The Iron Age 1906-08-23: Vol 78 Iss 8

2 Ee % at CA ce a THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, August 23, 1906. A New Double-Stroke Open-Die Header. A new development in the line of cold headers, known as a double-stroke, open-die machine, is illustrated here- with. The earliest rivet machines were of single-stroke, solid-die type, in which the cut wire is forced into a die the required depth against an adjustable stop pin, and the amount of wire left extending beyond the face of the die is upset, to form a head, by one stroke of a punch, after which the finished rivet is ejected by the stop pin, technically termed a knock-out pin. About two and a half diameters of the wire is all that can be compressed into a head by a single stroke, but this amount of ma- the next wire is fed in the finished rivet is freely ejected. Thus work up to any reasonable length may be headed. Owing to the perfection required on some classes of work, and the necessity of making heads with more metal than can be upset at one stroke, double-stroke machines lave been developed, that is, machines having two punches, which act alternately on the rivet, striking two blows on each head. The first of these punches is used for gather- ing, coning or centering the end of the wire, so that the second punch may spread the metal uniformly in all diree- tions, forming a finished head exact!y central with the body of the blank. There are both double-stroke, solid- die and double stroke, open-die headers, or rivet ma- Fig. 1—The New Double-Stroke, Open-Die Rivet Heading Machine, Built by the E. J. Manville Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn terial is sufficient for most common rivets, and such screw blanks as wood screws, which are subsequently shaved. Another difficulty arises with long screws or rivets, since ten diameters of steel or iron wire is about the greatest length that can be driven out of a solid die after being headed, as the act of heading upsets and swells the wire through its entire length. For this work another class of machines has been used for many years almost exclusively in the manufacture of wood screw blanks, known as single-stroke, open-die rivet machines. They have dies made in halves, each being as long as the blank required and having a semicircular groove, so that when held tightly together the two form, practically, a solid die. These dies are arranged to move sideways a short dis- tance, so that their groove is in line with the incoming wire, which enters between them from the rear, and advances a distance equal to their length, plus the amount of material required to form the head. Then the ules are again movéd sideways, a distance greater than the wire diameter, thus cutting off one blank. They are then powerfully clamped together just as the heading punch advances to compress the protruding end of wire into a head. As this punch recedes, the dies again come into line’with the wire and are slightly opened, so that whei chines, and for certain special work, machines of the same class are made, that may strike three, or even more blows, with as many different punches, on each piece of work before it is ejected. The following describes, briefly, a new double-stroke, open-die header recently brought out by the E. J. Man- ville Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn., which has many improved features. A double-stroke machine is almost indispensable where exactness of the product is essential, and a first class machine must have great power and rigidity to re- sist, not only the longitudinal stress of the heading, but the lateral stress, exerted by the powerful toggle mechan- ism or its equivalent, which holds the dies together when the wire tends to swell during the heading operation. Then there must be an accurate wire feed so that there may be no variation in the length of the blank, lest it mani- fest itself in irregularity of the heads. Again, all parts of the machine must be readily accessible and adjust- ments convenient, and it is claimed that the machine here suown possesses all of these characteristics. In point of accessibility it is to be noticed, from Figs. 1 and 2, that all of the operating parts, except the flywheel, are on the same side of the machine, which leaves one side clear for the operator to inspect and adjust the vari- 468 ous tools, and, owing to an ingenious arrangement of the die-holding mechanism, to easily and quickly change the dies without having to remove a heavy die block, as is necessary in other open-die headers. The frame of this machine is of heavy section, well tied, to resist both the heading and gripping strain, and attention is particularly called to the mass of metal which, owing to the improved method of holding the dies, can be introduced below them. A heavy tie also crosses near the center of the bed below the gate. 35, the flVYwheel A is held on the outer end of the crucible steel crankshaft B, between the fric- Referring to Fig. tion collars C and C, which are forced together by a wedge key D, driven through a mortise in the shaft. This combi- nation, while holding the wheel rigid enough to transmit sufficient power for the regular work, will, in case of a sud- den setting of the machine, allow the flywheel to turn between the clamping plates, and thus relieve the shock which would otherwise tend to break the machine. This construction facilitates the ready removal of the wheel when necessary. this also The bearings of shaft are bushings, removable Opposite View of the Manville Double Stroke, Open sight feed vilers, The crank end bronze lined from the frame, and are lubricated by as is also the large eccentric crank pin FE, of the pitman F is of large bore, and is where it receives the heading pressure, and the opposite end has a bearing in a substantial joint block, G, pocketed in the gate between adjusting wedges, H and I. The gate carries on its forward end an adjustable head, J, which may be moved sideways, and working vertically in this head and properly gibbed is a steel punch holder slide, Kh, which is raised and lowered to bring the two punches L and L alternately in line with the wire while heading the rivet. Both positions of this slide are determined by adjustable and N, while resting against these screws the slide is automatically locked to stop screws, M and the gate by the sliding wedge bolt O, as shown in the longitudinal sectional detail, thus relieving the shifting cam P (plan view) and intermediate mechanism of such strain as might otherwise be caused by the tendency of the punches to dodge or be forced out of line by the act of heading. The two punches L and L are carried by a tool steel holder, R, which is pivoted in the slide K direct- ly behind the second or lower punch and bolted to it. By this combination the punches may be conveniently adjust- ed the desired amount in every direction. The dies S and filling blocks T (cross sectional detail), of standard rectangular type and of lengths to suit the THE IRON AGE August 23, 1906 rivet to be made, are laid side by side in a pocket in the end of the frame and rest on a hardened When they are gripped for heading, the wedge block U receives the pressure, which may be modified by adjusting the wedge by the screw V, the frame. steel plate. easily accessible at the end of jack of the dies, to take the severe strain of heading, is a thick, hardened tool steel plate, W (longi- tudinal sectional detail), through a bushing in which the wire is fed and cut off. This plate is adjustable and removable to accommodate various length of dies, and is a stationary hardened tool steel plate, X, securely attached to the bed Y. Over and plates is arranged to slide longitudinally a heavy plate, Z, which may be readily pushed toward the gate a distance equal to the length of the dies, thereby uncovering them and admitting of their ready removal or inspection. backed up by these dies As this is a double-stroke machine, a secondary shaft, d, is located in suitable bearings below the frame and driven by gearing, so that it rotates once to two revolu- tions of the driving or crank shaft, and from it, by suit- uble cams, are operated the bell crank rocker shaft b, which actuates the punch slide K, the wire stop ec and Die Header. the: gripping toggles d. The pinion e, which drives the cam shaft, is placed on one end of the crank shaft B, and to this pinion is secured a slotted face plate, f, in which is an adjustable crank pin, g, for oscillating the pawl, carried by the arm h, through the long link or con nection #7. Naturally this construction compels the paw! j to pass twice in each direction over its are of motion during the making of each rivet, but by an ingenious mechanism, actuated by the grip slide k, the pawl, which turns the feed ratchet / and the lower feed roll shaft m, is only allowed to engage in the ratchet teeth during one of its forward half a revolution of the crank shaft B. Thus the feeding of the wire in this ma- chine is accomplished in exactly one-quarter of a revolu- tion of the cam shaft directly from a crank, instead of from levers and cams as has heretofore been necessary. This makes a very simple and effective combination, and ndmits of the introduction of another novel feature in connection with the starting and stopping of the wire feed while the machine is in motion. The hand lever n, within easy reach of the operator, so acts on the feed pawl that it may be raised or dropped by merely moving the lever sideways a short distance, and incidentally it is so arranged that the operator can- not throw the feed pawl out or in, except at the proper instant, since at all other times during the revolution of feed movements, or 6 August 23, 1906 the machine this lever is automatically locked in posi- tion. This is a great convenience and prevents the acci- dental feeding of short blanks. The gripping mechanism of this machine consists of a very powerful combination of cam actuated double tog- gles, which are opened and closed by the bell crank lever p acting through the longitudinal slide &. The four large bolts, which hold the cut-off box to the side of the ma- chine bed, take the strain of the grip when under pres sure, and are strong in excess of all demands put upon them. The moving ends of the toggles d act on the two eylindrical pistons s and s, which move transversely through the frame, and press against the dies to hold them rigid!y throughout their length. The wire stop consists of a swinging forged steel arm, e, bearing a segment of gear teeth on its hub, which en END ELEVATION Fig. 3.—Plan, Elevation and ®@etails of gage with a vertical rack bar, t, this bar being moved at the proper time by an adjustable cam on the shaft a, through the steel lever uw (side elevation), fulcrumed in the frame. Means are provided at the lower end of the rack bar for readily and accurately adjusting the angular position of the stop. It will be noticed that this stop is secured to a substantial shaft, which passes through the end of the frame. It runs in bronze bearings at both ends, the back one being a hollow sleeve threaded on the out- side and tapped into the frame, so that by rotating it the stop shaft is moved endwise. For convenience in operat- ing this stop while the machine is in motion spiral teeth are cut on the outside of this threaded bushing v, which are engaged by a worm, ic, on the lower end of a ver- tical shaft, to the upper end of which is attached a hand wheel, z, within easy reach of the operator. THE IRON AGE 469 The roll feed is of substantial form, and the shafts are of large diameter and revolve in bronze lined bear- ings, well arranged for lubrication and for renewal when necessary All the necessary wrenches are placed con- veniently in a bracket attached to the feed frame, and among them is included a hand lever for the purpose of turning the feed roll when supplying or removing the wire. The friction or pressure of the grooved feed rolls on the wire is regulated by a hand wheel on top of the feed frame, as where a wire stop is used to limit the length of wire the feeding rolls are given a slight excess of motion, so that they may slip a little on the wire after its end touches the stop. Where the wire must be lubricated, as is frequently the case, the lubricant may he placed in the cup shaped the Manville Double Stroke, Open Die Header receptacle, shown below the lower feed roll, and thus may be raised to a position which admits of the edge of the roll dipping into the lubricant and carrying it to the wire, all excess dripping back into the cup. This makes a much neater arrangement than following the common practice of applying lubricant to the coil of wire with a brush, the result of which is that much of the lubricant finds its way to the floor ——__—. 6 The competition of Russia for outside rail business is signalized by the fact that La Société la Providence Russe has submitted the lowest bid for 19,429 tons of rails to the Roumanian State Railway authorities at prices ranging from 154 fr. to 156 fr. per ton delivered at Galatz. The same concern is reported to have secured an order for a quantity of steel beams for Constantinopie. 470 THE IRON AGE Foundry Costs. An Investigation by the Worcester Polytechnic. A detailed analysis of the costs of an iron foundry has been made at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Wor- cester, Mass., in connection with the course in mechanical engineering, and the important conclusion has been reached that the common practice of apportioning the burden cost per pound of castings produced leads the foundryman into two often unrealized errors, one that the cost of heavy castings is made too high, the other that the cost of light castings is made too low. The cost curves shown in the illustration, Fig. 1, one procured when ap- portioning burden per pound of proauct, the other pro- cured when apportioning burden per molder’s day, that is, on the basis of wages paid, show clearly the difference ——— BURDEN PER/ MAN COST PER POUND —— BURDEN PER POUND 10 862000) 800 ss 400—siB00s—i«isi—(iaC—(‘iéHOD August 23, 1906 Prof. W. W. Bird, head of the department of mechanical engineering, who gave the matter careful personal super- vision, so that the figures may be relied upon as correct throughout. The foundry at the institute was not taken for the study, because the presence of students during their foundry practice must naturally upset costs as con- sidered from a commercial standpoint. Instead, the busi- ness of a foundry of moderate size was analyzed in its costs, the books of the company being available for the purpose, In the first place, as preliminary to plotting the cost curves, the costs were analyzed in great detail, with results as shown in the accompanying table, Fig. 2. In explanation of these figures it should be stated that the item of cost of iron includes every expense up to delivery on the foundry premises; the cost of melting everything to the delivery of the metal to the molders; and cleaning everything from the rough casting to the finished product, ready for shipment. Consequently the item of teaming 1000 «1100 1200 . 1800 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 190 2000 POUNDS PER DAY PER MOULDER THE IRON AGE Fig. 1.—Foundry Cost Curves Per Pound of Product and Per Molder’s Day. between the two methods of finding costs and the prac- tical results of each. Most iron foundries have a wide variety of work. Some of it is heavy, and the molder produces a large weight of castings a day. Some of it is light and intricate and the weight produced per day is correspondingly small. The usual practice in finding foundry costs is to lump all castings, large and small, into a grand total, and, dividing the total burden by the number of pounds produced in a year, or other given period, find the burden cost per pound. The Polytechnic investigation would indicate that much more exact costs can be procured by figuring in the burden on the basis of wages paid to molders. The total number of full days worked by all molders is secured by totaling the entire number of hours included in the molders’ pay- roll and dividing the total by the foundry day of so many hours. The result is the total number of full days worked by all the men employed in molding. Dividing the total buréen by the number of molders’ days and the burden per day’s pay is obtained ; that is, the burden per molder’s diay. The actual work of making the analysis was done by the members of last year’s senier class, under the direction of does not include the hauling of iron to the works. Prob- ably many foundrymen who have never attempted so close an examination of costs will be surprised at the relative percentages of some of the items, as, for example, that of foundry supplies. In getting at the figures from which the curves were plotted the “cost per pound” and the “ cost per molder ” columns for 1905 were taken. Everything was considered as burden cost with the exception of the items of iron, melting and molding (labor). Cores were included in burden ; consequently in figuring costs from such a curve it would be necessary in practice to make corrections for cores, basing the changes upon the nature of the work; as, for instance, if cores of unusual nature were to be em- ployed in the molds, the cost should be increased above the amount indicated in the curve, which is about 30 cents a day per molder. Or, if there were no corework, the cost should be reduced by that amount. But the necessity for such correction does not affect the relations between the two curves. If the productive labor of the coremakers was included with that of molders the curves would probably not vary relatively from those shown. For the sake of convenience the wage per molder’s day te Rie ee ene en ee Sn ot ae ei August 23, 1906 was arbitrarily fixed at $3, and the cost of iron at 1 cent a pound, melted, which thus includes both the items of cost of the iron itself and its melting. Consequently costs are reduced to three elements: Burden, molders’ wages and melted iron. It makes no difference in using the burden item of the table that the cost of iron and wages are arbitrarily fixed. Percentages do not enter into the calculation, and correction must be made in any case from these two items if the curve were to be adapted for use with the cost of labor and iron in varying figures. The formula employed provides for variations in cost of labor and melted iron. Having ascertained the burden per pound of castings produced and the burden per molder’s day, as already ex- plained, equations were formulated from which the curves were plotted. Let W represent weight of castings pro- duced by a molder per day; C the cost per pound of iron melted; M the wage per day of the molder, and B the burden per day of a molder, and the following equation will permit the curve to be plotted from the books of any foundry, basing burden on molders’ wages and not on volume of product in pounds: (WxC)+M+B Ww In securing the curve here shown, C is made to equal 1 p= IRON TIN f <7) FLASKS CoRES EANING | 25/3 uh THE IRON AGE 471 that the two methods agree at only one weight of castings produced by a molder in a day, at 8360 pounds. When the weight is greater than that figure the “ burden per pound ” curve runs high; at smaller weights, which means more costly castings per pound, the “ burden per pound” curve runs low. For example, in figuring on some heavy work, which the molder can do at the rate of 1500 pounds a day, it means a good deal whether the foundry figures on a cost of 1.4 cents or 1.9 cents. Half a cent a pound means a good deal in landing a contract. On the other hand, in figuring small work, or work so intricate that the molder can produce but a small weight of castings per day, the foundryman may lose money if he figures on the “ per pound ” basis. At 200 pounds the difference in cost between this method and the “ burden per man” method is as 3.2 cents and 3.8 cents; at 100 Ibs. as 4.5 and 6.6 cents; and at 50 Ibs. as 7.5 and 11.4 cents. Such, at any rate, is a natural conclusion if the accuracy of the “burden per man” method is accepted, and, as already stated, cost systems usually take wages as the basis and not volume of product. Doubtless many foundries which reckon costs on the burden per pound basis are making money, but it is argued that their profits are obtained from their heavy work, while light castings are bearing little part of the ToTaL Cos7 | COST PER LB. | CosT PER CENT\COST PER out DEF 1904 (904 19655.86|25626./7| 0007se | o.00tye| save | svar | 256 | 3 3765.99 4/43.36| 000/45 | ooo | 51 | ese | omer | onfe 182/039 20/55 16| 0.00706 | .0osce | ara/_| a7-eo_| 2.992 Gul 1962.43] 2338.57] 000676 | 0.00077 | a0 | 9.13 | 0.258 /272¥7| _1#79.2/| 0.00047 | acoovg | ar _| _/9# | are7 2976.58] _2595.6/| 0.0009 | oveoca | 24 | 40 | 2.3m Oerice | 5977.90| «520.39| Jo0ug | ove | 4s) | eee | ose 0.433 Power | 7ewes| 75/./| 300027 | ooceas| so? | sos | 2.09 tn 2393 vr Baancel 2.936.9/| 3306.76| 00/3 | o00r0t| mse | «va _| see | v.s¢7_ Toracs 1905 — 2.43 0 6.22 0./7F 0.306 U. BHO 4.3 9.436 0.09) 0.277 Fig. 2.—Analysis of Foundry Costs. cent and M $3. Substituting different weights as repre- senting a day’s work of a molder and the curve is ob- tained. To secure the curve based on burden per pound of product, W represents weight of castings; C the cost per pound of the iron; M the cost per day of molder, and B’ the burden per pound of iron. The equation follows: y= (WxC)+(W x B’)+M 6 W The very marked difference between results obtained by figuring costs by the two methods is obvious from an inspection of the curve. As no objection is offered in the various systems of reckoning costs of manufacturing to apportioning burden on the basis of wages (in fact, it is the commonly accepted method) it is fair to presume that the curve of “ burden per man” is a correct one. On the other hand, it is an universally accepted truth that where two products of the same manufacturing establishment vary in character it is not an accurate method to lump the two and strike an average based on any one factor. In such instances the best method, and, consequently, the most accurate, is to separate the departments in determin- ing the apportionment of burden. This is true of the problem worked out in the two curves. It will be noticed shop burden. The low prices at which many machine shops are getting their light castings is due to the fact that foundries are not working on the per molder day basis. Nernst electric lamps have been selected for the New York terminal of the New York, Pennsylvania & Long Island Railroad Company. Not only is the vast main building to be lighted, with its waiting rooms, din- ing rooms, arcades with shops, offices for railroad offi- cials, baggage rooms, driveways, a concourse, train plat- forms, &¢c., but there are also to be lighted several miles of tunnels and approaches, and large terminal yards. Every variety of lighting service is called for, and the predetermination of the energy required was the first problem to settle. On account of the economy of the Nernst lamp, the plant required will be remarkably small, about 20,000 glower units being specified. P. H. Jackson & Co., manufacturers of wrought iron and steel work for buildings, San Francisco, Cal., are now located in their new works, 225 to 229 First street, be- tween Howard and Folsom streets, directly opposite their former place of business, and with more than double the facilities then possessed. 472 THE {RON AGE A Large New Haven Horizontal Boring Mill. The accompanying engraving shows a new horizontal boring mill built by the New Haven Mfg. Company, New Haven, Conn. It has a swing of 84 in: over the table and a bed 16 ft. long, allowing a greatest distance between centers of 9 ft. Beds of greater length up to 36 ft. can be furnished. The driving head is double back-geared and is driven from a four-step cone pulley, with largest and smallest diameters of 191%, and 10% in., respectively, giving a range of 12 speeds from 1.6 to 100 rey. per min. of the bar. The table for holding the work is very heavy and is 48 in. long by 63 in. wide. It has a cross travel of 52 in., hand operated. The head spindle is hammered crucible steel and is driven by powerful wide-faced planed bevel gears. The diameter of the head spindle is 54 in. and that of the tail spindle 4 in. Each is bored to receive a No. 6 Morse taper center. Both heads are coun- terbalanced and may be adjusted by hand or raised and lowered ty power. The tail upright is traveled on the bed by hand through a crank and gears, and a pinion meshing with a rack on the bed. A special feature of the tailstock is shown in the de- tail at the upper right hand corner of the illustration. The New 84-In. Horizontal Boring Mill Built by By loosening the lower bolts, the spindle can be swung up out of line with the boring bar, thus allowing the bar to ve removed without losing the adjustment of the centers or changing the position of the table. The range of screw- cutting capacity is one to twelve threads per in., and the feeds are from 0.01 to \& in. per rev. With the machine are furnished a friction countershaft having two 20-in. pulleys, intended to run at 110 rev. per min., and the necessary change gears and wrenches. With a 16-ft. bed the shipping weight of the machine is 30,000 Ib. -——————_o— a —_—_—— An Exposition of Safety Devices. The American Institute of Social Service will hold in New York City, in January next, an exposition of devices for safeguarding the lives and limbs of working men and women, and for preventing accidents under the ordinary conditions of life and labor to which the general public is exposed. This will be the first exposition of the kind in this country. As far back as 1889 there was a German exposition for the prevention of accidents. In 1895 an exposition of this nature was held in Amsterdam, and since then there have been several similar expositions in continental Europe and in Canada. As an outgrowth of these national movements there have been organized sev- eral Museums of Security; one at Vienna in 1890, one at Amsterdam in 1893, one at Munich in 1900, one at Berlin the New Haven Mfg. Company, New Haven, Conn. August 23, 1906 in 1901, and one at Paris in 1905, and Russia has recently established a museum on a large scale in Moscow. It is for the purpose of educating the public to an appreciation of the actual situation and the means of its improvement that the Exposition of Safety Devices is to be held. The interest of manufacturers generally is soli- cited, as well as that of organizations whose special func- tion is to improve the conditions of labor, and a wide- spread response is looked for to this request for repre- sentation in the nature of photographs, descriptive draw- ings, models, and as far as possible, the devices themselves in actual operation. Requests for information regarding space should be made to Dr. William H. Tolman, director, 287 Fourth avenue, New York. ————_+-+o—_____ The Steel Wool Duty. James B. Reynolds, Assistant Secretary of the Treas- ury, has formally directed the collector of customs at New York to file with the United States Circuit Court an appli- cation for a review of the recent decision of the Board of General Appraisers in the steel wool case. Although the present case is the second to be lost by the Govern- ment, the Treasury Department intends to carry the latest test litigation through all of the courts. In view of the fact that of all the tribunals before which the issue has come none have found in favor of the Government’s con- tention for a 45 per cent. duty, importers are annoyed at the continuance of the controversy. As the merchandise has been held to be dutiable under paragraph 135, as steel in all forms and shapes not specially provided for, importers would like to see it admitted on that basis. The Government, however, alleges that with the more complete record to be laid before the Circuit Court there is little doubt the tribunal will reverse its former decision and decide in favor of the 45 per cent. rate. The case will be heard late this fall. a O- The lamentable experience of San Francisco in April has been duplicated at Valparaiso, Chile. On the night of August 16 no less than 82 distinct earthquake shocks devastated that city, which has a population of about 150,000, and has been one of the most enterprising trade centers of South America. As in the case of San Fran- cisco a disastrous conflagration followed the earthquake. doing enormous damage. The loss of life ran into the thousands, while the percentage of damage is estimated at $250,000,000. The earthquake was not confined to Val- paraiso, but a number of towns and villages in the same locality suffered severely, the zone of affected territory reaching to Santiago, the capital city. bide? ns och aah Mat athe OE 35, tye THE IRON AGE 173 2a ceed te nh The Brown Sanitary Closet Shield. Brown, the company, and manufactured by the company. Fig. 1 In the new shop of the Brown Hoisting Machinery shows the complete equipment, consisting of a series of vice-president and general manager of the mae Company at Cleveland, Ohio, a very interesting toilet stalls or compartments, separated by concrete steel par- equipment has been installed. Its novelty lies in the use titions of the Ferroinclave construction, attached to light of a sanitary closet shield patented by Alexander E. angle supports and covered by one concrete steel hood, RR Sts 7 ER RI ts Wm ok , Z ‘ Fig. 1 A Row of the Toilets with Sanitary Shields at the Brown Hoisting Machinery Company's Works, Cleveland. Ohio. also of Ferroinclave construction. The hood runs to an apex at a point about half way between the end parti- tions, where there is connected a ventilating pipe. With the exception of the two ends, the partitions do not ex- tend up to the hood, thus giving sufficient air circulation. As may be seen in the detail Fig. 2, the hood extends out over the doors, The doors are hung from light angles which extend across the partitions. The doors are steel plates rolled to the form of semi-cylindrical shells. They are hung from the top instead of from one side, and are arranged to rotate on rollers about their vertical cylindrical axes. The construction is well brought out in the vertical and ross sections given in Fig. 2. Among the principal advantages of the type of con- struction are economy of space and an easy preservation of sanitary conditions. It is said that practically 3 ft. is saved by this door over that required by the ordinary side-hinged style. The hood and ventilating system take iway all odors, and the concrete walls allow of thorough cleansing by flushing with water. Secondary advantages, m which are, however, of importance, especially in shop toilets, are that the interior is at all times closed to the outside view, making it practicable to erect the closets in places that would ordinarily be too exposed, and that it is plainly apparent when the closet is occupied. <A closet 5 cannot be occupied without the door being out. This q ° fact, together with the lack of light and the partitions, s the means of a great saving in time. in that it elim- inates the usual causes for the men loafing t } a aces ; x m Pipe lines for utilizing the water after it has passed over Niagara Falls are under consideration. If advan- e tage is taken of the great drop in the rapids below the . falls, it has been found that with an intake 500 ft. above the cantilever bridge, a pipe length of 6000 ft. would 4 i give an available head of 51 ft; with 15,000 ft. (2% miles) a head of 80 ft. could be obtained. With a pipe ee iT line 18 ft. in diameter and a flow at the rate of 9 ft. per | second, the loss of head due to friction would be about } 1 ft. per 1000 ft. of nipe, thus reducing the SO ft. to 67. i » Assuming a turbine effiicency at full load of 72 per cent., ¢ i a total of 20,000 bp. might be reasonably expected. This - adeeb 1 would provide about 12,000 kw. at the busbars. Caleu- THE tfON ACE lations on the cost of the project seem to indicate its : fins he sacibility Fig. 2.—Details of the Brown Sanitary Closet Shield. financial feasibility. 474 THE IRON AGE The Wilmarth & Morman Combination Grinder. A grinder which combines means for sharpening drills, milling cutters and reamers has been designed by the Wilmarth & Morman Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., and will be found a particularly useful accessory Fig. 1.—A Combination Drill, Cutter and Reamer Grinder, Built by the Wilmarth & Morman Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. Fig. 3.—Grinding the Sides of Side or Face Mills. in moderate sized shops, where something of its kind is necessary and yet where the equipment of tools is not extensive enough to warrant installing an elaborate or ex- pensive machine. The drill grinding fixture of this ma- chine, shown at the right in Fig. 1, is so constructed that each drill, on account of the pecular relation between the axis on which it oscillates and the angularity of the V- shaped trough in which it is guided, determines its own August 23, 1906 position by its diameter, and therefore it is unnecessary to make a separate adjustment for the diameter of the drill. The larger straight and spiral milling cutters and shell reamers are supported while being ground on the main bar at the left, as shown in Fig. 1, the bar being clamped in a bracket which supports all the cutter and reamer grinder parts. Three slots are provided in Fig. 2.—The Setting for Grinding Bevel or Angle Cutters. Fig. 4. Straight and Taper Reamer Grinding. Fig. 5.—Grinding the Circumferential Teeth of an Ordinary Mill. the base plate of this fixture, so that it can be adjusted to any position necessary to bring the various cutters and reamers in the proper position with respect to the emery wheel. The other illustrations show the cutter and reamer grinding fixture removed from the machine, indicating the different manners of setting for several different kinds of work. The fixture is simple in construction, but ca- ni al Sates an A a Ni ata OER A iin ABOU LE Ae BEB tt August 23, 1906 pable of handling a variety of shapes and sizes, as will be seen. Bevel cutters, as shown in Fig. 2, are supported on the swivel head on the carriage, and this is adjustable to any angle. Cutters up to 6 or 8 in. in diameter may be handled. This same head is utilized for grinding the sides of side or face mills, as shown in Fig. 3. The cutter grinder spindle is hardened and ground and runs in an eccentric sleeve, which is revolved by the handle shown to adjust the emery wheel to the cutter to be ground. This wheel is 2% in. in diameter by 1% in. face. Straight and taper reamers are ground as shown in Fig. 4, the centers being supported on the same swivel head that is used in grinding bevel or angle cutters. Work of this class up to 1% in. in diameter and 8 in. long may be ground. Small milling cutters that have a smaller bore than the diameter of the bar supporting the large milling cutters can be supported on an arbor be- tween the centers which are shown supporting the taper reamers in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the setting for grinding an ordinary milling cutter. The pulley on the drill grind- ing emery wheel spindle is 4% in. in diameter, and the one on the cutter grinder wheel spindle is 1% in. in diam- ter for a 1-in. belt. ————~+-e—___ Piping and Segregation in Steel Ingots. Prof. Henry M. Howe, New York, prepared for the recent London meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute and the American Institute of Mining Engineers an ex- haustive paper on “ Piping and Segregation in Steel In- gots,” which is probably the most thorough going discus- sion of the subject yet undertaken. In the early portion of the paper the author discusses the pipe as chiefly due to what he calls the virtual expansion of the outer walls of the ingot in the early part of the freezing. He finds that the upper and smooth faced part of the pipe prob- ably forms while the interior is still molten, but that the lower steep and crystal faced part probably forms in metal which is already firm. Of the five causes which may co-operate to limit the depth of the pipe he con- siders that three—blow holes, lagging and the progress of freezing from below upward—are usually effective. The pipe may be lessened by casting (1) in wide ingots; (2) in sand molds, especially if these are preheated, which is rarely expedient; (3) at the top instead of at the bot- tom; (4) slowly; (5) with the large end up; (6) by the use of a sinking head or other means of retarding the cooling of the top; (7) by permitting blow holes to form, and (8) by liquid compression. Most of these are con- sidered in some detail, and particular stress is laid on the advantages of casting with the large end up, an arrange- ment by which this can be done being sugggested. Consideration is given at length to the evidence sup- porting the very common belief that slow cooling in- creases segregation, and the author says that segregation is restrained by casting at the top, casting slowly or cast- ing with the large end up; by using a sinking head or other means of retarding the cooling of the top; by liquid compression; by permitting blow holes to form: by cast- ing in narrow ingots, in cold iron molds, as cool as prac- ticable, and in small ingots. The advantages of casting in small ingots are emphasized and the different ways of applying liquid compression to prevent segregatgon are discussed. In Whitworth’s system the vertical mold is strongly hooped and a ram is forced down upon the molten metal. In Illingworth’s system the ingot is cast in a vertical mold, but is split lengthwise. The two halves are separated during the casting, but when the crust is formed they are brought together by a ram. In the Har- met system the ingot is cast in the form of a frustum of a tapered cone and is forced upward by pressure ap- plied at the base. Williams’ system employs the split mold, and*the two sides are pressed together with a liner between. The author concludes that as regards lifting the segregate, Whitworth’s system should be the least effective, S. T. Williams’ the most effective, and the sys- tems of Harmet and Illingworth intermediate in effective- ness. Taking up the relations of maker and buyer, the rea- sons which lead to secrecy in manufacture, and especially THE IRON AGE 475 the imperfect protection which patents can give to many metallurgical inventions, the paper lays stress on inspec- tion at the rolls and shears, and especially on what Pro- fessor Howe believes he is the first to urge strongly, axial drilling of the billets or other products. The differ ent means of restraining piping and segregation are then recapitulated, and the paper ends with an explanation of why it is that, of these various means, only top casting, slow casting and cool casting can well be insisted on in the majority of cases, and why in certain special impor- tant cases the buyer may consider carefully whether he may not reasonably insist that casting shall be done with large end up, with a sinking head or its equivalent, and in ingots not larger than 8 in. square. a Watertight Telephone System for Battleships. To meet the specially severe conditions that obtain on warships a unique telephone system has been designed by the Holtzer-Cabot Electric Company, Boston, Mass.. for the United States Navy, and equipments have been installed on the California, South Dakota, Milwaukee, Indiana and Connecticut. Particular considerations were that the instruments be unaffected by the action of sea air, the movement of the vessel or the concussion of the heavy guns, and the switchboard and exposed stations were to be absolutely watertight. In the watertight stations the operating parts are mounted on a frame plate, removable from its case with- out using tools or disturbing connections. A distinctive feature is the provision of two receivers, independently operable, so that either or both may be used. Raising one to the ear brings the transmitter into talking position and signals the switchboard. When released all parts return to their normal positions, making it impossible to leave the telephone connected to the line. The receivers are of watch case type, double pole with metal cases, the coils being specially treated to make them waterproof. The transmitters are of the solid back type, the chamber being hermetically sealed and nothing used that would be affected by moisture. The inclosing case is composition, polished and oxidized, and fitted with a cover that closes against a rubber gasket. The nonwatertight stations are interchangeable with the watertight ones and differ only in that the parts are mounted en a mahogany base in- stead of in a metallic case. With each station there is furnished a separate water- tight vibrating call bell, having a distinctly special mech- anism, the blow being delivered to the gong through a phosphor bronze diaphragm, which is reinforced so as not to be worn through by use. The parts of the bell are of nonoxidizable metal, except the iron and steel parts, which are copper plated and lacquered to resist corrosion. The operative parts of the switchboard are mounted in a heavy brass case with gasketed cover. The case is divided into two compartments, the upper containing the terminals and the lower the switchboard proper. A dis- tinguishing feature is that connections are not made with cords, specially designed keys being used instead. A supervisory signal is provided with each connecting cir- cuit, the purpose of which is to indicate when the con- versation has been finished. Provision has been made for connecting with shore exchanges, the signaling cur- rent being obtained from a hand power generator. The system will work in connection with either a common bat- tery or magneto exchange. Current for the transmitters is taken directly from a Holtzer-Cabot motor generator, there being no storage batteries. The ringing current is obtained from the ship’s ringing dynamotor or, in case of disability, from an emergency set of dry batteries. The system operates on a three-wire circuit, and five conversations can take place at the same time, or any number of stations can be con- nected and an order transmitted simultaneously to them from any other station. —_————_3--———_—— Returns just published show that 6,595,869 tons of iron ore was raised from the mines in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, in 1905, as compared with 6,347,781 tons in 1904. 476 Portable App ratus fur Ferrofix Brazing. A broken iron casting which it is desired to repair by brazing is quite apt to be of such a size or weight, or so located that it is inconvenient to remove it. For such centingencies the American Ferrofix Brazing Company, 1003 Areade Building. Philadelphia, Pa., now has a por- table heating apparatus, illustrated herewith, which uses oil fuel in connection with patented torches for raising the temperature of the parts to be brazed. The apparatus includes a pressure tank for the oil, having a hand pump for producing the pressure, and lines of flexible- hose connecting with the burners. As many of two or more the burners are used as may be necessary to surround the work to be heated. The burner invented by J. R. Donnelly of Fairfield, Maine, and is operated by heating the kerosene or other fuel oil to a point slightly above the vaporizing point, producing a vapor without de- composing the oil or its carbon contents. This, it is claimed, provides a gas of greater heating quality than if the oil were superheated or raised to a high temperature, and since the oil is not decomposed, the tendency to fill the vaporizing chamber of the torch with a carbon de- posit is avoided. The torch proper consists of a cylindrical, vaporizing coil of varying size, according to its intended use, with a nozzle or needle valve. directing one or more jets of vapor was The Donnelly Portable Oil Torch with Four Burners. axially through the coil, and a ¢ylindrical lining or bush- ing of refractory, nonconducting material, which is slipped into the coil. The bushing serves the double pur- pose of providing a combustion chamber for the gases in which a high temperature can be maintained, and pro- tecting the coil from direct contact with the flame, thereby keeping the temperature of the coil and its contents con- stant and but little above the vaporizing point of the oil. A reducing flame of about 2500 degrees F., free from ear- bon or oxygen, and therefore particularly adapted for brazing is thus obtained. The tendency to oxidize the heated metal is avoided and the moderate temperature of the flame itself precludes the chance of burning the metal. By the use of several burners it is possible to regulate the heating of the several parts of a broken casting. A light and a heavy section can be independently heated so that the former will not be overheated before the latter is sufficiently heated, and both will be brought to the proper temperature at the proper time. The apparatus is simple in operation. A pressure of 40 Ib. is used for start- ing, and during operation it should not be permitted to zo below 30 Ib. In starting the coil is heated by a hand torch, a small quantity of oil being caused to enfer the coil from time to time and the heating continued until the flame issuing from the bushing is bluish white and remains so permanently. If the coil is underheated flashes of oil will occur, and the coil must be retreated, while an evidence of overheating is given by colorless vapor jets leaving the needle hole or the flame striking back. There is little tendency on the part of the burner to clog, but should this occur a cleaning plug in the elbow of the burner may be removed and the nozzle readily THE IRON August 23, 1906 AGE cleaned. <A safety plug provided on the top of the tank contains a celluloid plate, which when subjected to a high degree of heat burns out and releases the air pres- sure in the tank. The portability of this apparatus favors the use of the Ferrofix brazing process in plants having no supply of compressed air, which is necessary with the stationary It also enables the apparatus to be time use of the process. brought to the work to be done, saving in loss of and idleness of machinery or equipment, while new parts are obtained or the old parts taken to a distant brazing plant for repairs. ——4-- a Production of Manganese Ores in 1905. WASHINGTON, D. C., August 21, 1906.—The annual re- port of the United States Geological Survey on the pro- duction of manganese ores in 1905, prepared by John Birkinbine, shows an increase of 31 per cent. over the production of 1904. The total quantity mined in 1905 was 4,118 gross tons, valued at $36,214, or $8.80 per ton, as compared with 3,146 tons, valued at $29,446, or $9.57 per ton in 1904. In addition there was produced 769,256 tons of manganiferous iron ores, valued at $1,554,969, or $2.02 per ton; 81,738 tons of argentiferous manganiferous iron ores, valued at $270,299, or $3.31 per ton, and 90,280 tons of manganiferous zine residuum, valued at $90,289, or $1 per ton. In 1905 only four States mined manganese ores, the output being as follows: Virginia, 3,947 tons; Georgia, 150 tons; Tennessee, 20 tons;, and California, 1 ton. The production of manganese ores has thus far borne a small proportion to the imports. The quantity of man- ganese ore imported in 1905 was 257,033 tons, valued «it $1,952,407, or $7.60 per ton, as compared with 108,51 tons, valued at $901,592, or $8.38 per ton in 1904. The quantity imported in 1905 was the largest recorded, slightly exceeding the previous maximum of 256,252 long tons in the year 1900. Brazil contributed the largest ini- ports in 1905, 114,670 tons; India was second with 101,050 tons, Russia, Cuba, Germany, Japan and the United King- dom following in the order named. Of the manganiferous iron ores produced in 105, Arkansas supplied 38,321 tons, carrying 28 per cent. of manganese and from 10 to 14 per cent. of iron; Colorado furnished 45,857 tons, ranging from 14 to 41 per cent. of manganese, the average being about 19.5 per cent.; and the Lake Superior region produced 720,198 tons, carrying from 1 to 10 per cent. of manganese, some of which was used in tne production of spiegeleisen. In mining precious metals in Colorado, considerable quantities of argentiferous manganiferous iron ores are obtained, which do not carry a sufficient amount of gold and silver to make them valuable on that account, bat their iron and manganese content they are available as a flux in the smelters. A by-product in the manufacture of zine from ores ob- tained in northern New Jersey, containing iron and man- ganese, is used in the production of spiegeleisen and it is here classified as manganiferous zinc ore. The world’s production of manganese ores may be approximated, although contemporaneous data are not available. The following figures embrace the largest re- liable statistics, the figures being for 1904 or 1905 in nearly all cases: United States, 4118 tons; Canada, 22; Cuba, 6907; Brazil, 233,950; Chile, 17,110; Austria, 10,189 ; Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1114; Hungary, 11,527; France, 11,254; Germany, 52,886; Greece, Italy, 2856; Portugal, 30; Russia, 426,813; Spain, 26,895; Sweden, 2297; Turkey, 49,100; Belgium, 485; Norway, 22; India, 152.297; Japan, 10,592; Java, 1388; Queensland, 830, and New Zealand, 196. Ww. 6. because of poms fededed > ——___.»--————— The latest addition to the fleet of the United States Steel Corporation, the steamer Norman B. Ream launched on August 18, at the yards of the Chicago Ship- building Company. It is a duplicate of the J. Pierpont Morgan, being 600 ft. over all, and having a capacity of 10,000 gross tons. was August 23, 1906 The Stockham Homogeneous Sand Mixer, Mechanical means have been slow in replacing hand labor in most of th