The Iron Age 1925-07-30: Vol 116 Iss 5

THE IRON AGE New York, July 30, 1925 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 116, No. 5 SY TtAR bed) eae ie mee met) ya) \ \ THIS HAND, NW SPY EAI Putting a Premium on Safety Each Year Sees Fewer Accidents at the American Steel & Wire Co. Plants ~A Persistent Anti-Accident Campaign BY JOHN NELSON HE experience of recent years at the Worcester T (Mass.) works of the American Steel & Wire Co has demonstrated that no matter how well organ- ized and well conducted a system of accident preven- tion and of the handling of accident cases may be, per- sistent and stimulating effort will produce, year afte year, further decrease in number of accidents and days lost to industry because of them. Previous to 1917, when the present system of clas- sification of accidents was established, the Worcester works had accomplished tremendous things in reduc- ing the menace of accident. As in other plants of the same character the death and maiming of workmen used to be considered inevitable adjuncts of manufac- turing. Philanthropy was exercised to relieve the dis- tress resulting from accidents, but the idea of their prevention existed in most industrial establishments only in an untried or crude way. Finally, hardly a quarter of a century ago, the movement toward reduc ing industrial hazard had its beginning, and the Worcester works, in common with all plants of the United States Steel Corporation, entered upon of intensive effort to make industry as safe as it could be in the face of carelessness, ignorance and reckless- ness. As a consequence, eight years ago so much had been accomplished that most observers believed success could not be carried much further. The Worcester works, comprising the and south works and the smaller central works, and employing an average of about 5000 men, had 334 acci- dents in 1917, involving 7491 lost days. In 1924 there were 57 accidents, involving 4007 lost days. In the eight years the number of accidents dwindled 83 per cent, the number of lost days 47 per cent. Considering the nature of the wire industry, its very considerable natural hazard, the low accident rate of 1.47 per 109 employees per year is worthy of an era large north with 269 comment. It is the more extraordinary when it is con sidered that only eight years earlier the rate was 5.71 per 100 employees. By a lost time accident is meant one which causes the absence of an employee from his work one day. If a man is hurt and leaves his task for the remainder of the day the accident does not go m the record. If, however, he is not on the job th next day, his case is reckoned as a disabling accident The table on page 270 shows the number of acci dents, number of days lost, and number of accidents per 100 employees for the eight years ending with 1924. The figures show clearly the increasing value of the system. In two instances, between 1919 and 1920 1923 and 1924, will be noted. But, generally trend has been constant. The eight-year period has seen a marked decrease in the number of fatal accidents. But the really great and between a slight upward reaction speaking, the downward decrease, so far as number is concerned, has been in minor accidents of a character to disable workers for a few days only. These were numerous as late as 1917, which fact accounts, in spite of the lower number of very serious accidents in 1924, for the high average of 70 lost time days per accident in that year. In 1917 the average was only 22 days. When the Steel Corporation started on its safety campaign workmen’s compensation had not yet replaced employers’ liability. In fact, compensation, though in process of establishment in Great Britain, had not been projected as a statute in any American State. The liability of the owner was still well-defined by the law, damages could be recovered against him in case of an accident in his works only where the responsi- bility was proved to be his or that of his agent, and never when the fault lay with the victim or a fellow workman of the victim. The incentive from a direct money standpoint to ; é : 7 ai [ +f ; Ti SN BR ee ae coe ys tae me meal opie ft ae At oF Ne ON CO CS NI pNN A Aa e ee penenepessineneys ‘ _ | 270 THE IRON AGE July 30, 1925 . ndu fer was not great, as men looked with attendant nurses and surgeons on call, coupled n those days. The importa lire resul with compulsory treatment of injuries, no matter how i a: al rvar ti n. labor turnover and morale wer trifling; a follow-up of every case until the patient is r st em] e! They had yet to lear! pronounced cured and able to return to work, - else hy make mar nfactur ne a afe ¢ ovment wa intil it is demonstrated that rehabilitation is impos- ta t ( for the emt ee as we is for the sible; the compulsory physical examination of every i ; , worker, in order that weaknesses may be detected 1] ndust1 which might contribute to make hazard greater, as, for ¢ ifet example, defective eyesight; the constant study of . ' expen works hazards, that they may be eliminated or reduced ' ke men W fficial] f e Unit to a minimum. In this connection the cause of every and ding accident is sought and the responsibility fixed so that & Wire Ce. O1 the decision wa a repetition may be avoided. . : al igo, wl eemed at the tim Most important of all, in its bearing upon results ‘ rn ] rear y ‘ te} va »btained in recent years, is the education of employees, f take particularly in keeping alive a keen realization that langer exists wherever there is carelessness or reck- ‘ ver lessness. In this the stimulating influence is exerted not only with workers but with those who direct their : efforts. When a foreman ceases to function to prevent i accidents in his depart- ment, his casualty list is ; apt to show it quickly. Wor}! AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE Co. In fact, the real secret baa cali ila iad of decreasing the numbe! of accidents and the work- Da No. of A ent ing days lost lies in keep- Employes ing everyone interested in . the subject, from the ex ecutive officers down to e the rank and file Placing the Responsibility HE men who person- ally conduct the safety work at Worcester give credit for a large part of the recent gains in effi- o the live routine of the safety committees How It Work i nd the safety meetings. Once a month every depart- - rked a ment of the plants closes down for a period ranging, rm t may be, from 15 to 30 minutes, when all employees f fatalitic gather as a family party to discuss safety matters. It K jents ¢ erious all very informal and intimate. The foreman may - : ter-resu ' tly red Blood- give a little talk and the men are encouraged to ask e} ning e days juestions and make suggestions. Many times an im- nn portant idea has originated at one of these meetings n lized irpose al f the n the suggestion of a workman. Some of these ideas trifling ire now in everyday use in every wire mill of the com- pany. There are two safety committees, the general com pot, forme) mittee and the workmen’s committee. The general nor ampu- committee consists of the .assistant superintendent, I hre iman frailties, master mechanic, chief engineer or chief draftsman, een reé and one or more foremen, these latter changing from en beyond all time to time to bring into the committee a wider rep- resentation of departments. The workmen’s committee hould be consists of three men chosen from the ranks, who S ork erve one or two months, rotation insuring in the m of it ge before the course of a year a considerable personnel, and _ inci- died tatute f Americar dentally distributing a proportionate sense of respon- The plan wa ng vé much the lines a ibility through the plant. t tod Em} rs’ lity st prevailed One influence which is peculiar to Worcester and njul vorkmal ud still turn to it the towns round about the city is the lost time accident le syst lisreg ed it well as d contest which has been maintained by the Worcester the cause of an a ent It made no differ County Safety Council for a number of years. Close nple n fel- to 50 plants, including most of the large establishments " paid a col of the city, are striving month after month and year e would have earned after year to get on the honor roll, which means that ju Lust there has been a clean record of no accident, or with m pensated according] the larger plants less than one accident per 500 em- . iependents were provided for. ployees, in the month preceding. = oer a operate, very succe fu y for Publicity in the daily press carries to the workers ee oe state laws tituted their own of each mill or factory the measure of success of com- ‘tion, compelling the abandonment petitors. Moreover, at the end of each year the plants of the s ime kind But during it are ranked on a percentage basis of their success. a great influence on the develop- In the case of the American Steel & Wire Co. the . : pee res three local plants are entered in the contest as sepa- ! Ane pe ent improvement in the matter of acci- rate units and therefore are competing with each A t the Worcester works ttributed to several other, the rivalry between north and south works being with other influence aying a less prom as keen in this as in basebal! or other sports in which nt part The cl ef causes ar the works compete. In other words, the accident record he operation of finely ¢ pped shop hospitals has come to be looked upon as a sporting proposition. | July 30, 1925 Naturally this is a contributing cause in keeping up general interest in the safety work. Not infrequently north and south works as well as the much smaller central works get on the honor roll as having operated a month without any accident whatever, and more often still as having less than one accident per 500 employees. Each plant has its “clock,” set up near the main entrance, that of the north works being shown in the NOTABLE BLOOMING MILL* 44-In. Unit at Homestead Weighs 3,929,000 Lb., with Mill Proper, 1,510,000 Lb. Fig. 1 shows, in plan, a modern 44-in. two-hi versing bloomer. This particular mill is now unde1 construction at the Homestead works of the Carnegi Steel Co. It has no outstanding features of constru: tion that vary from modern practice with the exce) tion, possibly, of the roll-changing apparatus. Here, instead of removing the rolls individually, and such of the roll bearings individually as may be necessary allow for the removal of the rolls, it is contemplated to remove both of the rolls and their bearings wit} one operation. rn re ‘ *Taken from paper, “Blooming Mills and Bloo \ Practice,” read May 22 by W H. Bail chief engines Illinois Steel Co., Chicago, before Amer in Iror i st Institute I . « STITT fal ‘ > 97/0! cil-J75 Fig. 1—Sectional Elevation Through Mill and Pinion Showing Device for Removing Both the Rolls and The ness of the mill ‘ ( Fig. 2—-Two Sec- tions Through the Manipulator (Electrically Driven) of the 44-In. Reversing + Blooming Mill.— fe At top is shown ; the finger control v mechanism. The fingers have a to- tal lift of 30 im., Ni at the rate of 26.3 G ft. per min. Be- low is the control mechanism for the shoes, both be- ing handled from the same side of approach table. The velocity of the side guards is 111 ft. per min. and the maximum stroke 7 ft. 9 in. r XN ) > t / at Mi / THE IRON AGE 271 accompanying illustration. It gets more than a casual glance as employees pass it entering or leaving the plant. It tells the story of the month to date, the hand of each dial remaining at zero, as shown, so long as there is no casualty, and going to 1, 2, 3 o’clock or later, as there are one, two, three or more accidents as the month progresses. The board also shows the record f earlier months and of previous years. The principal parts of the mill proper are of cast teel throughout. The rolls are 44 in. diameter maximum over the collars and 96 in. long over the bodi¢ The lift of the top roll is 46% ir The roll neck journals are 24 in. diameter by 24 lengtl The mill screws are 14 in. in diameter with 2 In. pit The top roll is balanced by means of a single 17-in diameter hydraulic cylinder carrying 600 |b. pressures e! 1. in. The pinion housing and pinion housing cap are of cast steel, the housing 1 of the totally nclosed type, made in two pieces, and is bolted direct n the foundatior The pinions are 44 in. diamete each, with 17 cut teeth of helical stub typ Phe pinion neck journals are 26 in. diameter and 3 ft ! long. The mill spindles are of the now generally idopted universal joint type, approximately 22 ft. long ( ty) , WI Mod re So Fe h ~~ > H y of 44-In. Two-High Reversing Blooming Mill, Ber ys at One Operation Something of the ma é / ne dime? ms g en A ss j & eT Votor Shatt oe EGOS CL COLE NO TE Th MNP I came ma —— ee ep S. a aa Some Studies in Mold Handling Placed on Cars Fitted with Rollers Cars Shifted to Pouring and Shake-Out Positions hine, at the left of which can be seen a bench, as a set-off bench while coring the mold and also ece e a stock of cores for the molder. The mold- ard nd flasks are piled as indicated. How the Molding Table Operates in t diagram the table is shown in the first posl- t occupies during molding. The molder first fills right-hand conveyor, which gives him a minimum Int of walking He then shifts the entire carriage ght by means of the hand-wheel operating it, wn in one half-tone. This brings the left-hand veyor into the position occupied by the right-hand liagram, and the molder proceeds with his Movit he table to bring the second line of car- ehind the molder also brings the first line of riers under the overhead track or pouring monorail. W e the molder is filling the second car} ler, the molds the first carrier are poured. The carrier or table is ved still farther to the right, bringing the conveyor under the pouring monorail and the n it are poured. This operation automatically the first carrier to the shake-out position. There is an adjustable shake-out horse which can set at the edge of the sand pile and over which the rer shakes out the molds. The castings as taken m the molds are piled into boxes or barrels, to be moved to the cleaning room. The flasks and boards stacked by the molder’s bench and the sand left in position to be cut over One view illustrates the manner in which the laborer ls molds to the shake-out end by means of a rope hooked onto the flask farthest from him. The same ype is shown in the spill trough in another picture. With this device the molder never has to carry a mold farther than to the end of the carrier immediately be- hind him, except when the table is in an extreme posi- on to the right. This adds only a few steps to his work and occurs so rarely that few molds have to be carried this additional distance. Some of the features of the outfit are clearly illus- qg the table on four wheels is clearly shown. The man 1f molds back so that he can shake them out 272 ee THE IRON AGE 273 Plan of Molding S pace and Hand g De vices immediate ly hehind h im, as shoun fhe illustration. When this is full, he ‘ tat . } the othe r carriage to the right bi ‘ 1] ) ] ' The molder first fills the convey )_f of a hand-wheel and gears, bring ( ; j second conveyor ww mediate ly hehinge ; } : f f : and fills this. This first operation of ” | 5 i : _— ; . . i ing also brings the first carrie t the pouring position under the overhead , ; >. rail, When it is necessary to pour the i } Sé cond carrie - the other car age s moves j } J still farther to the right. The abore etl e c shakes out the molds when the carriage in its position to the right and then retura the carriage to the most advantageou sition for the molde) Voldn gq Machine End oT Volding Table The hort carry ror pniacw g da on the table : hou n, as also the hort carry : required for shal ng out the molds Th is de vice haa greatly reduced the lahor of han- dling and —— | ——— Ri =e. NT ORY CER: TR ent 274 THE IRON AGE trated in the variou viev | Wii e noted that the enter of the table is used for piling weights when they not in use Weights ar stripped from the molds al piled ir the center of the table before shake-out eg In one illustration the molds at the left are part weighted, the weights for the remainder be- ng } n ente f the t Attez led he fat tne rrie. ‘ et ic! ( I rope nead when } ! £ lr} pill trougn < é h side ‘ ] ke } ! il In the ! i W e noted that the ' ‘ n the weight with his skim ve . he effec he weight rh ! rade of castings flexible and has give t nolder and CAUSE OF BLISTERS a A - f Cast Iron for Enameling Purposes Shows Three Possibilities f ! hern pig OI r I na iis Star rator Bott » 2 I meled n ture iil 1290 I News Bulletin N | ] é listers are en up in {F . rating . > It 1 ‘ ' , I anc ’ RE-ROLLED CONCRETE BARS Extra Ductility Claimed Over Original Rolling ‘ + ; ; y j ‘ ? 2 +» +} * ; i iL | a rie ~ eng Une wy 2 The pe ncatiol of the Americar Society for Testing Materials for boiler riveted steel state that " longati n & i hal ‘ 1,500,000 tl tensile strength; f hard-grade billet ! cement bars, 1,200,000 divided by ngth; for rail steel concrete reinforce- ! 1,200,000 d led by the tensile strengt} ( nittes A-] f the A. S. T. M. investi Lee iT ror I mills, collecting einf. ng bars rolled from steel i i vere f various sizes and shapes, head, the web and the base of the The elongation of the plain and deformed bars ranged n 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 divided by the tensile trengtt Ir ther words, this rail steel had excess luctilitys ver that to be expected of high-strength The strength of these plain and deformed samples ranged from 98,600 to 108,500 lb. per sq. in., the yield point from 50,000 to 75,000 lb. per sq. in. and the elongation from 15 to 20 per cent, stated as averages. The conclusion of the committee was that this material July 30, 1925 Provisions have been made in the design of the plant for the installation of a sand-handling system. At present, after shaking out the sand the laborer has to shovel it through a riddle, cut it over and prepare it for the molder. When the stand-handling system is installed a shake-out will take place at the gangway end of the table and the sand will be returned to over- head bin by the molder. With this arrangement, however, the laborer will have to stack the flasks temporarily at the gangway end and then run the empty flasks and boards back along the carrier for stacking by the molder. It is believed, however, that this will be more than compen- sated for by the fact that the hot castings will land in the gangway away from the molder ard that the shake- out and all of the operations of the laborer, except re- turning the flasks, will take place at the gangway end, where they will be of no hindrance to the molder. blasting. At a sufficiently high enameling temperature this graphite would react with the oxides of the enamel to form carbon monoxide, which causes blisters. By remelting, something might happen to change the dis- tribution of graphite, so that finally the surface after andblasting would be free from graphite. Further Tests In view of the possibilities sample plates were pre- pared from two northern irons melted once in the elec- tric furnace. The scrap produced was also remelted and cast into sample plates. One Northern iron has been remelted in the cupola two times and sample plates ast. The test pieces made by the above methods have been enameled at the bureau, with promising results. lt was found that all plates cast from the first melting n the electric furnace blistered, but not so ‘badly when nameled by the dry process as when enameled by the \ t process. Sample plates obtained by remelting the scrap, both n the electric furnace and in the cupola, show no ers when enameled by the dry process and a de ded reduction in blistering in the wet process. It ippears that remelting the iron several times is bene- ial in reducing the blistering of the enamel. Chemical nalyses of the cupola and electric furnace melts have been made and microscopic examination now is in hyly was of sufficient quality and uniformity to justify a pecification, which was adopted by the A. S. T. M. in 1914 as serial A-16-14. It has been found that re-heating and rolling these rails into smaller sizes increases the ductility. For in- stance, in the case of a 75-lb. rail of 0.24 per cent car- bon, the product of the tensile strength and elongation was 1,370,000 in the original rail and of the re-rolled material, 1,890,000. Elongation had increased from 14.8 per cent to 20.1 per cent. Ductility is the result not only of chemical composition but also of rolling ‘onditions. By improved rolling mill practices, strength due to high carbon can be obtained without loss of necessary ductility. Reinforcing bars in general should be judged on the basis of their use. Concrete is essentially a monolithic construction and one unit in the construction is held together by a plurality of bars which are protected from direct shocks. The engineer, therefore, does not need that each individual bar should be identical with every other. He does not expect that this will be so in an all- steel structure. Reinforcing bars as a class may be as uniform as the component parts that go to make up a riveted steel column, and much more uniform than the concrete that they reinforce. Domestic sales of oak leather belting reported by the Leather Belting Exchange as a business indicator, and representing about 60 per cent of the total product, amounted to 367,583 lb. in June, against 345,926 Ib. in May and 288,817 lb. in June, 1924. Fish Wire Mill Uses City Gas for Fuel A Hardening Furnace Burning Ordinary City Gas for Which Great Fuel Economy Is Claimed Furnaces at Newark Plant of Stewart Hartshorn Co. Use Surface Combustion Method—Higher Output and Uniform Quality at Lesser Cost BY J. M. HAT the quality of steel is only as good as its |" heat treatment has been realized for many years by the Stewart Hartshorn Co., Newark, N. J. This company manufactures high-grade tempered window shade wire, as well as other grades of wire, to exacting requirements. When the plant was designed, coke was employed as a fuel in the operation of annealing, bak- ing, patenting and tempering units. Producer gas, be- lieved superior to coke, was employed next and, after many years of operation, was replaced by electrically operated furnaces. The latter method unquestionably produced a product of excellent quality but, due to the prohibitive fuel cost, this method was necessarily aban- doned. Present methods of firing have proved more satis- factory than all methods employed heretofore. All furnaces, such as open annealing, pot annealing, bak- ing, patenting and tempering, have been redesigned and converted by the Surface Combustion Co., 366 Gerard Avenue, New York, for the use of city gas. All furnace temperatures are recorded by means of re- mote and central recording and indicating systems of temperature regulation, with the equipment housed in a separate pyrometer room away from the fumes and dust of the mill. The furnaces now operated by city gas have been installed for four to six months and have demonstrated that the savings estimated are be- ing achieved. Open Annealing of Wire Coils in Solid Hearth Furnace Open-hearth annealing is used for incoming wire rod and subsequent annealing of the drawn wire. Each charge yields approximately 2500 to 3000 Ib. of mate- rial and is permitted to remain in the furnace 2 to 4 hr. This furnace has a hearth measuring approximately *Superintendent, Stewart Hartshorn Co., Newark, N. J 2 . ~ io LAYNG’ 10 x 12 ft. and is fitted with 12 burners, all near the spring of the arch, six on a side. The average gas con- sumed per hour is estimated at 800 cu. ft. The charge of wire coils is heated to 1200 or 1400 deg. Fahr., de pending upon the nature of the material treated. After withdrawing the charge from the furnace, it is dropped into cooling pits set in the mill floor and then covered, thus permitting slow cooling before removing to the pickling operation. After the wire is properly pickled to remove any scale that has formed on its surface, it is washed and lime coated by being dipped into vats containing a solution of lime. Wire Baking Oven The lime-coated wire coils are suspended on yokes hanging on the baking trucks and, after a partial air drying, each truck is run into the bake oven. This oven is approximately 15 ft. wide by 42 ft. long and has three tracks for the rack trucks to carry the wire coils Each track will accommodate six trucks, each truck measuring approximately 6 ft. long. From 1000 to 2000 lb. of wire comprise one truck load. Two heat- ing ducts under the oven floor, between the tracks, run the entire length of the furnace, tapering from 30 x 18 in. at the inlet end to 12 x 18 in. at the outlet end, with one large velocity gas burner firing in each duct. Indirect heating is used, to avoid the rusting of wire which would accompany the deposit of moisture from the products of combustion upon it. The oven is thoroughly insulated, a special brick being employed for side walls and all doors packed with a pulverized insulating material. The furnace is kept at a fairly uniform temperature of about 300 to 400 deg. Fahr. About 48,000 Ib. of wire per day of 24 hr. passes through this oven. The trucks remain in the oven sufficiently long to permit the desired result, the time depending upon the gage of wire treated. The oven ft ' & 6 % 3 SAT ST IEF LAINE RE EN ORE BOE EE TIT OA TRE VO oo eee hand EE Patenting Wire by Gas THE Heating IRON AGE sligh vire handle lv twice i¢ n be attr e new I pre r gas npl f the patenting fur ( earth in 1e I pring rne well dis ~ il \ r weve ’ nace nas pee! one-half of thi operatior The July 30, 1925 A Bake Oven Unit Like This Can Handle 48,000 lb. of Wire per Day if Efficient Firing Conditions are Provided furnace is insulated with 4% in. of special brick in back of 9 in. of fire-brick wall. The total gas con- sumed per hour approximates 1800 cu. ft. When handling sizes ranging from No. 9 to No. 15 ige, about 1200 lb. per hr. may be passed through, in 0 strands. When patenting rods, however, the number of strands is necessarily reduced, but the same hourly output retained. The use of city gas, with its reducing atmosphere, resulted in a reduction in the amount of scale formed on the wire. Formerly this loss approx- imated 9 per cent, including all patentings, but this has been reduced to 2 per cent. This condition naturally resulted in heavy savings. Shade wire, after having been drawn to its finished ize, as described in the foregoing steps, is now ready for the final heat treatment. The operation of tempering is perhaps the most important in the manufacture of wire for spring purposes. Each spring is made from a fairly 25,000 lb. of Wire is Handled at One Charge in this Gas - fired Open Hearth Annealing Furnace July 30, 1925 THE IRON AGE 277 long continuous length of wire and, should the ten p pering furnace al mechanis e ider i the not be uniform, the product would have to be rejected 1 describe Both hardening and tempering heats are controlled Rint: Aiemetiitier de Celie automatically and city gas, in conjunction with thx Surface Combustion burner equipment, has yielded most A rather large percentage of the wire manufactured gratifying results. by this concern is shipped to the trade in either the Hardening and Tempering by Electricity ae Ged pH 2 ee “oe aad a , ' a . ‘ An electrically heated tempering unit had been 1 affords a product free f ! scale and to the desired use for possibly 18 months and, while the quality of juality. The pots used these annealing furnaces art the wire produced by such method was absolutely satis f cast iron and the ec , when placed in the pot, factory, the fuel cost, as mentioned above, was found round a walled cylindrica pening r “stem” up high. This unit, now fired by gas, yields the same out through the pot, which idjusted that t products put at practically one-half the fuel cost. f mbustion pass not only around the itside of the A total of 32 strands per unit is passed throug} pot but also up through the “stem.” one heating chamber, at the rate of 48 to 54 ft. per Each pot i harged with 800 lb. of w ind the min., this speed varying, of course, with the gage of furnace has a capacity for ten such pots. The net area wire treated. It is estimated roughly that the gas con- of the hearth measures 10 x 13 ft \ total of approx sumption is 2 cu. ft. per lb. of wire tempered. Th: mately 8000 lb. of wire constitutes the full charge and, hardening furnace is 18 ft. long with a solid hearth 15 1 rule, is subjected to 24 hr. of ntinuous heating, in. wide. The 32 strands are drawn through, resting it a temperature depending upon the natur f the This Gas-Burning nace Doubled the Output of the Old Type of Produce? upon this hearth. The lead tempering or drawing bath material undergoing annealing. This type of furnace is 5 ft. long and 22 in. wide and contains about 5 in. of | has 20 burners, ten of which are near the spring in the lead in depth. There are 18 burners in the hardening arch along one side, while the other ten open into a furnace, nine on each side, staggered. Three burners’ trench below the level of the hearth on the opposite are under control of one inspirator and operating at side After the pots are brought to the desired tem a pressure of 5 lb., comprising a unit of which there perature and soaked for a given period, they are hauled are three on each side of the furnace. The lead tem- out in front of the furnace and allowed to cool, when pering pot has two burners, one situated on each end the covers are removed and a new charge put i of the retort. It is not necessary to employ the use f both burners at all times r Method of Combustion Used oO 0 ) rs at é es. The wire passes from coils on reels at the entering It has been found by experience and experiment end of the hardening furnace, through guides, into the that a high combustion efficiency is obtained by mak hardening unit and down into the quenching oil bath, ng, as nearly as possible, a theoretically perfect mix- and from then on to the tempering lead kettle, where it is ture of air and gas in the nozzle before combustion passed through a molten lead bath and then onto reels, begins. This mixture, ejected from the nozzle at a where it is again coiled. By this method a thoroughly speed higher than that of the propagation of flame clean wire is produced, almost entirely free from scale, vackward through it. is ignited at a point some dis which condition is brought about by the reducing at tance in advance of the nozzle. Here combustion may mosphere through which the wires are passed. be supported by reason of the fact that the velocity The company employs, in addition to this furnac has been lowered by the spreading out of the gaseous another type of tempering furnaces which consists 0! mixture in cone-shaped form - a hardening lead retort fired by the Surface Combustior Two methods are in vogue in this system of com- method. These furnaces are naturally shorter and the bustion for obtaining the full effects of the liberation pot, or retort, through which the wires are passed of heat from the burning of gas. In one method a measures 6 ft. long and 12 in. wide and is fired by one highly refractory bed of granular material is located 4 : burner only. The other unit, such as the oil bath, tem- in the path of the incoming gas at a point such that rer a Sate he: ee —— ae 278 THE IRON AGE 4 ‘ 1 the j nw ke place upon the surface and in tne nterstices of the particles in this mass. The other : 1 . cf met! s to | e e burner nozzie in tne X1IS OL a . f red | ( in! tne W o! whic! are rmea V } } re 1 permit the combustion ke 4 n e in nels 1 f frac I nel I C : H } ’ nt the ! } 118 ne al ’ f the not de om- ‘ Tul shed ~ +) 1e! ¢ y + ? S ited as é ‘ the Y Weirton Steel Co. Moves Toward River Steel Shipments ( Weirton. W Va., has maae 1 St eers offic ha y ean hanns } I W. \ t r ‘ e O R | ! nat cor ta tionary ndet hed to conc! ‘ ZU( T D W The I ‘ f I iding a ’ ' k fe | ns ‘ , ‘ t { ~ Tr oO! 0 ‘ rean } } ‘ i ‘ d e rea} he load- y 1 n < } id tracks , 0) } l l Pittsburgh District Steel Companies Seek- re ing Lower Scrap Freight Rates fT ‘ ; irs zo ? 1 9 ¢ 1 al ea } a I ring held at the ( P g Friday afte: j W. | \ il commit l \ : A. W. Kell I tee of th I Zz \ n, | c n behalf I ites Wer n ‘ n the P irgh, Youngs- B I { il Wi! nda Cer ral Oh i ne epresentat tnat a re I fr I } arg 2% now I y- I £ } wi le y y y orre i’ y tine I dist reated by the cor ne produ ? trict It ‘ e! w I ! Stant ource Much testimor ‘ resented how the wide fT. Te etwee crap freight rates en a number of typical nt There was a plea ‘ iming p represent at the hearing ne amé¢ re mer as to scrap freight rates rded the Chicago district and Eastern produc- nte1 They are credited with enjoying rates mor n keeping with the character of the material, W h, it was argued, is to be regarded as a raw mate- d consequently entitled to carrying charges as s pig iron and semi-finished steel] Railroad spokesmen opposed the reduction pointing uut the difficulties in handling scrap. T. W. Friend. sales, Clint I Iron & Steel Co July 30, 1925 nace are thereby protected from the scoring effect sometimes experienced. Heat is imparted to the objects to be heated mainly by radiation from the incandescent surfaces thus pro- duced, somewhat after the manner of the radiation of ight from a Welshbach gas mantle. The outgoing prod- icts of combustion, of course, add to the heat-giving elements except in cases where indirect heating is used, as in the baking unit in the plant. In this case the products of combustion are led away separately and reliance is placed wholly on the radiation effect. The gas mixers are of the Surface Combustion high-pressure type, utilizing gas at a maximum of 10 b. pressure and inducing its own air sufficient for com- plete combustion at the furnace. The gas at 10 lb. is supplied by two reciprocating gas compressors, motor driven and equipped with unloaders to hold a constant pressure of 10 lb. Only one compressor unit is oper ted at at a time, the other being held as a reserve unit. Pittsburgh, speaking for his own and other merchant ig iron producers, opposed a cut in scrap freight rates. He claimed that the steel companies used scrap in making pig iron and would thus be helped in bringing about even lower average costs than they now enjoy and this would make it very difficult for merchant pro- ducers, especially those making foundry iron in which scrap can be used, to compete with the steel com- panies. He declared his opposition to the rate cut was purely one of self-preservation and reviewed the un- profitable pig iron situation of the past few years which had resulted from steel company sales of sur- plus production. Carnegie Steel Co. Buys Site for River Shipment Terminal The Carnegie Steel Co. has exerciced an option it secured several months ago on an 80-acre plot at Baton Rouge, La. Formal closing of the deal has been de- layed pending a decision on the construction of a bridge near New Orleans, which might have impaired the utility of the site as the location of a river terminal for the transshipment of steel products by rail and steam- ships brought down by barge from Pittsburgh and other Northern plants. Actual construction of the terminal, it is officially stated, will not begin immediately, as river shipments of steel from Pittsburgh are possible only for about six months of each year, when there is a sufficient stage of water in the rivers. The Govern- ment is building locks and dams in the lower Ohio River, but completion of them is some time off and build- ing of the Baton Rouge station by the Carnegie Steel Co. will be started when there is assurance that regu- lar shipments can be maintained throughout the year. That will be possible with the completion of projected Ohio River locks and dams. To Scrap Saxton Furnace W. S. Pilling, Philadelphia pig iron merchant, who recently purchased the Saxton and Everett blast fur- naces and allied properties in central Pennsylvania, in- cluding coke ovens, coal lands, etc., from the Joseph Thropp Co., which was in bankruptcy, has sold the Saxton furnace stack and machinery as scrap to a combination of Pittsburgh scrap dealers. Some of the equipment has been moved to the Everett furnace to be used as spare parts or replacements. Portions of the Saxton real estate, especially dwellings, have been sold to various purchasers. Mr. Pilling and his asso- ciates are retaining the coke ovens and the land for pos- sible future use. A directors’ meeting of the American Association of Oil Burner Manufacturers was held at the Hotel Book-Cadillac, Detroit, on July 14. A change of name was approved, whereby the organization becomes the American Oil Burner Association. A campaign for new members is under way. So Builds Large Roll Grinder Machine with 50-In. Swing, 24 Ft. Between Centers and Incorpo- rating New Features Takes Rolls Weighing Up to 28 Tons HE mammoth grinding machine here illustrated, t sto and footstock being carried on flat and inverted built recently for the Mesta Machine Co., West Vee guides directly on the top of the front bed sec- Homestead, Pa., by the Landis Tool Co., Waynesboro, tior The position of the headstock is fixed, but the Pa., is thought to be one of the largest grinders eve footstock is arranged for movement along the bed, by built for commercial use. It will be employed for means of a mechanism consisting of a rack set in the grinding chilled iron and steel rolls weighing up to center of the Vee guide, a rack pinion and a worm and 56,000 lb. and also for grinding steam engine piston whe« [he power is applied to the worm shaft by rods up to 16 in. in diameter and 22 ft. long. Although means of a large crank handle, and although weighing in general design similar to the machines of this class 6000 lb., the footstock is said to be moved with little built by the Landis company for five years, the weight effort. Flat guide covers of sheet steel protect the is considerably more, the various units making up the bearing irface ifter the footstock has been posi- machine are much larger and new features have beet ned incorporated. Power for driving the work ipplied by a 25 hp. The swing over the bed is 52 in. and the distar idjustable speed motor which is direct connected to between centers, 24 ft. The net weight of the machine. the headstock drive shaft by a flexible coupling. The exclusive of the electrical equipment, is 110,000 lb. TI equipped with cast teel herringbone weight of the main bed section is approximately 60,000 ea of the Sykes type, which run in oil. Spindle lb., that of the headstock 12,000 Ib., and the weight of peeds range from 4% to 72 r.p.m., two speeds being the grinding wheel head 9000 lb. ed by a back gear arrangement controlled by the The main bed section is made in four se tions, be ir 9 evel I the tront rt the headstock, an j additional divided lengthwise at the water channel and crossw ing rom the adjustable speed driving mo- at about the center. No swivel table is used. the he ad tor I neadst na Ss il n diameter and View of 50 In. by 24 Ft. Heavy Roll Grinder Show- ing General Arrangement With Roll Heads in Place The View Above Is From the Footstocl End. Th footstock can be moved the entire length of the bed The Arrangement of the Headstock Motor Drive May Be Noted from Vieu at the Left. A back gear arrangement furnishes two speeds to the main spindle, additional speeds being obtained from the 25-hp. adjustable speed driving motor ween THE IRON AGE July 30, 1925 y 4 iu au + ‘ ry ‘ i Yr s t T 1D! e( intel ‘ hy ring et | ; rie’< Ol e ¢ ‘ ! rh ne } r ‘ } ‘ i praduated I mer tne » +4 bo ; ? rT \ T nerate ) y ‘ t ‘ ‘ ( T 7 lapsible Reamer and Tap for Machin- ing Seats in Gate Valve Bodies I I at n £ ‘ omp itively SlOW ? ? i ne manul re of ] diame f ‘ i isual ) ‘ I ~ tne al I ild | e chasing | ne itting the threac the seat ring e tools intended t facilitate th aimed to do the work rapidly strated. The collapsible WwW } have ‘ daeveloped by Co.’s Vict int, Waynesboro, ‘ rted dily through the é ded to the ne fitt vit] n cutters for no nad the tne with chasers I} tte ind chasers are ng and tap- sm¢ t , and proper clear- ne the itters from either f approximate 1/16 in.- either provided to obtain as tight ! So to compen- cutte un¢ f ) follows: First™the na ] er! ng cutters is in- Dy a throw of the operating Close -Up View of Wheel Head and Reversing Mech- anism of Landis Hea vy Roll Grinder. The carriage which carries the grind ing wheel head and reverstmng ne chanism oper- ates on two J\ guides spaced 30 in. apart. A fea- ture is the built in mechanism wh ich pe) mits of grinding rolls with either con- cave or CONnNVEL SHurraces ened steel rollers which rest on hardened cams. These ams are shaped to produce a predetermined rise to 1e wheel head and are rotated by change gears which e various speeds, thus producing varied amounts crown or concavity to the roll. The correct change gears for any crown or concavity are selected readily om a graphic chart provided. The roll carrying heads are of the two bearing type, he bearing blocks being adjustable to accommodate with journals of various diameters. With this type of roll support it is said to be possible to put a il on the centers, adjust the bearing blocks to the withdraw the centers and although the necks 1ay be of different diameters the body of the roll will ye ground to the same diameter at each end. A straight ground bar, carrying an indicator, is mounted on the front of the machine to permit the operator to check the roll frequently for parallelism or amount of camber. In this machine the water tank is part of the ma- chine foundation and also has various compartments, the total capacity being 900 gals. The water channel in the bed also serves as a tank, and this with a capac- ity of 300 gal., provides a total capacity of 1200 gal. The motor driving the grinding wheel and that lriving the headstock spindle are controlled by push buttons from the operator’s platform. Machining Parallel Seat Gate Valve Bodies by Means of Collapsing Tool. With proper fixture, the tool may be used also for angle seat valves July 30, 1925 THE IRON AGE 281 handle expanded into proper position. The seat on the gomery, for 17 years identified with tractor interests far side is reamed and counterbored if necessary, and is patent attorney, and also in various executive ca- then by drawing back the turret and without reversing pacities with the Best and Holt manufacturing com- the machine the first seat is similarly machined, by anies. Mr. Montgomery after studying the matter using the opposite end of the cutters. The tool is ther recommended a track-laying attachment suitable for a collapsed by hand, by means of the operating handle, Fordson or any other similar tractor, and this recom- and withdrawn. The second tool, fitted with the chasers, mendation was adopted. is then similarly inserted and the seat on the far sid Among those signing the articles of incorporation tapped first. The tap is collapsed by hand at the com ire: Herbert Fleishhacker, William W. Crocker, John pletion of the thread, making it unnecessary to back S. Drum, J. D. Grant, Joseph Sloss, D. H. Botchford, out. The chasers are again set into tapping position John Franco, Frank L. Ditzler, S. F. B. Morse, E. F and the machine reversed, the first seat being tapped Burrell and H. C. Montgomery while the tap is being drawn back, the threading being done by the opposite end of the chasers. zi ’ The Ps show the machining of parallel Friction Saw for Cutting Small Bars and seat valve bodies, but angle seat valves may be simi- Shapes larly machined by swiveling the valve body in a suit able holding fixture. Standard taps have been devel Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Ine., Sixteenth and Rock oped for all sizes of valve bodies from > m to R im. well streets, Chicago, is bringing out a smaller size of ts high-speed friction saw for use in cutting small bar ind shapes, the quantity and size of which would not Stellite Plug and Ring Gages warrant investment in the company’s larger machine ; ; Operation is the same as in the larger unit. Plug and ring gages in sizes ranging from 1 to in. in diameter, for manufacturing use, have been added to the line of small tools being marketed by the Haynes I Stellite Co., 30 East Forty-second Street, New York 1 The capacity of the new machine, which is desig ited as the No. 0, is for cutting 8-in., 25%-Ib beams, 8-in. channels, 4-in. pipe, 14¢-in. rounds and ,-in. squares. Compactness is a feature, the floor space occupied being 28% x 36 in., and the machine may be moved about the shop conveniently for specia work. The saw blades are 24% in. in diameter, % in. thick and are mounted directly on the shaft of a 10-hp. ball-bearing motor which is built especially for friction saw duty. The blade is fed into the stock by hand D> Provision is made for water cooling of the saw blad« The Body of the Plug Gage is of Aluminum Alloy To minimize the weight of the plug gages the body f the gage is of an aluminum alloy. Sizes smaller thar 4% in. have removable gaging tips that are driven ir the body by a taper fit, the larger gages being mad so that the gaging portion is of ring form, held ir place by a cap screw. The body is knurled. The ring gages have an aluminum body cast integral and held securely by a grooved tongue on the stellite portior Both types of gages are made to standard tolerance: and are finished to 0.0001 in. Unusual length of life is claimed for the gag and as stellite is a non-magnetic material, composed chiefly of cobalt, chrominum and tungsten, meta chips will not cling to its surface, a feautre stressed assuring accurate measurement. To Make Attachment for Tractors SAN FRANCISCO, July 24.—Articles of incorporation have been filed by a number of prominent California financial and industrial men for a new company to be know as the Trakford Company, with executive offices in San Francisco, and a plant in Pittsburg, Cal. The new company will manufacture a track-laying attach ment for small tractors which, it is claimed, will place a track-laying tractor within reach of every farme! having use for such a machine. All of the stock of the The Blade Is Fed into the Stock by Hand. Small bars and shapes may be cut rapidly f desired, the water cooling depending upon the size f the sections cut It i claimed that 1'-in. rounds nay be cut in one-fourth of a minute and 8-in., 25% Ib. I-beams in a fraction over one minute company will be closely held, and none offered for sale Most of the stockholders are interested in California The International Association of Machinists has development and industrial projects, and several of the taken drastic action to purge its ranks of all members signers of the articles of incorporation of the new com- iffiliated with communist organizations. In an ulti- pany are directors of the Columbia Steel Corporation, matum to all members the union announced that con- which also has a plant in Pittsburg, Cal. nections with communist bodies must be dropped within The formation of the company is said to have coms 30 days under penalty of expulsion. The order speci- about through the realization of the signers of the fically prohibits membership in the Trade Union Edu- articles that tractor operation for the majority of cational League and the Workers’ Party, both directed farmers is still an expensive undertaking, and that the by communist leaders. The action of the machinists’ reduction of this item of farm overhead would greatly union is believed to be the forerunner of similar moves stimulate the entire country’s agricultural progress. on the part of other organizations affiliated with the The syndicate enlisted the services of H. C. Mont- American Federation of Labor. 220 THE IRON AGE July 30, 1925 Hydro-Pneumatic Press Applied to Pro- juction Forming and Pressing hac ‘ pu r parts economik ly, and to be used t ‘ ‘ n bending and straightening sill pla ! ther piece Capacitie range from 200 tor I ichine lustrated being f 500 tons ca pa aid to be accomplished by utili: ng Dp air pre ire for the movement of the platen and stripping ram to and from the work, and having the actual pre ng done by mean if the hydraulic pre re furnished by a pump mounted on the upper plate Except for the four columns and the pneu matic pull Dack, the pre is of the ame design as th company’ tandard bushing pre previously ar nou er reature f which include acee ty and con ntré TI greneral design permit pe feature { meet the particular requirements of ral T ’ T pene ral ‘ | | ‘ rt . it Nickel-Plating of Zinc and Zinc-Base Die Castings consisti! ive beer ckel-plated for a consider- ‘ more difficulty experienced in this opera- { nm 1 n nicke plating on bra and teel An in- i tne Lore mad tne Bureau o ! eter e the ictory methods M placed in a nickel solu there is a t roduce a dark dey nsisting rgely ] ! I ckel lo overcome this tenade¢ ney, t is né to apply a high pola ition at the cathode, i. @., U irface to be plated It was found in thi n- ve hat ns cor ng sodium citrate l } " ! MK ? sf ‘ ’ respect but they are more difficult to control than ordinary types of nickel-plating solution. It was found that by the addition to the ordinary ‘kel-plating solution of a large amount of sodium sul- phate (Glaubers salts), or of magnesium sulphate ‘psom salts), it was possible not only to obtain the cessary polarization but also a very high conductiv- and throwing power. (By throwing power is meant ability to plate uniformly on irregularly shaped irticles.) Because of these properties the solution is adapted for nickel-plating small steel and brass articles in rotating barrels. The suggested solution is heap and is easily controlled by analysis. This investigation is reported in Letter Circular No. 163 of the Bureau of Standards, copies of wh