frequent occurrence that linings 3 to 4 feet thick are soon reduced to a few inches. Then streams of water must be used to keep the walls from being destroyed. The chief reason for this rapid destruction of the refractory material is that the cinder dissolves it, fluctuating in its composi- DRAWING PRESS, tion, as it does frequently from an acid to a basic cinder. Experiments made showed that the best refractory fire-brick, varying in composition, were destroyed in one or two hours when placed in the cinder run. This circum- stance led Burgers to seek for another ma- terial. His attention was directed to coke. e first experiment, begun in 1882, was directed to binding with clay, coal, coke and graphite, and using the mixture in a form of brick. Dr. Otto & Co., a leading firm of German manufacturers of fire- brick, furnished a series of samples which, however, were defective in this point— that in binding the brick the carbon had n partly removed, but even this sample gave good results. In 1885 Pourcel, in describing the manu- facture of ferromanganese at Terrenoire, stated that the hearth and bottom of the furnace was made of graphite brick. He used as a raw material retort graphite con- taining 1 to 2 per cent. of ash, ground it, mixed it with tar, formed it into brick and then heated it. A part of the tar cokes and binds the graphite to a solid brick. Burgers had experimerts made with ground coke, low in ash, instead of graphite, obtaining good results. In 1885 No, 2 furnace of the company with which Mr. Burgers is connected, was lined with ‘this coke brick, with excellent results. They have been irtroduced also with the Rheinische Steel Works and at that an inventor could not sell his inven- tion or put it into use, and afterward obtain a patent and enjoin the use of the very machines constructed or sold by him. Judge Blodgett sustained this defense, and dismissed the plaintiff's suit. Drawing Press. A new and notable feature in this press, which in other respects is not unlike the regular styles of toggle drawing consists in the manner of working gles. resses, e tog- There are two rock-shafts mounted BUILT BY DETRICK & HARVEY MACHINE COMPANY. Rombach. At Mechernich the same ma- terial has been used for lining lead fur- naces. During the course of a brief de- bate upon the subject Burgers stated that the cost of the brick is about 100 marks per ton. rh —— Judge Blodgett, on the 25th ult. at Chi- cago, decided a question of more than usual interest to inventors and manufac- turers. The case was that of the Dable Grain Shovel Company against Flint, Odell & Co., in which the defendants were sued for $100,000 for infringement of two patents granted to John Dable for im- provements in machines for unloading grain from railroad cars—the improve- ments relating specially to mechanism for unloading grain by steam instead of by hand. The argument of the defense was in capped bearings with vertical joints at the top of the machine, and to these are at- tached links which in turn are made fast by suitable mechanism to the cage or blank holder. On one end of each shaft is mount- ed a segment of a spur gear which engages with a vertical rack, moving in guides formed on the frame of the press. This rack is moved by a cam that is keyed on the end of the crank shaft. A top and bottom roller on this vertical rack receive their motions from the periphery of the cam. The pins which carry these rollers are supported at both ends. The shape of the cam gives one-quartet dwell at the top and one-quarter at the bottom, the other half being used for the up and down stroke. The one-quarter dwell at the bottom holds the cam down sufficiently long to allow the punch to do 368 THE IRON AGE. March 6, 1590 its work before the blank is released. The rollers and cam having their bearing faces always in contact give a soft, easy motion and operate without noise or jar. Another very desirable feature in this press consists in having the construc- tion such that the whole top can be lifted up when the shaft is to be removed. This top is held down by eight bolts and End Elevation. Seal Press Suit Decided.—Over a year ago the Buffalo Seal and Press Company, through their counsel, Howson & Howson, brought suit in New York against the New York Railway Press and Seal Com- pany, for infringement of the Abbe patent for a seal press for pressing the leaden seals on wires for sealing cardoors. These lead seals and the hand tools to press the decree in favor of the Buffalo company sustaining the patent and granting an in- junction restraining the infringement of complainant’s rights under the patent. cilimniincmmmealaiaaisiaia There is now, and has been for several months, a scarcity of puddlers in the Pittsburgh district. The starting up of Side Elevation, Plan. in addition thereto four large bolts run- ning through the top of the press to the bottom of the frame, making it stvong and rigid. Steel castings are ueed in many places instead of iron. All pins are of steel, surfaces are large and the press throughout heavy and substantial. The machines are built by the Detrick & Harvey Machine Company, of Balti- more, Md. DRAWING PRESS. seals on the wires are largely used by rail- roads all over the country. The charac- teristic feature of the Abbe patented press is that it provides for the sidewise insertion Section on Line A B. nearly all the iron mills to their utmost capacity has ca this branch of work. Several mills would start up additional puddlin a scarcity of men in furnaces if of the seals and wires between a pair of | they could procure competent workmen. rolling dies. The case came up for final hearing before Judge Wallace in the United States Circuit Court for the Southern Dis- trict of New York, on Monday, th 24th | It is said that the new tolling stock of the Reading Railroad, including 50 loco- motives recently ordered and 4000 gondola ult., and on the 26th the jadge signed a' cars for the coal trade, will cost $2,500,000, March 6, 1&90 THE IRON AGE, The Properties of Aluminum--l[.” BY ALFRED E, HUNT, JNO. W. LANGLEY AND CHAS, M. HALL. Practical Hints. — Dipping and Pick- ling.—Remove the dirt and grease from the plates by dipping m benzine. To whiten the metal, leaving on the surface a beautiful white mat, the sheet should be first dipped in a strong solution of caustic potash. This solution should then be dipped in a mixture of concentrated acids, two parts nitric acid; then in a solution of undiluted nitric acid; then in a mixture of vinegar and water, equal parts; then washed thoroughly in water and dried as usual in hot sawdust. To Polish..—Use a fine polishing compo. sition, or rouge, or tripoli, and a sheepskin or chamois skin buff, although it is often polished with an ordinary rag buff. For tine work, to polish aluminum, use a mix- ture of equal parts, by weight, of olive oil and rum, made into an emulsion by being well shaken together in a bottle. The polishing stone is dipped in this liquid, and the metal is a without using, however, too much pressure. Aluminum may be easily F vag by using olive oil and pumice. he surface of aluminum, treated with varnish of four parts oil of turpentine to one of stearic acid, or with a mixture of olive oil and rum shaken into an emulsion, allows an engraving tool to work on aluminum as on pure copper, For Burnishing.—Use a blood stone or steel burnisher. For hand burnishing use either kerosene oil or a solution composed of two tablespoonsful of ground borax, dissolved in about a quart of hot water, with a few drops of ammonia added. For Lathe Work.—The burnisher should wear upon the fingers of his left hand a piece of canton flannel, keeping it soaked with kerosene, and bringing it in contact with the metal, supplying a constant lu- bricant. Very fine effects can be produced by first burnishing or polishing the metal and then stamping it in polished dies, showing unpolished figures in relief. Scratch Brushing.—Polish or burnish the surface and then use a fine steel scratch brush, A very fine finish is attained by rubbing wiith ground pumice stone and water. In spinning aluminum, plenty of oil should be used to prevent the clogging of the tool and to make it cut smooth in the turning and to assist in the spinning. To Solder the Metal.—Soldering the metal in large surfaces has not been suc- cessfully accomplished up to the present. Small surfaces of the metal can be readily soldered by the use of pure zinc and venetian turpentine. Place the solder upon the metal with venetian turpentine and heat gently with a blow-pipe until the solder is melted. It will then be found to have fixed itself firmly to the aluminum. The trouble with this, as with other sol- ders, is that it will not flow on the metal. Therefore large surfaces are not easily soldered. In cold-rolling aluminum, upon roll designed for cold-rolling hard crucible steel, it has been found possible to reduce aluminum through the same sections as hard steel; the aluminum required, on the average, five annealings, where the steel required three to satisfactorily withstand the same work. ALLOYS OF ALUMINUM AND COPPER. Ten per cent. of aluminum with 90 per cent. copper (called 10 per cent. aluminum bronze) rolled into plates has an elastic limit of 70,000 to 80,000 pounds per square inch, a reduction of area of from 20 to 40 per cent., with an elongation of from 5 to 10 per cent. in 8 inches. The metal * Read at the Washington Meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. 18 a beautiful yellow color, and susceptible of taking a fine polish. One great advan- tage of the metal is its freedom from cor- rosion from the action of the air, either moist or dry, or water upon it. Its spe- cific — in castings 1s about 7.84 and in rolled sheets about 7.89. Its modulus of elasticity is about 18,000,000 pounds. In castings it has a tensile strength of between 70,000 and 80,000 pounds per square inch, with a reduction of area of about 20 per cent. Compression tests upon 10 per cent. alu- minum bronze 4 inch ental and 2 inches long gave an ultimate compressive strength of 160,000 pounds per — inch, the specimens being shortened by }inch. A similar piece of 5 per cent. bronze was shortened to 1} inches, and gave an ulti- mate compressive strength of 153,000 pounds per square inch. Five per cent. aluminum bronze in ten- sion has an elastic limit of about 50,000 Ibs. per square inch; a tensile strength of about 70,000 Ibs. per square inch; a re- duction of area of ft Its specific gravity is from 8.20 to 8.30. Two and one-half per cent. aluminum bronze has a specific gravity of 8.6. The melting point of 10 per cent. aluminum bronze is about 1700 degrees Fahrenheit— a little higher than that of ordinary brass. The metal shrinks a little less than 4 inch to the foot, or a little less than ordinary brass. It solidifies very rapidly from the molten condition, and it is necessary to pour it very quickly. The feed-gates should be made large enough to prevent the metal freezing. Hot baked sand molds should be used for casting. Pre- cautions should be taken also to prevent oxidation of the metal, for without it the oxide is carried into the metal, which pre- vents its rolling into sheets. It is well also to bottom pour the metal into the mold—that is, to cast the metal into a hot ladle, having a nozzle in the bottom in direct connection with the gate of the casting, allowing the metal to settle, so that the oxide and dross shall come to the surface, in this way preventing its enter- ing into the castings below. The surface of the molten bath should be kept covered with powdered charcoal. It is also ad- vantageous to keep the bath covered with a flux in some cases, although the disad- vantage of this is that the flux is apt to cut the sides of the pot and add silicon to the metal. It is well to tap the metal in an inert atmosphere (casting in a cloud of smoke or the like) to prevent the oxidation from the air in the mold attacking the metal. Aluminum bronze is an extremely dense, close metal. It can be worked at a bright red heat as easily as can wrought iron. In this respect it differs from all other forms of bronze, which are red short at a red heat. The fact that Aluminum bronze is malleable at a red heat, and stands this tem- perature without change, makes it especially adaptable for blast furnace tuyers. The metal can be hardened to a considerable ex- tent by working without annealing. To anneal aluminum bronze, heat to a dull red heat and permit it to cool gradually. The alloy of aluminum and copper does not volatilize at any ordinary tem- perature used in fusing it, and conse- quently it can be frequently re-melted without any appreciable change in the chemical constituents of the metal. This has great advantages in the economic use of the metal, as the scrap in castings or rolling can be readily re-melted into ingots of the same quality metal. Aluminum bronze can be brazed as well as any other metal, using as asolder: Zinc, 50 per cent.; copper, 50 per cent; using } of the solder and } borax and cryolite in equal With pure aluminum as now manufactured by The Pittsburgh Reduc- tion Company, very pure aluminum bronze allovs can readily be made; the impurities rom 30 to 50 per cent. | s in the aluminum being reduced to j, their amount on being diluted with pure electrolytic lake copper. The following are some of the analyses of aluminum bronzes lately made by The Pittsburgh Reduction Company, and by the Scovill Manufacturing Company: Kinds of Alloy. } g@ © co | oe (es [fs | 83 | 25 ee lee |2". as C:nstituents. - ol. Slaw | -o8 | 3a | 28 | 282 | 228 CS | Cos | So¢ | O88 a2. 2. Q | c22 | 523 |h22 | £38 | eo | BOR | gOR | 20% =~ ae i) ‘ Placed | Aluminum.... .| 9.20 4.70 2.35 | 6.32 Copper .. ......| 90.00 | 94.84 | 97.20 | 91.98 Graphitoidal Sil-) Ras 6 axdund 117 | 0.°80 | 0.050 | 0.090 Non - Graphitoi- dal Silicon..... 0.370 | 0.320 | 0.260 | 1.090 iis < contaads 0.077 | 0.060 | 0.060 | 0.480 Specific Grav- NOSES. dis on0tth 7.69 | 8.25 | 8.61 | 8.01 ALLOYS OF ALUMINUM AND IRON. Aluminum in Wrought Iron.—The in- fluence of aluminum in making wrought iron fluid has been taken advantage of in the well-known Mitis process of making castings of wrought iron. Aluminum fur- nished by the Pittsburgh Reduction Com- pany has been found to be very advan- tageous and is largely used in the manu- facture of the Mitis metal. Aluminum will also increase the tensile strength of wrought iron and improve the fiber, if added either as pure metal or in the form of ferroaluminum to the molten bath, just before the metal comes to nature in the puddling furnace. . Aluminum in Cast Iron.—The influence of aluminum in cast iron is to turn the combined carbon to graphite—that is, to make the white iron gray and also to close the texture of the metal. (W. J. Keep.) It makes the metal ordinarily more fluid and it also makes it susceptible of taking a better polish and retaining it free from oxidation. Aluminum will also increase the tensile strength of many grades of cast iron and aids in obtaining sound castin free from blow-holes. It has been used in preparations from one-tenth of 1 per cent. to 2 per cent. with good results, with vari- ous grades of iron. Aluminum in Steel.—The influence of aluminum in steel of high carbon is to turn the carbon combined into graphite, and destroys the hardening action of the carbon in tool steel. Aluminum in this sense softens steel. In structural steel of 20 per cent. carbon a small amount of aluminum, up to 1 percent., increases the tensile strength without to any great de- gree decreasing the ductility. By its aid a higher tensile strength can be obtained in thick sections of steel which have been subjected to but little work, than can be otherwise obtained; although alumi- num with considerable quantities of graphitoidal silicon have been added to steel, no graphitoidal silicon has been found in the steel afterward, it being all found in the amorphous or combined state in the resulting steel. The influence of aluminum also is to lower the melting point of the steel and in this way make it more fluid. Its influence, also, is to make the ingots of steel more solid and free from blow-holes. [t can be most advan- tageously used in proportions of from +, of 1 per cent. up to 3 per cent. of alumi- num. The Ores of Aluminum.—As consider- able inquiry has been made as to the ore from which aluminum is made, it may be well to state here that aluminum is now being manufactured from the oxide, alumina, which is purified chemically from THE IRON AGE. Tests of Iron and Steel Containing Aluminum, | Articles. Elastic limit per square inch. square inch. Tensile strength per per square inch. Per cent. elongation All iron muck bar rolled at union mills s = % 3 m= Sik Allalummum muck bar) Four parts all iron, with| — part aluminum uck Open-bearth. steel with one-tenth of 1 Open-hearth steel, with! one-tenth of 1 per| cent. aluminum, % inch thick plates Open-hearth steel, with) one-tenth of 1 per cent. aluminum, 1) inch thick plates..... | 47,950 Open-hearth steel, with| one-tenth of 1 per cent. aluminum, 2- inch thick bar steel). 46,260 | 63,750 Open-hearth steel, with one-tenth of i per cent. aluminum, 2-| inch thick bar steel. + 45,980 25.30 26.10 29.20 67,560 | Per cent. reduction | of area. Character of fract- Per cent aluminum. Fibrous Fibrous Fibrous Fibrous | | 63.82 Silkycupped 0.04 | 0.12 | 0.41 | 0.02 0.05 52.10 Silky cupped) 0.07 | 0.16 | 0.46 | 0.08 | 0.08 47.90 Silky cupped! 0.03 | 0.16 | 0.39 | 0.02 | 0.05 0.55 | 0.04 | 0.05 £4.80 SSiiky cupped 0.06 | 0.15 | silica and iron, from the native bauxite mineral. Bauxite is found in considerable quantities; and fully as pure in quality as the best foreign mineral, in the States of North Carolina and Georgia, and there are vast deposits of it in Ireland and Northern France. The average composition otf bauxite is about as follows: Location and Kind of Bauvite. White from Beaux, White from Ireland. Constituents. i. | France. ‘al Brownish red from France. Revest, France. Ooletic fromAllauch, White from Georgia. Reddish from Georgia Alumina, 012°3... Silica, Si®2. Oxide of iron, Fe2°. | ae Titanic acid, Ti2°3. . Carb. of lime CaC%3._| \trace | Pittsburgh | Reduction Authority The two methods of purification of bauxite are as follows: Bauxite, or a rich clay, chosen as free from iron as possible, is roasted at a low red heat and afterward is treated with sulphuric acid, which combines with the alumina present, forming sulphate of alu- mina. This is readily dissolved by water, leavin ng the great bulk of silica and iron behin The solution of sulphate of alumina is allowed to settle, the super- natant liquid sy Spec off into an evapo- — tank and evaporated to dryness. ry sulphate of alumina is calcined at a ae heat, driving off the sulphuric acid, leaving as a residue anhydrous alumina, This calcination seems to be as easy as the calcination of alumina hydrate, and there appears to be no difficulty in condensing the volatilized sulphuric acid, which can be used overagain. This process is easier, ona laboratory scale, than the soda carbon- ate method, which is about as follows: Bauxite is fused with carbonate of soda in a reverberatory furnace. The fused mass is lixiviated with water, which dissolves aluminate of soda, which is de- canted off. The solution of aluminate of soda is decomposed by carbonic acid gas, which forms carbonate of soda, which re- mains in solution, and the aluminate hy- drate is precipitated. This alumina hy- drate is afterwards washed repeatedly with water, dried, and calcined at a red heat for a considerable time, which forms anhydrous alumina. I The following is a list furnished to us by D. R. Lean, of Pittsburgh, of the Ford & Moncur fire- brick hot-blast stoves which were either built or under contract up to the first of the present year in the United States and Great Britain: Stoves working. Barrow Hematite Iron and Steel Company. . ~~ Iron Cc rland Springvale Furnaces, Wolverhampton Mostyn Iron Works, Mostyn Darwen Iron Company, Stoves building. North Lonsdale Lron Company, Ulverston Carnforth Hematite Walsall Whitehaven Works, Cleatormoor. Lonsdale Iron Works, . Whitehaven laenavon Com s Works, South Wales. Swansea Hematite Iron yrshire Coltness Iron Works, Newmains Summerlee [ron Works, Coatsbridge Gartsherrie [ron W’ks, Uni Union Rolling Mill Company, Cleveland. Talladega ronand Steel — y, Talladega, A 20 The Russians, it is learned, are still adding to their fleet. Two large iron- clads are to be built in England of great propelling power, and armed with the largest Krupp gens in use afloat. Two others are being built at the Black sea arsenals, a large belted cruiser of 10,000 tons displacement at Cronstadt, and a March 6, 1899 French company has under construction an iron-clad of 9,000 tons displacement. Besides these the Gaugut, an armored cruiser of 6,000 tons, and a protected cruiser of 2,500, are well advanced, The Russians are building also a new armored vessel of 1000 tons, called the Grozaschts- chy, of a type as yet untried. em Destination of Exports From New York. The following shows the exports of do- mestic produce and merchandise from New York to all foreign ports during tLe last calendar year : Exports of Domestic Merchandise from the Port of New York in 1889. Countr —— Aus France French West Indies Miquelon, French East I French Focsensiate in Africa Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Newfoundland British West Indies Possessions in Africa, &c. Sweden and Norway — All other countries in Asia All other countries in Africa All other countries The new heating system to be intro- duced by the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany on more than 1200 cars now in service will cost $250,000, but the change is ex- pected to be of — advantage, as the engines will burn only a little more coal than at present in order to heat the cars. In case of accident there would be no danger either from scalding or fires, as proved by successful experiment. This action being voluntary is expected to have much influerce upon roads in other States. Laborers in the Connellsville coke re- gion, Pennsylvania, have decided to or- ganize general stores on the co-operative plan. ‘ March 6, 1890 Upright Power Drills. The engravings here presented represent two new patterns of a line of drilling machjnes made by the Buffalo Forge Com- pany, of Buffalo, N. Y. Both machines have cut gears, running noiselessly, and the spindles take a }-inch Morse taper shank, and will drill up to a 1}-inch hole. The larger machine will drill to the center of a 20-inch circle and is provided with an attachment, especially adapted and designed for the work of carriage and wagon makers, for carrying wheels when drilling the tire. This machine is arranged for four changes of speed and is provided with adjustable bed for raising and lower- ing to meet the demands of different classes of work. It weighs 320 pounds and is 66 — Ae-—e Nae, = Mae. - THE IRON AGE, York City, from imported tin plates, a drawback wi!l be allowed equal in amount to the duty paid on the imported material used in the manufacture, less the legal re- tention of 10 percent. The quantity of the material so used will be determined by adding to the net weight of the exported trays, ascertained by a United States weigher, the following percentages of such weights: For the 10-inch round trays, 41 per cent.; for the 12-inch round trays, 41 per cent; for the 13-inch round trays, 37 per cent, ; for the 14-inch round trays, 27 per cent. ; for the 8x 11 oval trays, 66 per cent. ; for the 13-inch square trays, 9 per cent. ; for the 11 x 14 oblong trays, 7 per cent. The manufacturer’s oath to the export entry must be set forth, in addition to the usual averments that the articles named in the entry were made from sheets and blanks of the sizes and weights shown in the state- ment sworn to by the manufacturers on the 10th of January, 1890.” —— A Boiler Makers’ Insurance Associ- ation. The American Boiler Manufacturers’ Association, formed in Pittsburgh in April of last year, and composed of the repre- sentative manufacturers of boilers in the United States and Canada, has concluded to establish an insurance association of UPRIGHT POWER DRILLS. inches in hight. The smaller machine will drili to the centre of an 11-inch circle, has three changes of speed, is 50 inches high and weighs 150 pounds. he new design of countershaft shown with the large drill is adapted for tight and loose pulleys, and is made in suitable sizes for the smaller power drills. The bearings are of ample size, are solid (not babbited), and are bored out and reamed to gauges of cast iron. It is made with hanger and shipper arm all of one piece, which is a great convenience in putting up the hanger. The length of the countershaft is 32 inches, diameter of pulley 8 inches, and it should be run at 250 revolutions a minute, rr George C. Tichenor, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, has addressed the follow- ing letter to the Collector of Customs of New York: *‘On the exportation of em- bossed tin trays, manufactured by the Palmer Mfg. Company, of New its own. L. Douthett, secretary of the association, 371 as of the tical part of the boiler trade and whose only object seems to be to make money out of the business of our interests in the matter; therefore we must take prompt and earnest action, organize them with the same energy that we ex- hibited when we formed our association, and work together for our own interests and for the interests of every community. Let us pre- sent a solid phalanx against the avaricious and conscienceless corporations which have grown rich by imposing on the credulity of the public and of ourselves. Let us give the world the benefit of the experience of men who have spent long lives in gaining practical knowledge of the bo ~d trade, and an Pome per “7 integri asure guaran wi er intrested to them will be faithfully and in- telligently performed. rite to us at an early date corroboratin our views that we as an association are eq to the oceasion and will under all circum- stances look after our own interests and those of the public. respectfully . J alana areas. President. A. T. DOUTHETT, » Secretary Douthett is now at work pre- paring a prospectus to be submitted to the association at its next — The stock will be taken by members of the associa- tion, and the capital will be sufficient to put the new insurance company on a com- petitive footing with the two compa- nies now occupying the fields. The next meeting of the above association will be held in New York City, commencing on July 1, next, Wire Rod Manufacturers’ Meeting. In addition to the meeting of the struc- tural material manufacturers held in Pitts- burgh last week, mention of which is made elsewhere, the wire rod and wire nail manufacturers also held a meeting. A large number of manufacturers in this line were represented, and an earnest dis- cussion on matters of vital interest to the trade was had. It will be remembered that some months since an effort was made by the wire rod and wire nail manu- facturers to form an organization which should control the product ofta majority, if not all, of the firms engaged in this line of business. The concern was to be known as the Federal Steel Company. A number of meetings were held in different cities, and for a time it looked as though the project would be put through with comparatively little trouble. At the last minute, how- ever, several of the larger concerns refused to go into the combination and the scheme was brgught to a sudden close and abandoned. The meet- ing held last week was called for the pur- pose of discussing some evils existing in the trade and to endeavor to remedy the same. It was developed during the meet- ing that a pumber of wire rod mills in the country possess certain advantages over other mills by which they are enabled to place their product on the market at a less price than mills not similarly situated. It was desired that some arrangement could Under date of the 28th ult., A. | be made looking to equalization in cost of production; after a long discussion on the sent to each member a copy of the follow- | matter, it was decided that nothing could ing circular: Gentlemen: Weare in receipt of many let- ters from members of our association urging us to take steps to organize a boiler insurance company, to be known as the American Boiler Manufacturers’ Insurance Company. We have heretofore said nothing regarding the matter, but owing to the fact that a prominent agent of the American Steam Boiler Insurance Com- pany, of New York, for fear that our associa- tion might take such a step, is doing all he can against us, having said that our organization was ‘‘ rotten, a myth and no good,” it behooves us to take steps in our own defense and for our own rights, which we can maintain at all hazards. It is well known to every boiler manufact- urer that boiler insurance companies doing business in this country are making enormous profits out of their bysiness and at the expense of the boiler manufacturers. Wearesubjected to arbitrary and oppressive obedience to unjust rules. We are compelled to submit to costly and unn alterations in order to comply with the demands of men who know little or be done at this time, and it is probable an- other meeting will be held before long. No action whatever of importance was taken. The representatives of the firms engaged in the manufacture of wire nails reported that the demand for wire nails is increasing rapidly and that the future was full of promise. mucosecetnallgtaiianeties The Wheeling Bridge Company, of Wheeling, W. Va., organized for the pur- pose of constructing a four-span steel bridge from that city across the river to Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, have let the con- tract to Ferris & Kauffman, of Pittsburgh, for its construction. The contract price is $452,000, and the work is to be done in 10 months. The company has a capital stock of $300,000, and will issue $200,000 of 5 per cent. bonds. All the bonds and half of the stock is held in Pittsburgh. 872 THE IRON AGE. March 6, 1890 SSS ::/:°—"“ _e0—_00“0”cna=zTleEe5qs@s=aoaooaeooooeoe_eleleleleeeeeeeee Machine for Grinding Plane Surfaces. This grinding machine, the patents for which are controlled by the Springfield Glue & Emery Wheel Company, of Springfield, Mass., belongs to that class in which one or more revolving abrading wheels are arranged to so operate upon the surface of the work as to reduce it to a true plane. The abrading medium is com- posed of two emery wheels of correspond- ing diameter, which have a common re- volving and laterally-reciprocating move- ment and a common vertical adjustment, and in addition each wheel can be inde- pendently adjusted both laterally and vertically. The upright arm of the frame is formed with a vertical face of consider- able area and on which a head-block is adapted to move vertically. On the head- block is placed a cross-head arranged so as to have free lengthwise movement. This provides for the adjustment of the grind- ing wheels vertically and horizontally. The wheels are also so arranged on the cross-head that they can be adjusted verti- cally or horizontally independently of each |. other. On each of the shafts carrying the wheels is mounted a pulley by means of which the wheels are revolved by belts driven by a suitable countershaft. The lateral adjustment of the wheels is for the purpose of gauging the distance between them according to the width or diameter of the work to be operated upon, while the vertical adjustment is for the purpose of compensating for unequal wear of the wheels by slightly depressing the one which wears away most quickly. The two vertical screw shafts shown at each side of the frame in the front view are formed with mght and left threads, and pass through hubs carried by the head- block. On the upper ends of these shafts A link connects the crank-pin with the cross-head, The revolution of the worm shaft by suitable belt and pulley will im- part a horizontal reciprocating movement to the cross-head and wheels, and the amount of this movement can be changed as necessary by adjust- ing the crank pin. This compound revolving and reciprocating movement of the wheels greatly increases the speed of reducing the surface of the work; but this result is still further augmented br the revolving movement imparted to the work itself in a plane at right angles to the plane of revolution of the wheels, In the machine here shown there are two work holding mechanisms, one vf which revolves the work under the wheels, while in the other new work is being placed. See Se cero men! ) Sh bhi Side Elevation. WN DNDN NALA work in which the wheels operate at dia- metrically opposite points; but it is ee ome to operate equally well upon, flat surfaces generally. , —————— Alloys of Chrome and Iron. One of the papers submitted at the In- ternational Congress of Mining and Metal- lurgy was that of A. Brustlein, of the famous firm of Jacob Holtzer & Co., Unieux, France, whose exhibit at Paris at- tracted very considerable attention.“ gIt is claimed for this concern that it was the first practically to manufacture chrome al- loys on a large scale in Europe. In the first years of their work they manufact- ured them in crucibles. Later they have © MACHINE FOR GRINDING PLANE SURFACES, are bevel gears with which engage similar | The short shafts of tue tables carrying the | made them in the blast furnace and open gears on the ends of a shaft mounted on! work are mounted in vertical bearings | hearth, the grade ne The right hand screw | formed upon opposite sides of the center | per cent. of chrome and a li top of the frame. as high as 60 ttle beyond it. shaft is continued nearly to the bottom of |of a bed mounted upon a hub of the For grades even higher it is necessary to the frame, and has at its lower end a bevel gear engaging with a gear on a horizontal | shaft extending nearly to the front end of | the frame and having its end squared for the | reception of a wrench or handwheel. It is evident that by properly revolving this shaft the head-block and wheels carried by it can be raised or lowered. Projecting from near the top of the upper part of the frame is a bracket in which is mounted a vertical shaft driven by a worm and gear, the shaft being splined to the gear and its lower end being mounted in a bracket secured to the h -block. On the lower end of the shaft 1s a gear, meshing with another on the lower end of a short vertical shaft mounted in the same bracket, The upper end of this shaft carries a crank disk having a crank-pin that can be ad- justed toward or away from the center. frame. The bed is so formed that the ‘employ pure sesquioxides of chromium, water used with wet grinding is led to a’ and besides with this high grade the metal reservoir in the frame. Upon the upper | becomes too infusible to be manufactured surfaces of the tables are clutches for,in ordinary industrial apparatus. The holding the work. Upon the lower ends | Unieux works showed samples of the al- of the shafts of the tables are secured | loy containing 84 per cent. of chromium worm gears. When the bed is turned so | and 9 per cent. of carbon reduced with- as to bring one of the tables under the | out an excess of carbon from sesquioxide abrading wheels its worm wheel engages of chromium in a magnesia crucible. An with a worm shaft provided witha driving | alloy containing 82 per cent. of chromium, pulley at its opposite end. This shaft is|74 per cent. of carbon and 8.2 per so mounted that its worm end may be | cent. of silicon was the result of reducin moved so as to disengage the worm from | the sesquioxide in a graphite crucible. the gear and permit the turning of the| third sample carrying 80 per cent. of bed. Provision is made for locking the | chromium and 11 per cent. of carbon was bed in place with one or the other of the | reduced from the sesquioxide in a brasque- tables under the wheels, lined crucible, A rich chromium-iron al- This machine is designed especially for | loy containing 71.5 per cent, of chromium grinding the annular bearing surfaces of and from 20 to 25 per cent. of iron valve bodies and other similar circular was specially made with the view of March 6, 1 90 THE IRON AGE. $78 carrying down the carbon, which was only 3.46 per cent. Other alloys manufactured in the crucible as a commercial product were ferro-chromium containing 60 per cent, of chromium and 8.6 per cent. of carbon and 50 per cent. of chromium and 8 per cent. of carbon. A special silicon chrome showed by analysis 30 per cent of chromium, 8 per cent, of silicon and 5 per cent. of carbon. M. Brustlein quotes a number of additional analyses to prove that chrome and ferro chrome alloys com- bine with greater percentages of carbon than the corresponding manganese alloys. The character of the fracture of these alloys varies more according to the per- centage of carbon and silicon than it does with the grade in chromium. It thus be- comes a difficult matter to estimate by sight the chromium contents of an alloy FIPIPIDIIIIE RSS PTT de SS = > S 8 \N Machine for Grinding Plane Surfaces.—Front Elevation. saturated with carbon or with carbon and silicon. When they are so charged they always exhibit a tendency to a needle-like structure and they are always hard and rr CT) | i a Mw | Eg = V__V¥F eel Working cold in machine tools chrome steel is always somewhat harder to work than ordinary stegl, although if it is well annealed the difference is not very great. Steel containing only a small percentage of chrome can be easily worked in the lathe, even when it contains simultane- ously up to 1 per cent. of carbon. When tempered in oil or in water the temper penetrates deeper than it does with the corresponding carbon steel. Chrome steels offer a resistance to shock and to rupture which has assured them the preference for certain uses. ., Once obtained in the form of ingots, they can be worked like ordinary steels, but in their manufacture they present dif- ficulties peculiarly characteristic of them. When melted or at high temperature, the chromium which they contain has a tend- TS ot aT a ; ; i ‘ency to oxidize. The oxide does not, like | oxide of manganese, form a fusible and tragile, but as the contents of these two | metals diminish the hardness and fragility | of the alloy decrease also. Chrome steel differs from the chrome alloys only by the lessened proportion of constituents other than iron, so that it is | natural that these substances maintain in the properties which they communicate to the steel a certain analogy with those which they give to the cast alloy. It is ible to introduce into steel very vary- ing proportions of chrome, the effect of which is to increase the resistance of the steel without diminishing tenacity, which corresponds with its carbon contents. It even seems to slightly increase this tenacity. In forging an ingot of chrome steel it may be worked without any more precaution than is needed with ordinary steel of the e. same hea | 'ium in burning produces in its immediate | vicinity a decarbonization of the steel and ‘mold, but are held also in the mass of the | the steel itself is lower in carbon. It does, however, offer when | chrome steels weld with difficulty or do a greater resistance to shaping. ! not weld at all as soon as the contents of liquid silicate lighter than the steel which rises to the surface. It would seem rather as though it had a tendency to form a chromite ot iron, In any case, the chrom- the oxidation of the iron. This gives rise to a creamy skin, fragments which easily adhere not alone to the sides of the metal. This effect is more noticeable as the percentage of chrome increases and as The parts thus oxidized do not weld in any subsequent operation, whatever may be the temperature to which the steel is heated. chromium rise beyond a certain limit. It will be readily understood, therefore, how pig carrying noticeable quantities of chromium yields no good results in pud- dling. Each grain of refined metal formed is surrounded by an adhesive skin which renders it difficult to weld. Therefore, it is impossible under the shingling hammer to unite the grains and secure a solid loupe. M. Brustlein states that he has never tried it, but is certain that any effort to puddle would fail from this cause. Since ferro-chrome alloys generally carry a considerable quantity of carbon, it would seem natural to consider their employment in the place of ferromanganese as recar- bonizers of steel at the end of the Bessemer or open-hearth process. In this case al- lowance must be made for the drawbacks growing out of the properties to which allusion has been made. M. Brustlein states that he considers it very difficult ever to arrive practically at the production of an extra mild steel car- rying notable quantities of chromium like a steel with 0.1 to 0.2 of carbon and 1 or 2 per cent. of chromium. The production of such a steel would meet with two serious difficulties. The ferro-chrome al- loys available always contain notable quantities of carbon, apd the alloy rich in chromium but low in carbon would not be fusible at temperatures attainable in in- dustrial operations, and would besides show an excessive tendency toward oxida- tion. In the second place, steel produced with such an alloy would be full of cinder and would be imperfect. For the same reasons chrome steels would be difficult to manufacture into armor plate and particu- larly into compound plates. err A conference of the firms engaged in the manufacture of structural iron and steel of all kinds was held in the office of Carnegie, Phipps & Co., Limited, at Pittsburgh on Wednesday of last week and was continued in the evening in the parlors of the Hotel Anderson. Repre- sentatives were present from the following named firms: Carnegie, Phipps & Co., Limited, Pittsburgh; Jones & Laughlins, Limited, Pittsburgh; Illinois Steel Com- pany, Chicago; New Albany Rail Mill Company, New Albany, Ind.; Central Iron Works, Harrisburg, Pa.; Phenix Iron Company, Pheenixville, Pa., and the Pottsville Iron and Steel Company, Potts- ville, Pa. A few other concerns were also represented either in person or by letter. No action of more than ordinary import- ance was taken and no change was made in existing prices. The state of trade was carefully discussed, and it was the opinion of those present that the outlook for the present year was exceedingly bright as far as the structural iron trade is concerned. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad has made the following rates on pig iron to Atchison, Cherryvale, Columbus, Galena, Gerard and Joplin, Kansas, and to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Joplin, Mo., from— Ma FOR ia ab ie iiceiisicie BEN $5.00 Bem, FRc ice ciss cetcceccavcvonkeve 4.94 Warner, thee eer ade 4.84 NN Bago pin aie ns 5.0 ,0.dieid Gi aceite South Pittsburg, Tenn.................. 5.30 Es ereore re Birmingham district.................... 5.44 Rs ocnsisciucissnensdeciaberl 4.99 Sunes, MOR cn skstnutinnnaseds ieee 4 04 PN iad s4 comes adacasem kag aaaides 4.54 GIO NIE os Saccccceccacecesdécaves 5.94 A number of manufacturing firms of Pittsburgh have sent a special commis- For the same reason the layer of oxide | sioner in quest of trade to South America. which forms in heating ingots or bars is thicker and more adhesive than it isin the case of ordinary steel and does not well dissolve in borax. The result is that The firms are Park, Brother & Co., Lim- ited, of the Black Diamond Steel Works; the Oliver & Roberts Wire Company, Lim- ited, the National Tube Works Company, George Macbeth & Co., James Callery & Co. and the Hostetter Coke Company. 374 VIRGINIA IRON NOTES. If all the new undertakings that come semi-confidentially to your correspondent’s ears reach an ultimate materialization Alabama will have to look to her laurels as the foremost manufacturing State of the South. The invasion of Northern, West- ern and foreign capital in Virginia is cre- ating a metamorphosis that will in time be the industrial marvel of the century. The tremendous State debt that has for so many years hung like a millstone about Virginia’s neck has long ago ceased to be the bugaboo it originally was in scaring off new investments in mining lands, mills and factories. Virginians have stopped be- moaning the existence of this colossal ob- ligation, and have gone to work with a will to develop the wealth-producing and debt-banishing elements that lie in such inexhaustible quantity within these hills and valleys. The mineral lands of the State are being bought up or optionized rapidly, and as a consequence they are becoming gradually scarcer and more valuable. That they are enhancing in valuation is indicated by the proposition which comes from the General Assembly, in the form of a resolution pro- viding for the appointment by the Gov- ernor of a commission to ‘‘ investigate the quality, quantity and condition of Vir- ginia mineral properties and coal de- posits and compare the assessment with the assessment of same quality in other States or countries,” with a view of the adoption of legislation look- ing to the proper assessment of mineral lands in this State. This is simply one of the many tell-tale straws that point toward the coming iron and coal renaissance in Virginia. A bill has been introduced in the Legis- lature incorporating ur rather changing the corporate name of the Richmond Loco- motive and Machine Works Company to the Richmond Equipment and Security Company. The minimum capital stock is to be $200,000 and this may be increased to an amount not exceeding $3,000,000. This company as they now exist are workin 550 hands and the passage of this bill will cause an extensive enlargement ot the ca- pacity of the works and the employment of several hundred additional operatives. It will put the Richmond plant on the same footing with other large establish- ments of the kind in other parts of the country, and will enable it to successfully compete with them in executing large contracts. Under the new organization there will be two distinct and separate departments: one manufacturing and the other, strictly speaking, financial—a security branch, in fact. Heretofore it has been the practice of railroads to purchase their equipment supplies for cash; there have, of course, been exceptions, but this has been the rule. It has often been the case, however, that they did not have the cash with which to purchase and rather than issue and nego- tiate bonds they would be operated without adequate equipments. One of the chief objects sought in the charter prayed for is to meet just such cases. The locomotive works will be en- abied to take and fird markets for bonds instead of demanding the cash. In this manner the facilities of the company for obtaining work and competing with other companies will be greatly amplified. Rail- road companies and others can be ap- proached with this added advantage to themselves and their patronage thus se- cured by the establishment of a market for their bonds without trouble or expense to themselves. Under the present charter of the com- pany this inducement cannot be offered. Recognizing the fact that there is plenty THE IRON AGE, of railroad mileage, but an insufficiency of railroad equipments, the new company wish to put themselves in the position to meet the large demand for equipments that they see is sure to be made in the next ten years, as there is not a railroad in the South which is supplied to the extent of its needs in locomotives and other rolling stock. The Legislature is busy with numerous other new enterprises and during the past week bills have been introduced to incor- porate the following new companies: the Eureka Iron Company, the Virginia Prin- cess Coal, Iron and Steel Company, the Al- bermarle Mining and Mfg. and Railway Company, the Mt. Tony Mining and Trans- portation Company, the Peale Creek Coal and Iron Company, of Winchester, the Staley’s Creek Manganese and Iron Com- pany, the Glasgow Manganese and Mineral Company, the Tacoma Mining and Trans- portation Company, the Newmarket Iron Improvement Company, the Brookmeal Mining and Improvement Company, the Shenandoah Mining and Land Improve- ment Company of Milnes, the Radford Land and Iron Company, the Clinch River Mineral Company, the Midland Steel and Iron Company of Midland, the Virginia Railway, the Radford Iron Company, the Cardwell Machine Company, and to change the name of the Kentucky, Virginia, Ten- nessee and Carolina Mining and Develop- ment Company to the Moccasin Gap Land Company. A charter has also been asked for the Washington Zinc Company of Lynchburg, and to ratify the charter of an amended charter therefor granted by the Judge of the Circuit Court of Roanoke County, and acts done under the same, and to grant to them additional powers. Roanoke is by long odds the most act- ive industrial community in this State. It isin reality the nucleus around which has formed the stimulating influence that has roduced the greater part of the develop- ing tendencies which at present exist in Virginia. The growth of Roanoke is steady and substantial, and a score or more of really pretentious plants are being quietly negotiated, and about which fur- ther and more explicit particulars will be & | furnished your readers. C. W. Montague, representing a large steel company, with headquarters at Phil- adelphia, has been in Roanoke