The Iron Age 1915-05-06: Vol 95 Iss 18

“ SL)ULUVUNNEDEDUDEOUOGRNUREDOOUDAAOUUUNNREOU ROR ECOUREDO ONT RES a Established 1855 SpUNUUUEAUEAYUENUNUAUEUATUENEAUENTAUEUUUTTEALUAEGEAUTEEAUEOEEATEUUUAENU EGU EAANEENTEA TAG N AEA EEHAAOAAEN EAN NAAR UATE ERE ATU EAES NEETU ANGEL EAU EAU EECA UAE EA MEA AA UCU E AT PAHOA EU LTT LA ERATE EERE EEE EEE AEA TEE AEE ate Ls Se wil S)UVUUAUUONUONENARALEDENAUUAEOAAUNGENOOUAL ATA THATAEN EATEN EDTA ARATE THEA ANA EAA EA NDNA EAA AUAUEAEU EOL AU NAA EUUOUAUUAUEUEOUEUEOOGGUAUEADEUOULAUELUGUEOCOUOLOOUAUEOOG ODEN ENeUUADENDNUEapanEN aE eanaTenruoeseueensanepenenenennnde New York, May 6, 1915 ies POAUOUUPOACAADDOUEO DEAT a fe Vol 95: No. 18 Gray-lron Foundry of Instructive Design Advantages of a Clean and Orderly Operation as Maintained by the Textile Machine Company, Reading, Pa.—Bonus System and Other Benefits It too often happens that foundries which are well designed and expensively equipped for maxi- mum production and for the comfort of employees, are not what they should be in productivity, neat- ness, healthfulness or safety, for the reason that there has been an almost ignominious surrender to an at least implied sentiment that “a foundry is a dirty place.” As a result of this feeling and the a building of generous size built for the exclusive use of the molders and foundry workers. It is the molders’ bathroom; but it is more than a place for washing up, as it contains substantial tables and benches for the use of the men at noon-time. The illustrations herewith bespeak the precise order which is maintained. One man who was picked for his faculty of preserving discipline has charge of fice of the Foundry Superintendent of the Textile Machine Company, Reading, Pa. This Room Adjoins the Foundr nsequent lack of persistent regulation, there are dirt and disorder, with an impairment of original ‘ans, harmful to employer and employee alike. oth suffer and both are to blame. lhe opposite of the conditions alluded to is so ‘ar exemplified in the foundry of the Textile Ma- chinery Company, Reading, Pa., that even the cas- visitor would be impressed with the neatness nd order of the plant, an all-round excellence which ‘ been created by close attention to detail. On approaching the foundry from the main gate the company’s grounds attention is attracted to t t 987 the room, and woe to the molder who is caught committing an offensive act. The room contains 24 wash basins of white yitreous ware, eight shower baths, 200 lockers and racks for drying the cloth ing. The latter may be raised to the high ceiling by a pulley arrangement, thereby being not only lifted out of the way but to the part of the room where the temperature is highest,.so that drying is more quickly accomplished. The floor is of concrete and between the rows of lockers are benches for the convenience of the men. The bases of all the benches and tables are of cast iron. Sanitary fountains Kia LT Fr anette = KeSAAR TR rane THE IRON . oy Vis d Wash Basins. To the Right May Be Seen the Apparatus for Heating Water and the Entrance« Passage between the Bathroom and Foundry The Foundry Office Faces the Corridor supply water not only in the bathroom but through- for the day, they leave the bathroom by a door at out the plant. the opposite end of the room. The room is open When leaving the foundry on their way to the from 6 to 7 a.m., from 11:50 a.m. to 1 p.m. and bathroom the men pass through a corridor in which from 2:30 to 7 p.m. are time clocks on which they register. If quitting The office of the foundry superintendent Room for the Comfort of Molders. It Contains 200 Lockers and Racks for Drying Clothing Which Can be Elevated to the Upper Part of the Room The Steam Heating Pipes Are Carried Overhead. Between the Rows of Lockers Are Benches Similar to Those Beside the Tables. IRON AGE SHE g Room, Containing Two Sand-Blast Barre nd Twelve Exhaust light, airy room, as appears from the illustration. and its two Niles 5-to It adjoins the corridor referred to, and the men as_is supporting a lifting magnet furnished | they pass to and fro can be observed. From the’ Electric Controller & Mfg. Comy corridor the visitor steps into the foundry proper, the 1 structure 102 x 490 ft. Its general construction of electric cranes, one any, are now accompanying view Immediately to the the entrance is a room used for emergen ¥ Wiitu > View of the Foundry. The Castings in the Foreground Resting on the Block Ps Victor Talking Machine Company, Camden, N. J 990 pairs to flasks or other quick work in carpentry. Special attention is directed to this room as an eco- nomical arrangement. It is under the same roof as the foundry and about 25 ft. square. To the right of the foundry entrance are a num- ber of grinding wheels, all with air exhaust, and immediately behind them is the cleaning room. Machinery in all departments is electrically driven and compressed air is used wherever it is applicable, a pressure of 80 lb. being carried. The equipment of the cleaning room consists of two sandblast bar- rels made by the New Haven Sand Blast Company and 12 tumblers made by the W. W. Sly Mfg. Com- pany. The dust is removed from all equipment by air exhaust. An interesting use is made of the magnet in picking up odds and ends of iron from the floor of the foundry. One man devotes a few hours each afternoon to this work and in one day has picked up approximately 1000 lb. of scrap. The melting equip- ment consists of three cupolas made by the Barry & Zecher Company, equipped with Zippler tuyeres. The company ordinarily pours about 60,000 lb. a day, but can melt twice that amount when neces- sary. Two blowers supply the blast. All sand cut- ting is done at night and the molders find all in readiness for them to go to work promptly at 7 a.m. Twice a year the foundry receives a thorough clean- ing and its interior is whitewashed. Conveniently located at the the building are sanitary toilets. sides of STORAGE BINS AND THE CORE ROOM Extending the entire length of one side of the foundry building and under an elevated railroad track is a series of masonry bins for the storage of sand and other materials. The cars dump directly into the bins. The core room adjoins the foundry on the same level. A feature here is the arrange- ment which obviates the necessity of core makers having to leave their benches with completed work. A number of steel trucks with roller bearings are used to remove the trays of cores, and as soon as a loaded truck is taken away an empty one is pushed into place. One of these trucks is shown in the illustration of the core room. All compounding in the core department is done with two machines made by the Standard Sand & Machine Company. ; : | View of the Coreroom in Which Is Shown THE IRON Roller-bearing Truck Such as Is Used To Carry Trays of Cores Away from AGE May 6, 1915 The company contemplates the installation of ay overhead mono-rail system to carry the completed cores into the foundry. No women core-makers employed. The pattern storage room has the usual stee| racks found in well-equipped plants and is of fire. proof construction. All patterns are card-indexed as to number of section of shelf, enabling any pat- tern to be located quickly. Operations have been started on an addition to the storage building are TRUCKS USED ON UNLOADING PLATFORM The shipping and unloading platform, also illus- trated, adjoins a railroad spur which runs into the yard. It extends the full length of the foundry building and is entirely inclosed by a building 64 x 490 ft. The platform is on the same level as the cupola charging floor and connected with it by a wide entrance. Pig iron when taken from the cars is piled on roller-bearing trucks and wheeled to a space near the charging door of the cupola. A num- ber of the loaded trucks are held in reserve. The system makes only one handling necessary. The unloading of the pig iron will be expedited when a lifting magnet is installed, for which plans are al- ready made. The platform is constructed to sustain 1000 Ib. per sq. ft. PLAN OF DEALING WITH EMPLOYEES None of the molders work over nine hours in day. George Moyer, superintendent of the foundry, has some pronounced views with regard to the handling of men. First of all he advocates fair treatment and wages that are up to the stand- ard. He has a standing challenge to his men to show him where they can do better. He maintains that it is best to anticipate, so far as possible, an) request by the men for higher wages. In further- ance of his ideas he has in operation a system by which all piece-workers are paid a 10 per cent. bonus at the end of each month. For instance, if a man has earned $110 in the month, he receives $11 extra. The company lays emphasis on the neces- sity of its men being steady and sober and one re sult is that a considerable number own their own homes. Mr. Moyer holds that a molder is entitled to know each morning the results of his previous day’s one Coremakers’ Benches THE IRON AGE 991 g and Unloading Platform Which Is Inclosed by to Bins Pig Iron Is Loaded from Railroad Cars te Charge and what he has earned—something which very serious-minded worker should want to know. facilitate the giving of this information there is aced at the end of the foundry nearest to the rintendent’s office a rack containing an index ard for each man. The cards are 5 x 91% in. and ne side are columns for the recording of such data as card number, molder’s name, department, istomer’s number, foundry order, pattern number, ber of mold, number of castings produced, num- er of good castings, weight, price or rate, time nsumed and amount due on piece work. On the reverse side of the card, for the information of the der, is space for the date on which the work was ne, pattern number, number of bad castings, num- ber broken, and remarks. Should there appear to an excessive number of bad castings the molder ived is called upon for an explanation. AN UNUSUALLY SELF-CONTAINED OPERATION In this article it was intended to give an idea of the principal features of the company’s indry, but some facts pertaining to the entire establishment stand out too strongly to be ignored. The plant as a whole is self-contained to an unusual extent. It has its own water supply and makes its own electricity for all purposes. The water is ob- tained from two artesian wells, one 664 ft. and the ther 650 ft. in depth. There is a cistern of 100,000 gal. and another of 90,000 gal. capacity, both for storage. Pressure is supplied by two towers of 100,000 gal. and 50,000 gal. capacity, the latter being part of a sprinkler system. in the power plant is a newly installed 750 hp. flow engine, connected to a 500 kw. generator, a 500 hp. engine operating a 300 kw. generator. tricity for light, heat and power is supplied to various buildings in cables carried in tunnels igh which a man can walk comfortably. The pany has recently installed a two-stage Nord- '€ compressor with a capacity of 1200 cu. ft. of per minute. There are other compressors of er capacity. ‘enry Janssen is president of the Textile Ma- Company and Ferdinand Thun is secretary and irer. The company owns 20 acres of ground. Building 64 x 490 Ft FY Trucks Whicl Are Door The General Electric Company’s Year The General Ele , Company fn l ied ty third annual report. which covers operatior year ended December 31, 1914. The volum« showed a contraction of about 25 per cent. a ympared with 1913 The alue of orders received wa 83,143, 521, against $111,819,142 in 1913, while the amount of sales billed was $90,467,691.71, against $106,477,45% The profits from sales i 1914 were $8,970,963.39, against $10,269,605.45. The ncome from other sources in 1914 was $2,884,420.42, against $3,796,184.43 The total profits and income in 1914 were therefore $11 855,383.81, against $14,065,789.88 After deducti for interest on bonds and dividends paid, the amount carried to surplus at the close of 1914 was $3,145,059.85 against $4,908,674.64. The expenditures in 1914 for additions and improve ments to manufacturing plants aggregated $6,006, 955.06, against $11,373,118.10 in 1913, and the am written off at the close of 1914 wa > 1.370,79 2, against $6,502,060.40 at the close of 1913 The pany has followed its customary practice in writ ff against income account its total expenditures in 1914 for patents and other outlay relating thereto, amount ing to $408,536 74. against $662,925.40 for the preceding year. As a result of business contraction the numbe employees engaged in the factories and offices of the company and its subsidiaries at the end of 1914 wa about 15,000 less than on the payroll at the close of the previous year. The balance sheet shows a surplus January 1, 191! of $20,084,879.35. In the liabilities are debenture bon totaling $12,067,500. Accounts payable, including quarterly dividend payable January 15, 1915, are put at $4,780,291.57. The company has no note payable, nor i there any paper outstanding bearing its indorsement The assets include cash on hand of $22,528,887.99 stocks and other securities, accounts receivable, due from subsidiary companies, ete., aggregating $54,661, 171.68: merchandise inventories, valued at $29,292, 761.99. The financial condition of the company is thus shown to be exceedingly satisfactory. The National Safety Council, 979 South LaSalle street, Chicago, has recently distributed two tables, giv ing safe loads, etc., on chains, rope and cable one com piled by the Fairbanks-Morse Mfg. Company, Beloit, Wis., and the other by the Swift Compar Chicago } Teepe a%e a ee ee me ey. © 992 THE IRON AGE May 6, 1915 Farm Machinery Association Inquiry to confine their trade to the regular dealer. T} : some manufacturers, however, who will not ss WASHINGTON. D. C.. Mav 3. 1915.—Practice f sively through regular dealers unless they a doubtful legality which tend to limit the field of com pelled to. fhe dealers desire, therefore, t petition and to enhance prices are found to have beer among such manufacturers a belief that the withhold their patronage if they persist and wholesale and retail dealers in farm m : eaten ing the dealers’ claims. While the organized according to a report which has been forwarded t disclaim any intention of maintaiming a bla President Wilson by Josesh E. Davies, chaltien of of instituting a boycott against anyone, M: employed by associations embracing m: i a a é : . ee Fede Trade ymissio The port was prepared isserts that it is clear that if they be permitt« under Mr. Davies’ direction before the Bureau of Col seminate information of this character those porations was merged in the Trade Comn 7 inant the principles of these associations would & tila view of the cor sions embodied therein it is prot ontinue business relations with offending n able tl the evidence gathered by the investicat ers even in the absence of an express agres s ethe the members a. at tin? ref mod 4 A determined fight has been made by the have bex miltw of anertil Sl a lealers against the competition of mail-orde nett tem ocil aie) dead ‘ : iccording to the report. They have not only t Aimenst ever we deel annilh seein ia le Buia i: prevent manufacturers from supplying imple machinery industry is a member of the National In such concerns, but also have conducted a amy plement and Vehicle Associat weordions tn the re prevent the establishment of a parcel post pe d de - a h - } S be ize tneo! that such facilities would benefit the the National Federatior f Implement and Vehick houses. The organized manufacturers and d« Dealers’ Ass iati which is mposed 4 ime : also made earnest efforts to curtail the State and interstate associations. These tv rpaniza facilities of mail-order houses by persuading tions are t scope and work it ne co-onera turers who sell through dealers not to adve t In the early davs the va - ons iteeee Dams farm papers which contain mail-order advert agreements as to uniform : es. t the fear of prose encourage buying from mail-order houses cution under the anti-trust laws. as we » nation I lusion the report states that whik difficulties in making direct price agreement ed t part of the activities of the manufacturers’ othe nethods of fiver — ‘ = oa aa é . ; iations in this branch of the Davies directs special attent to met] eects proper f the protection of legitimate ints il g ¢ ahaa alt ent ' a thers of doubtful legality which ter chines. which is marketed at fixed 1 ae : the field cf petition and to enhance p1 syste! : ead ‘ W the raising ec tts Production of Copper in 1914 the report. The hist = f the cas eel al a \n advance statement by B. S. Butler, of the among mpeting dealers. with a al cate States Geological Survey, has been issued giving fig taining of prices. is sketched bv Mr. Davies, who states Utes for the production of copper for the Unit AS a ; as Si States in 1914. he smelter production of pr : ¢ wee a = re ie aii 1. opper was 1,150,137,192 lb., as compared with 1,224 siedadiieal ae rs a Via 2 184,098 lb. in 191 The decrease was about ¢ ene al = reat ent. The total production of new refined copper The fandament 1 e 4] en ‘ 1,533,781,394 lb., which was a decrease of 81,286,588 of = ER oe nee ; ~ ‘rom the prod iction in 191 The produ tio: port, is that “to retail deak s the retail ¢ ; trolytic, Lake, casting and pig copper fron They insist. especially. that it = 7 Sea e sources and the production of secondary coppe« catonven. ee oi nti : ' : ; : egular refining plants in 1914 was 1,565,708,374 So cae a ae ae ate Siena c mpared with 1652990541 Ib. in 1913. I aa - ; . a : ; a these figures are 158.009,748 lb. of Lake copper! siinaniines aeatontith edt and ede e gainst 155,715,286 Ib. in 191 aie 1 cece 1. el pe In addition to the secondary metal treat eel ttials Dain “en: Bah : ae candi egular refining companies, plants that treated s furthe that the plar ae 4} } aiid ry metal exclusively produced a total of 224, dealer is a 2 : sedi “a f copper as copper and in brass and other alli : eo pper, making a total production of 256,! renders bi ie aie Mae ine een Make eee “ a ’ . from secondary sources. Adding the out; Sesileia te the welell trade tee ban eee is ee eee the production of regular refining Mattena) feaglament aod We a as ale panies, the contribution of domestic plants The great p1 al +} 1, ’ ae ; My intry to the world’s supply of copper for 1914 Davies says. has been 1 Fai weful amonne be, ound to be 1,790,000,000 Ib. sili Elid citieiilin és: eie ekabllicall alt ata. aceuee eae teturns from all producing companies sh manufacturer who dé es t Gne } etal . January 1, 1914, the stocks of refined copp recular deal Tne abtoas poe Ss aa 10,385 402 Ib., and on January 1, 1915, were 1/5,64 individual manufacture aie SA sate citi . Showing an increase in 1914 of 83,255,099 irre ru , : aie ; . a th. sa idaition to the refined copper stocks there were of the dealers’ ass il cine, al otis smelters, in transit to refineries, and at Tel sities ‘iniiieee? ptietiiiiiesn amumel tn oiiitiien ies blister copper or material in process of refnine lal i aril eld li taal eee a amounting to 203.067,571 lb. January 1, 1910, as ale ie les aie ost oiiatad ay regener he - oe pared with 247,789,811 lb. January 1, 1914. din Ge Rand Gaee ahha the wddued.ot anime “es The apparent domestic consumption of refined turers appear to have heen freelv d cenit ean tlie opper in 1914 was 711.624.158 lb., against 512,-% ; , anaris b. in 1913, and 775,978,332 Ib. in 1912. entire membershit I tne irious deaier ssociations Court decisi ns aqave Sse ts su h ActIVItlé »f dea ers associations as we is investigations by the Gover Motor cars are extensively used in India, thé ment have caused the federated implement and vehick ing about 2000 in Calcutta and 1000 in Bombay. \2!¥ dealers in recent years to be caut n handling con of exports of cars to India in the fiscal year 1” “14 plaints At present, M Davies s, the federated are stated as follows: Motor cars, $3,680,855; to! dealers’ associations appear to rely principally upon cycles, $346,490; motor wagons, $185,165; parts the National Implement a1 Vehicle Association and essories, $761,257. The United Kingdom leads the variou obbers to pers le their members tems, with the United States second. M 1915 ijustable-Spindle Boring Machine enable any point in a space measuring 14 idth and 6 ft. in length to be reached for od or drilling light metal, the Reynolds & Machine Company, Moline, IIL, has — 4 } x Lignt Me S Measuring 14 , ari ‘ } : i] ww ¢ . > wee + adjustable-spindle machine Practi- attern of holes can be drilled in this imitation being that the spindle cen t approach each other closer than 2 ir *% } } . > - oS hine, as will be noticed fron ne a ng illustration, consists of two vertical ryY pporting a cross rail which has consid- pth from front to rear. The top surface of 1 and in it is a semi-circular groove , a ontinuous spiral that meshes wi gear in the drilling heads mounted upor These heads can be adjusted to any point rail or horizontally across it. spindles are carried in brackets capable adjusted to any point on the entire circum- the circle surrounding the the end of the drilling head by spur gears on their a gear on the central stud. The gear on ree tered stud receives power from the main central The ipper ends Spl dies gn bevel and spiral gears. It is double the the pinions on the drill spindles, so that may overlap each other and thus be se together. The longitudinal and trans- istments of the heads on the ra istment of the spindles around cen- able any point in the space covered by be reached, and any desired pattern of be drilled. For example, it practically unlimited number of holes in gnt line with the distance between the cen- ‘ least 2 in., or four holes can be drilled in a ne at right angles to the table, not less apart or more than 14 in. from one end w to the other. It is also possible to dr es on a circle having a radius of 2 in., as any other patterns which, it is emphasized, 6} and ine the tne , s possible THE IRON AGE were formerly h eads r i having iosest cen > } y , e supplied ape t aT a =tee Besides the - ry ; y ariy A , i S } ‘ mr 7 id “ \ » . eK p pe | yY W s pial | ant b idl s = . ne na tpu I Acé r fase wr PASE int Ke The 68 « s e Re niant - a? ' t ~ e gr a € : ; e ised ‘ ~ r x t : . a ‘ ’ t we ‘ r < ; ner 6 i 2 I atiie, the pe tage depe g ity of the coal. At the Repul . . s4 t y ng A e : nr ppe + 7 + + r . . va ons ace | ' ens s operate prese ery } pera . 16 ? g ‘ It is planned . : r tter’ , ik F new J Avie ’ , i i vf the reased by-prod aunt : ‘ : : su onger coking period i nie irpius : - tne L4 ens amour } » OOO) D0) B t.u thre a ir prod per day mmMor r nhate. 56.000 I and ATTiinio Ai} a » UD, a : is in exes $2 per ton of coke are to be considered about 100 tons coke which can be used as domesti of nreeze ay i Ne TO! : aT der iM 7. >} , +ho secured on! } Ln = = , b ixed centers Wi + +h : stance wit! ne I e tne »S ser ; c? = x na ft , ?? ¢ “ . +} ‘ ‘ estes é , ¥ : : Dini s ire nates + Leg? I er ’ wr r 3 : } vor? ’ wor . lg . e r , e the ’ é ts At Pe t WI ty The rep y ++ Ve y ‘ y ‘ he eY y ‘ es: ¥ j ’ T ese ‘ is ‘ ' t W | } re SSO¢ } . ’ poppers Coke Oven by-products 2 995 4 ist Sspecia 2 : ne » ; ir heads aa ne iis : ¥ The ’ ¥ TTt¢ ed &s ‘ ’ 4 : rt } ip] L iit , ' ‘ eed Thy “rT I iv ‘ y ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ed ’ Kes ’ y ‘ | we ; e na na +} ‘ e¢ ' y ’ i ‘ ’ ore ’ ‘ . 7. - ’ : ; . y , + 4 n =+ . ‘ = : ‘ eS t 7 9 ; ; na a e r ne (; ; ‘ . ea t ‘ ’ ‘ « ; : Dia nave xe re The , gr ‘ erate otn thre _ yr time ‘ "i “ : os 4 i vie rr ne : 1s De ; 3 zg . aw fron . ~ ft) 4 ' . 3 : per day yt ma : ’ re 4 Ts be i 4 Handling of Repair Work in the Factory Suggested System for Doing This Econ- omically—Good Results Obtained by One New England Builder of Machine Tools - BY ALBERT A. DOWD The repairing of broken machine parts, tools, fix- red ticket is used for rush work and the white fo, tures and other devices which make up factory equip- ordinary repairs, and each of them contains informa. ment, is a problem that confronts every manufacturer, tion sufficient to acquaint the superintendent’s office and the delays often incident to this work affect his with the important features of the case. In eacn profits to a considerable extent. In many cases, gen- department two wire baskets are placed in a cop. eral repair work on machines, tools or fixtures, is the venient place for incoming and outgoing departmenta| subject of very little thought on the part of the manu- correspondence. A boy makes the round of the fac. facturer, and when a piece of repair work is to be tory at least once every hour during the day and done, it is turned over to some mechanic who does not distributes to each department the correspondence in- happen to be engaged on an important piece of work tended for it and takes away whatever is intended fo, at the time. other departments. Reports on minor repairs are Running repairs, such as work on countershafts, made out on the white ticket and placed in this bas. lineshafts, belts, etc., are usually taken care of by the ket to be taken up on his rounds, but a red rush ticket millwright or his assistants, and are seldom the cause is sent immediately to the superintendent’s office by of much delay, unless a serious accident has occurred. one of the men in the department, so that there wil! Machine parts, however, when broken, require more’ be no delay. In the event of broken tools or fixtures time and are often the source of annoying delays, these are sent directly to the toolroom with a duplicate especially if the nature of the trouble is such that the red ticket, when work is needed immediately, and the machine cannot be used until repairs have been made. toolroom foreman details a man to make the repairs Many times an operator, having broken a machine, will without waiting for further instructions. In the mean- worry along with it in this condition, rather than wait time the superintendent’s office O.K.’s the ticket sent for it to be repaired. Tools and fixtures are patched to it and marks it with a shop order number, against up temporarily for the same reason and sometimes which the repairs are to be charged. This is sent used in such a condition as to affect the accuracy of through to the toolroom in the regular way and causes the product. In cases of this kind, although the pro- no delay because the toolroom foreman does not wait duction still continues, it may be at about half or two- for it before he goes ahead with the wrk. The selec- thirds the usual rate, which is naturally a source of tion of men to whom repair work can be profitably loss to the manufacturer. I have seen an operator given in the toolroom is as important as the rapid using a C-clamp on a piece of work in a jig which had __ handling of the work itself, but a foreman of ability been broken to avoid the delay which would be caused soon determines the men most suited to work of this if it were sent away for the necessary repairs, and character. It is not always that the best toolmaker each piece which he handled took about twice as long makes the best man for handling repairs, for the work to set up and remove as it would have done under’ may be distasteful to him and for that reason he frets normal conditions. Of course, on a small lot of pieces, and fumes over a repair job because he doesn’t like a temporary arrangement of this sort might serve to to do it and would prefer a nice piece of tool work. get out the. work a little sonner than if the jig were It is therefore poor policy to give work of this kind permanently repaired before proceeding, but, as a to him, unless it is of such a character that it requires usual thing, it is poor economy. the relocating of bushings or something requiring con- One of the best systems for handling repair work siderable accuracy. In the case of a jig or fixture quickly and economically is in use by a large machine- having a broken lug, clamp, or other part not specific- tool builder in New England. A description of the ally important as regards accuracy, it is often found methods used may prove of interest to other manu- advisable to give the work to some man who may not facturers who may be able to make adaptations to be a toolmaker at all, but a general all round man; suit the conditions in their own factories. who may not be a particularly accurate workman, but Minor repairs are taken care of by the foreman of whose ingenuity makes up for his lack of accuracy. the department in which the tools or machines in- In every toolroom men can be found who seem to have volved may be located, as unnecessary delay is avoided a knack of repairing work rapidly and well, and such by having the work done in the department most men should always be selected in preference to others affected. It is obviously of advantage to each foreman whose general work may be better, but who do not have to put the work through as rapidly as possible in order the faculty mentioned. A discriminating foreman soon that the efficiency of his department may not suffer, finds out who can handle the work to the best advantage. and for this reason it has been found profitable to It not infrequently happens that there is a change handle it in this way. It is an invariable rule that in the design of a piece of work for which a jig ° all breakages must be reported to the foreman at fixture has previously been built. This change in de- once so that he can immediately take steps to have sign may require the changing over of the fixture In the proper repairs made. For minor repairs, when such a way that it may either be used for the piece these are to be made in the department, men are as originally designed or for the newer model. lt Is selected whose services are particularly applicable to not always possible to make the change on the origina this class of work. Considerable ingenuity is required fixture without complicating matters and even when in general repair work, for while one man may repair __ possible, the original drawing should be made ove? a broken tool or fixture in a comparatively short time, by the tool designer before the work is put into the it may not be strong enough to perform its functions factory. It is a great mistake to allow work of this properly and for that reason prove a failure. If prop- kind to be handled by the toolmaker without a thor- erly done, repaired work may be even stronger than ough understanding of the important features of the it was originally and a man should always be selected case and for this reason the designer should decide who can be depended upon both for his ingenuity and and plan out the work to the best advantage before " rapid workmanship. is given to the toolmaker. That the superintendent’s office may be kept in This brings up another point in general repalt touch with all accidents which are of such a nature work, and that is the designer’s responsibility. !" as to cause delay in production and necessitate re- certain cases the need for repairs is primarily caused pairs, each department is furnished with two repair by weak points in construction. For these the de- tickets, one of which is red and the other white. The _ signer is naturally responsible, and his attention should 994 iz May 6, 1915 always be called to the failure of any tool or fixture ‘form its functions in an efficient manner so that he can guard against similar trouble in his future “ In addition to this the designer of any piece echanism is familiar with the work which it is required to do and, knowing these points, he may be to suggest a method of repair better than a tool- er or other workman who does not know the stresses to which the work is likely to be subjected. He is more likely to suggest a method which does not appear quite as much like patchwork as it might repair was made without much regard for ap- Often he can make a freehand sketch, show- the toolmaker what his ideas are in regard to the and in this way save time for all concerned. fo make the working of the red ticket apparent, is take an example; a turrent lathe operator en- vaged in important production work breaks the pinion vhich operates the longitudinal turret feed. He im- mediately reports the accident to the foreman, who makes an examination of the machine to see how seri- is the injury is and to determine the probable delay which will be caused while repairs are taking place. He at once makes out a red ticket and sends it by a oy to the superintendent’s office, where it is O.K.’d ind taken to the toolroom. The foreman of this de- partment details a man to take the work in hand, and sends him to the turret lathe department. In the mean- time, the foreman of this department has removed the turret slide and taken out the pinion with the aid the operator and has also examined other parts likely to have been affected by the accident, but finds nothing else of a serious nature. Two teeth are found out of the pinion and the question arises whether to put in a few pins to act as a temporary repair or to make a new pinion. The pin method not being considered efficient a new pinion is decided upon and the toolmaker gets his stock and starts in on the work at once. As the job is a rush one he pushes it along as fast as possible, and by working a couple of hours overtime, with a helper, succeeds in completing the pinion and assembling it on the machine, so that when the operator arrives the next morning he can go to work immediately. This is not an exceptional ase by any means, but it shows how quickly work of this kind can be handled if taken care of in the right way. In the installation of a system of handling repairs such as that mentioned, it is not so much the actual system that counts as the living up to the spirit of the thing and making every effort to produce results. Also the selection of men to whom the work is en- trusted is of great importance and cannot be overlooked or underestimated. nearance. broken Lead Production in 1914 The production of refined primary lead in the United States in 1914, that smelted from ore, was 542,122 net tons, against 462,460 tons in 1913, a gain of 17.2 per cent. The primary refined lead available for consump- tion in the United States was 449,052 tons in 1914, against 419,485 tons in 1913, an increase of 7 per cent. ‘mports of lead in ore, base bullion and refined in 1914 were 56,676,803 lb., compared with 114,293,966 Ib. in 1913, a decline of over 50 per cent. The world’s pro- duction of lead in 1913 was 1,270,458 tons, of which, ‘uding to the source of the ore, the United States produced 32.4 per cent. These data are from a pam- phiet just issued by the United States Geological Sur- on “The Production of Lead in the United States 1914,” by C. E. Siebenthal. (he General Insert Company, 44 North Fourth treet, Philadelphia, Pa., has brought out a new type of nsert for use in connection with concrete construction. ‘he insert adapts itself to various sizes of bolts, pipes, , ete., and one size is all that is required for a ling. The shape of the insert is that of a keystone h is relied upon to bear against the concrete at the es and increase the carrying strength, as well as venting it from pulling out of the concrete. THE IRON 995 AGE : t 7 } New Quick-Acting Screwless Wrenches Three wrenches have been added to the line manufactured by the Imperial Tool Company, Bloomington, Ill. These are of the monkey, angle and pipe types respectively. All three are intended Some Recent Quick-Acting versible Cap and a Developed Wrenches Monkey Wrenctl : Angle Wrench Pipe Wrench Operating without Screw to operate quickly and, in the case of the angle wrench, to provide a number of adjustments as to the spacing and angularity of the jaws. The monkey-wrench is of the quick-acting grip type. The jaw operates without a screw and is handled entirely with the thumb. In this way, it is pointed out, the backing away, which has to be done on a wrench where a thumb screw is used, is eliminated. Beside the quick-acting feature, the wrench is of the grip type, and the harder the handle is pulled, the tighter, it is emphasized, is the grip of the wrench jaws on the nut. Another feature is that it is a ratchet wrench and does not have to be hy taken off the nut each time, as by merely pushing ; back on the handle, the jaw automatically ratchets' : and grips for the next pull. The construction ie simple, and it is possible to use it the same as an ; ordinary monkey wrench and also do several other things. The angle wrench is capable of a number of ad- justments and takes the place of several different sizes of solid and S wrenches. 3y pressing the thumb on the key it is possible to ratchet the wrench the entire eight notches at once or one notch at a ; time, while, when the thumb is released from the +s key, the handle becomes solid and the nut can be i turned in either direction. This wrench is built 3 with a solid jaw for the mechanic and also with a +t reversible cap, as illustrated. This reversible cap Fi feature enables it to be used either as a pipe or a 3 monkey wrench, thus combining two tools in one. 4 The change can be made almost instantaneously. ee The pipe wrench, like the monkey wrench, is a oped quick-acting one, being handled entirely with the thumb. The upper jaw, it is pointed out, has a great amount of forward and back play, so that it is pos- : sible to grasp the pipe being handled quickly and re- : lease it practically instantaneously. The construc- ee ee ee tion of the wrench is simple, there being only six > BE parts in all. A Casting Process for Producing Rods Radical Departure in the Industry —The Mellen Method and Its Appli- cation to the A machine that does away with the present system of making rods of lead, zinc, brass, copper and aluminum by rolling and that may be made applicable to steel, has been developed by the Con- tinuous Casting Corporation, of Newark, N. J. The inventor is Grenville Mellen, of Llewellyn Park, N. J., and the machine is known as the Mellen rod- casting machine. It is a small continuous casting machine which with one operation gives results now requiring much labor and fuel and considerable time and space. The process involves a radical change in the rod industry. The hot liquid metal is transferred from the melting crucibles directly into an endless chain of mold blocks in the machine, where solidification takes place, and the rod comes out continuously in a solid form at one end as long as the molten metal is supplied. The operation of these mold blocks so as to produce a solid rod of uniform structure constitutes an important part of Mr. Mellen’s in- vention, which is de- scribed as below by R. C. Patterson, Jr., assistant secretary of the Newark company, in a paper pre- pared for the San Fran- cisco meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in September. THE VERTICAL TYPE The vertical machine, shown in one of the il- lustrations, 12 ft. in hight over all, 2x3 ft. in horizontal tional area, and 6000 Ib. in weight, has a frame- work of cast iron, hold- ing in position two end- less chains of mold blocks, which are made in sections and join in center alignment. The mold orifice is made up of these mold sections, into which the liquid metal flows. The mold- ing chains are composed of steel blocks, grooved on one face to form the cross-sec molding cavity, and linked together with flexible joints. Each block is carried on four Non-Ferrous Metals the production of a perfect rod in the mold grooy formed by these sections is secured by carefy) machine work, and by building the four wavs. dow, which the alignment takes place, so that two of the sides are fixed permanently, while the opposite sides are held to their position by spring pressure. The guides carrying the molds, while in casting position. are water-cooled square tubes. The length of this machine is somewhat inc terminate. A certain amount of both time and cooling surface is required to solidify the meta! the mold; and one may either use a long molding chain and run it fast, or shorter chain and run correspondingly slower. We have found, however. that with 8 ft. length between centers for the chains a casting speed of 25 ft. per minute for 7<-in. brass rod will not cause the molding blocks to rise in temperature above 450 deg. F. Many experiments have shown that in casting of bronze mix- tures, the pair of mold- ing blocks should have about six times as much sectional area as the cast rod, to allow a reason- able temperature differ- ence for the rapid re- moval of heat. The first machines designed for this process of continuous casting were vertical; but the desire of practical rod- mill men to operate with the molding groove hori- zontal led Mr. Mellen to spend considerable time in experimental improve- ments of the mechanical details, in order to secure a maximum efficiency for the horizontal machine. In this attempt, numer- ous troubles and intri- cate problems were eén- countered. The machine would always cast rods; but its successful opera- tion in a horizontal posi- tion required more skill than that of an ordinary laborer. After much experiment the axis was first made slightly in clined; but finally the vertical position was re adopted; and in this form one laborer, with 4 the rollers which guide the little preliminary '!0- chain around the end struction, can manage sprockets and carry it in the machine without its course through the difficulty. machine. Side View of Vertical Type of Mellen Rod-Casting Machine, ; indrances . Showing Casting Chain Which Travels Upward to Meet in a The chief hin bs am The accurac y ot Common Center the Opposite Chain, These Two Uniting to to horizontal operativ! . Ee Form a Solid Steel Mold into Which the Molten Metal Is Cast a = . . of alignment requisite to Through a Silica Tube Emerging from a Graphite Crucible. were: The diffic ulty 996 Type of Mellen Rod-Casting Machine for Lead npletely filling the molds, and the circumstance that, in working horizontally, the lower chain did the greater part of the work and became, after a time, excessively heated, while the upper chain remained relatively cool. This caused an irregular structure both in the cast rod and in the drawn product resulting therefrom; and as a result the required strength tests were not satisfactory. In the vertical arrangement these difficulties auto- matically cured themselves since the metal com- pletely filled the mold, with uniform contact all around, thus causing each portion of the chain to do work, and giving a symmetrical structure to both rod and resulting wire. The importance of making all of the chain work all the time is shown by the fact that in the vertical type of machine the chain can be considerably shortened, and yet the machine is capable of run- ning at higher speed than when arranged hori- ontally. This vertical arrangement, however, necessitates operation on two levels. The flow of metal into the machine is controlled an electrically operated automatic device, which adjusts the feed to the speed at which the ma- hine is operated. If for reason the machine should stop, the flow would be automatically shut off. <A safety device s incorporated into the irive, so that if any for- eign material clogs the hain a safety pin is sheared, thus protecting the mechanism from in- iry. The rods are de- livered from the machine mmediately to the die of the bull block, where they are drawn down to suit particular orders. ADVANTAGES GAINED This new method of anufacturing rods does vay with the following teps of the old system: Casting the wire bar. Handling the wire bar t m the molds. { Rehandling the wire bar f and from the reheating nace, Reheating the wire bar. ve THE IRON Cross-Section View of a Casting Shop Using the AGE 997 Alur ! rl cKere It also eliminates the loss from oxide scaling during heating and rolling involve, of course, the saving of much capital now These economies invested in heating furnaces, rolling mills, power plants, land, and buildings. Since the power required to run this machine is only about 5 hp., the cost of large engines, boilers, coal bins, etc., is practically done away with. Another advantage is the elimination of danger to human life Che apparatus is completely inclosed, so that the operator is protected from injury) Finally, the labor cost of this process is but 5 per cent. of that of the old method, the caster being the only work man required. A later development of this continuous casting machine is the machine, shown in one of the illus trations, casting rods of lead and soft-metal alloys, ly, in. and upward in diameter. This is the first step in the manufacture of shrapnel bullets; and the machine will cast per hour enough lead rod for more than 200,000 bullets. The only motive power required is that which the friction resisting the motion of the traveling mold chains, which is in the neighborhood of from 2to3 hp. This lead ma chine is practically the necessary for overcoming brass with the exception that it is operated in a horizontal plane Also, the horsepower is slightly decreased, and the ma- chine is a few feet longer. In two drawings, the area of brass rod is re- duced about 27 per cent. without annealing; but it must be realized that the area reduction and pull are variables depending upon the mixture cast. An 80-hp. motor is used in handling the 114-in. rod. The continuous casting machine is also applicable to the production of \ aluminum and zinc rod. Aluminum rods are pro- duced with diameters Sw) ranging from 4 in. up he ward. p j The casting-shop ar- rangement is shown by Rolling the wire bar. Type of Mellen Rod-Casting Machine one of the illustrations. same as that used for a N 998 This may be considered a cross-section of the shop with a long line of melting furnaces in parallel to the one shown, all of which supply metal to one casting machine. The melting furnace a is one of 40, the crucibles of which have a capacity of 220 lb. each with six heats per 10 hr. All of these are considered just sufficient, when operating at full capacity, to satisfy one casting machine in t0 hr. The feed basin c consists of a graphite crucible and has a capacity of 194 lb. The automatic feed-con- trol device d consists of a solenoid magnet operating in a battery circuit, one terminal of which is grounded on the machine and the other terminal attached to a graphite point projecting into the mold orifice. When the metal in the mold rises to this graphite terminal it closes this circuit and the magnet is energized. This magnet operates upon a beam to partly close a carbon valve controlling the inlet of metal into the mold bore. When the rod that is being cast into the molds is carried below this graphite tip, the circuit is broken and the valve 4 Cold Sawing THE IRON AGE May 6, 1915 which is applied in liquid form by means brushes k, The machine’s operating cost is less than 26 per ton of molten metal into the form of rod United States and foreign patents have secured. Cold Sawing Machine for Shrapnel Bars Another addition has been made to the line o; metal-working machinery that has been developed for manufacturing munitions of war and particu. larly shrapnel. This is a cold saw cutting-off ma chine that has been placed on the market by th Espen-Lucas Machine Works, Philadelphia, Pa The machine, which is of the rapid production type is designed for handling and cutting off steel bars to the proper length for manufacturing shrapnel! shells. a The saw carriage has a feed of ™% to 5 in. per Machine That Has Bee Developed for Handling and Cutting Off the Steel Bars Used for Making Shraj Shells lifts, allowing more metal to enter the machine. min., and any amount within these limits may be The variable-speed motor e is used to drive the machine. The variation in speed is necessary to enable the machine to be operated on different brass mixtures, some of which flow more freely than others. This speed is suitably adjusted by the operator at the speed-control wheel g. The reeling device f takes the rod delivered from the machine and rolls it into bundles to facili- tate its further handling. The cooling water jets h are a series of pipes arranged opposite the faces of the returning molds through which a series of streams of water are played directly upon the mold faces for cooling purposes. These streams are not turned on until the molds have reached a tempera- ture sufficient to vaporize this water. In practice the molds appear perfectly dry a few inches above the uppermost jet. Above these water jets are noted the mold-cleaning brushes j. These, which are made of steel, revolve by a chain mechanism and serve to clean any deposit from the surface of the mold and prepare it to receive the necessary facing. used, it being pointed out that the cutting capacity of the machine is limited only by the nature of the material that is being handled. The variation in the feed is obtained through a friction plate which is controlled by a handwheel. When the desired rate is obtained, the feed changing mechanism is auto- matically locked, but changes in the rate of feed can be made while the machine is in operation. The saw carriage also has a quick return mechanism which is controlled by the same lever to effect any change in the cutting speed desired. An automatic stop [or regulating the travel of the saw carriage is pro- vided. The drive is through a main shaft, phosphor- bronze worm wheel and crucible steel worm, the last two running in oil. The spindle extends the entire width of the saw carriage, and the saw blade 1s bolted directly against the driving gear, a construc- tion which is relied upon to insure rigidity and eliminate torsional strain between the gear and the saw blade. CONGESTION IN FOUNDRIES Eliminating Troubles Due to Faulty Original Design of Plants BY H. M. LANE Frequently a plant is designed and built f