The Iron Age 1914-07-23: Vol 94 Iss 4

HUPVEDUALUEUEOELOEULOEUOOLEOEDOODOVARDOODEEEBUOELAEDUAETT OED OROU ELE UETEAELEATU AEE ASTT TELA EL EDERAL AAA PEUUTPEAEEETTEEETEETT EEE Established 1855 TUPUEUEREO POLED EEE ETE New York, Hil July 23, 1914 Vol. 94: No. 4 Survey of the Machine Tool Export Trade Our Exports Are Incre:z ising, but German Tools Now Lead in All Foreign Markets Except the United Kingdom—Some Undeveloped Markets BY G. R. WOODS A recent issue of The Iron Age contained an’ Europe, as well as in the other ¢ nents that article by Carl Gebuhr under the title “Exporting manufacturers themselves m: ( cd l : Machine Tools,” in which American machine tool _ statistics do show and detern whether 1 builders were warned that their export trade was’ ports of metal working machinery have been ae threatened by European competition. Our manu creasing in Europe or elsewhere facturers were not only admonished to watch their We will first consider the value of our! hine export business more carefully, but were also tool exports throughout the worl The irged to improve their selling methods abroad. Table 1 speak for themselves, how a While most of us probably agree with Mr. increase from 1909 to dat The total of Gebuhr and believe his admonitions and recom $16,000,000 1913 represents 0.64 per cent. of the mendations to be timely and well founded, there export business of the United States for eal was one statement in his article to which there when our export trade amountes $2,501 0,000 can be no hearty concurrence by those who are in close touch with the exportation of American machine tools. The state- nent by Mr. Gebuhr which exception Ou! is taken, is as fol- } export r 19 lows: shown above, repre “Something not } ent a 33 1/3 per generally known, but / el increase ove! easily proved by the total for 1912, statistics, is that the and a 75 per cent exporting of Ameri- ncrease over the can machine tools | figures for 1907, our to Europe has been —_ | best previous year. on the decline for /- A In Table 2, the the past few years f a distribution of our and the time is com- fr f machine tool exports ing when manufac- A JA for 1913, is shown by turers will encoun- 52000 YUNA , continents. The same ter still greater dif- / \ A 1 oe table also shows the fieculty in finding a rT AA distribution of Ger- market on the other oe many’s machine tool side, no matter what : / T exports for the same Kind of machines roer T period. Three- ‘ Lt ‘ 7 . they make.” a se a $ $ fourths of the ma- In view of the ooh SSO ANE chine tools exported act that Europe ezeeeeees by the United States irchased 75 per Imports Into France from Gern is were shipped to ent. of the machine Europe and one- ols exported by America in 1913, a statement eighth to Canada. Of Germany’s total, 91 per cent. hat this important market is slipping away from was sold in Europe. should be investigated and the findings of such Table 2—Eaports of Ma Mine Toole in 1913 by G y and n investigation should be brought to the attention Inited States Gern all manufacturers who are seriously consider- arene >: near a aad vil ,ovores ig their export sales. Accordingly, a brief re- S Mr ‘A ew will be given of our machine tool business in AS 60 7 *Manager, New York office, Allied Machinery Company of ! »» Wall street ; $ l ag 190 The preceding table discloses America’s leader- ship over Germany in North America and in Aus- tralia, but a general conclusion cannot be drawn from this showing for our investigation indicates that in all parts of the British Empire American machine tools are preferred to those of German ianufacture. In Asia and South America, how- ever, the Germans are outdistancing their American competitors. This fact is of great significance for in the next 25 years the thriving and progressive nations in those continents will require large quan- tities of machine tools. Asia’s purchases of ma- chine tools will shortly total over $2,000,000, as the Chinese Government has recently placed an order with an American corporation, which amount- ed to approximately $1,500,000. This order will also mean that America will lead Germany in that field in the ensuing year. In South America there is no reason for antici- pating a loss of German leadership for it is well known that the Germans have been laying plans for some time in that territory and are in excellent posi- tion to obtain their share of the future machine tool business. Notwithstanding the great possibilities for trade in Asia and in South America, it is quite likely that for some time Europe will maintain its supremacy as an export market for machine tools. It will probably not be many years before Russia alone will purchase from $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 worth of machine tools a year. The importance of the European machine tool market to American, as well as German manufac- turers, makes it expedient for us to ascertain just what proportion of each country’s trade is obtained by Germany and by the United States. In Table 2 we found that approximately $12,000,000 worth of American tools were sold in Europe, and approx- imately $18,000,000 worth of German tools. Before going into greater detail, attention is invited to Table 3, in which is shown the machine tool ex ports from the United States to Europe for a num- ber of years and an examination of this table will show that contrary to Mr. Gebuhr’s statement, the sale of American machine tools in Europe is not decreasing. Table Vachine Tools States Exports of to E ope by the I’nited 1907 .. $8,423, 1908 stetiah . 6,859,315 1909 1910 ead 4 1911 . = i, 1912 . 9,356, 1913 12,268,677 This increase in the value of machine tools exported to Europe, while encouraging, should not permit any manufacturer to regard the situation with an air of complacency; for despite the in- crease in our shipments of machine tools to Europe, there is only one nation in that continent which buys more tools from us than from Germany, and that nation is the United Kingdom. In every other country the sales of German tools are far beyond our totals. In Table 4, which follows, a comparative state- ment is given, showing by countries for the year 1913, the machine tool exports of Germany and of the United States. Any comment on the situation in the various European countries should be prefaced by a refer- ence to the important fact that Germany exports machine tools in order to keep that industry alive. Export sales are a matter of necessity to her manu- facturers. Accordingly, they have co-operated in many ways to obtain control of the European ma- chine tool market. It is competition of this nature THE IRON AGE July 23, 1914 Table 4—Exports of Metal Working Machinery to Buri During 1913 From From Germany United State Austria-Hungary $3,047,775 $600,593 Belgium ; 1,798,104 786,679 Bulgaria ; 23,177 13 lL) h ~538,094 $4,753 Fj 66,420 24,947 Frat 2 St 1,936,908 (yer 3,17 LSS G = 2 .31' it 1,545,04 437,911 Netherlands 181,249 260,893 Norway 192,962 79,366 Portugal 61,715 1,391 Roumania 143,374 110 Russia in Europ 3,024,201 1,0O88,7 Spain 105,687 109,624 Sweden 162,731 241,37 Switzerland 698,274 17,108 Turkey in Europ 37,460 3,105 United Kingdom 1,486,582 3,417,655 $17,992,539 $12,268,677 that the American builder must face and it is doubtful if any plans to enlarge our trade abroad will be successful unless recognition is given to the spirit which impels the German manufacturers to fight so vigorously for business. The leading machine tool buying nations of Europe, in the order of their importance, are Rus sia, United Kingdom, France and Austria-Hun- gary. As brought out in the preceding table, the German builders are obtaining the bulk of the business in all these important countries, with the exception of the United Kingdom. In Great Brit- ain, the English manufacturers have fought hard to repel the German invasion and by appealing to the Britons to patronize home industries they have kept down the German invasion to $1,500,000. In important countries like France and Russia, how- ever, the Germans have made wonderful progress. It is apparent that they are in the most advanta- geous position to increase their sales in all coun- tries and particularly in Russia, where they are now strongly intrenched. American manufacturers will appreciate what this German competition means if they study the chart which graphically shows the steady increase in the sale of German machine tools in France from 1895 to 1913. It was compiled from figures col- lected by the French customs authorities and ap- peared in Bulletin 121, issued by the American Chamber of Commerce, Paris, January, 1914. American manufacturers have been surfeited with advice as to how they can best meet the Ger- man competition in Europe. No repetition of these recommendations will be mentioned here. It may not be amiss, however, to state some of the im- portant advantages possessed by our German com- petitors which Americans must consider when plan- ning their selling campaigns in Europe. Aside from the advantage of proximity and their ability to make quicker deliveries, in most cases, the duty on German machines is less than on American tools. Furthermore, there is effective co-operation by German machine tool builders in their work in for- eign fields, particularly in Europe. Again, the Ger- man builders are in a position to take prospective customers to their factories to see the machines in process of construction. This is an important ad- vantage as the average European buyer will spend the same amount of time investigating when he expects to purchase one tool as an American cor- poration would if it expected to buy one hundred. Finally, it is reported that the German builders make a marked reduction in their export selling prices and have also agreed to give export orders preference in deliveries. A steam turbine of no less than 32,000 hp. is to be built by the Westinghouse Machine Company for the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, Brooklyn. Theory and Practice of Sherardizing The Scientific Explanation of What the Process Really Is and the Practical Con- ditions Under Which It Should be Employed BY SAMUEL TROOD* One of the most serious problems confronting world today is the enormous waste from the rrosion of iron and steel exposed to the elements. s represents a total loss that cannot be recov- The general subject of protection against corro- n of iron and steel may be subdivided into four in groups or classes, according to its application | methods of protection. Introduction of other metals into the compo- on of the steel when made. 2. Mechanical covering of the steel, by paints, imels, lacquers, inert metals, etc. 3. Passive condition of surface of iron or steel. 1. Covering with metals electropositive to iron. This fourth group or class the covering of iron by a ating which is electropositive it. In other words, the pro- tion to the iron is obtained Dr. What Remaining Parts of being used by nearly all governments for rendering armor plate shell proof. These experiments were being tried out in the laboratory of Sherard Cowper- Cowles, of London, a noted English metallurgist. A package of zinc dust had been forwarded Mr. Cowper-Cowles to determine whether it could be used in making an electrolyte for zinc plating. In the course of their experiments they placed a piece of steel in this zinc dust in a case hardening oven and heated it up to see if it would have any harden- ing effect on metal. When taken out it was covered with a silvery coating of zinc and on examining under the microscope they found it had penetrated and alloyed the zinc with the body of the metal. Recognizing the value of the discovery they imme- diately applied for patents in England and 28 foreign coun tries. SECURING SHERARDIZING RIGHTS Trood’s Article Will FOR THIS COUNTRY t the expense of the protective oating, a sort of vicarious atonement. There are several metals that are electropositive iron, such as antimony, ar- senie, potassium, sodium and zinc. However, at the present time the only practical or com- mercial metal in this group is This method is the one that n general use, and the three vs of applying zinc to iron nd steel are: electroplating or id galvanizing; hot galvaniz- r, and dry galvanizing, or, as nown by trade name, Sherard- ng. It is proposed in this Cover: What kinds of products may best be treated by sherardizing What are the essentials in the way of plant equipment and the preparation and inspection of the materials to be treated What in particular must be watched to attain success What some typical sherardizing plants look like What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various protective processes What are the tests to prove the value of such protection A notice of this method of protecting iron and steel was published in the United States consular reports and was no- ticed by C. J. Kirk, who en- tered into correspondence with the United States consular agent in Birmingham, Eng land, and the latter paid a visit to the sherardizing plant that had been established at Wil- lesden Junction, just outside of London, and made a very full report on the process. In the meantime the rights for the United States had been taken over by a firm of brokers rticle to deal with the sherard- ng process, as it is now com- into general use and is nparatively new and not so well derstood as the other methods. defined and DRY GALVANIZING IN PREHISTORIC TIMES A process practically identical to this was known prehistoric times, although used for another pur- e. At that time it was known that if certain pper tools and vessels were placed in the ground ertain localities and kept hot for a time by build- fires over the place, then, on removal, it was that the copper had assumed a light yellow r and had become harder and more durable. practically secured dry galvanizing, although vas not known that another metal was being al- ed with the copper. Also, in Greek history, ac- ling to Aristotle, the “bleaching of copper” was e by the same method. The sherardizing process was discovered by ac- lent. Commander H. V. Simpson, of the English was detailed to work out a method of case rdening armor plate for battleships that would infringe on the Harvey patents which were “Consulting Engineer, New Castle, Pa in New York, who, after tryi for about a year to introdti¢e the method into this country, gave it up, and the United States Sherardizing Com pany was formed for the purpose of exploiting the process in the United States and Canada. The first plant was established at the works of the New Castle Forge & Bolt Company, New Castle, Pa., and in July, 1908, about one-half ton of material was sherardized. Other plants were then established and by the following year the use of the process had increased to 1,223,900 lb. monthly. At the present time about 4,000,000 lb. per month of iron and steel are being treated method in the United States and Canada. by this THEORY OF SHERARDIZING Sherardizing process of sublimation, occlusion and adhesion, when consid- ered in connection with the theory of ions. The process of passing directly from the solid to the gaseous state and from the gaseous direct to the solid state, in both cases stepping over the liquid state, is called sublimation. The theory of sublimation and the “triple point” in connection with sublimation is fully defined and may be defined as a 191 192 described in many elements of physics. It is a very well known fact that solids sublime. This is easily shown, for example, in the evaporation of ice when it is kept below its melting point. In the case of most solid substances this process is so slow at ordinary temperature that it cannot be detected. At ordinary temperature and pressure camphor, arsenic and many less familiar substances sublime. Solid carbon dioxide will volatilize at —79 deg. C. at atmospheric pressure without passing through the liquid state. Zinc as a solid may change into vapor without pass- ing into the liquid state. For an exact definition of the physical condition of a body a knowledge of the values of all its variable properties is required. The three most important of these are temperature, pressure and volume occupied by unit mass of the substance. These are not independent of each other but are connected by a definite relation called the equation of state, which, in the simple state of per- fect gases, takes the form of the gas law, which is the law of Boyle and Charies. It is a well known fact that common metals are extremely porous. This is visible under a high power magnifying glass, as well as readily demon- strated by certain physical experiments. Thus, if an iron wire be placed in a vacuum tube and then heated to incandescence, as, for instance, by passing a current through the wire, the pressure within the tube rises materially and gas is evolved for a ver) considerable time, indicating that iron (and practi cally all other metals) contain large volumes of gases. The condition of the metal may be graph- ically described as resembling a sponge soaked with water. HOW PRECIPITATION OF A VAPOR ON METAL OCCURS When a porous solid is easily permeated by a gas and condensation on the surface of the pores of the solid takes place, it is called occlusion. An example of this can be seen in the absorptien of 90 volumes of ammonia in one volume of charcoal Spongy platinum will absorb about 250 times its own volume of oxygen. Paladium will absorb about 1000 times its own volume of hydrogen and will in- crease one-tenth of its volume. To produce such a condensation alone would require a pressure of many thousand pounds per square inch. Nearly all metals absorb gases and, being heated, will allow them to pass through readily. An example of this i# the fact that hydrogen will readily pass through heated iron. When a gas is in contact with a solid, there are molecular forces drawing the particles together, and this produces a surface condensation of gas on the solid. An example of this is the difficulty in removing the last traces of air from a vacuum bulb due to the adhesion of the air on the surface. An- other example is the frosting of window panes in irregular figures. There also appears to be an electrical condition accompanying the evolution of gases from a metal inasmuch as the evolved gases usually contain a number of free ions. This is particularly the case if the temperature of the metal is high at the time the gases are given off. Naturally the exposed sur- face of the metal is the only portion which actively takes part in evolving gases, so that the larger the area of surface exposed the greater the evolution of gas, other conditions being equal. A further fact, which is well established, is that the presence of free ions has a marked effect in producing a precipitation of a vapor or suspended matter in a gas. It follows, therefore, that if a metal be heated in the presence of a vapor under such conditions that the gases or vapors contained THE IRON AGF, July 23, 191 within the metal are in part liberated; then, as th liberated gases or vapors contain some free ion they will cause the precipitation within the por of the metal and on the surface layer of a portio: of the external vapor in which the metal is heate: Now it is a well known fact that all materia! have a definite vapor tension, depending mainly o; the nature of the material, the nature of the sur rounding materials, the temperature and the pres sure. It therefore follows that under all cond tions all substances are surrounded by a certai) amount of their own vapor. The vapor can be in creased in amount by increasing the temperatur: and decreasing the pressure. METHODS OF PRODUCING ZINC VAPOR Zine vapor can be produced in several ways fron zinc. If molten zinc is boiled in a reducing atmos phere, vapor is given off rapidly and if heated iro: is brought in contact with this vapor sherardizing would take place. This method, however, is neither convenient nor economical because of the waste of zinc. The most practical and economical method is to use zinc dust, which is obtained as a by-product of a zinc smelter. This dust is practically amor phous and each particle consists of a small inner particle of more or less pure zinc surrounded b\ a thin coating of zinc oxide. According to a well known fact, the vapor ten- sion is higher for small particles than for large. It is thus desirable that the zinc be in a very finely divided condition, for the extent or degree of pene- tration of the zinc vapor in the iron depends upon its vapor tension. It is also desirable that there be as little impurity in the zinc as possible, for not only the zinc, but also the impurities, such as lead, cadmium, etc., will give off vapors, and the com- bined vapor tension of the mixture would generally be less than that for pure zinc. As said before, the zinc particles are surrounded by a coating of zine oxide. This oxide is very inert compared to metallic zinc and has a high melting point. It therefore is very advantageous in the process because it not only keeps the particles of zinc separated, but allows the spheres of vapor sur- rounding them to act independently with a high vapor tension and permits the temperature to be raised beyond the melting point of zine without its becoming molten. Therefore, the percentage of inert the zine dust plays an important part in the process. material in TEMPERATURE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR As mentioned before, the effect of temperature is an important factor in both elements of the process, as the iron, with the increase of tempera- ture, increases its power of absorption of zinc vapor and likewise the vapor tension of zinc increases with the temperature. According to authorities on vapor tension, with an increase of temperature from 325 to 375 deg. C., the relative vapor tension increases 14 times, and from 325 to 425 deg. C., the relative vapor tension increases 92 times. The ab- sorption of zine vapors by various metals (copper, nickel and iron) approaches the same rate at high temperatures up to about the melting point of zinc Above this the absorption is exceedingly rapid. From curves obtained by A. R. Johnson and W. R. Woolrich, it is seen that the greatest variation of absorption with a variation of temperature lies near the melting point of zinc, thus a fluctuation of lower temperature does not affect the absorption of the zinc vapor to the same extent as at higher temperatures. In other words, more uniform ab- 23, 1914 n of zine vapor is obtained at lower tem- ires. view of the above facts it appears that when a ; heated in the presence of the vapor of an- netal, or the vapor of other elements or com- ;, the metal evolves a portion of the gases or which it contains, and in exchange accommo- the precipitation of the other vapors within re es SHERARDIZING WITH ZINC UNDER VACUUM ter reading the above it is clear that to do rdizing we should have the zinc vapors at their st tension and have sherardized iron in con- to give off the maximum gases. Zinc boils ordinary pressure at 918 deg. C., and the boil- int under vacuum is reduced to 548 deg. C. n being heated from 500 to 600 deg. C. in gives off gases readily. Therefore, it is lear that in vacuum the conditions are best herardizing, and the writer was able to produce sation of zine on iron in a very short time. of the results were obtained under these con- in minutes, where with ordinary pressure er the same conditions it required hours. This ss and the machine for treating material by nethod have been covered by patents. [he process is not necessarily dependent on hav- he substances supplying the vapor in the form powder, although a substance in this form may be raised to a temperature above the melting without fusing the articles together. The evated temperature which can thus be secured is material assistance in securing a rich vapor, h naturally hastens the process and therefore is advantage in many cases. A further advantage ising the material supplying the vapor in the dered form is the enormously increased surface h ean thus be secured, thus giving a richer r, since the amount of material vaporized at a temperature and pressure increases with in- evaporating surface. This is particularly e when the boiling point of the vapor-giving al is above the temperature at which the tion occurs. To be continue d. ) accidents to the various departments of vivania State government are to be relieved den of detailed information which has marked 1 steps to draft a new form which will not only hangeable among departments, but easy to e been taken. A conference of men active in lines has been held at the Capitol, Harrisburg, nd about half of the questions in the accident forms were stricken out and a much simpler ide up. Among those at the conference were r. Fonda, Bethlehem Steel Company; Thomas ssistant to president, National Tube Company; H. Maurer; A. Hunter Boyd, assistant general Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; Dr. Daniel Z. chief surgeon, Western Maryland Railroad, B. Douglas, chief of claims, United Gas Im- Company. cipally with a view of catering to the English t, the Tinfos Electrical Iron Works, of Notodden, y, has decided to extend its plant and to manu- steel castings according to the London Times. ‘os works at present produces pig iron in elec- naces from the low-grade ores of the mines at and Arendal. The pig iron so produced is ex- » Germany and the North of England and Scot- where it commands a high price. It is estimated ith their low power costs and low freight rates nfos works can place castings in England at prices ting with both home and Continental productions. ; THE IRON AGE 193 A Special Copper Coil Forming Machine For forming the copper field coils of the gener ators used in connection with electric lighting sys- tems for automobiles, the Garvin Machine Com- pany, Spring and Varick streets, New York City, has designed a special machine. These coils are wound with strip copper, instead of the ordinary Machine fo r Fe Field Coils for Automobil Lightis s tems ! Handling Other Similar W<« round wire, purpose, such as was formerly employed for the and the machine takes the and coils it on a rectangular arbor, strip of insulation for which these intended, they can, nevertheless, be employed for other work of a sim strip coppel together with a Although this is the main use machines are ilar nature, since the number and shape of the coils can be varied, and it is, other metals. The machine is practically automatic in operation and all the preparation that is necessary is to cut the copper to the proper length and make a right-angk bend at one end. of course, possible to utilize This bend is used for dogging pur poses, and the material is kept against the arbor by a powerful spring which is controlled by a foot treadle. Three revolutions of the spindle are suffi cient to form the coil, and the machine automatically when that number has been made, and the coils are slipped off the arbor by turning the crank handle shown in the center of the spindle. The next strip is then put in position, and as soon as pressure is removed from the foot treadle the ma chine will start. lb. tripped The crated shipping weight is 665 American Boiler Manufacturers’ Convention The twenty-sixth annual convention of the American 3oiler Manufacturers’ Association will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, September 1 to 4, inclusive. A number of interesting papers on sub jects of importance to boiler and plate manufacturers will be read. The subject of uniform boiler specifica- tions will be thoroughly discussed, and it is expected that some action on the subject will be taken. Al] boiler, tank and stack manufacturers and fabricators of steel plate as well as manufacturers of materials and supplies used by boiler manufacturers and their representatives are invited to attend the convention. F. B. Slocum, West and Calyer streets, Brooklyn, N. Y.., is secretary of the association, and H. R. Cobleigh, Power, Tenth avenue and Thirty-sixth street, New York City, chairman of the publicity committee 194 Color in Safety Goggle Lenses BY F. W. KING If anyone interested in the great safety first movement of to-day had the plant he was interested in put back just 20 years in safety devices, every- thing else would no doubt be immediately laid aside in order to install at once proper safeguards. Yet with generous safety measures, unless one is num- bered among the very few who have carefully in- vestigated the question of proper colored glasses worn by his men when working with high temper- atures, his plant is just 20 years behind the times in one of the most important safety problems of King Optical Cor Proper Protective Color Arc Welder’s Helmet, Made by the F. W pany, with a Single Lens to Give the to-day. Until the writer made a careful study, under factory conditions, of light and glare in the industries, everyone was using colors of lenses for different processes that had been in use for years without any scientific reason for their adoption in the first place. As a general rule the establishment of a color was started by some workman who never heard of the ultra-violet rays, and when he started on new work, for instance oxy-acetylene welding, he would send over to town for half a dozen assorted and shades of glass. He would that was apparently the correct one and everyone since, at that work, has been using the same thing colors select one The ultra-violet rays represent the shortest wave lengths of the spectrum and are invisible. A direct exposure to these rays, as in the process of the electric-are welding, for as short a period as 3 min- utes will cause total and permanent blindness, as the rays destroy tissue. Incandescent steel at a temperature of over 2000 deg. F. gives off an injurious amount. of ultra- violet rays and a proper colored glass is essential for safety first. A temperature of 6450 deg. F. encoun- tered in are welding, destroys the sight. It is therefore but reasonable to believe that the 4350 THE IRON AGE July 23, 1914 deg. F. in oxy-acetylene welding, if the operat not using the correct glass, will cause his ey give out entirely if he keeps at it long enough. He may tell you his glasses are not hurting his eyes, he does not know whether they are or not and y he does know it, it will be too late. I have yet to see, in inspections in some 100 of the largest plants in the United States, a si instance where such an operator was not wea a glass that was not only entirely wrong and w) was of most decided danger to the eyesight. most notoriously inefficient glasses observed furnished and sold by some of the people of w) one buys his oxy-acetylene outfits. Smoked glass of any sort is very transparent to the ultra-violet rays and hence permits these rays to pass and injure the eye. Besides this they allow the heat rays to go through, which by their intense ey ergy are the principle cause of the eye strain. The are very deceptive as the apparent relief when th: are worn is great, as they cut down the visible sp trum. Blue is also bad, as it allows the very rays to pass it is necessary to eliminate. Any form of | focal lens, so called, with a dark glass above ar light one below is entirely unnecessary, as with the single exception of are welding a proper lens will enable one to see plainly to walk around and at the same time be efficient in accomplishing its purpose. The subject is a large one and space does not permit the reproductions of spectrograms, etc., n essary to prove all the facts stated, but they are available to anyone interested. For open hearth work a special lens is desirable and one that will not fade because when the melter has become used to a certain shade any variation from this will result in the burning out of a furnace or ruining the metal. Before the writer went into the subject of the it was imperative to produce a whit lens of the highest type for regular safety goggles colored lenses as used in emery grinding, chipping, etc. On of hand-ground optical glass were considered, as the men lenses should not be asked to wear lenses with and defects in them, and if they are not of special construction there is greater danger fron broken glass than from the chip itsel! required by the Illinois Steel Company described and illustrated in The Iron Age of May 21 was used in trying out the new type of lens which was produced. This test requires that a lens must withstand 15 blows of a steel ball weighing 16 grams dropped from a height of 21 in. to pass inspection. A test was just made in which the latest product the writer has developed withstood on an average of 186 blows before the lens broke. The weakest went at 88 blows and the strongest at 1750. This repre- sents about the limit for optical glass at a reason- waves pieces of test The able price. Production of Manganese Ores lhe United States Geological Survey reports that the production of ganese ores in the United States 1913, wholly Virginia, according to statistics lected by D. F. Hewett, was 1048 tons. Though this was the largest output 1908, the domestic pro 20 years been negligible compared with which amounted to 345,090 tons in 191 Though there are many deposits of manganese ores in the United States, most of them are too small to fur- nish large amounts of ore regularly. The ferromanga! ese manufactured in the United States is almost wholly from spiegeleisen is manufactured from the manganiferous residuum derived from New Jersey mixed manganese and zinc ores. since duction has the imports foreign ores: 23, 1914 THE TESTING SHEET STEEL Machine for Ascertaining the Availability of Material for Deep Stamping, Etc. new method for testing sheet steel, or sheets ther materials, is given in a recent und Eisen by A. M. Erichsen of Berlin, and ars to be of distinct value. It is carried out in achine shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which can sheets from 0.1 to 3 mm. thick (0.039 to 0.118 [his new method, which is protected by Ger- patent No. 260,180, tests the metal in such a to bring out the properties needed for draw- tamping, ete., and gives a result that can be ealled the “drawing value.” The sheet is with a uniform amount of play between the the holder, so that it is free to move under the advancing ram, and ed until fracture begins. The depth a ded depression be accurately the drawing value. It depends ely on the tenacity of the material, for not onl; e material near the head stretched beyond its c limit but, since the piece is not held rigidly any place, the stress is transmitted to the other ts of the piece. This is shown by the appear- after testing. Since tne depth of the de- ed part is greater the more metal that follows head into the die, it follows that a higher ten- is beneficial. This is a result that experience actual working has shown to be true. With homogeneous material agreeing results are obtained expressed in millimeters depression. Considerable differences are found with the various aterials to be tested, and this is important, since the appearance of the depressed part gives ready ndication as to quality. This is also important ause the machine is designed to be used directly the works where instruments of precision have far, found wide The piece tested should erably be 90 and the issue of can be of the measured, nfluence of can constitutes use. ® £ 3.04 x 3.54 in.) x YO mm. + int of play given The plece should be carefully observed for the fol- ng points: l. Whether the break is round, or whether it irs prematurely in some special way. In the ter case the material is “fibrous” and not very table for drawing or folding. This is also shown 1 comparatively low drawing value. is 0.05 mm. (0.002 in.). IRON AGE 2. Whether smooth like the original sheet, or is latter is again the material is n suitable for deep drawing and stamping, the rough offering increased resistance. A prema- ture break with repeated drawing is the the surface of the depression is If the + “raw.” the case, then surface °o s+ ‘ result, ¢ if the material to be otherwise all right appears This appearance is often found in steel sheet, and points to over-annealing. 3. Whether the surface of the depressio1 now very fine small cracks. This applies copper and tin. For good drawing and quired therefore: A high fibrous formation and the face of the depressed part, neither raw nor WIth fine cracks. Further the stamping there is re drawing value, smoothest possible sur material must naturall be free from flakes and scabs, usually to be clearly seen by the naked eve, while laminations or blow holes are quickly made evident by the test Among the advantages of the new test are the following: that it is simple and quickly carried out and the test piece requires no preliminary tion. The results are clearly expressed, observed and measured by the men in the works for whom it is specially designed. Even the small est differences in quality are made known by rela tively great variations in drawing value Also the appearance or tne metal after testing allows ilu able conclusions to be drawn regarding fault e cnanical or he rT nant gy tne nate | . rh Br n nbia ster W stated, w ere large er l por Lulu Isl 1, B. ¢ ) } ha acquired. The mpany has ; ipita 10.000 j will require buildings and machinery for the p , cost $100,000 | i manufa ¢ nerch angles, rounds, flats, bolts, nut nd light rai scrap. Among the directo f the mpany are Francis L. Leighton, general manager of the \ I Engineering Works: J. J. Bansfield. Niche The Dn son, David A. Smith, president the D. A. Sn Company; George E. Grahan nd Artl M. Vale ‘ who is secretary-treasurer of the mp ’ y . . works at Notodden. Nor A large calcium-carbide way, is reported to be making extensions for the manu- facture of electric steel and ferrosilicon, a new electric furnace for the purpose having been designed by the managing director. GENUINE WROUGHT-IRON PIPE Description of the Process of Manufacture from Pig Iron to Finished Product BY CHARLES GROSS* Sixty years ago the smaller sizes of wrought- iron pipe were welded by hand and swedged, while the larger sizes were riveted similarly to the pres- ent boiler-making process. Today, although the actual pipe making is done by automatic machin- ery, the making of genuine wrought iron is still done by human hands. Wrought iron is obtained by refining in a pud- dling furnace the pig iron received from a blast furnace, the operation in the puddling furnace be- ing done entirely by hand. Puddling is one of the very few operations in the iron or steel industry that still await solution by an inventive genius, as no attempts to puddle by means of an automatic machine have so far been sufficiently successful to secure adoption. THE QUALITIES OF GENUINE WROUGHT IRON To be durable and to fulfil the mission for which it is intended, genuine wrought-iron pipe must be tough, fibrous, ductile, possess resistance to shocks or vibrations, and contain a large factor of immu- nity to corrosion. In order that it may possess these important essentials the manufacturer must control the quality of the pig iron for its different purposes. Skelp iron, for instance, must be of a strictly neutral iron. The iron ore as mined is brought to the blast furnace and converted into pig iron. Care has to be exercised in regard to the chemical composition of the pig iron intended for wrought iron. What ever method may be employed in the refining of iron, there is but one definite object in view, and that is the removal of the carbon, phosphorus, sul- phur and surplus silicon, also all other impurities, by oxidation and combustion. The pig iron is brought to the puddling furnace and remelted. The puddling furnace of today does not differ in any way from the puddling furnace of fifty years ago. It consists of a firebox, where the heat is generated, and the hearth where the iron is refined. The heat is generated in the grate, passes through the hearth of the furnace and out to the stack. The puddling furnace has to be prepared for working, which is done by the puddler in the following manner: THE WORK OF THE PUDDLER A certain quantity of iron ore is ground and moistened with water so as to make a plastic mass. This iron ore is put up as a lining around the sides and back of the furnace. This is called the “fix,” or fixing the furnace, which has the object of fur- nishing sufficient oxygen to burn up all impurities. It is also done for the no less important reason of protecting the walls of the furnace. After the fix- ing, the puddler charges his heat of about 560 pounds of pig iron and then closes the door of the furnace as nearly air-tight as possible, and the heat applied is raised to a point high enough to melt the pig iron. When the melting state has been reached the puddler inserts into the furnace a tool known as a “rabble,” with which he thoroughly works the mol- ten metal. The object is to break up every piece of pig iron that has not melted. *Plant manager of the A. M. Byers Company. THE IRON AGE July 23, 1914 After the metal has been thoroughly melted, t! puddler commences to feed the iron with the flu which is either cinder or scale, a certain amount which is needed for a charge. During this proce the greater part of the impurities are eliminate some in the form of gases and the rest in a liquid form known as “slag,” which runs off over th foreplate. At the end of this process the iron co; geals into a semi-plastic mass and the puddler use a tool called a “paddle,” stirring the iron to prevent it from forming into lumps, and to break up an) lumps that may be in the mass. THE SQUEEZING AND ROLLING PROCESSES This process is called “turning” and takes about 15 minutes, when the iron is ready for balling. Th« heat being made into three balls, the puddler takes each ball separately by means of a pair of tongs suspended from a rail called the “telegraph,” whict runs from the furnace to the squeezer. The squeezer is a machine having a drum rotating hor izontally inside of a horseshoe curb, with which it forms an alley about 12 to 14 in. wide at the mouth and 714 to 8 in. at the delivery side. This squeez ing forms the iron into a shape of such a nature that the rolls can grasp it, which shape is called the “bloom.” The bloom is rolled down to bars of different widths and thicknesses called “muck bar.” The secondary object of the squeezer is to remove by pressure a certain amount of cinder still imbed ded in the iron. It is obvious that for such work, requiring con stant attention and much strength, only skilled workmen can be employed. The muck bar is cut up into different lengths and made into piles of the proper width, hight and length for the required product. These piles are charged into a heating furnace where they are brought to a glowing white heat or welding temper- ature. These piles, when intended for pipe, are then rolled into strips or plates which are called “skelp.” The skelp iron is cut to suitable lengths and delivered to the pipe mills. THE IRON-WELDING METHODS There are two processes in making pipe from the skelp. One is the “butt weld,” used for smaller sizes, where the edges of the skelp butt against each other; and the other the “lap weld,” used on larger sizes, where the edges lap when formed into a tube. The butt-weld process was originally done by hand by the use of tongs, but now a machine pulls the tongs through a device resembling a bell with the top cut off. This bell is held securely in place in front of a machine known as a drawing bench, on which runs a continuous chain. The skelp hav- ing been placed in the welding furnace from one end, the welder on the other end grasps the skelp with a pair of tongs, over which he runs the bell, hooking the tongs to the continuous chain. The skelp is thus pulled through the bell and formed into a tube, being welded at the same time. The pipe is then run through a sizing roll to give it the proper outside dimensions, and then through a set of cross-rolls having the purpose of cleaning and straightening the pipe, next passing to the cooling rack. The cooling rack delivers the pipe into a basket, but before reaching the basket the ends of the pipe are cut off by circular saws placed on each end of the rack. The pipe is cooled by dipping into a water tank, from which it is taken to the inspec- tion table and then to the threading machines. The lap-weld process is a totally different pro- cedure, being designed for handling the wide skelp of which large sizes of pipe are made, and is 23, 1914 ws: The skelp is delivered to a charging ma- which pushes the plate into a bending fur- After each plate has been sufficiently heated irger pushes it out at the other end into a ne known as a “scarfing roll machine,” which beveled edge to the hot skelp. A delivery laces the hot skelp in front of the bending hich is mounted upon a draw bench machine, ch runs a continuous chain. The hot skelp is vrasped by a pair of tongs and pulled through nding die by the chain, which forms the skelp tubular form with one edge overlapping the but not welded together. For this purpose pe is passed over delivery rails to another er, which pushes all bent skelp, or so-called kelp,” into the welding furnace, where it is ht to a welding heat and pushed through the g-roll machine. This machine consists of ils, one above the other, having a circular forming a nearly circular pass, with its ter larger than the outside diameter of the being made. Between these two rolls a rod a torpedo-shaped body of cast steel called a The bent skelp passing through the welding is welded by the outer pressure exerted upon ron by the rolls and from the inside by the ball. r this operation the skelp has become pipe, the lls and the rod is withdrawn from the pipe. FINISHING OFF THE PIPE [he pipe passes automatically to the so-called ster rolls” which have the purpose of smoothing t the pipe, straightening the ends and solidifying material. It then passes through the sizing to assure absolute accuracy in the outside di- nsions, and next to cross-rolls, where the surface the pipe is smoothed off, freeing it from rough- s and scale, at the same time being hot straight- The pipe is then cooled and carried by the ng rack to the straightening machine, where straightened while cold, as a slight warping ng the cooling process has occurred. All of rollings of the metal are essential in the mak- perfect pipe. Having been straightened while cold, the pipe es on the inspection table, where the inside and de defects are discovered and the good pipe way to a set of rotary cutters, which cuts trims it to the desired length. lhe pipe is then passed to the scale and weighed, tail upon which very much importance is laid. inderweight pipe is rejected at this point. On other hand, should it run somewhat heavier standard weight, the test being a minimum the pipe is permitted to go to the shipping as its over weight naturally gives it greater »and the purchaser secures the benefit of addi- al security and efficient service. In this con- mn it may be stated that for 50 years every rth of Byers pipe has been full weight, guaran- THREADING AND GALVANIZING he pipe is now delivered to the different thread- nachines, where it is threaded to Briggs stand- vauges, and where the couplings are screwed on. pipe is then passed to the testing benches, it is tested to the required hydrostatic pres- After testing it is again inspected, special ing given to the threads and the couplings. pipe is weighed again and the length is sten- on it. The thread protectors are now placed e end of the pipe to prevent the threads from damaged while in transit. The pipe is now for shipment or stock. re THE IRON AGE 197 For special work consumers require galvanized pipe, and in such cases the galvanizing takes prece- dence over the threading. The galvanizing plant uses the so-called “hot metal” process. The pipe is prepared for this process by removing the scale, grease or any foreign matter from its surface with an agitating device in a bath of diluted sulphuric acid, which is called “pickling.” The pipe then is washed with water and immersed in a tank of muriatic acid that gives it the necessary clean sur- face for the coating of zinc which is to follow. After drying, the pipe is placed in the galvanizing kettle containing molten zinc or spelter and then pulled out by tongs, when it is cooled in a water tank and inspected. It is now ready for threading. The zine or spelter coats more heavily on gen- uine wrought-iron pipe than it does on steel pipe The porosity of wrought iron being greater than that of steel, it therefore takes on a greater per- centage of spelter, which does not peel as readily as it does from steel. The couplings used on genuine wrought-iron pipe are also made of wrought iron. All couplings are rolled couplings, made by a roller welding machine. The finishing of the coupling consists of facing, reaming, recessing and straight or taper tapping. Great care has to be taken in the finishing operations, as the threads have to be smooth and have to conform to the threads of the pipe. This careful control of quality in every process of the manufacture of wrought-iron pipe is one of the fundamental reasons for its superior durability in actual usage. And the fact that today the highest quality of wrought-iron pipe is made by hand meth- ods that were in vogue 50 years ago, despite the thoroughly modern and efficient equipment of the mills in which it is so made, is simply because no other methods have been found to equal these old ones for producing a pipe whose texture and flaw lessness are up to the old standard of excellence Byers By-Product Coke Ovens in Russia According to U. S. Consul John H. Grout, of Odessa, Russia, in Daily Consular and Trade Reports for June 20, there are in South 10 plants firms for the production and utilization of coke by products. In the first