The Iron Age 1899-02-16: Vol 63 Iss 7

N AGE | JO m, A Review of the Hardware, Irv..’ "Mey, etal Trades. Sd Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St - New York. Vol. LXI11: No. 7. New York, Thursday, Fale uary 6 1899. BA.20 0 Yom. aeiion POE ee: Single Copies, Ten Cents. | | Reading Matter Contents.........page 43 Classified List of Advertisers.... “* 119 Alphabetical Index te Advertisers ‘“‘ 124 Advertising and Subscription Rates “* 67 er une H ty TRADE hi , Factory Loaded Paper Shells se; . eine _— “ae.” |Smokeless and Trap Shells, vo With Nitro Powders. ry TUDOR IRON WORKS Acme Shells, nh ST. LOuIS, Mo. With dense Nitro Powders. MANUFACTURERS BOLTS a NUTS. New Club Shells, ° ie With Black Powder. MEST) “wa Bristol's Patent Steel Belt Lacing. ALL GAUGES, ANY WADDING, ANY COMBINATION OF LOADS. ; aim | SAVES |. SPECIAL LOADS IF DESIRED. ta | Time, Belts, "size" !ONION METALLIG CARTRIDGE CO., - Bridgeport, Conn oN READY TO APPLY FINISHED JOMT with Least Me LE _ Send tor Circulars and Free Samples. SEND FOR LATEST PRICE LIST. a a a i 5 dl ee a -- s ABE tires . : BO eT BEET pe ee E ~ . bs — = _— a _ = = =a —, = ee —t. ee THE BRISTOL CO , Waterbury, Conn. BRAIDED.CORD. =i : pessmamemCAHALL BOILERS "= 2 Ni cal Send for Samples. Pp es ' SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, - Boston, Mass, CA EWELL HORSE NAILS. ee SC o- P ps NEW YORK, Pi # PHILADELPHIA, Aa\i f° CHICAGO 25 TE ) aA New York. . | ct Cleveland Clty Forge and Iron Co. = "Cleveland, 0. +h —— fad es ) ; a ih 5 Ae DETROIT, ait sa | DROP HAMMERS. BRANCHES: ciNCINNATI, F le ae MANUFACTURED B SAN FRANCISCO, ae eh MERRILL BROS., Brooklyn, N.Y. PORTLAND, ORE.. 10 : BALTIMORE, BESSEMER Pig NEW ORLEANS. PILLING CRANE, Sit gueiny rama, | = THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY, f HARTFORD, CONN. / Compare Weights a WHEN YOU ARB TOLD THAT JENKINS ’06 18 MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OTHER PACKINGS. NN Average weight, 4 Y%" “Jenkins 96,” 11 lbs to the square yard. ie Red Packing, 14 “ ‘At 50c. per pound “ JENKINS °96” is not only very much cheaper, but the best joint packing manufactured. JENKINS BROS , New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago. aoe A |“Cilncer” Giycle Ting the Best, =. 107 APOLLO BEST BLOOM MAGNOLIA METAL GALVANIZED IRON Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery Bearings. Beware of Imitations. No difficulty in qotting Apollo Galva- a ad cic cte — oe ew . Gar .. ae a. 66a _ ~ emenyg 2 wen y ; a : - - a so - ———— = a - a ee ite oats We Oo 2 all: NS Genuine Magnolia Metal ts made up in bars of which this is a fac-simile : nized iron, Stocks inal) cities, and Tho same ond trade mere e iranufecte other dimensions to order quickly. tm United eaten ” and ae “Patented June 9, ¥0, I ee MAGNOLIA METAL CO., (Semes.2¢2o*) 266 & 267 WEST ST., NEW YORK. gnicary ce THE IRON AGE MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. ingot Copper. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Tobin Bronze (TrapE-MAkk REGISTERED.) Condenser Plates, Pump Linings, Round, Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. 19 & 21 Cliff Street, New York. Waterbury Brass Co. Established 1845. Sheet, Roll and Platers’ Brass, German Silver, Co opper, Brass and Ger- man Silver Wire. Brass and Copper Tubing. COPPER RIVETS AND BURS. PERCUSSION CAPS, TAPE MEASURES, METALLIC EYELETS, Brass Kett!es, Brass Tags, Powder Flasks, Shot Pouches, &c., AND SMALL BRASS WARES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. i" at) HICK’S PRIMERS, -BERDAN PRIMERS. R AN D OLP PH fS Cartridge Metal in Sheets or Shells WATERBURY, CONN, i tna TURERS 60 Centre St., New York. 126 Eddy St., Provi- SEAMLESS dence, R. |. 38 Mechanic St., Newark, N. J. MILLS AT WATERBURY, CONN. 88-10 2 GOVERNMENT BRONZE. EXTRA HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH. BRASS AND COPPER TUBES, yein, to 82in. Diam. BRAZED "TUBES and BRASS RODS, Brown & Bros. Seamless Copper Range Boiler. Write us for Particulars. Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Metal Co., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. MATTHIESSEN & HEGELER ZINC CO., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, SMELTERS OF SPELTEIR AND MANUFACTURERS OF GHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates. Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. Mirs. Fy 5 d Brace, mt Milver and Nickeled Geed rase Labe r Cans and Rubber Mou itis. Address all SPECIAL communica - GOODS tions to the MADE T0 factory. ORDER, BRONZE DOOR ENOSBSB, Bronze and Piated Roses, Combined Rose and Escutcheon Plates, Socket Shells, &c., Patent Mirror Pin Cushion Business Cards, Mucilage shes. Novelties of new design made to order. SALESROOM: 117 Chambers St., New York. FACTORY: 86-92 Third St., So. Brooklyn. HENDRICKS BROTHERS, Proprietors of the Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Braszsiers’, Bolt anda Sheathing COPPER. COPPER WIRE AND RIVETS. ‘win, Gaehene, 8 ingot Copper, Biock Tin, §S aad, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF 'ST., eenew Y o THE PLUME & AtTwooo MF6. Go., MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETS AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kere- sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : THOMASTON, CONN. | FACTORIES : WATERBURY, CONN, SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS SHEET, WIRE, TUBES, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods, Nipples, Pumps and Oilers for Bicycles, Braziers’ Solder, Aluminum. Factories, WATERBURY, COWN. DEPOTS : Chicago, Boston. New York, JOHN DAVOL & SONS, AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, New York. WILLIAM 8. FEARING, 256 Broadway, NEW YORK, SELLS TO THE TRADE Sheet Brass, Fancy Sheet Brass, German Silver, Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire, Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tubes, Brass and Cop- per Rods, Brass Ferrules, Pure Copper Wire, Sheet and Ingot Copper; Spelter, Tin, Antimony, Lead, &c. Dealeh-Light” Bicycle Lanterns. Send fer Circulars and Electrotypes. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CoO., Bridgeport, Conn. 19 Murray 8t., N.Y. 17 No. 7th 8t., Palledelphie. 85 to 87 Pearl St., Bosto ‘THE IRON AGB. THURSDAY, FE! The Blaisdell Standard Lathe. The standard lathe built by P. Blaisdell & Co. of Worcester, Mass., is provided with an automatic stop on the feed rod and with compound gearing, giving six changes of belt feed. The feed rod is also connected with a screw. giving a positive and different feed for each and every change gear used on the lathe. The ma- chine has a graduated collar on the cross feed, a grad- uated tail spindle, and graduated tail stock for taper work. The tail stock is cut away to allow the compound rest to swing around nearly at right angles with the carriage when doing bevel work on the centers. The lathe is furnished with either metric or English lead screw, and, by compounding, the English screw can be converted to the metric for cutting threads. The lathe swings 1914, inches over the Vs and 12 RUARY 16, 1899. the comparatively inferior position which the United States must occupy unless more money is voted by Con gress, Commissioner Peck sent a memorial to the commit tee setting forth some facts that will no doubt be of spt cial interest to all intending exhibitors and of general in terest to every American citizen. According to official figures it appears that the German Government has appro priated 36 per square foot of space allotted to that country, although the transportation charges on German exhibits will be comparatively light, while the appropriation made by Congress is on the basis of less than $38 per square foot for the American section, notwithstanding the cost of ocean transit and freights from all parts of the United States to the Atlantic Coast. Even little Japan, with her small commerce and cheap labor, has appropriated $12 per square foot for her section. The German Government has voted 3240,000 for a na ay F9e ‘bo! ile ae oe) 5 = J 7 THE BLAISDELL inches over the carriage. The bearings are 3% inches in diameter by 54 inches long and are made of phosphor bronze. The hole through the spindle is 1’/1*einches. The ratio of back gears is’11%4 to 1. The cone is 18, 10°/is, 8%, 6'°/,, and 4%4 inches diameter by 2% inches face. re ae ee The Paris Exposition. WASHINGTON, February 14, 1899.—An active effort is being made here to induce Congress to double the original appropriation of $650,000 to defray the expense of the representation of the United States at the Pairs Exposi- tion in 1900. The President and the Secretary of the Treasury are affording all the assistance in their power to the American Commissioner, and, if necessary, the fight will be kept up until Congress adjourns. In the inauguration of this new movement it was Com missioner Peck’s hope that the House Appropriations Committee could be induced to grant the sum desired, making it a provision in the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill. With a view to informing the committee as to the preparations that have been made by other nations and STANDARD LATHE tional building,and Commissioner Peck asks Congress to set aside $200,000 of the desired appropriation for an adequate building as national headquarters for the United States. It is regarded as specially important that a sufficient sum to erect a creditable building should be appropriated be cause of the great efforts made by the American repre sentatives to secure permission to erect a building, which was finally granted as an unusual concession on the part of the exposition authorities. This country is practically pledged to the erection of a structure that will be an orna ment to the exposition, and should Congress fail to give evidence of its appreciation of the special favor shown this Government it would put the United States in a most humiliating position. The exposition authorities have permitted the erection of very few annexes owing to the desire not to encroach upon the lawns, driveways, &c., but Mr. Peck states that permission has been given for several annexes in the American section which will furnish considerable addi tional space, but which can hardly be made available un- less Congress will increase the appropriation. An important point which Mr. Peck seeks to emphasize - im Se ta 4s ee meee ——— << EBT rye ms = Soe eee . ~ 2 THE IRON AGE. will appeal to all intending exhibitors. It is the fact that the exposition officials have reserved 55 per cent. of the space for the exclusive use of the French Government and exhibitors, undoubtedly with the view of dominating the exposition to a much greater extent than the United States attempted to do at Chicago in 1898, when less than 45 per cent. of space was reserved for occupation by this Govern- ment and American exhibitors. In spite of those representations by the American Com- missioner the sub-committee of the House Committee on Appropriations drafted the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill and reported it to the full committee without making any provision whatever for the exposition. In this form the bill passed the House. But one course now lies open to Commissioner Peck; to appeal to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. This course will be followed, as cer- tain assurances have been given that the House will not antagonize the appropriation in conference. Both officials of the Administration and Commissioner Peck will appre- ciate any representations that may be made by business men to members and Senators concerning the importance of a generous appropriation, without which, it is con- tended with some force, it were better for this Govern- ment to withdraw entirely from the great show. The latest reports regarding applications for space are very significant, as showing both the necessity for a large appropriation to pay the expenses that are to be met by the general government and the extent to which allot- ments will have to be scaled down in order to accommo- date all comers. Applications have already been received for several times the space allotted to certain sections while in the class covering machinery and machine tools the applications aggregate 700,000 square feet, or consider ably more than three times the entire space allotted to the American section Wy. te. S oe Modified Bunsen Cells. Emil Petersen of Copenhagen draws attention to some promising modifications of the Bunsen cell. Bunsen placed zinc in dilute sulphuric acid, and, within a porous cell, carbon in concentrated nitric acid. The sul- phuric acid may be replaced by a solution of sodium chloride. Neither the electromotive force nor the internal resistance is affected, as he has proved by experiments, and the zinc need not be amalgamated. A substitute for nitric acid is more difficult to be found. Some of the various oxidizing agents tried as depolarizers—potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, lead peroxide suspended in sulphuric acid, &c.—actually give a higher electromo- tive force than nitric acid; but such combinations are inferior both in constancy and in current yield. Peter- sen ascribes this to two causes: 1, There is a generation of hydrogen; and, 2, the decomposition products remain in the liquid, an objection which applies also to chromic acid depolarizers. He endeavored to find a depolarizer which should contain no oxygen salt, and whose cation could assume a lower valency under development of posi- tive electricity, or whose anion could assume a higher valency under absorption of negative electricity. Chlo- ride of iron is a liquid of the first glass. The combination Zn-NaCl-FeCl;-C has, indeed, been proposed by Buff already; but Petersen was not, at first, aware of Buff’s researches, and he has carried the investigation further. The cells have the good properties of Leclanché cells, are most constant, currents of 1 ampere may be drawn for hours, and the electromotive force is high, 1.72 volts: the internal resistance of an ordinary size cell is 0.3 or 0.4 ohm. The electromotive force sinks slowly with the ad- vancing reduction of FeCl, to FeClo, and finally the porous cell becomes coated with a gray deposit of iron which can be removed by means of hydrochloric acid. The combina- tion Zn-NaCl-FeCl,-Fe (hollow iron cylinder) yielded for 72 hours a constant current of 1.2 amperes at 0.537 volt. An emergency cell of high electromotive force, 1.6 volts, can easily be obtained by separating a zinc and a carbon plate by a slab of wood and immersing the plates in iron chloride The iron chloride undergoes hydrolysis and ferric hydrate settles near the zinc. In order to avoid this Petersen substituted red prussiate of potash for the iron chloride. This salt is slowly reduced to vellow prussiate, while the electromotive force sinks from 1.438 to 1.105 volts. The internal resistance is about 0.3 ohm, and dis- charges at 1 ampere may be continued for many hours. Petersen also experimented with Daniell cells. The inter nal resistance can be diminished by using magnesium chloride instead of sulphuric acid. Sodium chloride is still more efficacious, but the resulting sodium sulphate tends to crystallize and to destroy the porous cell. Inside the porous cell he places a cylinder of sheet lead, perfo- rated above and below, and closed below by copper gauze. When the battery is not used the clay cell should be taken out and the lead cylinder with its charge of copper sul- phate crystals be put in a solution of copper sulphate.— Engineering February 16, 1899 Malleable Cast Iron.—I. BY ERASTUS C. WHEELER. The manufacture of malleable cast iron at the pres- ent day is xccompanied with a vast quantity of what might rightly be called contradictory knowledge. This has been occasioned in no small degree by the close at- tention given each local condition, to the exclusion of that confidence in the art which has so beneficially en- couraged its former rival, gray iron. There has been, and is still prevalent in many quarters, a decidedly sen- sitive feeling that malleable iron founding is somewhat of a metallurgical secret. And this fact may in a meas- ure account for the lack of literature published bearing upon the subject. This industry, comparatively speak- ing, is still in its infancy. From its humble and praise- worthy efforts in the early thirties to make itself a known factor in the arts, it has developed so rapidly in later years that its product is now a recognized and highly essential article of commerce. It has crept slow- ly, and with many a hard fought battle to its credit, into the very strongholds of gray iron, and once there, has never been overthrown. As in the modern evolution, it is the strong against the weak, and this competition will continue until it has a dominating position in the metal casting world. When that point has been reached it will be the turning of its great success, for then, and not until then, will the mo- ment be ripe for the advent of its successor. Already the commercial world had heard a faint whisper as to what the aspirant will be, and has recognized with some little financial encouragement several attempts at its production. But the day for a metal which shall be malleable without the long annealing operation, and which will present a surface comparing favorably with the material of to-day, is many years hence, and present plants have nothing to fear in that direction. The year just closed has marked the highest tonnage in its his- tory. Its adaptability to an almost unlimited variety of work makes it at once a most necessary article of construction. It has almost entirely superseded gray iron in freight car building, and its entrance into the great field of agricultural supplies will be, as its former trials, a success. In the carriage and saddlery hardware branches the malleable casting presents an indisputable article of superiority over the hand forged article of twenty years ago. The uniformity and smoothness of its surface together with the homogeneous nature of the metal insure its great demand in the commercial world. In no other branch of the metal world has the tonnage increased so markedly compared with a former year as the malleable casting. Recent and reliable figures place the tonnage for 1898 as 50 per cent. increase over 1897. The enlargement of present plants, the building of new works and the contemplated erections for the early season of 1899 are due indications of the great success of this most staple article. A better feeling has devel- oped during the past few years (and this is best proven by the large attendance of malleable makers in con- ventions) toward the advancement of the art, without those jealous restrictions of past years. There is no se- cret about it, and one works is more successful through executive ability and care in details, rather than in marked superiority of finished article. The entrance of the chemist has been productive of larger benefits than in the gray iron industry. The careful selection of raw material for mixture, and thoughtful analyses presented, have all tended toward an advancement which has been unprecedented in the casting art. The promptness of blast furnace manage- ment to go on malleable burdens and meet the require- ments of specifications, which are now closely confined, but which will broaden, has been one of the most en- couraging features of all. The greatest barrier was the prejudice of people (used to gray iron weight) to the lighter and stronger article. But these battles have been won, and the malleable casting is no longer a matter of doubt. It is the purpose of this article to deal with the effects, for good and bad, of the impurities found in pig iron. They are taken in the order in which, according to latest prac- tice, their importance is placed, and beginning thus we have silicon. The Influence of Silicon. Of all the metalloids contained in pig iron, this is probably the one upon which the greatest dependence is placed. It is conceded that silicon promotes the separa- tion of graphitic carbon, and in the malleable casting these two metalloids are destined to assume important parts. It might be well to trace the formation of silicon back to the blast furnace, and endeavor to comprehend a few of the chemical phenomena incident to its produc- tion. In all the material charged into stack, fuel, lime- LNT Lape yee MT cay pe February 16, 1899 stone and ores, silica is present in varying quantities. When the charge has passed the fusion zone the reduc- tion is complete and the chemical reaction from silics to silicon has taken place. The amount of silicon and carbon contained in pig iron will depend in a great measure upon the good working of the furnace. If the latter is operating very hot a high silicon product will result, but if the furnace, through atmospheric condi- tions or otherwise, is cold the low silicon, white iron is made. Why the furnace conditions govern the amount of silicon present is a question rather of blast furnace practice than of malleable founding, but there is one patent fact, which should be clear in every foundry- man’s mind—namely, that the term silicon means “pent.” In calculating mixtures for the casting of light work the percentage of silicon is usually kept high, and the amounts of other alloys (with the possible exception of phosphorus) do not differ materially from mixtures made for heavy work. A metal is desired which will re- tain its heat for a considerable period, and the resource for it is higher silicon. Gray iron will contain its heat much longer than air furnace metal, pour smaller work, and yet its appearance does not denote this pro- pensity. It will be argued the carbon exerts great in- fluence in this matter, and there is no doubt weighty truth in it, but the main and lasting factor is silicon. Gray iron is hot of its contained latent energies, while malleable metal is hot mainly through the induced heat of the furnace, together with its lesser silicon. Burn the silicon and carbon completely out, and a metal resem- bling steel will result, which cannot be poured with success in green sand molds, but which requires a hard surface for metal to run over. It is poured under pres- sure, because its life has been completely eliminated, through the loss of its alloys. How often has malleable metal appeared hot and yet has misrun the patterns? Silicon from its origin in the ores as silica, through the blast furnace. into pig metal, and the reduction of the latter in reverberatory furnace, as malleable, is the synonym for heat units. Without its dominating pres- ence in mixture, iron will not remain hot and liquid to the successful casting * light work. It is a great ne- cessity. Silicon in «es iction with manganese affects the shrinkage of metal materially. The term shrinkage must not be misconstrued as a reduction in values or weights, but the contraction incident to cooling. If the annealing process were carried through without its at- tendant loss of silicon and carbon castings would be of the same dimensions as when cast, the expansion having equaled the contraction. The higher the percentage of silicon the longer the metal will remain hot after pour- ing, and with a reduced shrinkage, the lower silicon, the more rapid cooling will take place, with greater con- traction. As regards the heat of malleable metal, there are many times when iron is not only too hot of itself, but with the induced heat of blast will, after pouring, present the element of segregation to contend with. This latter difficulty is caused by the internal pressure generated by the center being the last part of casting to cool, drawing the already cold exterior inward. When a chill is applied to these affected spots there is another feature presented—namely, internal shrinkage— and is caused through the surface being chilled, and as exterior chills the strains generated and the resistance met with cause the iron to strain and pull apart, leay- ing the familiar shrinkage spots in centers. It has been general practice until a few years ago to place heavy risers upon all large castings, in order to “shrink” or feed same properly during the period of cooling, but this has been discontinued, owing to metal segregating under heads, leaving a hole visible upon surface. These defects have been overcome through the agency of an- other metalloid, manganese, which will be described later on. Malleable iron has not as yet reached that point where it could be compared with gray iron, regarding the uniformity and homogenity of fracture. Perhaps this may be considered a metallurgical impossibility, but yet it is hoped for. There is a very reliable test for the amounts of silicon required in mixture, and careful manufacturers place great confidence in same. A test bar exactly 12 inches long and \ inch thick is cast from every heat, and a micrometer reading is made off same. If the shrinkage is found to be greater than that allowed in patterns the silicon has been too low; if the contrac- tion has been less the percentage of silicon was high, and it then resolves itself into a question for manipulation to adjust same, the idea all through being that a_ high silicon liquid iron will cool slower, with less contraction, than a low silicon, duller iron, with its greater shrinkage. The presence of a large percentage of silicon will assert itself when after annealing the fracture will show a wide white edge and is brittle. The non-re- moval of silicon in appreciable amounts may be due to the fact that it is not acted upon by the carbon di- THE IRON AGE. 3 oxide during the process of decarbonization. Silicon grades the pig iron, being. as before stated, a pro- moter of graphitic carbon. Foundrymen are looking for- ward with interest toward a more universal method of grading. <A great many malleable concerns who do not employ chemists, but who accept furnace analyses, and who in a degree regulate their mixtures with re gard to the appearance of the pig, are often misled by the appearance of graphitic carbon. In one grade, pigs showing the large open crystals and some the close grain will be found, yet in silicon these may vary appreciably. The open grain will be the lower silicon and higher car- bon, the closer grain the higher silicon with less carbon. If the grading were always accepted the open fracture would have been called the higher silicon. ‘These two fractures are occasioned by the slightly different casting manipulation at blast furnace. The amount of silicon in mixture for light and heavy work will, of course, be governed by purely local practice, ana no general rule ean he laid down for same, as no two furnaces work alike. What would be a general average places the per- centage for light work from 0.80 to 1.50 and heavy work from 9.65 to 0.95. In air furnace practice there often occurs a condition when iron is hot enough to pour, and yet great difficulty is experienced in combin- ing carbon. The very general opinion would be that the iron used is too soft, too high in silicon, and a change is made for lower percentages of same. It may be argued that the higher silicon prevents the combination of car- bon in the bath. and yet, if that heat were brought up slower and skimmed earlier, the carbon would have combined readily, and at the proper moment would have been ready to pour, showing distinctly a heat con- dition, rather than an improper mixture. All these an- noying problems can be met and remedied by judicious experiment and metallurgical knowledge of a chemist, who should be thoroughly competent to diagnose each phenomenon and advance reliable theories \ great many of the most suecessful malleable foundries are conducting their business without the aid of a Iabora- } tory, yet it is a source of great satisfaction to those who employ chemists to really know why existing defects are possible, and that suggestions may be made for guarding against their repetition. In preparing a mixture for the air furnace the nature and general dimensions of patterns to be cast are the tirst considerations. In the large foundries, where the eastings are heavy, the pig iron selected for the furnace is chosen with reference to its low silicon and total car- bon. The grading of iron will serve as a guide in this particular, a mixture averaging about No. 34% producing a very satisfactory working in the furnace. An excess of silicon must be avoided, in all cases, because it will produce an inferior brittle article of high tensile strength and no appreciable elongation. There should be a clear understanding in this matter, that while the presence of silicon is a necessity in the melting fur- nace it is a hindrance to good product after the anneal- ing process. There should be a total loss of at least 40 per cent. silicon from the original mixture to the fin- ished material. Some will be lost in melting and the bal- ance during annealing. In the following tables this fact will be found clearly demonstrated, the test being taken from regular heats. Where there has been a decided loss in silicon the percentage of elongation has been good, and with a uniform tensile strain: No. Tensile. Elongation. — ——— Silicon. — aie 1ix Soft. Percent. Joss, Biceeudauswas -e+ 46,800 7.32 88 0.52 1 . ae sconce Sh 8.22 0.80 0.40) 50 eenevcess See 4.72 0.76 45 41 Nonna acaweeoet 43,610 f.33 0.79 052 34 Bixeseeensesndeas 46,600 5.83 0.73 0.48 34 Cuaucicpewncads .. 45,600 4.50 O.20 0.40 £0 In the following heats the percentage of silicon ex- cluded has been low, and we still find high tensile strength with a small percentage of elongation, and con- sequently a much stiffer iron: No. Tensile. Elongation —_——- Silicon a Mix. Soft. Per cent. loss 1 45,600 2.25 1.09 0.96 1s 2 smaraale . 42,5 00) 2.13 0.37 0.66 14 Betas 34,900) 2 33 0.79 0.68 14 4.. 37.500 1.83 0.76 0.73 rt en 35.000 1.83 0.79 0.68 lt Gividesticnawanes 37,406 3.12 0.77 0.59 23 In all these tests the percentages of the other alloys have remained practically constant. Sulphur has aver- aged 0.043, phosphorus 0.124 and manganese 0.58. If the result of thoughtful research and careful study is to be accepted as conclusive it would prove the theory that a too high silicon will not be conducive to good malleable iron. There could be several good reasons ad- vanced in explanation of the fact why the silicon is eliminated in the one instance and remains practically constant in the other. A faulty annealing is one, and an improper combination of silicon and manganese an- other. Silicon and carbon, working in certain ratios with each other, will not be effectually eliminated by the ee 2 . Alig le a te 7 IONS a ee presences Senet 2s cla 4 THE IRON AGE. weak decarbonization of a slow and cold working fur- nace. The whole theory of the malleable process is to decarbonize the metal through the aid of an oxidizing reagent, and this is brought about by the use of pre- pared packing in some instances, or any substance which has an affinity for carbon under heat. The lower the percentage of carbon and silicon in any metal known to the metallurgist the softer and more malleable it will be; the higher these elements the more brittle it will become. This fact is very prominent in the manufac- ture of steels. Malleable cast iron is, therefore, the direct result of decarbonizing cast iron by means of a_ sesquioxide which will impart a portion of its oxygen to the carbon in the metal at an annealing heat, producing CO, burn- ing the carbon. The tnfluence of Sulphur, Of all the metalloids found in the composition of pig iron used for malleable purposes, sulphur’ probably exerts the most negative influences. It is only depend- ent upon heat conditions in the blast furnace for its existence in pig iron, and when the furnace is working excessively hot there is hardly a trace found. In the case of coke irons. the fuel used has a direct bearing upon its presence. It has a very serious effect upon the regular malleable casting and must of all the impurities be most avoided. There is, however, a grade of semi- steel upon the market at present called McHaffie, which up to a certain point is nothing more than malleable, but which requires a high percentage of sulphur in its pro- duction This excess sulphur produces a very high combining carbon point. making it possible to pour castings with a diameter of 24 inches perfectly clear. After the an nealing, which requires about eight days, the metal presents an entirely different appearance from ordinary malleable, the fracture showing (when the conditions have been favorable throughout process) a crystalline surface, closely resembling an open hearth steel cast ing. The sulphur is added to mixture in the form of a sulphide of iron. and about two pounds per ton produces the metal described above. This metal is used with great success in castings requiring a wearing surface with no great elongation or reduction of area in physical tests. The whole idea of the process is to combine the earbon to a point not possible in the malleable casting. In the manufacture of coke iron in the blast furnace, we have in the fuel used a high percentage of sulphur, and while the furnace is working hot there is no diffi culty experienced in eliminating it, through the high volatilization. and also through the slag. But with the changing conditions of heat, the furnace working cold, we find the iron absorbing sulphur in large quantities. Thus in a No. 1 iron sulphur is at a minimum, and in a No. 6 at a maximum. In charcoal irons this feature does not present itself. as the fuel used is very low in sulphur, and a No. 1 or No. 6 varies but slightly in this particular. We fail to observe any beneficial results arising from the presence of sulphur, and the lower the percentage of itin malleable the more satisfactory will be the product. If, like in the McHatffie process, sulphur could be added in the furnace and carbon combined higher and then volatilized in annealing ovens, vee could derive some benefit from: it. But with the existing methods of pro- ducing and handling malleable cast iron, there is no good excuse for its presence Sulphur enters readily into combination with the iron, but never, like the other metalloids, loses its individuality (so to speak). It has an all pervading, permeating tendency to dominate the metal to the serious detriment of its good quality. It de- stroys early in the process the clinging qualities of the molecules, and high sulphur hard iron will break very readily. No better example of this can be found than when breaking off gates, particularly if they are heavy, while with low sulphur we meet with some degree of re- sistance in this particular. In calculating percentages for mixtures it has always been found good practice to use irons varying completely in chemical analysis, for the benetit of obtaining good averages. In this con- nection it might prove interesting to note the fact that Ll gre i f high sulphur coke iron, made at furnaces during a period of cold working, is thoroughly applicable to good malleable if used with judgment. We have here an iron low in silicon, high in combined rs an excess of sulphur. If snly ages O75, and is used with irons of 0.0 v ve another iron to choose from, nstead of resorting to the higher priced grades. As any furnaces recharge this material, a selling price S under market quotations could be obtained. J has used many hundred tons of this iron, & sulphur was kept within 0.045 in the initial rge experienced no trouble from it. With 0.045 in s r the mit of safety has been reached. Above ge there is danger. That fact will assert February 16, 1599 itself without fail in the annealed casting. The tend- eney of high sulphur is to produce “* shortness.” Wen making Bessemer steel, after an ingot has been reheated and annealed in the soaking pit, and 1s introduced into the rolls, and there falls apart like cake, there is but one verdict, “red short,” viz., high sulphur, there being absolutely no life in it, and the presence of this alloy has destroyed its tenacity. So with malleable. While we may be able to secure a reasonably high tensile strain, yet the elongation is nothing, and the iron has a short sharp break. The presence of an excess of sulphur in annealed castings may be detected by the ap- pearance of fracture, coupled with surface indications. On the surface will be found many slight flaws. Tak- ing a draw bar, for example, on its barrel will be found small and what are apparently shrinkage cracks, extending inward about % to 4% inch. The fracture, too, will show a crystalline break, often mistaken for cleav- age or underannealing. Both of these mentioned de- fects will be overcome by the reduction of the sulphur in the mixtures. In offering malleable castings to the commercial users an article possessing ductility, and not high tensile strength, is what specifications should call for. In the case of railroad castings, the softer the product the better it will withstand the sudden sharp strains incident to car service. In this connection it might be well to approach the physical requirements of the malleable cast iron coupler. It should be “soft,” not over 42,000 pounds tensile strength, and with an elongation of at least 8 per cent. in 6 inches. When the tensile strength runs higher we find, after a severe coupling has been attempted, the head of coupler upon the track, instead of attached to the barrel. Malleable iron is a refined cast iron, and in this one instance must not be compared with open hearth steel, for the claims thus made are not reliable. The relation of sulphur to the breaking strain is very prominent indeed, and must not be overlooked in any instance. In a lot of 100 malleable couplers returned to a concern during the past year, 80 were found to have been cast in one week, and in every case the head was broken off short at the barrel. The percentage of sul- phur in these castings averaged 0.095, and the iron used was a high coke, carrying, as per analysis furnished, 0.065 sulphur. If the melter had been better acquainted with blast furnace working he would have at once questioned that analysis as improbable. The chemical action of sulphur in the anneal is not as clear as we would desire, but from the fact of its combining the carben higher the anneal should be shortened perceptibly. It*is not at all beyond the range of possibilities that in the coming decade we will have a basic lining brick used in the air furnaces which will eliminate both sulphur and phosphorus as effectually as is now done in the basic Bessemer and Siemens-Martin furnaces. Necessity will advance this process at the proper moment, and it will throw open a wonderful field for iron now debarred to the producers of malleable. At present the sellers of pig metal for use in malleable shops find themselves restricted to rather narrow mar- gins on specifications. Years ago the same conditions prevailed in relation to iron for use in the open hearth furnaces, owing to the rigidity of government and other specifications, and with this necessity came the dolo- mite lining for vessels and furnaces. It is not that the elimination of sulphur in the ores is an impossibility; in fact, this is a highly accomplished modern operation. To free the fuel used in the blast furnace from it and also control the furnace regarding heat conditions is quite another matter. The fuel used in air furnaces must be selected with care—bad fuel 1s poor economy. Iron will be longer in melting, and while in the liquid state will quite readily absorb sulphur. High grade coal is the cheapest and, while phenomenal runs have been made with an inferior quality coal, the iron pro- duced has not been correspondingly phenomenal. In purchasing pig iron, if there exists a doubt in the buy- er’s mind as to correct analyses specify Bessemer limits all through. You will then have an iron which may not be exactly what your melter wishes, but you will be safe. There should also be more leeway given in speci- fications for pig iron, but the manufacturers are not willing to become any broader in their views on account of what may be local ideas and practices. For years a concern have been making malleable in one way, and have been using the same grades, and are therefore un- willing to hazard anything on new analyses. But this cannot continue. The times are changing in malleables as they have in steel in the past, and the day will come when we will have to accept what is offered. Then the up to date concerns will be the only ones alive and do- ing business. The question has often been agitated as to whether objectionable impurities in molten metal could be ab- sorbed or eliminated in the air furnace by the use of a flux. The writer has made many trial heats in this di- February 16, 1899 THE rection, and with fair success. In charging heats a quantity of limestone was placed on the bottom, with a small percentage of fluor spar. After the charge was melted the first skimming was delayed to allow the limestone sufficient time to attack the silicon. This was accomplished, reducing same about 0.40 in furnace. The fluor spar, acting upon the sulphur and phosphorus, also gave the most encouraging results. There is, however, a great tendency for the limestone to cut the bottom and side walls, but with an extra coating of ground cru cible shells this was avoided. No better illustration may be had of the affinity of iron for absorbing sulphur than from the fact that a modern blast furnace burden, which carries 0.035 sul- phur, produces a metal having as high as 0.250 sulphur. This occurs, of course, when furnace is cold. The same imay be said of an air furnace. When an inferior grade of coal is used the heat is slow coming up. There must be no liberty taken with sulphur above 0.045 if success- ful castings are to be produced. i General Electric Direct Current Stationary llotors. The General Electric Company, 44 Broad street, New York, are introducing a line of direct current stationary motors, which they call “type C. A.,” which range from 1% to 2 horse-power. These embody all the features of excellence characteristic of the other motors made by the company, as well as the latest ideas in motor con- struction. The motor frame, which is also the magnet yoke, is of soft steel of high permeability. It is cast in the form of Fi, L—M tor GENERAL ELECTRIC DIRECT CURRENT a hollow cylinder with projecting feet on the outside and seats for the pole pieces on the inside. The short mag- netie circuit which this arrangement gives and the use of the best material contribute to make the new motor efficient in all its capacities. To obviate eddy current losses the pole pieces are built up of iron laminations, and are secured to the yoke by through bolts with nuts on the outside. The field coils are held in place by the extended lips of the pole pieces, and as the face of the pole piece covers a large surface of the armature, without increas- ing the size of the field coils, the efficiency of the motor is materially auginented. The armature, Figs. 3 and 4, is built up of iron lamina- tions assembled directly on the shaft. To prevent eddy currents, each sheet is japanned on both sides, and good ventilation to core and winding is provided by air ducts. The laminations are clamped solidly between two cast iron spiders, extended at each end as flanges to support the coils. The armature coils of copper wire, form wound, in- sulated and tested, are placed in the core slots, the ends of the coils lying along the flanges. This arrangement constitutes the “cylindrical” armature winding. As it IRON AGE ut provides a large ventilating surface for the conductors and reduces the length of wire necessary, with conse- quent decreased resistance, it conduces to cool running and high efficiency as well as to ease of removal and re- placement of any coil. The insulation employed is that used with the company’s railway motors, and is tough. impervious to moisture and practically indestructible. The coils are securely held in a rigid position, and injury to the insulation from sliding or vibration is impossible. The commutator and brush holders are of the types used with railway motors. The segments are of hard drawn copper insulated by mica, which between the seg- ments wears evenly with the copper. The armature leads are soldered into slots in the segments, and being short are not liable to become displaced and, abrading the Fig. ” — Motor, Wall Suspension Fig. 4 —Armature without Coils STATIONARY MOTORS. insulation, cause a short circuit. The brush holders are of cast brass arranged for radial carbon brushes, which slide in finished ways and are pressed against the com- mutator by independent pressure fingers, giving uniform pressure throughout the life of the brush. There is no sparking, and change from no load to full load requires no shifting of the brushes. The only wear on the com- mutator is that of friction, and the use of carbon brushes renders this negligible. The bearings are supported by cast iron and shields. This method of support is lighter, but not less rigid, than pillow blocks, and, while affording protection to the working parts, does not lessen the compactness of the motor. Furthermore, the being symmetrical. a simple quarter or half turn of the end shields allows it to be fastened to a wall or suspended from the ceiling. The end shields have hand holes which provide ventila- tion and give easy the working parts. In motors intended for use in dusty places these hand holes may be covered by wire screens which offer little resist- ance to the air, and for continuous service are superior to solid covers. The bearings have ample surface to insure cool running and are automatically lubricated. The lin- motor access to ; ‘ ! st 4 1 ae _-— 6 THE IRON ings are of gun metal in one piece and rest on the bear- ings throughout their entire length, being kept from turn- ing by dowel screws extending through the bearing cast- ings. The small number of machined surfaces brought together eliminates trouble in lining up the motor, and renders the spherically seated bearing unnecessary. Slow speed in motors means diminished losses by wear and friction of belting, bearings and commutator, but as decrease in speed necessitates a corresponding decrease in output, in motors of a given design a reduc- tion in speed requires a heavier and more expensive ma- chine to give the same output. The most economical speed for a given duty is determined by a careful con- sideration of the relative advantages to be derived from a slow speed and the increase in cost required to obtain it. In the motors under consideration the four-pole con- struction has been adopted for all sizes down to and in- cluding the 3 herse-power slow speed motor. By the adoption of this construction, the use of a steel magnet yoke, and the use of end shields to support the bearings. aun economy of material is effected which permits, with- out sacrifice of strength or stability, of the construction of motors much lighter for a given output than other ma- chines running at even higher speeds. The magnetic ma- terial is economically arranged, the machines are light and compact, the center of gravity is low and the floor space occupied small. The C. E. are built in capacities of from 2 to 10 horse-power in slow speeds, and from 3 to 15 horse- power in moderate speeds. They are conservatively rated, and will run under full load at an unusually low temperature. The standard type will deliver the rated output continuously without rising in temperature above morors 40 degrees C. above the surrounding air. With the wire screens over the hand holes this will be slightly ex ceeded. The motors will carry a temporary overload of 40 per cent. without injurious heating. oe An Anglo-American Mining Concession in China. United States Consul Fowler, at Chefoo, China. re- ports to the State Department that Pritchard Morgan, M. P., as representative of an Anglo-American syndi- eate, has secured a concession from the Chinese Gov- ernment for working the mines of the Szechuan prov- ince. This province, with 60,000,000 inhabitants, is one of the richest districts of the Celestial Empire. Its mineral resources include gold, silver, copper, coal, pe- troleum, &c., in quantities sufficient to pay even with the present crude methods of working. The Yangtze River, bordering this province, is the natural highway between it and the sea, and gives incalculable advan- tages over other stretches of country equally distant from the coast. Consul Fowler adds: “Mr. Pritchard Morgan called at the consulate and told me that on his way back to England he intended to visit the United States, in the endeavor to interest capitalists, as it was to be an Anglo-American concession. The concession will be of the greatest value to the American Hankau- Canton Railroad syndicate.” — - Exports of British Locomotives. Of the locomotives sent from England last year En- gineering has this to say Last year was a highly progressive period in the history of our locomotive exports. However our export trade may have fallen off in other branches, it shows a good advance in the matter of locomotives. This is due, no doubt, to a considerable extent, to the fact that our loco- motive exports were adversely affected in 1897 by the great strike in the engineering trade, and that energetie and successful efforts were made to bring up arrears in the course of 1897. The value of British locomotives sent to foreign countries and British colonies last year was €1,482.759, as compared with £1,006,136 im 1897 and £1,077,823 in 1896. The locomotives exported to British South Africa last year were valned at £61,069, as compared with £81,915 in 1807 and £118,719 in 1896; that of the engines forwarded to British India, £451,408, as compared With £233,523 and £186,009 respectively; and that of the forwarded to Austr £264,586, as compared With £181,026 and £164,887 respectively engines ilasia