The Iron Age 1914-12-31: Vol 94 Iss 27

WVNLEUEO DODD ADDO NNANONEEE penned sy1VQUDHUUEOEQUUERGUUDUEGOOUGEQAURGAUOCOSUUEEUAUURELOOGGEAEOENGDOUUEUTTEAUOEEEAODUEAGERA AU CGAAATHEA AANA UTA AUA ENA EEE ETAT ELANTRA TEA EET ETT EEE ETRE EEE RUTTER ECT IRON ACE SELLE ‘g44NN4000U04Q40Q00000EETEEEEE0ELELEQUUECC4UOUOUUUUOOO44OHOGQ4QCQQRETEEEEREEEOUEOUOUOUUOOUUUUuGUGAdedannensenneneegegeseee UOC Ua uuu Undaadenaadsdssdusneeneneeaoouucouuqoqouucetagsgnnsagneseee TUL HUUATLDE A TALA TOU TRON ARAN Aenea Established 1855 New York, December 31, 1914 Vol. 94: No. 27 Magnetic Skelp Charging Machine Feeding Rolls Magnetized Propel the Plates into the Heating Furnace—Machine May Travel Across the- Front of the Furnace A machine for charging into the heating fur- e the plates or skelp from which pipe is made has been developed by the Taylor-Wilson Mfg. Com- pany, McKees Rocks, Pa., a company which has made a specialty of machinery for iron and steel pipe making. The machine, with a frame of plates and angles, mounted on four wheels, has two mo- made of manganese steel to minimize wear and also to avoid a permanently magnetized roll. The rolls are driven at a speed suitable to the size of plates being charged. The machine is designed to charge all sizes of plates required for making pipe by the method known as butt welding, which sizes cover pipe ‘x e Man Standing on the Machine, Which Travels Across the Furnace, Throws Each Plate into the Trough Where Magnetized Rolls Grip the Plate Sufficiently to Propel It Into the Furnace ors, one for the travel of the machine across the ‘ront of the furnace and the other, a variable speed iotor, to drive the charging rolls. The top of the achine is made to carry a pile of the plates to be harged, and parallel with the piled plates is a ‘rough or table slightly higher than the furnace oor. Located near each end of this trough is a air of rolls. Placed inside of these rolls are sta- tionary magnets. The object of the magnets is to ittract the plate to the rolls and thus produce suf- ‘icient friction to propel the plates. The rolls are to 4 in. in diameter. The plates are about 20 ft. long. The usual method of charging is by hand. The end of the plate is placed in the furnace door and the man or men holding the other end run forward and push the plate into the furnace. The plate is then adjusted by a second man. Owing to the high temperature from the open end or door of the fur- nace, this work is hard and the men must be re- layed every 40 min. More or less skill is also re- quired. In making *,-in. pipe 8000 to 9000 pieces 1483 es ee ned wate =. “ Sections Through the Rolls of the Magnetic of plate must be charged in an 11-hr. turn. fact gives some idea of the amount of handled. The accompanying reproduction of a photo- graph shows the method of charging with the mag- netic charging machine. The plate being propelled from both ends is kept straight and is delivered into the furnace, as expected, in a much more reg- ular manner than by hand charging. When the proper speed is obtained for the rolls they are run continuously and the plates are therefore delivered in the furnace at a regular distance from the door. In operating only two men are necessary on the machine proper. One operates the motors and the other throws the plates from the pile to the charg- ing trough. When the rolls are run continuously, a set of arms which extend above the rolls are made part of the machine to prevent the plates being charged when placed in position. The plate rests on these and when it is desired to charge it, a lever lowers the arms and brings the plate in con- tact with the rolls. The advantages of the machine are enumerated as follows: 1. It is more economical than hand charging as 3 to 4 men can be eliminated. 2. The material is charged in a more regular manner and more plates can be placed across the furnace due te this regularity in charging. 3. As the approach the furnace, the work is not ing as when done by hand. 4. suffices. 5. This material men do not so exhaust- Less skilled help Owing to the rapidity with which the machine charges, the men operating the machine are not constantly working, as the speed of the machine is greater than that of the furnace to heat. The machine, it is understood, is in operation in several of the pipe mills of the United States and Canada. The Taylor-Wilson Mfg. Company has patented the machine in the United States and foreign countries. Small Self-Contained Planing Machine A new type of motor-driven planing machine which is particularly adapted for trade schools and technical institutions has been placed on the market by the Cincinnati Planer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is entirely self-contained and the wiring is carried in conduit with the starting box attached to the top plate. Among the work that this ma- chine is particularly adapted to handle is the making of small duplicate manufacturing parts as well as the ordinary run of planing machine work. The bed is bored for the-driving shaft bearings which are internally ground. Self-oiling bronze bushings are provided for the loose pulleys and both the horizontal and vertical have micrometer collars. Crank handles have been done away with and fixed ones substituted. A new design of feed gear in which the old style flat spring and pawl have been eliminated has been placed at the end feeds THE IRON Skelp Charging Machine December 31, & PADD \ s(€ EK S owe Showing the Stationary Magnets of the rail. One of the features of the gear is that nothing but the operating handle is exposed. The practice of covering the gears thoroughly to elim- inate chances of accidents to the operator has been followed throughout the machine. The upper driving shaft revolves in bearings that are provided with bronze bushings and ring- 4 Recently Developed Small Self-Contained Planing Machine for Trade and Technical Schools oiling devices. These bearings are fastened to the top plate which carries the motor and the starting box, thus making a complete unit of them. The starting box is mounted at the extreme end of this plate away from the belts which it is pointed out eliminates the dangerous practice of reaching through the belt openings to start the machine, which is the case when the starting box is mounted on the side of the housings. The H. L. turer of Brown Fence & Mfg. Company, manufac ornamental woven wire lawn fence, etc., | one of the busiest of the factory colony at Oakley, a thriving manufacturing suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio Its plant is running full time. Its faith in good busi ness for the coming season is shown in its employment of a special engineer to design improved machinery in the expectation of turning out lawn fence the best in quality and most attractive in appearance. The com pany also makes tree guards, flower bed borders and other artistic designs for the lawn. Quality is the watchword in the factory, the motto in the office and slogan of the salesmen. The company’s output is han dled through the hardware jobbers. It is in position to take good care of its business, having a private rail- road siding for receiving and shipping. necember 31, 1914 CARWHEEL GRINDING MACHINE \ Self-Contained Unit for Steel or Chilled Wheels with a Single-Belt Drive For grinding steel or chilled cast-iron wheels on axles the Springfield Machine Company, dgeport, Conn., has developed a self-contained wheel grinding machine. Wheels ranging from to 44 in. in diameter can be handled, and the nding or truing of a pair of wheels can be done their own axle if desired or on dead centers. single belt from the main lineshaft or a motor ves the machine, which is arranged so that a ane can pass over it for placing or removing the vheel without interference. A clutch which can be operated by hand levers rom either side of the machine enables the axle be stopped instantly when the opening or gap the gear is directed toward the top to permit the removal of the axle. A common shaft is used to drive the pinions that operate the machine. This vs of the Operating Side ard One End of a New Machine THE IRON AGE for Grinding Steel or Chilled Cast-lror 1485 over the wheels prevent the spray from falling on the floor. The following table gives the principal dimen- sions and specifications of the machine: Minimum diameter of wheel ground, ir 8 Maximum diameter of wheel ground, i: i4 Gauge of wheels, in Maximum diameter of journal take Maximum length of axle taken, Diameter of grinding wheels, Face width of grinding wheels, Diameter of driving drum, Length of driving drum, it Approximate speed of driving drum, r.p.1 Diameter of smaller grinding whee pulley step, in Diameter of larger grinding wheel cone pulle step, in ; Face width of grinding wheel cone pulley steps, in : } Maximum speed of grinding wheels, r.p.n Minimum speed of grinding wheels, r.} Maximum speed of driving wheel ge Minimum speed of axle driving g¢ Number of speed changes Diameter of tailstock sleeve, Floor space required, {Tt Size of motor required, hp Speed of motor, r.p.m Net weight of machine, including nm 1ecessories, Ib 8,000 Shipping weight, lb 19,200 Carwheels Without Re moving Them from Their Axles arrangement is relied upon to insure the same relative position at all times and to overlap the gap the driven gear. Three different speeds for the rotation of the axles are available. : The headstocks of the machine can be swiveled permit tapers to be ground and the tailstocks are of heavy construction with large sleeves and feed screws. The journal rests are arranged to re- eive different sizes of half shells and are adjustable or small differences in the diameter of the journals. The grinding wheel spindles are driven by a belt trom overhead drums and automatic belt tightening dlers are relied upon to maintain the proper ten- nm at all times. The travel of the grinding wheel heads parallel with the axle and the feed are accom- ished by hand. The feed screws, which are large, have long nuts and ball bearings to take up end thrust are provided. The cone pulley driving the pindle provides two different speeds for the wheel. lhe grinding wheel spindles are made of high car- on steel and run in bronze bearings. The slide earings are narrow and long, with adjustable taper vibs to take care of wear. The equipment furnished with the machine in ludes a pump for supplying water to the grinding wheels and a set of wrenches. The water supply is taken from a tank in a portion of the bed and hoods New Way to Make High Manganese Steel Castings An interesting and rather novel plan for making small quantities of high-manganese low-carbon steel castings was recently hit upon by a steel foundry in the Pittsburgh district. A small order for steel cast- ings containing 0.60 per cent. carbon and about 1 per cent. manganese had remained unfilled for some time because not enough tonnage was involved to make a special heat and it was not practicable to pour part of a 0.60 carbon heat into a separate ladle and add ferro manganese. The problem was solved and the order successfully and quickly filled by adding to the molds a calculated quantity of 98 per cent. pure carbon-free “manganese flour,” the powdered metallic manganese of the Goldschmidt Thermit Company, now being used to harden the surface of certain types of steel castings as described in The Iron Age of April 30, 1914. This procedure did not raise the carbon, while the manganese flour was said to be readily and uni formly absorbed by the steel without causing blowholes or non-homogeneous steel. The similar use of ferro manganese would be likely to result in not only a higher carbon but also enough reaction in the mold to cause porous castings. The new sheet mills of the Western Reserve Steel Company, Warren, Ohio, are nearing completion and will be placed in operation early in January. ¢ ¥ re ania én 1486 A Motor-Driven Gun Boring Lathe A lathe that is not designed for turning is some- what of a rarity among machine tools. The Det- rick & Harvey Machine Company, Baltimore, Md., THE IRON AGE December 31, 19). tween 6 and 18 in. in diameter. An oil pu driven by a 3-hp. motor is used to supply oil the cutter through a telescoping tube. The la) leg under the bed at the headstock serves as an reservoir, and is fitted with a strainer and rem: J 4 Gun Boring Lathe Equipped with an All-Geared Motor-Driven Headstock and Provided with an Extra Carriage to Su port a Tool for Cutting Off o1 has nevertheless developed a motor-driven lathe in which no provision is made for turning. This tool, which is illustrated herewith, is designed for use in connection with the manufacture of guns up to a maximum bore of 6 in. in diameter, and is designated as a gun boring lathe. The swing of the machine is 27 in. over the ways, and practically any length can be handled, up to 30 ft., a machine with a bed of this size weighing approximately 24,000 Ib. The lathe is equipped with an all-geared motor- driven headstock, the driving motor, which is rated at 10 hp., being attached directly to the headstock. The motor has a speed variation of 3 to 1, which in conjunction with the four gear changes provided enables work speeds ranging from 2 to 111 r.p.m. to be secured. Change gears provide for 10 re versible feeds ranging from 0.002 to 0.020 in., while by shifting a clutch, feeds ranging from 0.030 to 0.333 in. can be obtained, thus giving 20 feed changes in all. The spindle, which is a solid steel forging, 5 in. in diameter, is mounted in bronzed bushed bear ings, each of which is 12 in. long. A threaded nose is provided on the spindle to receive chucks. All! the driving gears and pinions are of steel or bronze, and the driving shafts have bronze bushed bearings. The thrust of the spindle is taken on a roller bear ing measuring 8 in. in diameter, which is relied upon to reduce the friction at this point. The bor ing carriage has a bearing capable of accommodat ing bars up to 4%4 in. in diameter, and an extra carriage with a plain tool rest, having hand cross feed, is provided for cutting off or trimming up the work. Both of the carriages are fitted to the ways by square locks and have steel taper gibs for tak- ing up wear. Power longitudinal feed, which maj be disengaged at will, and the usual rack and pinion hand traverse are provided for the two carriages. With a view to avoiding unequal pull on the car- riage the lead screw is placed between the ways directly under the boring bar. This screw is 3 in. in diameter and is held in tension between capped bearings in the bed with ball thrust bearings. There are two steady rests furnished with the lathe, one for work ranging from 3 to 10 in. in diameter, while the other is intended for work be Trimming the Work able chip pan. The bottom of the bed is inclined toward the reservoir, with a view to preventing the oil that has been used from being wasted. An Adjustable Safety Saw Guard For use on woodworking machinery to protect operators from injury, Hobart W. Curtis, foreman of the pattern department of the Waterbury Farrel! Foundry & Machine Company, Waterbury, Conn., has designed an adjustable safety saw guard. The working parts are made of steel and iron, while the guard proper is of aluminum, a combination which it is pointed out gives an efficient and rigid guard and also one that is easily and quickly adjusted to any position. It is possible to raise the guard a slight distance above the saw, and when it is not in use it can be raised to its full hight and moved to one side. The guard swings on the pivot J and is pre- vented {1.0m hitting the saw by the chain K. An arm for supporting the guard is carried by the end of the horizontal shaft L. This arm is controlled \n Improved Form of Adjustable Satety Saw Guard Which Can Be Raised and Swung Out of the Way if Desired by the handle M, which is equipped with a toothed segment N, and a pawl O, for locating the guard at the proper hight. A joint is provided at the point P in the horizontal shaft so that the guard, when not in use, may be swung out of the way. ember 31, 1914 New Type of Radial Drilling Machine The Willmarth Tool Works, 1516 East Thirty- nd street, Cleveland, Ohio, has placed on the rket a radial drilling machine which is new in iple of operation and design. The most notice- point of difference is the method of moving head and arm to locate the holes. The head tates about a large circular bearing on the arm i the arm rotates about the column in the conven- nal way. This arrangement produces a double veling motion which is relied upon to locate any le within the capacity of the machine readily rhe column is of the post and sleeve type, the t of which has a large and heavy lower portion ex- nding up to the top member to which it is bolted. e column sleeve telescopes and has bearings at th the top and the bottom, as well as a large ll thrust bearing at the lower end which is relied on to assist in the swinging of the arm. The nding clamp at the lower end of the sleeve pro- ices a practically solid column when tightened. he arm is of cylindrical box section with heavy ternal ribs and is elevated or lowered by gearing the top through a coarse pitch screw which is ing on ball bearings. The bearing of the head the arm is 17 in. in diameter, and has an annu- r ring on the inside to keep it central and a heavy vot bolt for holding the two together. A self- «king spiral gear and rack are provided for mov- ig the head, and an eccentric clamp is provided x locking the head to the arm. The spindle, which is finished by grinding, is in. in diameter at the large end and 1°, in. at the smallest point. It is provided with a No. 5 Morse taper hole and a large ball thrust bearing. There are eight speed changes, ranging from 35 to 75 rp.m. Four of these are obtained by the steps of the cone pulleys, and this number is doubled the back gearing which is provided in the spindle ng gears. The feeding mechanism is composed selective gear box driving a worm and worm ar, which in turn drives the feeding pinion. Six varying from 0.006 to 0.027 in. per revclu- New Type of Radial Drilling Machine in Which the Head s Rotated on the End of the Arm Instead of Sliding Along It THE IRON AGE 1487 View of the Head and Arm Showing Arrangement of (¢ trolling Levers and Handwheels. et tion of the spindle, are available, and any one can be secured by operating the dial on the front of the feed box. Quick return of the spindle is secured by a handwheel attached to the feed pinion shaft, and its engagement with the feed worm is made by a friction ring controlled by a nut in the front of the handwheel. Both depth gauge and auto matie trip are included in the feed mechanism. The tapping mechanism is obtained by a jack shaft in the head which runs at high speed and drives through ring clutches. These are self-ad justing and are operated by a lever at the front of the machine, which, it is emphasized, enables the workman to start, stop or reversé the spindle easily) The following table gives the principal dimer sions and specifications of the machine: Vertical spindle traver Vertical traverse of rm, Maximum distance betwee! ib Maximum distance between spindle and ta Diameter of smallest core pulle ste! Diameter o irgest cone pu Face width of cone Diameter of tight and loose pulleys 14 Face width of tight nd ose pulle { Hight of machine, ir 96 Weight, Ib 5,00 The machine, which drills to the center of a circle 48%, in. in diameter, is regularly equipped with a round table, as shown. If desired, however, any style can be supplied on special order The Armstrong-Whitworth Plant in Canada The opening of the Canadian plant of Armstrong Whitworth of Canada, Ltd., Longueuill, Que., on the St Lawrence River, directly opposite Montreal, Decembe 12, draws attention to the growing importance of the steel industry in the Dominion. The units now in ope ation place this company in a position to turn out the highest grade of steel, tools, etc. The occasion of the opening was made a formal one for the visit of promi nent Canadian manufacturers and financial interests M. J. Butler, a director of the company, under whose supervision the construction of the plant has been suc cessfully carried out, acted as host to the visitors. The plant consists of steel works, rolling mill, hammer de partment and machine shop, all representing modern progress. The company has a site of 250 acres ex tending to the river front. The floor area of the unit now at work covers 66,000 sq. ft. Every attention has been paid to the comfort of the employees. Their num ber will soon be 500, as expert hands are en route from Sheffield and other manufacturing points in England. i= 1482 THE IRON AGE Locomotive Crane of Heavy Construction A new type of locomotive crane that has re- cently been brought out by the Cleveland Railway Supply Company, Citizens Building, Cleveland, Ohio, has a number of distinctive features de- A Locomotive Crane Which Is Characterized by Heavy Con- struction and a Large Rotating Bed signed to insure hard service, efficiency and speed in operation. Some of the important features in- clude heavy construction of the machine, large and heavy traveling mechanism, powerful engines, an independent engine for rotating, a large rotat- ing bed or ring, a low center of gravity, rapid boom hoisting and lowering mechanism, accessi- bility of parts and large coal and water capacity. The bed of the machine is of rigid and heavy construction. The car frame is built of two heavy longitudinal side girders between which are heavy cross beams properly spaced to support the roller bed, upper structure and propelling mech- anism. The frame is mounted on two four-wheel standard M. C. B. trucks with 33-in. wheels and heavy special axles and a 20'2-ft. wheelbase. The rotating bed is 105 in. in diameter or about 18 in. larger than the general practice. The advantages claimed for the larger bed are additional stability and less racking with heavy loads. The lower ring is composed of 44 conical rollers of ample diameter and face to carry the load. These rollers are attached by pins to a spider which has a bearing on the center pin of the crane, insuring an alignment of the rollers. The rotating bed that carries the hoisting, rotating and traveling mechanism is a heavy machined casting, resting directly on the rollers. The engine for raising and lowering the boom and the load and for traveling has two vertical cylinders 9 in. in diameter with a 12-in. stroke. Rotation is accomplished by a swinging engine with a 4x6-in. cylinder mounted on the rotating bed. The advantages claimed for an independent engine drive for rotation instead of using one engine for all operations is that the control is easier in rotating fast or slow as may be required, a smooth, quick acceleration is assured, jerking caused by the operation of the clutches is elimi- nated, and the operation of two clutches is avoided. Power for traveling is applied to one axle on each truck through bevel gears and pinions and two clutches for driving the crane in either direc- December 31, 1914 tion without reversing the engine. The hoisting drum which is 20 in. in diameter is driven gears and pinions and is operated by a clutch Control of the load is through a strap brake oper ated by both foot and hand levers. For raising and lowering the boom a 12-in. drum, connected +, a worm gear, is mounted in the top structure the crane, the ropes leading directly from the drum to the sheaves in the head of the boom and thence to the purchase blocks connected to the top structure, thus giving the ropes a good lever age for the support of the boom. The crane is rotated by a pinion meshing with teeth on the outside of the rotating ring, the pinion being driven by the rotating engine, worm and gear. The hoist and travel clutches are of the disk friction type, one-half of the disk having a contact surface covered with asbestos facing, which runs either with or without oil. The gearing in genera! is of cast steel and the small pinions are of forged steel. The teeth, fulcrum gear and the pinion which meshes with it, are all cast steel. All other gears have cut teeth. Cold rolled shafting is used for shafts 3’ in. in diameter and under, larger sizes being forged. The bearings through- out are bronze bushed. The operating mechanism is low down, making a low center of gravity and increasing the capa city. The operator’s position is on the right side of the crane, a little forward of the center, where he can see the various operations without any obstructions to his view. All the mechanism is accessible without dismantling the crane or tak- ing out parts. Bunker capacity for 2000 lb. of coal and water storage capacity for 500 gal. are provided. The crane is built in standard sizes from 15 to 30 tons inclusive, and with booms from 30 to 50 ft. in length. It is designed to travel at speeds of from 600 to 1000 ft. per min. and has a rotating speed of 3 to 4r.p.m. The hoisting speed depends upon the load. A New Hexagonal Guide for Screw Plates To enable die adjustment to be made readily in screw plates, the Conant & Donelson Company, Con- way, Mass., has brought out an improved type of guide. It is hexagonal in form and can be turned with an ordinary monkey wrench. The ar- rangement and use of the guide is clearly brought out in the ac- companying illustration. One of the fields in | which it is pointed out ———~ the guide will be found A New Hexagonal Guide for useful is where it is Date ht ts Cataticn we necessary to cut over a Adjustment with an Ordinary thread, and the available —— space is not sufficient to permit the die stock to be turned around. Under these conditions it is emphasized that the new guide will be found of advantage, as it is simply necessary to take a monkey wrench and turn the die around in this way. The Reynolds Electric Company, 422-428 South Tal- man avenue, Chicago, Ill., announces a second important decision relating to Reco color hoods, the Court of Ap- peals having affirmed the lower court in a decision handed down December 6, sustaining all the legal rights relating to them. The suit has attracted much atten- tion and has been under considerable discussion by the trade. ember 31, 1914 New Disk and Surface Grinding Machine \ rotary disk and surface grinding machine odying a number of interesting features has placed on the market by the Walker Grinder npany, Worcester, Mass. The grinding wheel not overhang the ways at any time, and the ed of rotation of the work and the amount of are automatically accelerated as the wheel proaches the center of rotation of the work and tarded as it recedes. The work handled by the hine is flat pieces and piston rings, the machine ise for finishing one of the latter being illus- ed in one of the engravings. [he machine is self-contained, and no overhead ifting is necessary for its operation. The tight | loose pulleys are incased and the belt shifter is erated by a treadle. The grinding wheel, which is in. in diameter and has a feed of 3/16 in. per rev- tion of the work, is suspended underneath the which runs on V tracks, having an extension vard the work. In this way, it is pointed out that respective of the position of the wheel slide or the the grinding wheel does not overhang the s. As the wheel feeds toward the center the eed of the work is increased automatically 100 er cent. in 5 in. of movement of the ram and a irface of 400 sq. in. is gone over in 1 min. This rrangement and a corresponding retardation as he wheel recedes from the center is accomplished the operation of an Evans cone located in the nterior of the column. The grinding wheel spindle is driven by a belt coming up from the driving pulley mounted on a shaft in the base of the machine. This shaft also mounts a pulley for driving the variable-speed mechanism and the water pump. The reversing mechanism is of the bevel gear and positive clutch type, the shifting member being impelled by a pivoted vertical lever operated by dogs on the ram. An automatic stop device which operates after the vheel passed beyond the work is brought into play the action of a knurled sleeve coming in contact vith a bell crank lever at the end of the stroke, thus disengaging the work spindle clutch. To start e feed this knurled sleeve is given a slight rotary ition, which releases the clutch. The knee can be tilted to enable the machine to vyrind either concave or convex, this adjustment ng secured by a screw. A hardened steel screw Machine Employed for Grinding a Piston Ring Which Is Held in Place by a Magnetic Chuck THE IRON AGE 1489 Front View of a New Combination Rotary Dis nd Su (rir ing Mac! and button which are set permanently so that the machine will grind flat work when both are in con tact is employed to set the tilting knee in a straight position after it has been thrown out of alignment. To turn out concave work it is simply necessary to unloosen the check nut and turn the adjusting screw until the proper degree of angularity is secured. Convex grinding is obtained by backing off the adjusting screw. Automatic vertical feed which is operated by dogs on the edge of the ram the same as the longi tudinal feed is provided, and an automatic arrange- ment is relied upon to stop the operation of the grinding wheel when the proper thickness has been reached. The feed is positive and is regulated by a ratchet and pawl arrangement; it can be had at both ends of the stroke. The ram can be stopped by hand at any point in the stroke. The machine is fitted with one of the builder’s magnetic chucks, which can be furnished in various diameters between 8 and 12 in. The floor space oc- cupied by the machine measures 3 x 5 ft., and the net weight of the machine, with a 12-in. chuck, is approximately 2000 Ib. The Erie Pump & Equipment Company, Erie, Pa., just organized, is a consolidation of the Erie Pump & Engine Works, whose sand gravel dredging pumps and gen eral contractors’ pumps have been well known to the trade for the past 20 years, and of the Northern Equip ment Company, also of Erie, manufacturer of the Cope boiler feed water regulators and governors. Manu facturing will be conducted at the plant of the Erie Pump & Engine Works, which is located in the heart of the city, close to all railroads, so that the best shipping facilities are available. The officers of the new company are as follows: E. W. Nick, president and treasurer; D. H. Du Mond, vice-president; V. V. Veen schoten, secretary. John H. Dougherty, who for number of years has been in the employ of the Jeans ville Iron Works as designer of centrifugal pumps, has been engaged to take charge of the designing of pumps. John G. Pfadt, who was president of the Erie Pump & Engine Works, is not connected in any way with the new concern. 1490 THE IRON AGE PIPE DRILLING MACHINES Use of Two Sets of Adjustable Spindles for Simultaneous Piercing of Opposite Walls The Valley City Machine Works, 12 Campau avenue, Detroit, Mich., has recently designed an interesting type of gang drilling machine. These are intended for drilling holes in pipe and the oppo- site walls are pierced simultaneously. The holes are drilled by pairs of spindles which operate on the pipe from above and below. Two of the machines are illustrated, one a four-spindle and the other a 34-spindle machine. Essentially the machine consists of a rail sup- ported by as many legs as are necessary and carry- ing the required units of drill Spindle brackets which can be varied to suit the requirements. It will be noticed from the illustrations that the rail is set at an angle, this arrangement being relied upon to enable the operator to handle the work with the least expenditure of effort. The rail also carries self-centering clamping jaws which are operated by a splined shaft, worm gears and rack and pinion shown at the right of the 34-in. spindle machine. The spindles can be adjusted both as to center dis- tances and the length of drill used, the minimum center distance being 4%, in. The horizontal lever at the right imparts a slid- ing movement to the clamping jaws to move the work longitudinally to different positions or stops. This enables any number of holes, which is an ex- act multiple of the number of pairs of spindles, to be drilled at will. Where the number of holes is an odd multiple only one set of drils is used and, of course, the holes are drilled only in one wall of the pipe. Where the number of holes is an even multiple A Four-Spindle Machine with Hand Lever Feed for Drilling December 31, 19)4 Front View of a Machine with 34 Spindles and Automat Power Feed for Each Gang both sets of spindles operate unless it is desired t have the holes bored in one wall only. The power for driving the machine is trans- mitted through a belt connection to the main driving shaft and from there to the spindles of both sets through rods and sets of bevel gears. The four- spindle machine is equipped with hand feed, the controlling lever being located as shown at the left end. On the 34-spindle machine a power feed with automatic stop is provided for each gang of spindles. The four-spindle machine is 20 ft. long, while the other one is capable of handling work up to a maxi- Opposite Walls of a Pipe Simultaneously recember 31, 1914 im length of 10 ft. and weighs about 6000 lb. The or space required for the latter machine is 4 x 14 Double-Piston Hand Hydraulic Pump A combined quick-acting and high-pressure hydraulic pump for general purposes has been placed on the market by L. Henderer’s Sons, Wil- mington, Del. This pump is equipped with two pistons which enables a con- tinuous discharge to be secured, but the principal feature of the combination is the variation of pressure that can be obtained. It is pos- sible to use the pump for a number of dif- ferent purposes, one of which is in con- junction with a ram for use as a hy- draulic jack. With the combination of the two pistons a pressure of 6000 lb. per sq. in. can be procured from the smaller one of %4 in. in diameter and a pressure of 1000 lb. from the larger pis- ton, which is 14% in. in diameter. It is pointed out that when the low-pres- sure piston is ris- ing the high-pressure one is on its downward stroke. Referring to the accompanying illustration, 1 is the high-pressure piston and 2 the low-pressure one. When the capacity of the latter piston is to be exceeded the release wheel 3 disengages it and leaves the high-pressure piston ready for use. This piston can be operated under all working conditions, and it is possible to release all the load pressure by manipulating the release wheel 4, which governs the return of the liquid to the pump reservoir. The pump illustrated has a stroke of 3 in. and an over-all hight of 3414 in. It weighs 190 Ib. with a reservoir base having a capacity of 1200 cu. in., but the capacity of the base can be changed to suit the requirements of various cases. This is also true of the diameters of the pistons where working pressures other than 6000 and 1000 lb. per sq. in. are required. A New Double-Piston Hand-Oper- ated High-Pressure Hydraulk Pump The Republic Stamping & Enameling Company, Canton, Ohio, gave as a Christmas present to each employee in its service six months or more a life in- surance policy equal to about the amount of his annual wages. The employees were insured under the group plan at the company’s expense, about 400 workmen being the beneficiaries. Each man’s policy remains in effect as long as he is an employeee of the company. The W. H. Hoover Company, New Berlin, Ohio, has recently received a $200,000 order for harness parts to be supplied to the British Government for war purposes. The plant is being operated night and day filling the order. THE IRON AGE 1491 A Pyrometer Using Metallic Salt Pastes As a substitute for the Seger cone method of determining temperature, the Carl Nehls Alloy Com- pany, 248 Brush street, Detroit, Mich., has devel- oped a new method in which it employs various kinds of metallic salts which are made into mix- tures that will melt down at different temperatures ranging from 2200 to 1330 deg. C. It also uses these pastes in place of pyrometers, as well as for check- ing instruments. One of the claims is that the ma- terial can be used several times without impairing the accuracy of the indicutions. The salts are put up in the form of a paste which is packed in a tin and lumps of pastes with various melting temperatures can be placed on a steel bar as shown in the foreground of the ac- companying illustration. This can be inserted in ovens, retorts, flues, gas mains, steam pipes, etc., to find the temperature at which they are operating. The salts having a melting point lower than the temperature present will of course melt and a com- A New Type of Pyrometer in Which the Melting of of Metallic Salts Indicates the Temperature 1 Paste parison with those that remain solid will indicate the temperature which would be between the two melting points. The use of a long bar, it is pointed out, makes it possible to determine whether the temperature is uniform in the front and back, top and bottom or corners of a furnace, oven, kiln, etc. Another way in which these salts can be used is to cast them into solid cylinders approximately 7/16 in. in diameter and *4 in. long. For all tempera- tures below 932 deg. F., these pastes are used in an air tight glass tube, such as is shown in the central background. This, it is pointed out, enables the salts to be used over and over again, as they melt each time the temperature rises above the point of liquefaction and solidify when the temperature falls below. One way of using these cylinders is to plug one end of a tube or pipe and drop in a cylin- der, lowering a small rod into the tube until it rests on the salt. When the salt liquefies the rod will lower and thus indicate that the melting tem- perature of the salt has been reached. This, it is pointed out, is useful for finding the temperatures of metals in a molten condition, salt bath furnaces employed in heat treatment, etc. Where it is desired to find the exact tempera- ture of tools heated in a forge fire, a paste is used that represents the correct hardening temperature for the tool. This paste is daubed on the tool and when it is heated to this temperature the salt will melt and the tool can be taken out of the fire. In using this method it is recommended that the tool be surrounded by a piece of sheet steel or inserted in a gas pipe, as that keeps the paste from coming in contact with the fuel. oe é Brass Melting in an Electric Furnace A New Type Pinch Effect and Which the Commer- Utilizes Is Now cially Melting Brass and Bronze Chips The possible use of the electric furnace in the brass foundry is gaining important recognition lately as an improvement over existing melting methods. A furnace that is making rapid strides in this field is the one described in a paper before the American Institute of Metals at Chicago in Sep- tember by G. H. Clamer of the Ajax Metal Com- pany, Philadelphia, Pa., and Carl Hering, consult- ing engineer, of the same city. The furnace has a double interest in that it is expected that future developments will place it in the list of highly efficient electric furnaces for melting steel. It is known as the Hering furnace. the paper referred to are as follows: Extracts from In the particular type of furnace used in these researches the heat is set free as such in a small portion of the liquid metal in some heating holes at the bottom of the hearth, and then by means of a pressure produced by a recently discovered and peculiar electromagnetic force known as the “pinch effect,” this heated metal is “squirted” with a con- siderable force into the main bath, whereby its heat is carried very quickly as hot metal into the bath and is there distributed, and whereby the metal is at the same time very thoroughly stirred, making it uniform. The cold metal is melted by immersion in this hot bath, as in all covered crucible melting. Cold metal, when immersed in superheated liquid metal and wetted by it, takes up heat remarkably rapidly, and anything that increases the speed of The Hering Electric Furnace 1492 melting lowers the standby losses; hence poking th: cold metal down into the hot bath is an advantag: This “pinch pressure” operates like a valveles pump, forcibly expelling the freshly heated meta! from the heating holes or channels, called resistor and sucking in the cooler liquid metal from the bath This peculiar and heretofore unknown electr: magnetic force, which is of considerable magnitud: is the first mechanical force internal to a conductor, known to the electric art, all the other forces being external. In the present type this force is applied to circumferentially closed channels of liquid metal submerged beneath the bath, so that rupture cannot longer take place; the force tending to crush the conducting column of liquid metal is made t “squirt” it out of the heating holes, whereby the absolutely essential rapid circulation in these heat ers is produced. This type of furnace is sometimes referred to as the “pinch effect furnace,” as this peculiar force is its underlying and essential feature. Such a furnace heats the liquid metal from the bot- tom, which is the correct way to heat any liquid, and of course the most rapid way. Due to this rapid heating the losses of heat are reduced because the time during which the metal is kept hot is short- ened. If a ton of metal per hour is melted and poured in 500-lb. lots every 15 min. in a small fur- nace, the continuous stand-by losses through the walls and the top will be only those from 500 lb., while if the metal is melted and poured in ton lots Pouring Brass mber 31, 1914 Transformer Transformer THE IRON AGE 1493 Crucible SN } uCiDle i Li ] Kh ‘ ‘ { . LS j , | Decietnre Cnn, + ‘ TTR CSISTOrS OO 4 r - ee een — <— 4 DB .---t White Magnesite < a) SSS pe ee Brow mS AA ate _A 7 OQNECS ITE <A tee SN WS { f ~~ Sy i 2SSSSyr ‘ Transformer Death nec ee s Section and Plan of Hering Electric Furnace Showing Electric Connections. The View on the Left Represents qa 120- Kw. Two-Phase Hering Brass Furnace and the One on the Rig ht a 150-Kw. Three-Phase Hering Steel Furnace every hour these losses will be several times as great. The ideal method therefore is to melt and pour as quickly as possible, hence in as small lots as the particular conditions of the foundry require, though this of course need not be carried to extremes. It is thought, however, that for small castings at least, a high power tilting brass furnace of this type could be constructed small enough to be transported to the molds, pouring directly into them, thereby sav- ing the process of pouring with a ladle with its labor cost, and the cost of the superheat necessarily involved in indirect pouring. CONSTRUCTION OF THE FURNACE In general this furnace consists of a shell lined so as to form a hearth. At the bottom of this hearth there are several cylindrical holes, usually inclined, extending into the lining and terminating at their outer ends by the metallic electrodes, usually made of the same metal as that to be melted, or of graphite. The electric current led into the furnace by means of these electrodes passes through the col- umns of liquid metal in these holes, and it is here that the electric energy is converted into heat and from which the freshly heated metal is squirted out into that in the hearth. These heating holes are technically called the resistors, as it is the electric resistance of the metal in these holes which causes the electric energy to be converted into heat. The electrodes lead out to the outside of the furnace, where they are attached to transformers in which the kind of current required by this furnace is gen- erated. These transformers are preferably secured mechanically to the shell, hence the heating can con- tinue, while the furnace is tilting for pouring. In starting from the cold state this furnace must first be primed with a small charge of liquid metal, enough to fill the holes and the bottom of the hearth, so that the circuit for the current is established. A few fragments of zinc, tin or aluminum inserted in the bottoms of the holes insure the union of the liquid priming metal with the electrodes at the first start from the cold. During regular pouring enough liquid is retained to maintain this electric circuit. On shutting down the furnace it is tilted or drained so far that the heating holes are also emp- tied of their metal except for a short stump at the bottom. In some cases the charges in the furnace were allowed to freeze and it was afterwards started up again by melting the solid charge with the cur- rent; but at present this is not recommended as a general rule except when the metal in the furnace is not hot short, as hot short metal is apt to break the electric circuit by cracking in the resistors when the furnace cools or is heated up. A blast fuel flame is desirable for starting up a furnace with a frozen charge. An electric furnace has its best efficiency when run continuously day and night; this is also better for the lining, which may become strained by re- peated heating and cooling. The cost of electric energy is also generally less per kilowatt hour for continuous than for intermittent supply. When this continuous running is not practical, this furnace may be kept hot over night with about 20 per cent., or even less, of its normal input. A large body of metal in a well heated and well insulated furnace will probably keep liquid in the bottom for a num- ber of hours, perhaps all night, without any current. In its present form this brass furnace is emi- nently practical. It requires very little attendance while running normally, and it is at its best when run at a uniform rate of melting. One operator can well attend to several furnaces or undertake some other duties. It requires intelligent care when start- ing from the cold to establish good electrical con- tact with the fluid priming charge; this starting is easily learned, but must be done conscientiously; after that first starting no particular care is re- quired. The chief attention required during normal run- ning is not to waste electric energy or endanger the lining or the electrodes by unnecessarily high tem- peratures, as the heat accumulates rapidly after the metal is all melted; its temperatures had best be determined by the use of pyrometers, which is con- venient in this type of furnace. Any degree of superheat can of course be ob- tained, depending only on the money one is willing to spend for this superheat. One need merely keep the melted metal in the furnace with the full cur- rent on. SOME PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES There is no danger at all of “burning” or oxidiz- ing the metal, as the air can be entirely excluded and the atmosphere may even be made reducing with charcoal. Sulphur fumes are of course absent. The zinc loss is practically negligible, as the fur- nace is normally sealed, being opened only for charg- ing and pouring. The regular and continuous up- ward motion of the metal squirted from the heating « See's 2 Pae NS oy seg Ss .4 —— ee * 1494 holes brings all the molten metal repeatedly to the top, where all suspended matter is released and then floats. Hence there takes place a kind of mechan- ical refining of the metal; it may be said to be in effect as though the melted metal had been strained through a filter. The loss of brass in the ashes in the ordinary fuel melting processes is, of course, en- tirely avoided. This, together with the practically negligible loss of zinc as fumes, means a saving in the metal, and the value of the metal thus saved goes well toward paying for the current, and in some cases may equal it. The flow of metal in the heating holes is down- ward at their circumference and upward in the cen- ter, hence is in both directions; the outward velocity is by far the greater; there is really a suction at the surface of the holes, hence an absence of erosive action, the flow is steady and not intermittent. We estimate that each particle of metal is in the holes on an average roughly about a second and is heated about 50 deg. C. (about 90 deg. F.) higher than when it entered, but these figures are naturally only very rough estimates and vary greatly with the design and the metal. It is quite surprising, however, what a large amount of heat can be carried out of these holes effectively by the rapidly flowing metal; it exceeds that of a row of electric arcs in those holes. At present about 25 to 50 kw. are converted into heat in each hole (or roughly about 90,000 to 200,000 B.t.u. or 20,000 to 45,000 kg. cal. per hr.) with the probabilities that this can be considerably increased. The correct proportioning of these holes and the current are of great importance. These proportions are quite different for brass than for steel. The furnace must be especially designed for each metal, though variations in the compositions of brasses and bronzes can, however, be taken care of in the same furnace by regulation of the electric current. Even copper, with its very low resistance, can be melted commercially in these furnaces without re- quiring impractical proportions. The higher the electrical resistivity of a metal the better the pro- portions become. CURRENT VOLTAGE AND AMPERAGE The rapid flowing of the metal in the heating holes, which is the basis of this type of furnace, is a phenomenon based on the use of a large current, hence these furnaces must be operated with low voltages and great amperage. For this reason the currents are best converted by transformers at- tached directly to the furnace, as long leads for such large currents would be expensive and troublesome. Our researches have shown, however, that the cur- rents may be much smaller than was at first sup- posed. Our brass furnace is running with about