The Iron Age 1903-08-13: Vol 72 Iss 7

THE IRON&=iGE es91FZU0DjO uBLIBAqVy | A Review of the Hardware, Iron, Machinery and Metal Trades. Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 232-238 William St.. New York. Vol. 72: No.7 New York, Thursday, August 1}, 1903. $53 00 a Year, including Postage. Single Copies, 15 Cents as HAMME ee SHOT GUN Reading Matter Contents.........page 52 Alphabetical Index te Advertisers “ 175 Classified List of Advertisers ... ** 167 Advertising and Subscription Rates « 174 Guaranteed for Nitro Powders. Grade K Made with Remington Blued Sreel Barrels...) | ...... 0c cece eceeeece f Grade K E D. Made wita Damascus Barrels and Automatic Ejector........___ 333 co. Send for handsome new Catalog, just iseued, containing com plete description of Guns, $25.00 to $75u.00. Mailed free. REMINGTON ARMS CO. ImrIonm, N. LY. 313-317 Broadway, New York. 86-88 First Street, San Francisco, Cal. Seld by all Gun eaters. Not Retailed by the Manufaciurers. Bristol’s Patent Steel Belt Lacing, SAVES Time, Belts, Money. Greatest trength READY TO APPLY = FINISHED VOINT ~=With Least Metai [HEBRISTOLCO. Waterbury Conn | { AL TAdII ae SAMSON SPOT CORD 7 VAHAL | Bi} | ILERS sr See Page 126, Also Massachusetts and Brands of! sete om SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. REGULAR ATTERM. TURNBUCKLES. . C 2 — |: CAPEWELL HORSE NAILS: r . Cc a Branch Office. 11 Broadway, New York. > * 7 Civetand City Forge and once, ‘Cleveland, | HME Pay LADELPRIA, Branches: Ne, & ; : : CHICAGO DETROIT BALTIMORE, a a8 &. ;* 87, Lours, CINCINNATI, NEW ORLEANS, 0 zs me em }/ BosToN, SAN FRANCISCO, DENVER. 2 cid Sz vr ¢ 2°°"s | fy)’ THE CAPEWELL HORSE NAIL COMPANY 3 i HARTFORD, CONN. 5 z BESSEMER PIG tirard Building, Phfia. P| Seeman? Bank, Pittsb’y yr oe Bldg, New York Soard of Trade, Boston Excelsior Straight-Way Back Pressure Yalve. This valve has no dash pots, springs. guides or complicated levers to get out of order. It is simple, reliable and well made. Never sticks, and can be } relied upon at all times when using exhaust steam for heating ; or when used as a relief, or free exhaust on a condensing plant, it has no equal. It is noise- * less and free from any complicated attachments. | JENKINS BROTHERS, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago. 2 A OE NE NAT ATTRA REE I: DARE OR WANTED “EAMG METNS SCRAP puostSinb Basic PIG IRON WE HAVE COMMON INTEREST WITH YOU in galvanized iron: Return a — eat for inch of For Bale High Grade Basic Open Hearth Steel Billeta and Slabs fault THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING COMPANY SEE 28 BRIDGEPORT, CONN. PAGE (Water and Rai! Delivery) MAGNOLIA METAL. Best Anti-Friction Metal for all Machinery ne Pac-Simile of Bar. s : Beware of American Sheet Steel Company Ra imitations. Battery Park New York FS WAGNOLIA METAL CO.. It is the proper foundation for business. San Francisco, New Ori Montreal. Kosten Owners and sole Manufacturers, 611-613 West [3th St., Diisburg and Philadelphia. We manufac ure ail ph Chicago. Fisher Bldg. NEW YORK, grades of Babbitt Metals at eompesistve prices To nein Seok aN a » Ps ere oe omy a ete —— ante a Nn tity pean tne ttt rte i ~ en Pra an teens em " a —— — ss - peg Sa ae a am = rs — ee = = eae ten, = — Z THE ANSONIA BRaAss p” COPPER CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS AND COPPER Seamless Tubes, Sheets, Rods and Wire. SOLE MANUFACTURERS Tobin Bronze (TRADE-MaRK REGISTERED.) THE IRON AGE. — BRASS: | THE PLUME & ATwooo MF6. C:,, MANUFACTURERS JF ‘seer Sheet and Roll Brass COPPER © wirz PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAK | SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER Rivers | AND BURRS. | Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Keres GERMAN (steer SILVER’ Condenser Plates,Pump Linings, Round, Square and Hexagon Bars, for Pump Piston Rods and Bolt Forgings. Seamless Tubes for Boilers and Condensers. 99 John Street, . 0202020800828 8 ; Randolph-Clowes Co., Main Office and Mill, WATERBURY, CONN. New York. WATERBURY, CONN. 130 Centre St., New York. Providence, R. I. | MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET BRASS & COPPER. RAAAAAAAAAAAAA A BRAZED BRASS & COPPER @|© GENUINE No. 1 BABBITT. TUBES. Handiest Metal you can use, as there is eee no shrink in it. ver tried itt Saves in every way—Time, Money and Patience. GREATEST DURABILITY. SEAMLESS BRASS & COPPER TUBES TO 36 IN. DIAM. New York Office, 253 Broadway, Postal Telegraph Bldg., Room 718. Chicago Office, 602 Fisher Bidg. ¢ DOCVUCVH Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze and Metal Company, Bridgeport. Conn. Nek ec Nae ae ae Nee ele ak Net Neic e eieNec ae et Ned ONIN EE eos FrORAAADAAR Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER AND MANUFACTURERS OF SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Oe 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. ope ieee ALU Why ; 68:74 West Mozrzroe St. Chicago. eI EUS ESSE CRU TT tebe bet aan CON BRASS, BRONZE and ALUMINUM CASTINGS. Founders, Finishers, W. G. ROWELL & CO., BRIDGEPORT, CONN. HENDRICKS BROTHERS PROPRIETURS OF THE Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, MANUFACTURERS OF Brazicers’ Bolt and Sheathing COPPER, COoOPrPrEAR WIiRE AND RIVETS. Importers and Dealers in ingot Copper, Block Tin, Spelter, Lead, Antimony, etc. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YORK. NT RACTS ragey Fo Ho aa PRICES pan ol te SPECIAL FACILITIES FoR Cont Of SSN ELS SEAMLESS BRASS AND COPPER. TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND BRONZE TUBING. : :::::: 3). WATERBURY BRASS C0., THOMASTON, CONN. WIRE | sene ae Lamp LOW BRASS. SHEET BRONZE.’ 9 MURRAY st., NEW YORK. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO, ROLLING MILL : FACTORIES ; WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO., Manufacturers of BRASS, GERMAN SILVER Sheets, Rolis, Wire, Rods, Bolts and Tubes, Brass Shells, Cups, Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Coods. SPECIAL BRASS GOUDS TO ORDER Factories, WATERBURY, CONN. DEPOTS: CHICAGO, NEW YORK, BOSTON. JOHN DAVOL & SONS. AGENTS FOR Brooklyn Brass & Copper Co., DEALERS IN COPPER, TIN, SPELTER, LEAD, ANTIMONY. 100 John Street, - New York. Arthur T. Rutter SUCCESSOR TO WILLIAM S. FEARING 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper Steel, Aluminum, German Silver &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger man Silver. Copper, Brass ano German Silver Wire. Brazed an¢ Seamless Brass and Copper Tube Copper and Brass Rod. OIL and GAS Bleycle Lanterns Send for Circulars and Electrotypec. THE BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO Bridgeport, Conn. 18 Murray a, N.Y. 17 No. 7th St., Philadeiphie. 8 to 87 Pearl St.. Bosto No better coun made. 4 Wheel, $3.0 5 Wheel, $3. - Guaranteed. BATTLE CREEK, MIC} R. A. HART, a DHE IRON AGE Tuurspay, Aucust 138, 1908 The Hilles & Jones Heavy Plate Planer. wide to Pittsburgh, setting it up in Pittsburgh in exactly —___—_—- the same condition as in Indianapolis. This was the he heavy plate planer here shown was built by south mill of the Premier plant, and it was sold to the es & Jones of Wilmington, Del., for the United Graham Nut Company. As it was taken down each piece Stites Navy Yard at Charlestown, Mass. Direct con was numbered, so that no trouble would be encountered ed to the main driving screw of the planer, through in re-erecting it at Pittsburgh. geiring and magnetic clutches, is a 50 horse-power West- “he history of the Premier Steel Company is one of ghouse multipolar motor of 220 volts. This runs at ups and downs. The plant was established by the In- slow speed and furnishes ample power to enable the dinnavolis Rolling Mill Company in 1857. It was hine to plane 2-inch armor plate, taking a heavy chip originally cperated to make iron railroad rails and was The saddle is the firm’s standard three-tool type, two a financial success in that capacity; but when steel rails tools being mounted in one block which is automatically came into demand the mill proved a losing venture. In y reversed at each end of the stroke. One tool cuts in 1859 the Premier Stee! Company purchased the rolling h direction. <A third tool is carried in a swiveling mill and proceeded to convert it into a Bessemer plant, THE HILLES & JONES HEAVY PLATE PLANER. slide, which allows planing vertically or at any angle. putting in a blooming mill. About the same time another fhe machine will plane plate 32 feet long at one setting, company were organized, called the Indiana Steel Com- te or any length by resetting. The motor runs in one direc- pany, to manufacture structural shapes as a side line. rie tion all the time, the reversing of the carriage being ac- The Indiana Steel Company leased a part of the Premier ie Sig mplished by clutches. plant. Both companies began to spend money to make - the business a success. Everything looked sunny until the panie of 1893 clouded their prospects. Both com- The Premier Steel Works Dismantled. oie were finally compelled to ia ia and in 1893 err Charles W. DePauw asked Judge Edgar Brown of the rhe Premier Steel Works, at Indianapolis, Ind. have (‘jpeuit Court to appoint a receiver for the Premier en dismantled by Wickes Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pa., Steel Company. and John FE. MeGettigan was appointed ho purchased the plant from Crawford Fairbanks and — ;eceiyer for the plant in 1892, but did not operate it. ijor Collins, the latest owners. Wickes Brothers are jn 1901 Receiver McGettigan sold the plant to W. J. Me- inufacturers of boilers and machinery and are alsO (yrlin of Pitsburgh for $125.200. He organized a com- alers in second-hand machinery. The wrecking of the pany, but after a brief operation the plant was ant has been an arduous task. Before some of the again closed and called a losing venture. Legal eat bolts that held the machinery on its foundations ¢omplications arose and 1 compromise was finally ef- ld be removed the workmen had to use dynamite to - fected in which Crawford Fairbanks and Major Collins Ww the cement from around them. Much of the ma became possessed of the property. nery has been removed to Pittsburgh, comprising en- The dismantling of the plant dissipated the dream ies With 36-inch cylinders, as well as smaller ones, of the successful establishment of a great steel works at avy roll trains, shears capable of cutting steel 7 inches Indianapolis. Machinery that cost millions has been — Die iia eer ty wie _ _ on etl ~ = lare, &e¢. sold for a mere pittance in comparison. Giant engines, One interesting feature of the work is that the firm rolls and shears were marketed at figures almost equal nutracted to move a building 260 feet long and 64 feet to that of scrap fron . 2 THE IRON AGE. The Light Aluminum Alloys.* BY Dk. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, BETHLEHEM, PA. Pure aluminum, like pure gold, silver or copper, is a comparatively soft and weak metal; it has many of the properties of copper, being easily cut by a knife and hav- ing a fibrous, silky fracture. The pure metal hardens quickly while being worked, faster when worked cold, and becomes harder, denser, more elastic and stronger, but soon goes to pieces if worked too far. The hard drawn aluminum wire or hard rolled sheet or rod have strong physical resemblances to hard drawn or hard rolled copper. To produce thin sheet or fine wire it is necessary to anneal frequently, to remove the strains caused by the working. Castings of aluminum, un- worked, are soft and weak. The following table gives the usual limits of physical properties of number 1 commercial aluminum, which averages 99 to 99.5 per cent. pure: Elastic Ultimate tensile Percentage limit. (Pounds strength. (Pounds reduction per square inch.) per square inch.) of area. Commas. oss.’ 8,500 14,000 to 18,000 15 ee 12,500 to 25,000 24,000 to 40,000 20 to 30 SN) 6 ictal ae 16,000 to 38,000 25,000 to 55,000 40 to 60 ne | GA ss 6 shale 14,000 to 28,000 28,000 to 40,000 30 to 40 For all purposes where the rolled, drawn or worked pure metal is sufficiently hard and strong it is advisable to use the pure metai, since it resists alteration by the atmosphere and other corroding agencies better than almost any of its alloys, and better the purer it is. For cast articles, and wire, rod or sheet which are not suf- ficiently strong or hard when made of the pure metal, the aluminum can be alloyed with small quantities of other metals, which improve it in various ways, without materialiy increasing its specific gravity. Pure alumi- num has a density of 2.6 to 2.7, while the light alloys of which we shall treat contain up to 33 per cent. of foreign metals, and range in density from 2.4 to 3.6. The prin- cipal metals which have been proposed or used for these alloys are zine, copper, nickel, magnesium, titanium, tungsten, chromium, manganese and silver. Alloying the Metals. The components of the alloy should be of as pure a quality as it is possible to get them. The aluminum used should be of No. 1 quality, which averages now 99.5 per cent. aluminum. For the very best results the extra quality, sold as 99.75 pure, should be used. The commercial qualities of the other metals are frequently so impure that they give alloys of quite different prop- erties from the pure metals. This is particularly true of zinc, the ordinary Western brands of which contain 1 per cent. or more of lead and often considerable iron. In this case it pays to purchase the redistilled zinc or the best varieties of Bertha or Sterling spelter. As a general rule, it is advisable to melt the aluminum first, and then to stir or dissolve the other metal into it. Most metals, particularly copper, unite with aluminum with considerable energy, and dissolve quickly in it, even though their melting point may be considerably higher. ‘To facilitate the solution of a metal of very high melting point, such as nickel, it is advisable to prepare first an alloy of the metal with aluminum in somewhat like equal proportions. This alloy, cast into bars, is then added to the melted aluminum, and dissolves much faster and more uniformly than the pure metal. The melting can ordinarily be performed in graphite or plumbago crucibles in a melting hole. The crucible should stand on a refractory pedestal, to keep the bottom from being chilled should the fuel be burnt out beneath it, and to avoid it tipping. It should be covered tightly, in order to avoid absorption of gases, or the- accidental dropping in of coke. If the alloying is being performed, the metal is best kept covered with lumps of charcoal, to keep air from striking the surface, but this is not needed or recommended if the operation is simply a melt- ing. Since the fire is hotter than the crucible, and the cruci- ble wall hotter than the metal inside, it is of great * A paper read before the American Society for Testing Ma- terials, at Delaware Water Gap, July 3, 1903. August 13, importance that the fire be not too hot and the : not overheated. Aluminum alloys, like aluminum, Jarge specific heats, and it takes a large amount of though not a high temperature, to melt them. The acteristic of the furnace operation is therefore to only a moderately hot fire, and then wait with pat until the metal melts, which will take from 30 to 50 utes, starting with a cold crucible. The disadvan of overheating the metal are three, viz.: It absorbs : gases; it will probably be poured too hot and segr: in the mold: it will react on the crucible itself, re from it iron and silicon, and become brittle. It is of greatest importance that the alloy be never over a ch: red heat, and it should never adhere to or wet the ble. The stirring rod may be iron, preferably a wroi iron bar, if the temperature is carefully kept low. |f the temperature is too high the iron bar will be weti«d and corroded and the alloy injured. Until experience has been gained, it is better to use a carbon rod fo: stirrer, fastened into the end of an iron pipe for handle. When the alloying metal has been all dissolved tli whole is stirred vigorously and cast at once. Lett it stand some time in the furnace produces a somewhat closer alloy, but the deterioration caused by increased gases and impurities taken up from the crucible usually overbalance the gain. After taking from the furnace, the crucible should be placed on some fire bricks and the metal stirred as it cools, and it should be cast only just hot enough to properly fill the mold. If cast too lot it is apt to segregate while cooling. The use of a flux in the crucible is in no case recom- mended, since it attacks the walls of the same, facilitates the reducing action of aluminum upon them, and injures the alloy, With careful regulation of temperature and use of no flux, a good crucible will last almost indefinite- ly, not being wetted or corroded. Iron skimmers or ladies may be coated inside with a wash composed of finely ground bauxite mixed with a little lime. This is practically unattacked by any alloy. Magnesia lined crucibles are best for this work, when they can be gotten With some metals there is a limit to the amount which aluminum can take up. Thus, it can keep in solution only 1.92 per cent. of lead, or 3.89 per cent. of cadmium, wliile it will mix with most of the other metals in all propwr- tions. Melting Points. Almost all the light, strong alloys melt easier than aluminum. The addition of a few per cent. of any meta! to aluminum Jowers the melting point, even though the metal added has a high melting point. There is a lint, however, in some cases, to the amount of foreign meta! which can be taken up without increase of melting poi. Adding copper, the melting point decreases until 33 per cent. of copper is present, above which it rises. Anti- mony is the most striking exception, for small quantities increase the melting point very considerably; 33 jer cent. of antimony makes an alloy melting only at 230 de- grees higher than aluminum and 250 degrees higher than antimony. Of the commercial alloys, however, containing small percentages of zinc, copper, nickel or magnesiui, it may be said that they melt either as easily as or slight- ly more easily than aluminum itself. Specific Gravity. The alloys with magnesium, 2 to 12 per cent., are tle only ones which are lighter than aluminum itself; but they are lighter than their composition and the speci gravity of magnesium (1.72) would lead us to expe:t Thus, 10 per cent. of magnesium would theoretica!'y make a physical mixture with a specific gravity 0.16 less than aluminum, whereas it really gives an alloy 0.4 lighter. This points to expansion taking place during alloying, in this case. In the case of the other mets § heavier than aluminum, their specific gravity is usua higher than would be calculated from the compositi: pointing to a condensation or contraction taking place alloying. In fact, with small percentages of copper, i! and nickel, the contraction taking place in alloying is great that the alloy occupies less volume than the a minum alone entering into it. In these cases it appea * as if the molecules of alloying metal slip in between t in th A cust 18, 19038 ecules of the aluminum, thus accounting for the in- ised hardness and tenacity of the alloy. The mag- um alloys range from 2.4 to 2.57 in specific gravity ; heavier metal alloys from 2.6 to 3.6. In general the { aluminum alloys are one-fourth to one-half as heavy he structural metals which they replace. Molds, lor general castings a loose texture green sand is s\ cable. Numerous air vents must be supplied, and a se casting gate and heavy feeders at heavy parts of casting. In such molds the alloys are poured cold, as fast as possible, to prevent chilling. In spite of s the slow cooling renders the alloy ununiform by seg- ‘sation, and therefore not so strong as chilled castings. y» partly avoid this the castings are shaken loose from the sand as soon as they are set. Slabs and rods for roll- and drawing are cast in chill molds, as are also any ects needed in large quantities. This makes the ma- al soft, uniform and stronger than if cast in sand, with a smoother surface. Working and Annealing. All these alloys are hardened and stiffened by working and must be frequently annealed to avoid cracks and breaks. The slabs and billets are best broken down, while warmed to 150 to 250 degrees C., under a steam hummer; afterward steel rolls with good surfaces are used, and about as much power is required as for roliing hot steel of similar section. Imperfections in the casting must be scraped or gouged out before breaking down. Slabs are usually rolled two passes lengthwise, increasing the length 20 per cent., and then are turned to 90 degrees and rolled out further. The rolls should be at 150 to 200 degrees C., and if polished sheet is required the sheet is polished before being sent through the final polishing rolls. Working raises the tensile strength but decreases ductility and frequent annealing is necessary. The annealing is done in a muffle, if possible, as it is advisable not to subject these alloys, especially mag- nalium, to the direct action of the flame, since absorption of gas and internal oxidation, or burning, takes place at redness without melting. Slabs and bars are heated to full dark red, so that a pine stick carbonizes when drawn over them. Sheet rust not be heated so high; a thin sheet is merely warmed to about 400 degrees C. and then cooled in water. Very thin sheet can be put into hot oil and this allowed to cool slowly. Dipping and Frosting. Alioys with magnesium or zine can be given a pure, white silvery surface by putting into a 10 per cent. caus tic soda solution, containing 2 per cent. of common salt and warmed to 60 degrees C. The object is kept 15 to 20 seconds in this, until a violeut evolution of gas appears, then washed in cold water and brushed; then dipped 10 to 15 seconds in concentrated nitric acid, again washed it cold water, and then dried in fine, warm sawdust. The seda solution is held in an iron vessel; the nitric acid in clay, porcelain or slate. The dipping is pariicu- larly recommended for rolled slabs, after the first anneal- ivug, as any casting defects are thus shown up, and can be eradicated by cutting out or using emery paper. By reneated dipping a fine, silky matte is obtained, which is absolutely unaiterable in air. For alloys containing copper or nicke) the soda solution is replaced by dilute lydrofluoric acid. A dull black finish may be obtained Ly using dead india black varnish and keeping one hour at 100 degrees C. A shining black can be obtained by using black stove varnish and keeping one to one and one-half hours at 50 degrees C. Alloys with Chromium. Chromium hardens aluminum strongly, the alloys baving somewhat of the qualities of self hardening steel i.e., retaining their hardness on heating or after an- caling much better than any other of the aluminum i lloys. Two to 8 per cent. of chromium is recommended s making the metal much harder but decreasing mallea- liiy considerably. Eleven per cent. makes the alloy ittle, crystalline and unworkable; 3% per cent. makes i‘ alloy which can be hammered and rolled, but is very iff and “crackelly.” Its mechanical properties are \en by Lejeal as: ; THE IRON AGE. 3 Tensile strength. Elongation. (Pounds per squareinch.) (Per cent.) PRONG) PONG. cen.d dee vs 18,000 12 BUNGIE oecivis weiesawens 17,500 7 > 3 per cent. alloys by dissciving chromium oxide in a bath of melted fluorides rofessor Langley made 2 and ‘of aluminum, sodium and calcium, and then pouring in nitallic aluminum in the required quantity. Chromium alloys are being used commercially at present, but the writer cannot say to exactly what extent. Alloys with Titanium. \lloys up to 7 per cent. of titanium have been made, but the best is that with 2 per cent. This has elasticity comparable to spring brass, and a tensile strength of 30,000 to 35,000 pounds when rolled hard with 3 per cent. elongation, and 21,000 pounds when annealed, with 16.5 per cent. elongation. These alloys are difficult to make, as pure titanium is rare, and the only practicable method of manufacture is to dissolve titanic oxide in melted cryclite and add aluminum, which latter reduces the oxide and forms an alloy with the metal. If chromium oxide is added also a triple alloy of chromium, titanium and aluminum is obtained, which is very hard and rigid, and holds a cutting edge fairly well. The titanium alloys have a dull, leady color, and are corroded more rapidly than many other of the aluminum alloys, so that their use has practically disappeared. Alloys with Manganese. A. H. Cowles patented some years ago the addition OL INanganese to Commercial aluminum up to 5 per cent., producing particularly hard and rigid alloys. ‘They can be made either by making a rich alloy of manganese and ntluminum in the electric furnace, and diluting this Gown with pure aluminum, or by adding manganese oxide to the electrolytic bath in which aluminum is being pro- duced in quantity sufficient to form the desired alloy with the aluminum of the alumina being decomposed. The addition of rich ferromanganese to aluminum also serves to produce the alloys, but it has the disadvantage of introducing some iron and carbon into the alloy at the same time. Susini makes a series of alloys of aluminum with 3, 5, 8 or 10 per cent. of alloying metals, the latter being zine, copper and manganese. He makes the alloy of the three latter in a graphie crucible, meits the re- quired quantity of aluminum at a red heat and then pours the liquid alloy into it. The three alloys he rec- ommends must contain in percentages: Manganese. Copper. Zinc. 1to3 1.5 0.5 1to5 2.5 LO 2to8s 4.5 1.5 Used with copper and nickel, manganese makes the hardest light alloy of aluminum yet produced. Alloys with Tin. The alloy of aluminum with 10 per cent. of tin was strongly recommended by Mr. Bourbouze. It is whiter than aluminum, its density is 2.85, its coefficient of ex- pansion by heat is less than that of aluminum and it can be more easily soldered than pure aluminum. The tensile strength of a casting of this alloy showed only 14,000 pounds per square inch, with 4 per cent. elonga- tion, so that it is no stronger than pure aluminum and not as ductile. The alloy is said to be improved by the addition of 3 per cent. of nickel. As far as the writer is informed, the use of this alloy has disappeared. Tin is still used in some of the other light aluminum Alioys, in small quantities of not over 2 per cent., to contribute to the easy fusibility of the alloy and to decrease the shrinkage. If phosphorus is simultaneously desired in the alloy the commercial phosphor tin is employed. The best material for soldering aluminum is an alloy of 29 parts tin, 11 parts zinc, 1 part aluminum and 1 part of 10 per cent. phosphor tin—patented by the writ- er’s father. This alloy, however, is only 2.4 per cent. aluminum, and belong to the heavy alloys. Alloys with Silver. Aluminum will absorb up to 5 per cent. of silver with- out increasing in volume; the alloys thus made are whiter, harder, denser and stronger than pure aluminum, and take a high polish. which they retain better than ra , 4 THE IRON AGE. almost any other alloy of aluminum when exposed to corrosion. For the latter reason, particularly, they have been used since the early days of the aluminum indus- try, particularly when aluminum itself was almost as high priced as silver, for opera glasses, telescopes, statuettes, fine light weights, the.beams and hapgers of fine balances, fine instruments and electrical apparatus. Alloys up to 10 per cent. of silver can be worked, and 1 to 2 per cent. of copper is simultaneously used to re- duce the cost of the silver by partly replacing it. Alloys with 3 per cent. silver have been used for statuettes, with 5 per cent. for dessert spoons, fruit knives and watch springs, with 3 per cent. silver and 2 per cent. copper for balance beams, with 5 to 9 per cent. silver and 1 per cent. copper for cast dental plates. Where cost is a secondary consideration, and fine grain, fine color and unalterability are of first concern, the silver alloys are evidently still of some economic importance. The atomic weight of silver (108) is exactly four times that of aluminum (27), and their specific gravities are in the same ratio, and it is probable that this has some connec- tion with the characteristic improvement in color, grain and resistance to corrosion which these alloys show. Alloys with Nickel. As far as the writer can find out, alloys of aluminum with nickel alone have not been found advantageous. Lejeal prepared an alloy with 4.5 per cent. nickel, which had a coarsely crystalline fracture, rolled and worked well, but had poor mechanical properties. The commer- cial alloys which go under the name of nickel-aluminum alloy are in reality ternary alloys of aluminum with nickel and copper. The alloys made for rolling contain 2 to 5 per cent. of nickel and copper together, the larger part being usually copper. The plates of the yacht “ De- fender ” were made of this alloy. They were very satis- factory mechanically, showing an average elastic limit of 30,000 pounds per square inch, ultimate strength 40,000 pounds, with 10 per cent. elongation in 2 inches and 15 per cent. reduction of area. The specific gravity was 2.75. The plates were unfortunately fastened in place by steel rivets and were not insulated from the Tobin bronze sheathing below the water line, with the consequence that the aluminum plates were badly corroded in two years’ time. What are called nickel-aluminum casting alloys con- tain 7 to 10 per cent. of nickel and copper together, have a specific gravity of 2.80 to 2.85, contract 3-16 inch in set- ting, and have, in castings, an elastic limit of 8500 to 12,- 000 pounds, ultimate strength of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds, with reduction of area of 6 to 8 per cent. A sample of this alloy tested by the Bethlehem Steel Company con- tained 344 per cent. of copper, no nickel, and had a ten- sile strength in casting of 15,000 pounds with 1 per cent. extension. This test shows that buyers of commercial alloys should require a guarantee as to composition, as vell as mechanical properties. The alloying of pure nickel with aluminum is not an easy matter, and is best accomplished by adding nickel oxide to the bath in which aluminum is being manu- factured or by reducing nickel oxide by an excess of alu- minum itself, and thus obtaining a rich alloy of the two metals, from which the alloys with lower proportions of nickel can be manufactured. Alloys with Tungsten. The precise effects of tungsten alone have not been very satisfactorily determined, since it is used in small amounts in conjunction with other hardeners of alu- minum, such as with copper and iron, or copper and manganese, &c. Le Verrier gives the properties of the - alloy with 7.5 per cent. of tungsten as being: Tensile strength. Eloggation. (Pounds per squareinch.) (Per cent.) SE bs cite a Stk tee ee oak A 22,000 1.5 6 ae eee 35,000 4.0 eee 25,000 10.0 Such an alloy would be difficult to make, expensive and not worth, mechanically, its increased cost. Mannesmann, in making aluminum tubes, found that a fraction of 1 per cent. of tungsten made the metal stronger and increased its resistance to corrosion. Under August 13, 1%) the trade name of wolfram aluminum, aluminum loy with a small amount of tungsten has been us extensively in military experiments, the metal rolli) drawing and spinning well without tearing or smeari the tools. These alloys were made by adding tungstate of so or tungstic oxide to the reducing bath in the manuf: ture of aluminum. At present metallic tungsten in po der, made by the Goldschmidt process, is available { alloying, and the alloys can be made directly. In t) Way several special alloys have been manufactured a) have attained to somewhat extensive use in Europe. Wolframium contains, according to an analysis Minet, 98.04 per cent. aluminum, 0.375 copper, 0.105 ti 1.442 antimony and only 0.038 tungsten. It is therefo) principally an antimony alloy, the antimony giving good casting qualities, while the copper gives strengt! and the tin fusibility. It is difficult to see that any of its qualities could be influenced by so small a content of tungsten. The inventors (Reinhard and Roman) stat: in a very general way that manganese or nickel may r« place more or less of the copper, tin or antimony. Its color is like silver, it polishes finely, its resistance to cor rosion is said to equal that of pure. aluminum, it casts well in sand or chills, and rolls, draws and works wel! generally. Its mechanical properties are stated to be: Tensile strength. Elongation (Pounds per squareinch.) (Per cent.) Peed. cnlebs. iid ostsis Penns 52,000 2.14 DRE Gs haiku 88,000 15.24 As this is a patented alloy the above claims of the iu- ventors may be taken cum grano salis. Partinium, the invention of G. H. Partin of Paris, contains 96 per cent. aluminum, 2.4 antimony, 0.8 tung sten, 0.64 copper, 0.16 tin. It is therefore much more of a tungsten alloy than the so-called wolframium. The inventor states, however, that the tungsten and an timony may be replaced in the alloy by magnesium, which would be an entire transposition of the composition of the alloy. Quite an extensive and noteworthy display of this alloy was made at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and it is quite possible that it is still in extensive use in France, particularly in the manufacture of automobile equipment. Alloys with Copper. Copper is one of the most frequenty used hardening agents for aluminum, being often used alone and often associated with zinc, nickel and other metals. Captain Julien, making experiments for materials suitable for air ships at the Park of Meudon, near Paris, obtained the following tests on sheet 1 mm. thick, hard rolled: Tensile strength Per cent. Specific (Pounds per of copper. gravity. square inch.) 0 2.67 26,500 2 2.71 43,500 4 2.77 44,000 6 2.82 55,000 8 2.84 56,000 In castings these copper alloys are only slightly stronger than pure aluminum, because of the segregation of the alloy, which takes place during slow cooling. is only in chill castings that satisfactory results can be obtained. Slabs and bars for rolling or drawing shou!d be cast in chill molds. German silver contains approximately 1 part zip 1 part nickel and 3 parts of copper. Two to 3 per cel of German silver alloyed with aluminum gives an alk of approximately ™% per cent. each of nickel and Zi! and 1 to 2 per cent. copper. Such an alloy gives tensile strength in castings of 22.000 pounds and in har! rolled sheet of over 40,000 pounds, with 3 to 5 per cer elongation. This alloy, first described by the writer, very elastic and of a fine white color, and is easily ma‘ by using commercial German silver, which contains t) copper, zinc and nickel already perfectly alloyed wit) each other. 4 Alloys with Magnesium. The following tests are furnished by the Magnaliw) Gesellschaft of Berlin, as representing the properties these alloys: oft te = tet Ot @e Mei - y= — -«,. te uj ol Angrst 18. 1908 Tensile strength. (Pounds per square inch.) Elongation. Per cent. magnesium in alloy. (Percentage. ) Two per cent.: CE Myo oda ewne ts wes 17,900 3.0 Se IS ot wisn wee eb Wak ee 28,600 2.0 Castings, water chilled ..... 40,000 1.0 Annealed sheet........... . 25,600 18.0 Hard sheet...... 41,300 a3 Four per cent.. ee ee tS icuick 2 ede e'es 28,600 2.0 BMMORTOE ONES... cc cccvess 28,700 8.0 DN GS bic anny 6 ule ee wore 44,900 2.1 Siz per cent.: Castings, water chilled...... 57,600 1.0 MITE, WOES ss oe Kee ce eines 28,100 17.0 Ms. bo dawnee eh nae 44,100 1.0 Right per cent.: Castings, water chilled...... 54,900 1.6 Ten per cent.: Ce Be Ms 6a coc dawe reece 21,400 2.4 ee: SU SEs occas cee ccna 33,600 3.4 Castings, water chilied...... 61,100 4.2 These alloys have been patented by L. Mach. ‘They cost considerably more than pure aluminum, because of the market price of magnesium being in Germany $1 per pound. The use of these alloys in Europe is re- ported to be already considerable and to be increasing. No data regarding their durability is yet at hand. Alloys with Zinc. Zine is the cheapest and at the same time one of the most efficient of the metals which improve the mechan- ical properties of aluminum. Proportions up to 33 per cent. are used: the alloys are malleable up to 15 per cent. and above that are still useful for making castings. Only the purest aluminum should be used, to get the best alloys. Casting in chills gives much better results than casting in sand; in the latter case the slow cooling seems to cause a separation. The alloys are made by melting first all the aluminum to be used in a clean graphite crucible, bringing it a little above the melting point so that as the zinc is added, in small pieces, it does not chill the aluminum, but is all absorbed directly as it is added. The melting point de- creases as zine is added, so that if the zinc is added slowly the alloy remains always melted. A wrought iron rod can be used as a stirrer, if the heat does not at any time go above low redness. The metal should be poured as cold as is practicable; when much hotter than its melting point it is not so thinly fluid as when some- what cooler. The crucible should be kept covered while melting the aluminum, and no charcoal or flux put into the crucible, except possibly a little salt. The alloy with 15 per cent. zinc can be rolled and drawn. In chill castings it has an elastic limit of 16,000 pounds per square inch, a tensile strength of 22,330 pounds, an elongation of 6 per cent. in 2 inches and re- duction of area of 10% per cent. The alloy with 25 per cent. zinc has a tensile strength of 22.000 pounds, extension 1 per cent. and reduction of area 3 per cent., when cast in sand. When cast in chill molds its tensile strength is 35,000 to 45,000 pounds, extension 1 per cent., with a close fracture like high carbon steel. Its specific gravity is 3.4, which shows a contraction of 14 per cent. in the bulk of the constitu- ents while alloying, and since one part of zine has only one-eighth the volume of three parts of aluminum, the remarkable conclusion follows that the aluminum takes up one-third of its weight of zinc and actually decreases in volume some 2 per cent. in doing it. This probably accounts for the close grain and good working qualities of this alloy. It is nenmagnetic, has a fine color, takes a high polish, and bids fair to be the most generally useful of all the light aluminum alloys. The alloy with 33 per cent. of zinc, sometimes called the Sibley casting alloy because first made in the Sibley Laboratory at Cornell University, is extremely rigid, very slightly elastic, and breaks short like cast iron, with a fine grained fracture. It is not so resistant to shock as the alloy containing less zinc. Its specific gravity is only 3.8 and its volume is only 1.5 per ‘cent. greater than the aluminum from which it is made. Its tensile strength is 24,000 pounds in sand castings and up to 40,000 pounds in chill castings, with no perceptible elongation or contraction of area. It works well, with- out requiring lubrication of the cutting tools. The large E THE IRON AGE. 5 proportion of zinc in it makes it the cheapest of all the light aluminum alloys. Besides these alloys with zinc alone, several casting alloys have been made containing both zine and copper. Considerable amounts of alloys with 5 per cent. copper and 15 per cent. zinc, and as high as 27 per cent. zine and & per cent. copper, have been made and used com- mercially. When cast under pressure they are stronger. A commercial casting alloy being sold at present contains 15 per cent. of zine and 5 per cent. of other hardeners—viz., 2 per cent. tin, 2 per cent. copper and haif of 1 one per cent. each of iron and manganese. It is recommended as making sharp, hard, strong castings. Conclusion. According to the claims made, the magnesium alloys are the best all around of the light aluminum alloys, but they are expensive; the zine alloys are the cheapest to make, and are equal in mechanical properties to very nearly the best alloys made with more expnsive metals, und therefore promise te have, of all the light aluminum alloys, the largest sphere of usefulness. <ninainiataiiceailliianainsindstaitia The Providence Steel Casting Company. The Providence Steel Casting Company of Providence, kh. I., are to erect a steel foundry this season, plans hay- ing been prepared and the building contract being soon to be let. The company will produce steel castings by the Tropenas process, having secured the patent rights for Rhode Island and a portion of Massachusetts. A tract of land has been purchased between Allen avenue and the water front, with a frontage of 157 feet on the street and a depth of 356 feet. The purchase includes to the harbor line, so that by filling where is now shallow water, even at high tide, the land may be extended 800 feet farther, making its depth from Allen avenue nearly 1200 feet. On the property will be erected immediately a foundry building 118 x 150 feet, and an office building, 20 x 32 feet and two stories in hight, the plan being to give over the second story to the laboratory. The foundry building will have a high monitor roof over the main span, which will be 50 feet, and wings, one 25 feet, the other with two spans, 25 ard 18 feet, respectively. The foundry will have every modern convenience for handling raw materials and the finished product of its converters. <A 10-ton electric traveling crane will cover the main floor. An electric elevator will be installed to raise material to the converters. A 250 horse-power Almy water tube boil- er will provide steam at 180 pounds pressure for a high pressure upright compound engine, whose direct connect- ed generator will provide electricity for light and power, for every machine in the foundry will be motor driven, without shafting. Provision will be made for two con- verters, but one only will be installed as a beginning. There will be an air compressor and a high and a low pressure blower. A spur track from the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad will enter the yard and will be extended to the wharf, that it may be utilized for the moving of iron, coke, coal and other materials from ves- sels to the foundry bins adjacent to their point of con- sumption, and in placing heavy castings on the dock. The wharfage is exceptional, with a slip 120 feet wide, a wharf already built, 90 x 150 feet, and room to make it 90 x 250 feet, which will be taken advantage of. The Providence Steel Casting Company is incorporat- ed under the laws of Rhode Island, with a capital stock of $150,000, subscribed for at par. The officers are: President, Darwin Almy, head of the Almy Water Tube Boiler Company; vice-president, F. W. Hartwell; sec- retary, J. C. Hartwell; treasurer, E. M. Shaw, one of the most prominent of the New England steel men. The directors are: Darwin Almy, F. W. Hartwell, E. M. Shaw, Walter S. Almy and Charles H. Almy. It is confidently expected that the city of Providence alone will keep busy the foundry as planned, and that a larger plant will be required before the business has been in operation a great while. The Tropenas process is now in successful use in a number of American plants, including the Navy Yard at Washington, where it is stated the percentage of loss in casting shells has been exceedingly small under this process. The Newport News Shipbuilding Company is about to install a similar plant. ene > a i | kh etree Bien celia a 2 il a ee a a geome diame i tg pe gine it a Selamat an Potente tener a : - eee tare = Sate a aguas a8 at ee rn ne ee TS trom pce te ewe OE eee eae eter oye * a ae : | 1m Aue eh oe ee ' \ f : 6 THE IRON AGE. The Lindemann & Hoverson New Factory. The A. J. Lindemann & Hoverson Company have com- pleted the greater part of their new works, which they have for some time had under erection in the southern section of the city of Milwaukee, Wis. The company are manufacturers of gasoline and oil stoves, steel ranges, portable ovens, stove pipe, elbows, roasting pans and other sheet metal goods. They had for a long time been conducting their manufacturing operations in the heart of the business section of the city, and like other enter- terprising manufacturers, found that the growth of their business called for much more extensive quarters and for improved facilities of every kind. About three years ago they purchased a tract of land along the line of the Chi- cago & Northwestern Railway Company, comprising 6 acres, upon which they decided to build a completely new plant, which they determined would be as perfect in every respect as it would be possible to make it. They 6. & N. W. R.R- CNGINE | BOILER August 13, 190: embody in their design and construction such feature as would make the works a model of their kind. Th: buildings are therefore of a most substantial characte: The foundry buildings have heavy brick walls and ste« truss roofs. The main factory building and the japan ning building are constructed with heavy brick walls steel columns and girders, and have cement floors laid on expanded metal in every story, while the windows ar: all fitted with wire glass. Even the stairways are fire proof. The pattern storage building, which is absolutely fire proof, is built of brick with a cement floor and a roof composed of expanded metal and cement, while the elec. tric lights are operated by an automatic switch, which is opened or closed by the movement of the door. The pat- tern shop and carpentry building, which is a frame struc- ture, is fitted with a cement floor, and also has a ceiling composed of expanded metal and cement, thus reducing danger of fire. Cement has been used most lavishly for construction purposes. The buildings are all insured in the New England Manufacturers’ Mutual Fire Associa- tion, and the entire system of fire protection has been les | SAND & COKE SHED scene Me a SHIPPING SHEDS || Room | ROOM / neseRvomR 10x01 | 2’x 67 i \ + 3 JAPAN BLD. I sesece Gane. | 7 51x 70 \ CAPAGTY OVERHEAD BRIDGE \ j : — ~~ a 79’ MAIN BUILDING yx 13\K 108 No, 2 FOUNDRY 116 x 402° PATTERN SHOP oO 5 CUPOLA ROOM No. 1 FOUNDRY 72°x 402” PATTERN STORE HOUSE 30’x 72 Tug laon Acs Fig. 1.—Ground Plan. THE LINDEMANN & HOVERSON NEW FACTORY. especially need a foundry for the purpose of producing their own castings, and for this reason pushed the work of erecting a foundry as the first step. It was therefore built and put in operation about two years ago. After it was completed they undertook the erection of the other buildings and finished them as rapidly as the scarcity of materials would permit, and were enabled to move in last September. The plan contemplated greater molding facilities, however, and a second foundry is now in process of construction. When the new foundry is com- pleted the works of the company will be precisely as in- dicated on the accompanying ground plan. The plant comprises a main building, 79 x 259 feet; a power build- ing, 67 x 72 feet; a japanning building, 51 x 70 feet; the No. 1 foundry, 72 x 402 feet; the No. 2 foundry, 116 x 402 feet; a pattern storage building, 30 x 72 feet; a pat- tern making and carpentry building, 33 x 108 feet; sand and coke shed and storage building for other materials, 26 x 90 feet. These buildings occupy only a portion of the ground owned by the company, ample room being provided for any enlargement which may be necessitated by the growth of the business. In the construction of this plant it was the purpose of President A. J. Lindemann to secure buildings which would be as nearly fire proof as possible and which would arranged under the regulations of this association. A sprinkler system is installed on the top floor of the main building, which is the only part of the building in which such protection seemed to be desirable. A large reservoir is located on the grounds with a capacity of 125,000 gal- lons, from which a supply of water can be obtained for immediate use in case of necessity. In the engine room a Jarge fire pump has been installed, manufactured by Fairbanks, Morse & Co., Chicago, for the purpose of pumping water from the reservoir to any part of the premises. The topography of the ground on which this factory is located presented a favorable opportunity for such an arrangement of the buildings as would avoid the use of hoists in taking material to the charging floor of the foundry, and also would allow shipments to be made from the second floor of the main building and the japanning building. The ground is sloping, there being a difference in elevation of 12% feet from the ground floor of the different buildings to the level upon which the railroad track runs. Materials for foundry use are thus stored on elevated ground, from which they are taken by means of a short bridge directly to the charging platform. For the purpose of enabling materials to be teamed through the yard with the least difficulty the driveways have beep -—- 2A mwa St A DD ws August 13, 1903 paved with cement, which thus avoids all mud in winter aud dust in summer. The main building is four stories in hight. The front portion of the ground floor is used for office purposes, the space thus allotted being divided into several rooms, which are well furnished and have cement floors. Here are also located a laboratory, a well equipped room for hospital purposes, a drafting room and the usual lava- tory, toilet rooms, &c. In the rear of the offices, but sep- arated from them by a wide passageway, is the cleaning room for cleaning castings, which are brought here di- rectly from the foundry. The tumbling barrels are of the most appreved pattern, the dust being drawn from them by exhausters and deposited outside the building. A heavy press room is located in the rear, in which all shearing and pressing of sheet metal is done on heavy machines. ‘hese machines press sheet metal into shapes THE IRON AGE. floor is fitted with a very fine equipment for making parts of gasoline and oil stoves. Automatic screw machines, nut tapping machines, lathes, drills and oth