The Iron Age 1925-04-16: Vol 115 Iss 16

ESTABLISHED 1855 THE IRON AGE New York, April 16, 1925 VOL. 115, No. 16 Drilling Parts for Cash Registers National Plant Has Developed Combinations of Operations and Some Special Machines to Save Labor—Universal Engraving Machine BY L. S. LOVE Dayton, Ohio, are two departments called drilling divisions. Although neither is devoted exclusively to drilling operations, this class of work predominates in each. Drill No. 1, so-called, employs men, while the other employs women. In each are several oper- ations of interest, because of type of machine used or of time saving. Oddly enough, those jobs which stand out as particularly unusual are not drilling work. In the first of these departments, one of the labor- saving operations is an improvement in the method of drilling and reaming class 800 and 900 register keys, \ the plant of the National Cash Register Co., EYS Are Be- ing Drilled and Reamed on a Special Two-Stage Eight-Spindle Ma- chine. The index- ing mechanism provides three positions, using one for loading. Four pieces are loaded in each chuck which are the levers to transmit motion of finger pres- sure through the operating mechanism to the indicating parts on those two models of register. The method formerly in use was the employment of two two-spindle sensitive drills, on which work was turned out at the rate of 2200 pieces per operator per day. Two oper- ators were needed to produce the required output by this method. Since the development of a special machine one operator produces 4500 drilled and reamed keys per day. The machine is equipped with two groups of four spindles each. One group drills, the other reams. The rarer te rreraertteeayremng se aes Nagien AaPah Shs SP Nie ewntane t 4114 THE IRON AGE table of the machine is arranged to index and has three stations, which are provided with three sets of fixtures to hold four keys to each set. The first position is the loading station. From it the table indexes to carry the keys to the group drilling spindles and thence to the reaming position, finally being indexed back to the load- ing position for removal of drilled keys and replace- ment with undrilled blanks for the next cycle. Thus, while the operator is loading and unloading one fix- ture, the work held in the other two is being drilled The Multiple Machine Routes Six Printer Wheels of the Same Kind at Once. Six cutters are con- trolled by one master—at right LAL RL RR RE AT and reamed respectively. The fixture at the loading station, when unloaded, is cleaned free of chips, prior to reloading, by a blast of air from a hose fitted with a shield which fits over the fixture. Another operation in this department which may be worth mention as being rather unusual is the use of a cluster-head multiple drill on a small brass casting known as class 800 cylinder. It was formerly the prac- tice to use two six-spindle sensitive drills for the vari- ous drilling and reaming operations on this piece. requiring two operators. Now one man operating a cluster-head drill, with spindles set in two groups, and a two-spindle drill does the work, cutting the labor item in half. The cluster head is arranged with the April 16, 1925 spindles in two groups, drilling and reaming in two strokes of the machine. In this department, as in others at the plant, it was emphasized that the regular inspection of all jigs in the tool crib between return from one job and issu- ance on another has effected a big saving. The use of sub-plates on all drills has been effective in keeping the machines in good condition. These plates are planed from time to time. Their use avoids accidental drilling into the table proper. Production Engraving Is Done on Single or Multiple Machines of the Company’s Own Design a Where reaming operations are required to be more accurate than it is possible to get them on automatic screw machines, screw machine products such as small collars are reamed on a speed lathe with foot-operated collet. This permits the operator to show unusual speed, as both hands and one foot are used, one jiand loading, the other operating the reamer foot stock of the lathe. Drill No. 2 parts, there being some 6000 parts This department, employing women, shorter hours than other departments and periods morning and afternoon. and kindred work, other spindle in the handles a large variety of the small and 9000 operations. is operated on also has rest In addition to driiling operations of the light vlass y oa April 16, 1925 THE IRON AGE The Universal Engrav- ing Machine Is Truly Universal in That It Will Engrave Practically Any Size or Shape of Character from the One Master Machine Working on the Pantograph Principle Is Employed to Engrave Special Plates 1116 THE IRON AGE USsuat Practice Is to Employ, Where Pos- sible, Commercial Machines, but This Semi- Automatic Two-Spindle Drill Was Built by the Company readily done by women are performed in this division. These include engraving of all printing wheels used to print checks issued by cash registers, making of springs, assembly of many small parts and counters. There are three kinds of engraving machines used, single, multiple and universal, the masters for all of these machines being made in a separate division at the plant, known as the small tool department. The single engraving machine is the one most exten- sively used. It carries a triangular cutter in a high- speed spindle. Immediately above the cutter on the spindle sleeve is hung a bow which extends down to the operator’s position. This bow carries the guide pin which follows the master. The work is set on an indexing arbor just below the ways of the sliding cut- ter head. With this machine a half hour is required to engrave a printer wheel, which consists of routing out the background, leaving the figures in relief. The multiple machine works on the same general principle, except that it carries six blanks, on which work is done simultaneously. The masters for this machine are carried on a dial which indexes, bringing the desired figure into operating position. This ma- chine turns out six wheels in a half hour. Some wheels requiring special features or finish are afterward fin- ished by hand. The universal engraving machine is used for class 900 lever index plates, special plates and other work not in regular printer wheel production. This machine works on the pantograph principle. The engraving lever is mounted on ways with master plate on the front of the machine. This machine pays both the company and the operator. Work which required a high-priced man a day to perform by hand is now done in two hours. The rate paid per hour is half the for- mer rate, but the operator makes more. Class 800 index type segments, which are now engraved on the single engraving machine, can be done on this also. Different forms of characters can be made by merely turning levers. The same pattern, known as the master character, is used to produce these different types and make any size characters within the capacity of the machine, of ratios 4 to 1 and 16 to 1. Characters can be narrowed without April 16, 1925 changing the length, or they can be shortened without changing the width, by moving one or two levers. Cut- in, raised, or shaded characters can be produced, The engraving is done on the same principle as in the other engraving machines. The characters are put on the master slide and the follower guided around the character by hand, the cutter reproducing what has been followed. The cutter is triangular and ground to a fine point. This moves in any direction in which the handle, or follower, is moved. While the machine is big, it is easily operated, as the follower can be guided by one hand. All levers are ball-bearing and it is‘run by a %-hp. motor. It is a self-contained machine, having the motor on one side. There is also an air pressure device to blow off the chips when the character is engraved. When the cut- ter is.raised the air is automatically shutoff; when it is lowered the pressure is started again. There is a work slide on which rests the plate to be engraved. The plate, 6 in. by 7 in., turns on a*turret to graduations of 15 deg. This enables the plate to be turned at an angle backward, forward or sideways. A stop on the side is used for alining the various words. There are three devices for controlling the characters, a gage in front for spacing characters, a gage in back for the height and an index on the side for the width of characters. Cutters used in these engraving machines, which are made in the small tool divisions, are maintained on a honing machine kept in the department tool room. It consists of an India oil stone which has a revolving, oscillating motion. It laps three sides of the cutter, the latter being held in a special fixture with a trian- gular rest on a supporting plate. The life of cutters is increased materially in this manner. Another saving in this department has been effected through the installation of commercial spring winding machines, which are turning springs at the rate of seven to one as compared with the former method. Several special drilling machines and millers have been designed and built by the company for this depart- ment. One is a two-spindle semi-automatic machine, which has counterparts on the market. The operator loads the fixture under one spindle while the other ATISFACTORY Results and Longer Life May Be Expected from Engraving Cutters Honed on This Special Machine - . tot ee April 16, 1925 spindle is drilling and returning to top position. Other machines are entirely special, in that there are no com- mercial machines which would exactly meet the condi- tions for which they were designed. One machine for drilling, reaming and “camming” or spot-facing counter wheels, has a dial feed with six stations. The operator loads in order to index the piece for proper location of the camming operation. The machine unloads automatically by means of a trip dog, which removes the wheel from the fixture and drops it into a chute. Counter action pawls are drilled and counterbored in a special semi-automatic machine which requires only loading by hand. This machine has a dial, rotat- ing on a horizontal spindle, with twenty positions or work chucks. The drill spindle at the back of. the machine is horizontal, on the same plane as the dial spindle but at right angles to it. The drill cam is operated for in and out feed. The dial makes one revo- lution per minute, which permits an output of 20 pieces per minute, five times as many as the old way of doing the work. For milling pawls, at the end which engages in the splined countershaft of the register mechanism, a dial feed machine was developed, which is continuous in operation. It is loaded by hand, operating slowly while cutting, loading being done at the same time. Between cuts the dial turns faster, giving quick traverse from station to station. The dial rotation is accomplished through worm and worm gear reduction, with a helical gear train in the drive line. The speed change for fast traverse is accomplished by a change in pressure angle of three of the teeth in the helical gear drive. The ratio is such that the cycle of the helical gears corresponds with the operating cycle from station to station. Another special milling machine is one de- signed to mill three or four steps on pawls which oper- ate counter wheels. One section of the tool room in this department is devoted to a file containing a finished sample of every piece in the department production. Each piece is tagged. Each operator draws the sample before starting on an operation, to see just what the piece looks like. In this way a close check against mistakes is made when changes are under way. When a change is contemplated, a tag attached to the sample instructs the operator to see the job foreman. Assembly of counter mechanisms is made in this division, the sub-assembly going from there to the gen- eral assembly. A method of determining piece rate molding prices is to be discussed at a meeting of the Quad City Foun- drymen’s Association, Rock Island Club, Rock Island, Iil., on the evening of April 20 by W. M. Thomas, Union Malleable Iron Co., and by J. H. Ploehn, French & Hecht, Davenport, Iowa. THE IRON AGE 1117 C OUNTER Wheels Are Drilled, Reamed and “Cammed”™ in a Special Index- ing Machine with Automatic Un- loader Clutch Pulley Drive for Drilling Machine A clutch pulley drive arrangement has been pro- vided for the No. 210 single-purpose all-geared drilling and tapping machine of the Barnes Drill Co., Rockford, Ill., a motor-driven model of which is de- scribed in THE IRON AGE of Nov. 6, 1924. The clutch is of the multiple-disk type and is inclosed in the box with the bevel driving gears. It operates both in driv- ing the spindle in the drilling direction, and in revers- ing when the machine is equipped with an automatic reverse for tapping. A hand lever on the vertical shaft at the right-hand side of the machine actuates the en- gagement and disengagement of the clutch and may be adjusted to any position to suit the convenience of the operator. When the clutch is disengaged a brake operates automatically on the hub of the driving gear, stopping the spindle instantly. C BAnce in Pressure Angle of Some of the Teeth in the Helical Drive Produces a Vari- able Feed in This Continuous Pawi Milling Machine, Providing Suitable Milling Feed with Fast Jump Between Stations a remeegine vine pete Sepeey eaten orang g aera em i lly Altay Fe ne Tay ae ease eeremmepea a as See oe we ore —— Veneege setp deentreery-epeeeeeenenaet maine Sgoenar _ SS ealetaecaien oho e t TR eae a ara ene» on ey 1 # ‘5 i a bee > : Fs uae ip tr es ; ea i A) QS PR ate aay —_ “a 1118 Roll Grinder for Bethlehem Steel Co. One of the three large roll grinding machines built recently by the Norton Co., Worcester, Mass., and men- tioned in THE IRON AGE of Jan. 22, is illustrated here- with. The machine shown is for the Sparrow Point plant of the Bethlehem Steel Co., where it will grind the chilled-iron rolls used in mills rolling boiler plate and similar materials. While the machine is not a new general type, the design incorporates various refine- ments intended to make it the last word in equipment of its kind. Its capacity for work is up to 50 in. diam- eter and 14 ft. length. In use the chilled-iron rolls become worn and pitted, and when the limit of required accuracy is passed they are reground to a true smooth cylinder. The former usual method was to turn the roll face in a roll-turning lathe, which is a comparatively difficult operation be- cause of the hardness of the material. The roll illustrated is entirely grinder self-con- tained, power being furnished for the several drives by motors mounted on the machine. The work is re- volved by a 20-hp. motor mounted on the headstock, while a 40 hp. motor mounted on the carriage provides power for the wheel drive and the automatic table traverse. A 2%-hp. motor drives the pump which sup- plies the grinding lubricant. The machine is controlled from one position, the operator standing on the wheel carriage as it moves back and forth past the work. The weight of the machine is about 53 tons; that of the rolls which it grinds from 3% to 5 tons. Poor Outlook for American Machine Tools in Europe A Cincinnati machine tool executive, just returned from Europe, states that conditions abroad are such that American machine tool builders cannot expect much business from European countries in the imme- diate future. In Germany machines that are exact duplicates of American machines are being made and sold at half of the price now asked for the same ma- chine by American companies. Italy offers the best market for American sales, but even in that American manufacturers are handicapped by favorable rate of exchange. French machine country, the un- tool build- ers are producing cheap machines at present and have a fair market for them At its Ohio Works, Youngstown, the Co. has completed installation of a new slag crushing plant, to reduce the slag from its six blast furnaces in Carnegie Steel this group. To facilitate construction of the new plant the old one which was displaced Was razed by dynamit- ing after the salvage parts had been removed. THE IRON AGE April 16, 1925 Apparatus for Testing Commercial Oxygen A new apparatus for testing the purity of oxygen has been designed and put on the market by Eimer & Amend, Third Avenue and Eighteenth Street, New York. It consists essentially of a specially shaped pipette, containing copper coils immersed in a copper chloride solution, and a measuring burette graduated to read 0.01 cc. or milliliter. The special shape of the pipette and of the coils is claimed to avoid reten- tion of bubbles, a feature quite desirable in a gas- testing apparatus because otherwise inaccurate read- ings might result. The ammoniacal copper chloride solution insures complete absorption of oxygen with- out the danger incident to a phosphorus absorbent or the formation of a carbon-monoxide gas formed by the action of high purity oxygen on pyrogaloll. The shape of the burette body and the small diameter of the stem Roll Grinder with Capacity for Rolls up to 50 In. in Diam- eter and 14 Ft. in Length The machine is en- tirely self-con- and is from tained, controlled one position, the operator stand- ing on the wheel carriage as_ it traverses are such that the burette is accurately calibrated and graduated to read in hundredths of 1 per cent. The apparatus is adapted to determine the purity of com- mercial oxygen, particularly in the higher ranges. To Publish Information on Industrial Poisons A series of data sheets on common industrial poisons is to be issued under the supervision of the industrial poisons committee of the chemical section of the Na- tional Safety Council, 168 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. The list of substances for which the tentative data sheets have been prepared includes aniline, arsenic, benzol, carbon bisulphide, carbon monoxide, chlorine, chromium, hydrogen sulphide, lead, manganese, nitrous fumes, phosphorus, toluol and picrie acid. The data sheets outline the mechanical forms of exposure to the material, the characteristic medical symptoms and also general preventive methods or precautions to minimize the danger. Advice is given on special training or emergency equipment to meet. acute exposure that may result from accidental leakage or repair work in tanks. A. L. Watson, Hooker Electrochemical Co., Niagara Falls, N. Y., is chairman of the chemical section. Ss F. L. Wolfe, technical superintendent, Ohio Brass Co., | fansfield, Ohio, will be the speaker at the regular monthly meeting of the Pittsburgh Foundrymen’s As- sociation at the General Forbes Hotel, Pittsburgh, Mon- day evening, April 20. His subject will be “Sand Con- trol,” in which he will review his methods in reducing foundry losses and molding sand costs more than 50 per cent in the past year. Sentiment in Long Owned Machines A Modern Shop Instance in Ancient Setting, with the Meaning of the Parable Not Far to Seek HEN a builder of machines gets a request for repair parts for one of his creations long obsolete, he has,mixed emotions, some of which need not be described. There comes also the thought that here is another case of a manufacturer who holds away at arm’s length any consideration of the economic life of his equipment. Recently a request for a part for an aged machine tool (the maker’s name having been lost) was printed in a business paper. This caught the eye of George R. Woods, of R. S. Stokvis & Sons, Inc., New York, whose long connection with the machine tool industry caused an immediate reaction. Relieving the safety valve was a resort to literary expression and the following shop parable was the result: The Waggish Shop Czar and His Paleozoic Machines HERE was once a owner who was a wit. shop To TALE GE ESTO RET ET Inu the economy of scrapping the old machine and purchasing a tell the truth he would rather 25-Year Old Lathe Now Needs new tool. But Old Straw Hat be waggish and illogical than New Parts always regarded criticism of be staid in his speech and logi- his shop equipment as a per- cal in his thought. So it came About twenty-five years ago we bought & gonal affront. He felt called small lathe from an advertisement. We now to pass that his fondness for witticism became almost a vice, if we may call that a vice which steadily interferes with address of the from. need some parts for the lathe and have lost the company Think it was manufactured somewhere upon to defend his old iron and steel servitors. He would speak affectionately of his antiques. “The old hoss still has a good we bought the lathe in the New England States : our best work. The lathe is a 10-in. swing, 40-in. centers, Pair of heels,” or, “We've fit Now this manufacturer, like foot power, and countershaft for engine. The and bled together and we've so many of his craft, was a_ price of the lathe was $75 for the foot power both got plenty of fight left.” good, bright mechanic who had and $90 for the countershaft attached. Can you True, he had no real affection built up his own business. ¥#!ve us the address from the above description for these tools, but no one ever There he ran things like a the manufacturer? dared tell him his apparent petty czar. True, he had no affection was only a mask for crown or scepter, unless one 1LNUSGRNAANEVUMMBO TE ESNNN TUES LAGAN AENEAN SEC ENON TUM his parsimony. could call the old straw hat One day a machinery sales- he wore around the shop a crown, and the big pencil perched on his ear a scepter. Just the same, that straw hat meant as much to him as the average reign- ing sovereign thinks of his crown. That hat was distinctive, especially in midwinter and seemed to di- vert the attention of those who talked to him and made them easy victims of his jocularity. As we have already seen, this man was an individ- ualist and he ruled his shop with all the bias of a spoiled and petty autocrat. Two groups were the main victims of this autocracy. The men in the shop were one group and they probably suffered more than the machinery salesmen, who made up the second group. The employees of Old Straw Hat, as we shall call him, really did suffer. They suffered because they liked Old Straw Hat; maybe their liking was based on pity for his childish weaknesses. Because they were at- tached to him they stayed in his old factory, where many of the machines were of Biblical simplicity. In time these employees became real shop magicians. They pushed their ingenuity to such a degree that they became freaks. That is, they lost all real shop sense to become keepers of prehistoric machines in Old Straw Hat’s mechanical zoo. Every so often a work- man would lose patience with some dinosaur of the shop and tell Old Straw Hat he ought to get a new machine. Old Straw Hat would pause a moment and then fall back on one of his pet witticisms, saying, “There’s life in the old girl yet, isn’t there?” Well, of course, there was life, at least a spark of life when the workman furnished the oxygen; but when Old Straw Hat personified the tool and made it a “her” and an “old girl,” the mechanic forgot his grievance and beneath his grumbles developed a false sympathy for the machine. The machine tool salesmen also told Old Straw Hat he ought to get a new machine. They would prove 1119 4 walle haat dot man called and let the old man expatiate. The sales- man waited for an opening. In speaking of a pliocene lathe the salesman wanted to replace, Old Straw Hat said, “There’s life in the old girl yet.” “Yes,” said the salesman, “there is life of a sort, an artificial and expensive life, because your mechanic is coddling that bit of senility like a baby, but there is no economic life there. No useful life. No productive life.” Old Straw Hat shifted to the other foot and said he would think it over. “Economic life, eh!” Salesman had really opened his eyes. Yes, he would heed the lesson. Now this salesman didn’t go and marry Old Straw Hat’s daughter, as you may suppose, and then rebuild the business, for Old Straw Hat didn’t have any daughter. Neither did the salesman sell a single ma- chine. When he came back a week later with his quotations and a complete shop layout, Old Straw Hat was dead. Some young fellows out in Dubuque had a man there ready to negotiate for the old trademarks and a few patents. They had been getting most of the business away from Old Straw Hat for some time. They were a bit sentimental about their shop, too, but their sentiment was in the right place. The wage scale and working conditions for the year beginning July 1 next, to be presented by the Amal- gamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers at the annual conference of a committee of that organi- zation and representatives of the sheet, tin plate and bar iron manufacturers at Atlantic City some time next month, has been formulated and will be submitted this week at the annual convention of the Amalgamated Association now in progress at Pittsburgh. Details of the demands will not be available until after the con- vention has heard and adopted them. 1120 THE IRON AGE NEW CUTTING PROCESS Heavy Risers Removed by Oxy Acetylene—Im- proved Methods of Designing Possible UTTING of heavy risers by the oxy-acetylene blow- pipe in steel foundries has enabled foundrymen to be entirely independent of former limitations as to size and location of these risers. Certain places on each casting or design should be oo : ¥ ae *} : cise <2 , se ees fed by a generous pool of molten metal. This ideal has been all too often compromised, simply because it was next to impossible to remove the risers from the inaccessible places where they were needed most. A case in point is furnished by the plant which produced the work illustrated here. Cutting Risers from Turbine Cylinder Castings Most of the heavy cutting done at this foundry con- sists in removing risers ranging in size from 8 or 10 in. up to 20 in. The steam turbine cylinder casting illustrated is an example. In this work the risers vary in thickness from 12 to 20 in. One man with a blow- pipe working alone on such a casting could probably Round Billets Defined for Rate Purposes A. R. Kennedy, traffic manager Pittsburgh Steel Co., Pittsburgh, who has been chairman of a committee of industrial traffic managers having the matter in charge, has announced a definite settlement of the description of round billets of 3-in. and over that shall carry the unfinished steel tariff in the Central Freight Associa- tion and Trunk Line Association territories. The de- scription follows: “Under the item of iron and steel billets, other than copper clad, the rate will apply on unfinished material, rough hot-rolled and not smooth or surface finished, commercially known as round billets, to be re-heated for the purpose of re-rolling, forging, hammering or piercing, which can be transported on open cars with- out damage from the weather and which is of the fol- lowing description: Billets, round shaped, in cross- section, the diameter of which is 3 in. or over.” The shippers and consumers have agreed to show on the bills of lading covering such round billets the size of the billet when 3 in. and over in diameter, for what purpose it is intended, namely, to be re-heated for the purpose of re-rolling, forging, hammering, or piercing, and it is the carriers’ and inspection bureau’s desire that this agreement be carried out to help them properly police these shipments. Therefore, all ship- pers should show this information on the bills of lading a“ April 16, 1925 have cut these risers within a reasonable time; but the management realized that such work was not a one- man job. They concluded that additional money spent on labor and equipment would be returned in the final finishing. A machine cutting blowpipe with a straight line machine as accessory is now employed, operated by three men; a cutter and two helpers. One helper main- tains proper gas supplies and pressures and the other assists in holding the cut to the proper line. Cuts made in this way are very smooth, close to the line, and require a minimum of time for final finishing. The Steam Turbine Cylinder Casting Has Risers of 12 to 20 In. in Thickness. At the left is a marine gear weighing 40,000 lb. with risers forming an almost continuous ring about the top More fundamental is the development at this plant in the design of the larger molds. The huge marine gear shown, which weighed 40,000 lb. rough cast, is an example. The risers do not take the customary shape, of stems with projecting heads, but form an almost continuous ring about the top of the casting. The six segments are separated only by narrow spaces. Good quality steel for the face of the gear, where clear, clean steel is most needed, is supplied at every point by a generous pool of hot metal just above. The improve- ment in the quality of the work is natural. But this method of pouring could be adopted only because of full confidence in the ability of the oxy-acetylene process to cut the risers smoothly and economically. from Feb. 15, 1925. Necessary cancellation of cor- rections which were issued on billings covering past shipments raising the shipments to higher than billet rates have been cancelled to Jan. 1, 1923. Electric Heating Unit for Tempering Baths A new immersion heating unit recently developed by the General Electric Co. consists of helicoil sheath wire cast into iron. This unit was designed for use in oil tempering baths and melting pots used for melting lead, tin and alloys which will not attack iron. The units employed for oil tempering baths utilize the cast-in feature only on the portion of the sheath which dissipates heat at the bottom of the tank. On the units for melting pots, however, the cast iron is brought up on the neck of the unit and out of the pot. This neck is heated to allow for expansion of the metal when cold metal is being melted, thus preventing blow- ups. The cast iron also protects the steel tube of which the sheath wire is made from corrosion by the molten metal. The casting is provided with ribs to in- crease the radiating surface and to maintain the tem- perature of the heating unit at a relatively low point. These units are being made in capacities up to 5 kw. and are sold either individually or incorporated in melting pots and tempering baths. oe Set dealin rn bf v Pig Iron Tariff Inquiry is Reopened Commission Agents Interview Blast Furnace Oper- ators in the East—Court Decision Has Important Bearing on Flexible Provisions of Law BY L. W. MOFFETT WASHINGTON, April 14.—Reports have been coming to Washington of late that a movement was under way to petition the next Congress for a general upward revision of the present Fordney-McCumber tariff act. Increases in imports of a number of iron and steel products, together with the tapering off of exports of such products, has created apprehension and some iron and steel interests have indicated their purpose to seek higher tariff duties, either under present flexible pro- visions or through legislation, or both. Then coming on the heels of this movement cotton manufacturers held a conference in Washington last week and among its avowed purposes was the instituting of a movement for higher duties because of heavy imports of textiles which they claim are coming into the United States at prices which they say they cannot meet. President Coolidge’s Position When President Coolidge addressed the conference, he discussed at length the tariff issue and there were those who assumed that, while he did not say so directly, the tenor of his remarks indicated that the Administra- tion was favorable toward a general upward revision of the tariff. This impression is claimed to have been entirely incorrect and there are some who say that it was partially due to the apparent eagerness of Demo- cratic politicians to construe the President’s remarks in the light indicated. The latter came out with a chal- lenge for the Administration to attempt general tariff revision. As a matter of fact, however, prominent Ad- ministration men say that there was nothing in the President’s remarks to indicate that he was favorable ' to tariff revision at the next Congress, but that on the contrary his remarks if anything indicated that he would oppose such a movement. In a word, his address was taken to be a vigorous defense of the protective tariff only. By no means, it was stated, did he advo- cate tariff revision. The opinion strongly prevails that there is not the remotest chance of any tariff legisla- tion at the next Congress. It seems evident that the only recourse for iron and steel and other manufacturers who are disturbed over incoming shipments in their lines is through action under either the flexible provisions or the anti-dumping act. It is also felt that if foreign currency becomes more stabilized, relief would be afforded. In the case of pig iron, proceedings under both the flexible provi- sions and the anti-dumping act are under way at the instance of Eastern merchant furnace interests. It is believed that the anti-dumping unit will make a report in the near future on its investigation concerning the so-called dumping of iron from India. Investigation at Philadelphia Word also has just come from Philadelphia that the Tariff Commission has reopened its investigation under the flexible provisions. The fact was not announced here. It is said that one of the commission’s agents now is interviewing blast furnace interests in the East- ern section and that other sections of the country will be visited, so as to bring up to date data which the commission gathered about 18 months ago on the basis of a petition of Eastern furnace interests for an in- 1121 crease of 50 per cent in the duty on pig iron. It has not been made clear whether this investigation will be made abroad but the assumption is that it will be. At the same time, there are those in the iron industry who are of the opinion that even if the duty were increased 50 per cent, it would be of no particular aid in protec- tion from competition abroad because the duty is only 75c. per ton and a 50 per cent increase would bring it to only $1.125. The question of powers of the commission to obtain cost and other data from foreign producers is becoming more involved as a result of a decision handed down on Tuesday of last week in Washington by the District Court of Appeals in the Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co. case. The issue related to hearings under the flexible provisions and therefore has a bearing on any inquiry that may be made concerning iron and steel costs abroad. The decision of the court is held to have struck a hard blow to the flexible provisions by reason of the fact that it declared that individual production costs could not be held confidential by the Tariff Commis- sion. The Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co., a foreign producer, had gone to court in an effort to make the commission disclose confidential data as to domestic costs of producing nitrite. The comission held that the material was confidential and declined to reveal it. Effects of Decision Following the decision of the court, the commission issued a statement saying that if the court’s interpre- tation of trade secrets as not including individual costs of products is to be carried out, it will make the admin- istration of the flexible provisions of the law exceed- ingly difficult. The commission pointed out that the present tariff act did not confer any new investiga- tional powers upon the commission but that all such powers are derived from the organic act of 1916, which created the commission and defined its functions. It is from that statute, the commission said, that it gets the right of access to the producers’ books and the power to summons witnesses and to compel the production of books and documents. The commission’s statement adds: To the exercise of these investigational powers, by means of which individual production costs are obtained, Congress annexed two fundamental conditions Section 706 of the act of 1916 provides that no person shall be prosecuted on account of any matter as to which he may be required to testify or produce evidence The second condition is the provision in Section 708 making it unlawful ‘tor any mem- ber of the Tariff Commission or any other Government officer “to divulge in any manner whatever, not provided for by law, to any person, the trade secrets or processes of any person, firm, co-partnership, corporation or associa- tion” embraced in any investigation conducted by the com- mission. What Are Trade Secrets? The inquiry thus reduces itself to the question whether individual costs of production are “trade secrets’ in the sense of this prohibition. Prior to the passage of the flexible tariff, Congress had been repeatedly advised by the Tariff Commission's reports that section 708 was being construed as protecting individual costs of production, care being taken to state all information in such manner as not to disclose any producer's cost figures. It has been thought that Congress has recognized and sanctioned this view. f ft = : i ; 1122 It is to be feared that a construction placed upon “‘trade confining the term to an unpatented secret, com- mercially valuable appliance, formula or process would, if secrets”’ generally applied, make the flexible tariff provision exceed- ingly The commission cannot but feel that the protection of individual figures heretofore invariably accorded under the law against disclosing trade the effective execution of the difficult to carry out. concern to tariff pro- vital flexible secrets is of present visions Action in Nitrogen Case In the nitrogen case, the Appellate Court had re- fused to issue a mandamus, pointing out that since President Coolidge had changed the rate on sodium nitrate, the matter was out of the hands of the Tariff Commission, but the court declared that the commis- sion had been at fault in withholding the information sought. The commission actually won this particular case by reason of dismissal of the petition for a man- damus, but on a broad ground it is held to have lost heavily by the decision of the District Court, which seemingly means the commission cannot hold as con- fidential matter which it gathers and upon which its procedure has been based. In passing upon the nitro- gen case, the court said that the commission’s refusal “to disclose any of that information with the exception of the price of soda ash, reduced to little better than Machine for Serial Numbering of Round Parts The marking of round parts with serial numbers that change automatically is accomplished by the ma- chine illustrated, which is a recent addition to the line of the Noble & Westbrook Mfg. Co., Hartford. The machine is a combination unit, being made up of a numbering head mounted in one of the company’s Combination Unit for Numbering Round Parts. numbers are changed automatically The marking machines and provided with a mandrel for holding the work and a tripping device for automatic operation. The wheels of the numbering machine have hand engraved figures and are tempered to withstand hard usage. The marking machine is of bench type, weighs 60 Ib., and is operated by means of a hand lever. The slide is arranged with roller bearings and the table is adjustable to various heights. THE IRON AGE April 16, 1925 > an empty form the right of the oppésition to be present to produce its evidence and to be heard.” The court contended that the right of the opposition to produce its evidence meant nothing unless it had also the right to demand evidence from the other side, so as to get information concerning the cost of produc- tion of nitrites. In conclusion the court said: sarring trade and processes, the disclosure of which is expressly forbidden, the opposition, by virtue of its statutory right to be heard, was entitled to be informed of the facts and evidence privately presented to the com- for its consideration. Indeed, under the rules of the commission itself the Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co should have been given an opportunity to examine the rec- ord and the reports of the commission or investigator in charge of the investigation. The term “trade secrets” as ordinarily understood, means an unpatented secret, commercially valuable plan, appliance, formula or process which is used for the making, prepar- ing, compounding, treating or processing materials which are trade commodities. There is nothing in the record showing, and the appellee does not claim, that the making known of any of the costs of production involved the disclosure of unpatented secret, commercially valuable plan, appliance, formula or process used for the making, preparing, compounding, treating or processing of articles or materials. For the purposes of this therefore, the costs of production demanded by the opposition cannot be regarded as trade secrets. secrets mission of articles or any case, It is understood the decision will be appealed. With suitable dies and work holders the marking machine itself may be used also for any lettering or numbering operation on either round or flat work with- in its capacity. The numbering head may be removed and used in a press for serial numbering on flat work. Plant Used for Engineering Meeting and Demonstration What is known as the electrical maintenance en- gineering section of the Electrical League of Cleveland held a meeting at the plant of the Cleveland Crane & Engineering Co., Wickliffe, Ohio, April 6. The com- pany as host entertained the group of 210 guests at dinner in the plant dining room. Following the dinner, the party was conducted in sections through the plant, stopping for explanations in the pattern shop, the main machine shop, the foundry, tramrail shop, view- ing two actual demonstrations of wire handling tram- rail and locomotive handling cranes in the yard before returning to the general office for the evening program. The program was opened by A. R. Hershke, super- intendent of power of the Willard Storage Battery Co., who is chairman of the maintenance engineering section. Mr. Hershke emphasized the value of closer cooperation between manufacturers of equipment and maintenance engineers in industrial plants who have the | responsibility of servicing and operating such equipment. ; Addresses were given as follows: “Cranes and Their Uses, by J. B. Shaver, sales manager of the crane division of the Cleveland Crane & Engineering Co.; “Refinements of Electric Control of Overhead Convey- _ Systems, by E. T. Bennington, sales manager of he tramrail division; “Abuses and Maintenance of Cranes, by L. A. Gardner, electrical maintenance engineer of the Cleveland company, and “Application, en and Maintenance of Cranes in Industrial tants,” by A. L. Reichert, electrical maintenance en- gineer of the Bourne-Fuller Co., Cleveland. Interest of a highly educational value is being aroused by the series of meetings which the Cleveland electrical maintenance engineers are holding in the plants of manufacturers. The application of equip- ment to a wide range of uses described in connection with actual demonstrations at work and with photo- graphs and slides in the plants of users is sous of great value in a better understanding of the “_ of mechanical handling and production equipment. | % Pree Se Four Classes of Die-Casting Alloys Bases of Lead, Tin, Zinc and Aluminum—Cost Saving by Reducing Machining Work— lead-base alloys are probably the simplest. They consist of lead alloyed with one or more of the following elements: tin, antimony, copper or bismuth. A typical analysis is that corresponding to S. A. E. specification No. 14, consisting of 75 per cent lead, 10 per cent tin and 15 per cent antimony. Lead alloys are necessarily comparatively soft unless the proportion of alloying element is so large as to make them brittle. In general, the ultimate compressive strength ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 Ib. per sq. in. and the yield point from 2000 to 8000 lb. per sq. in. Brinell hardness of anywhere from 10 to 40 can be obtained. The specific gravity of lead alloys, of course, is high, ranging from 9.60 to 11.40, which is pure lead. Lead alloys are among the best to use where resistance to corrosive agents is the most important feature, as they are not affected by salt water or moist air conditions. Although but slightly N ica used in die-castings are of four types. The Numerous Machining Operations Were Eliminated by Die-Cast- ing the Three Castings Shown—a Bracket Assembly of Whité Brass Castings Six Separate Machining Operations Were Made Unnecessary Die Casting the White Brass Gear Box Shown at the Right attacked by the organic acids found in foods, they should never be used as food containers, because of the poisonous nature of the small quantities of salts formed. Lead alloys are used mainly for cheaper bear- ings and such parts as small water pump vanes, coun- terweights, etc. Tin-base alloys are the most expensive and are used only where some other alloy would not do the work. They consist of tin alloyed with one or more of the following elements, in varying proportions: copper, lead, antimony, bismuth. A typical tin base alloy is that corresponding to S. A. E. specification No. 11, which consists of 5.75 per cent copper, 6.75 per cent antimony and 87.50 per cent tin. Tin base alloys, like lead, are somewhat soft but are considerably tougher. Their compressive strength usually runs from 12,000 to 20,000 lb. per sq. in. ultimate, and 4000 to 8000 Ib. per sq. in. yield point. Their Brinell hardness range is from 15 to 30 and their specific gravity from 7.25 to 8.30. The use of tin base alloys is practically limited to food container parts and high-grade babbitt »ear- ings; for the former, because of their resistance to all organic acids found in foods, and for the latter, because of the excellent anti-friction properties of tin base ma- terial. *Metallurgist Stewart Mfg. Corporation, Chicago. This is the concluding portion of a paper presented before the Chi- cago Section, American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The first portion appeared at page 1052, issue of April 9 Inspection Important BY DONALD L. COLWELL* 1123 Zine-base alloys have been the most widely used for die-castings. They are composed of zine alloyed with copper and tin or with copper and aluminum, in varying proportions. A typical analysis is copper 3 per cent, tin 6 per cent, aluminum 0.25 per cent and the remainder zine. Another is copper 3 per cent, alumi- num 4 per cent and the remainder zinc. Zinc base alioys are strong and in some cases tough, but in other cases brittle. Their tensile strength ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 Ib. per sq. in., with from % to 2 per cent elong- ation. Their range of Brinell hardness is from 35 to 80 and their specific gravity from 6.20 to 6.85. A test bar % in. wide and 5/32 in. thick die-cast from these zine alloys bends cold from 12 deg. to 90 deg. and sup- ports a load on 3-in. centers of from 100 to 250 Ib. This type test bar is used because it most nearly rep- resents the average die-cast section of metal. If improperly made, zinc base alloys are harmfully i affected by moist air conditions, but if correctly made moisture and heat have practically no effect. They are used largely for automobile radiator caps, for instance, and when correctly made give no trouble. If, however, the alloys are not pure, the castings under the condi- tions of heat and moisture to which an automobile radiator cap is subjected swell and grow and finally dis- integrate. The presence of heat and moisture is a fac- tor which hastens this disintegration, since in ordinary atmospheric use nothing would be noticed except a warping and distortion. This phenomenon, however, does not occur in all zine base alloys, but appears only in zine alloys containing aluminum in the presence of other impurities. A reputable die-caster sees to it that no such combinations are produced in his plant. The fact that zine die-castings have been used successfully for long periods of years in certain places calling for great accuracy, such as in delicate speedometer brack- ets, and have given no trouble, proves that correctly alloyed zinc base die-castings do not warp. Aluminum-base alloys have been the latest alloys successfully die-cast and in this field a great future lies. They consist of aluminum alloys with one or more of the following elements in varying proportions: copper, silicon, zine, nickel, manganese or magnesium. An alloy which is die-cast successfully and which has ec RRERE Yate (Continued on page 1171) 2 cee ere eNO tee. whe em tonenee i en eee nae yr karan reer e EET Be ene hme Bhat ao + bey pe te ¢ 1124 THE IRON AGE Sheet Leveler with Fully Inclosed Drive A new light plate straightening machine, or sheet leveler, capable of handling plates or sheets from No. 16 to %-in. gage, has been placed upon the market by the United Engineering & Foundry Co., Pittsburgh. Length of rolls and a new fully inclosed drive are notable features of the new maehine, which is known as the model No. 2% sheet leveler. There are 15 straightening rolls, 4% in. in diam- eter and 84 in. long in the body. These rolls are stag- gered and all are driven. The machine also has a set of pinch rolls at each end 5 11/32 in. in diameter, screw adjusted, the bottom pinch rolls being driven while the top ones run idle. The top straightening rolls are spring balanced, screw adjusted, and operate through bevel gears and hand wheel, moving as a unit. The two end rolls in addition are capable of independ- ent adjustment and are separately spring balanced. The operation of these straightening rolls does not in any way affect the pinch rolls, which are independent. Roll bearings are bronze bushed