The Iron Age 1927-03-03: Vol 119 Iss 9

ST ISHED 1855 GEORGE W. PRENTISS W. Prentiss, a young man with a long line of New England ancestry behind him, established in ke, Mass., the wire business which, as George W. ntiss & Co., bears his name and which, without in- ruption, has remained under the ownership and man- ment of his family. He entered the industry as a .nufacturer in troublous times. There was a highly ganized opposition to meet, especially from Worces- manufacturers, whose wire business had strongly trenched itself in the trade, and the Civil War was S EVENTY years ago, in the spring of 1857, George When the war reached its height the new wire mill .ssed through its most critical period. While the de- and for wire increased, the plant was confronted with e complexities of soaring prices of raw materials, hich accompanied premium prices of gold, and an ‘treme scarcity of labor, which grew progressively rse as the Union army levied upon the man power the North. Conditions were such as to try the metal ‘ young man who had ventured into a field where he i to depend solely upon his own acumen and enter- In spite of these circumstances the infant indus- grew lustily, until quick expansion was impera- ly demanded. This was carried through in 1862. ‘he record of this early period in Mr. Prentiss’s ‘er, as contained in his letter books, shows how ugh fair dealings with his customers and competi- and a high standard of product, he established the ‘ name that spelled success throughout his own life has characterized the firm since his death under management of his son and grandson. Evidence of s found in the fact that customers who began to usiness with the founder in the first years of his ifacturing have been on the books of the firm con- asly to the present day. THE IRON AGE New York, March 3, 1927 VOL. 119, No. 9 Wire Company Seventy Years Old Difficulties of Early Years Reflected in Letter Books of Founder—Continuous Tinning of Wire Among Improvements Firm Introduced BY JOHN NELSON George W. Prentiss was born in Claremont, N. H., Oct. 10, 1829, a direct descendant from Capt. Thomas Prentiss, trooper, who settled in Cambridge, Mass., about 1636. Samuel Prentiss, the father of George W.., was a tanner and currier in Claremont. The boy grad- uated from the village high school and for a time was employed as a clerk in Fairhaven, Mass. From there he went to Worcester to enter the office of the Henry Washburn Wire Works, where he remained for a num- ber of years, and left to assume charge of the office of the Norway Iron Works at South Boston. In those days office and mill were not so widely separated as they usually are today. The office man was naturally much in the works and became familiar with mate- rials and processes as well as with the reutine of book- keeping and sales. It is to be presumed that young Prentiss was observant and ambitious and saved his money. He was 27 years old when he launched out for himself, establishing the wire business in Holyoke in what was known as the small mill of the Parsons Paper Co. The first few years must have been strenuous ones. In the beginning there was a partnership, known as Prentiss, Gray & Co., but only a short time elapsed when Mr. Prentiss became the sole owner. His quick success and the esteem in which he was held was evidenced when the Holyoke Water Power Co., which controlled the water ‘rights of the Holyoke falls and supplied power to industries, erected a brick mill for him. This was in 1862. The rapid development of his business dated from that year. Erected Own Plant in 1869 In 1869 Mr. Prentiss bought land on Dwight Street and erected mill buildings of his own. In connection with these he obtained valuable water rights, which a. cen a ne - oe ane nee ta NaN Ig ine per RE SME IE. td BARNS BM 628 THE IRON AGE insured cheap power for years to come and which still furnish much of the power that operates the firm’s machinery. The plant was added to from time to time, until it now covers all of the tract and contains the principal departments of the business. From the beginning equipment was maintained on a igh plane of efficient production. New machinery and n processes were installed as the wire industry developed them, and in more than one instance Mr. Prentiss was a pioneer in bringing machinery and methods to the standard of practical usefulness. Years passed. Until 1871, when he took his cousin, M. W. Prentiss, into the firm, he conducted the business alone. He had married in 1862, and his one son, Wil- liam A. Prentiss, entered the business as a lad in 1877. As the son grew older and accumulated experience his father turned over to him more and more of the responsibilities of management. Long before the death of the elder Prentiss in 1915, his son had become the active head of the business, the founder ‘continuing his active interest as an adviser only. Similarly, William A. Prentiss took into his busi- ness his son, George W. Prentiss II, and, similarly, also gradually transferred to him the duties of active management, retaining the position which he now holds as president of the corporation, the son being the treasurer and general manager. So the management has passed down from father to son and grandson in three generations of unvarying policy with respect to the standard of products and relations with customers. Finer Sizes of Wire Made from the Beginning In the beginning the company manufactured the finer sizes of iron wire, chiefly tinned and annealed, and specialties, including card wire, broom wire and tinned covering wire for music strings. An invoice dated April 9, 1863, covers a shipment of tinned covering wire to Chickering & Sons, piano builders, to be used in the manufacture of piano strings. Incidentally, Chickering & Sons are still buying this class of wire from the Holyoke mill. Later, of course, steel wires were added to the mill’s products. All through the 70 years. the firm has confined itself to the finer sizes. The carbon range of the line runs all the way from pure iron, such as ingot iron and “Swedes” iron, to 0.80 per cent carbon. Thus all grades are furnished, soft and hard, tinned and bright, in coils, on spools or cut to straight lengths. The firm’s specialties are many. Since it is situated in the heart of New England, the textile industry is naturally an important customer, and the Prentiss prod- ucts have come to include steel heddle, twin-heddle, tem- pered card, ring, traveler and other wires having ex- acting requirements. Included in the general products are tinned annealed wire, rope wire, clip wire, milli- nery wire and miscellaneous wires, round and fiat, all in the finer sizes. Introduced Continuous Tinning of Wire The mill early became active in the development of new processes. The senior Prentiss had plenty of enter- prise. He was the first to use the continuous method of tinning wire. Formerly the bundles were dipped in a tinning bath, the excess tin was shaken off, and the wire was given a final light draft to smooth its finish. Mr. Prentiss was also among the first to adopt con- tinuous tempering and patent annealing of carbon steel wire. He collaborated with the inventor of the first wire stitching machine used for bookbinding and sim- ilar work. The first order for bookbinders’ wire was made on May 1, 1875, and for many years afterward the mill manufactured all of the wire used for this purpose. Bookbinding and stitching wire are still im- portant lines of the mill. March 3, 1997 George W. Prentiss’s early letter books y, valued possessions of the firm, give much been information concerning the wire industry in tho ».,.:.. centering about the Civil War, during ‘th Holyoke wire business was going through the criti,. time of establishing itself in the trade. No Shermar anti-trust law was then on the statute books. Ma, facturers got together to fix prices, and their customer. were soon informed regarding such agreement mills frequently notified one another of changes | ~ lists, the larger houses usually taking the initiative Worcester, Mass., was then the chief center of wire manufacturing, and leading firms there seem ee been free in urging upon their competitors elsew}, re the advancing of prices in a strong market. But. was written to a customer in Mr. Prentiss’s hand- writing in his letter book, under date of May 3, 1263: “I presume I shall not be notified so promptly when the larger manufacturers drop their prices as I was when they put them up.” There was nothing of philanthropy in price sug- gestions between competitors. Another letter, dated April 8, 1863, is typical Mr. Prentiss’s dealings with his customers: “The prices of all kinds of wire continue to be as high as at any time yet. This I can only account for by the great demand, which is more than the manufac- turers can supply. I had a letter this week from a Worcester manufacturer asking me to put my prices up to 29c. per lb. for broom wire. They are getting 29c. per lb. for what I charge you 25c., and do not put in such good stock. I refused, as I mean to deal fairly with my customers. I shall not put the price of wire up unless stock goes up, whatever the demand, and when there is any decline in price by any manufac- turer I shall come down with my prices.” as ¢ ol Rods Advanced $25 a Ton in One Month A letter, characteristic of the day, was written to Horace Lamb, a wire manufacturer of the neighboring town of Northampton, under date of Jan. 23, 1863: “Tron has been advancing in price to correspond with the recent rise in gold and exchange. Rods are quoted $25 a ton higher than they were in December and will go still higher if gold does. Now will you put the price of broom wire up to 18 and 19¢c. per |b., net cash, 5 per cent discount to the largest custom- ers, if I will do the same? We can just as well get it as less, and must to make it pay.” Writing to I. Washburn & Moen, Feb. 4, 1863, Mr. Prentiss said: “Your favor of yesterday’s date with list prices for wire is received. I cheerfully agree not to undersell your prices for card wire but should rather have 4 better understanding with all the manufacturers of broom wire before naming your prices to all my cus- tomers and agreeing not to undersell them.” The way the trade got together on occasion to settle price questions is indicated in a letter to George ©. Nelson, 81 John Street, New York, dated Nov. 30, 1863: “I shall be present at the meeting of wire manu- facturers Dec. 10, if possible, but as I have no one to leave my business with or send as_ representative, may not be that I can leave. I am free to say, how- ever, that I shall most heartily fall in with any arrans® ment that may be made, and fairly and honorably lived up to by all, to make the prices of wire uniform and in proportion to the cost of manufacture.” The result of this meeting was told by Mr. Pres tiss in a letter dated Jan. 23, 1864, to William Bromwell & Co.: reed “About Jan. 1 the iron wire manufacturers #8? upon uniform prices for market and stone wire so there e steadiness and regularity to the market. : have had the quotations, which are as rod to No. 18, inclusive, list. 26, inclusive, 15 per cent discount. 36, inclusive, 25 per cent discount. ths, or 5 per cent discount for cash in 30 cent from this to some of the largest ilers, including your house. delivered in New York, if desired by ire the lowest rates that I can sell at in - that the wire can really be offered at. gret very much to lose your patronage, and have at the business. with WILLIAM PRENTISS favor me with orders will try my best to give e best we can make, and if prices drop while may have your order incompleted, I will drop my on the balance due you, or, if rates advance, all rders received shall be filled at the old price. Cop- i wire I will put in at 5 per cent above common tinned 4c. per lb. above common; same terms. ase let me hear from you, and if there is anything that I can do honorably to make it an object for you to er from me, I shall be happy to do it.” Labor Searce During Civil War Vill ill organization was a transient thing in war Apologizing to a customer for a delay in deliv- Mr. Prentiss wrote, Oct. 23, 1862: “Help has been very hard to get; all our men have to war; so that it has taken at least a month ger to get ready to start my new mill than I ex- [he wages paid 70 years ago seem small enough pared with present day standards. In a letter ritten in 1862, Mr. Prentiss said: “IT am in want of a young man to work drawing Mr. Hatch says your son, Edward, would like place. If so, let him come at once, say on Monday, ssible. The pay will be 75c. per day for the first months, $1 a day for the next six months.” Replying to an application for a job he wrote: [ have a fair hand that cleans my card wire, hould not wish to change unless I was to get a ‘er one—one of more experience. There is another * wire mill in this place, W. E. Rice & Co., and if are a good workman I think you could get a job THE IRON AGE HREE carried on the sound policies established inception of the William A. Prentiss, only son of the founder and now dent of the company, en- tered the organization as a boy in 1877. his son, George W. Pren- tiss II, became identified the company, being treasurer and gen- eral manager 629 either with me or them, but could not promise one. Wages for good cleaners are $1.75 a day; board is now $3.50 a week.” Another letter says: “Good wire drawers are now getting here from $1.50 to $2 per day; steady work through the year.” The ethics of the day as to hiring a competitor's help are voiced in the following letter of Feb. 11, 1863: “I write to inquire if you know of a good man that I can get to come out and work for me. I want a first- rate, good man, one that can straighten card wire or draw it. ... “Since I wrote you last July I have got into my new mill and have had more orders twice over than I could fill. Everything runs tip top. I write to you because re: 4: oA aI a generations presi- Likewise now GEORGE W. PRENTISS, Il. you have always been friendly to me, and I think you would know if there was such a hand as I want that could be hired. I do not wish to get you to leave your place and employers, nor do I wish to hire away any hand from your shop. I thought perhaps you would know of some hand not at work there, or that might be imtending to leave anyway. If you think of any- one that I might be able to get please write me. and you will do me a kindness.” Sharp Price Fluctuations During Civil War As to the struggle to meet the fluctuations of prices due to Sterling exchange and other abnormal factors, the following extracts from letters written in 1863 tell the story: “I know that No. 23 tinned broom wire now costs more than 18c. per lb. to manufacture. Iron never was so scarce and high as at present. A 15 per cent advance has been made upon the cost of the bar in England and Sweden. This, together with extra freights, war risk, extra cost of rolling to wire rods, Government tax, and then the additional cost of making into wire, which has increased steadily for some time past, has compelled the wire manufacturers to adopt fair uniform prices or stop business. The price given you in my last letter, by accurate estimate pays but 10 per cent profit in currency and is the lowest it can be bought for of any manufacturer in any quantity of wire from one barrel to 10 or more. I sell a great quantity of wire to New York wholesale dealers, but at precisely the same price as to you.” ¥ Explaining why prices had advanced, Mr. Prentiss wrote: 630 THE IRON AGE “This seems very high, but our stock that we used to get for $125 per ton now costs $375, and tax, ma- terials and labor—you know what they are.” The young manufacturer’s feelings, when on Feb. 27, 1863, he wrote the following to a customer, may be imagined. “Our stock has doubled in price, and some things we use now cost three times old prices. Where we are drifting to the Lord only knows. Sterling exchange now quoted at 190 per cent.” These autographed letters convey perhaps better than any other way an idea of the character and meth- ods of the founder of the Prentiss business. They pic- March 3, 1927 ture him in the period following his thirtieth birthday —a young man of high enterprise, forging ahead ray. idly, yet with prudence; a careful student of hi: shrewd in his dealing with his competitors, sqya, oie his customers and determined to build his . 9 “a dustry on a foundation of progressiveness and nteg- rity. Naturally it grew rapidly in size and mpor- tance. His son and grandson, following after, hay, adhered to the tradition that dates from 10 years ago. Now, in the third generation, the business j< modern in its facilities and methods and abreast of the times in metallurgical development and with a manage- ment that lives up to the founder’s ideals. Machine Tool Buying Hand-to-Mouth Buying in Slack Times Not Stimulated by Low Prices— Must Show Large Return on Buyer’s Invest- ment—Obsolescence Rapid always been on a hand-to-mouth basis, according to Ernest F. DuBrul, general manager National Machine Tool Builders’ Association, Cincinnati. He sees no indications at present that point to a deviation from that method of doing business. This opinion was expressed at a conference on Hand-to-Mouth Buy- ing, held at the Congress Hotel, Chicago, Feb. 17, under the auspices of the Policyholders’ Service Bu- reau of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. “It is seldom the case that a purchaser can be induced to order machinery on the sole argument that the time to buy is when costs are low, and when builders can make prompt deliveries and are willing to sacrifice profits to hold an organization together. “Generally that argument will not coax a teaspoon- ful of business out of a man whose plant is not run- ning quite up to capacity. Nearly all manufacturers buy machinery only if and when they think they will be able to use it promptly in producing goods at a profit. If that happens to be when business is dull in the equipment industries, a shrewd buyer can per- haps pick up some equipment bargains. But he is not buying because of low prices, but because of actual need of the machinery. T a broad sense, the machine tool industry has Buying Accompanies Activity in Other Lines “If the people who buy a manufacturer’s goods have the spurt habit of buying, then that manufac- turer necessarily gets the spurt habit of buying the machines he needs to fill his spurt of orders. So, too, if merchants get into steadier buying habits, the manu- facturers of all kinds of goods will steady their own habits of buying machinery. Whenever general busi- ness takes a booming spurt they come at the machine builders in droves, clamoring for deliveries. Then, at the first signs of slackening business, they drop out of the market, for the simple reason that their wants are temporarily satiated. So, with few exceptions, buyers of machinery are simon-pure, dyed-in-the-wool, hand-to-mouth buyers. “No class of industry can be helped more than the equipment industries by stabilization of general buy- ing. Industrial machines cannot safely be stocked in dull times, because a competitor may come out with a new and revolutionary design which simply turns all stocks of previous designs into scrap. So these indus- tries have always had to go through the painful, wasteful and costly process of curtailing their labor forces when their demand fell off. This was always just about when the force had been painfully trained. “Recent comparative stabilization of consumer- goods buying has had some marked effects on the machine tool industry. Instead of a fairly high de- mand following the big slump of 1921 and early 1922, the year 1923 brought only a little boomlet which did not reach much (if any) above 45 to 50 per cent of the industry’s capacity. Then what was only a slight recession in 1924 for other industries was a fair slump in the machine tool field. Nineteen hundred twenty-five and 1926 pushed the industry’s orders above the boom of 1923, making an average utilization of plant prob- ably around 60 or 65 per cent of one-shift capacity. “Since the present capacity is the result of a heavy war-time expansion, that would be a rather good pre- war business. Overburdened with this extra capacity, that it must carry for some years more, the industry has not been a happy hunting ground in which to get anything like the bag of profits that other industries have furnished. Heavy Investment Return Demanded “In the vain attempt to coax out enough business to utilize this large capacity, new designs are offered at prices which leave little profit to the builder, al- though the machines earn 100 to 400 per cent on their cost, each year, in the user’s shop. Some tools better pr tected by patents, and sold by better merchandisers, are priced so high that they pay their users only 5! per cent annual dividends. Curiously, some users have come to refuse to buy machines that do not pay 100 pe! cent or more per year on the investment. “Recent surveys of equipment in machine shops of all sorts have disclosed that a large number 0! machine tools are more than 10 years old. Many these tools are in good running condition, because, to do good work when new, they had to be so well built that wearout is extremely slow. Physical life and economic life are quite different and unrelated Obsolescence Proceeds Apace “Necessity to get business has again borne a fresh crop of new inventions and development in the ma- chine tool industry. So many superior designs have been brought out in the last five years that mechanical experts agree that nearly every type of machine tool built up to 1921 is now definitely obsolete for fast production. As wide-awake users install the newer types, their less wide-awake competitors must either follow suit or sink into business oblivion. “On this basis the machine tool industry bas stepped out of the mire, and, while its profits have not been great, due to the burden of excess capacity» it at least has begun to share a little in the gener prosperity which its designs have created for its cu" tomers. Relatively stable buying of machines will help us more than anything else we know of. This can be gained by us only after our customers’ demane has been stabilized. So we are glad to do everything possible to urge business men in other industries * study this problem and learn how to cure the evils of irregularity that have cursed all business so ‘°"*: Non-Ferrous Developments Marked Institute of Metals Holds Sessions on Zinc, Aluminum and Copper—Theory of Hardening Discussed —Innovation in Microscopic Technique attention given to the Institute of Metals Division f the American Institute of Mining and Metal- | Engineers, doubtless due to the continued ex- e of the program sponsored by this group. At t annual meeting, six well-attended technical ses- vere held, Feb. 15, 16 and 17, in addition to the lecture, and the so-called “alumni dinner.” A STEADY gain is being made, year by year, in the y How the Institute Has Expanded pas latter, which is the business meeting of the In- stitute of Metals, was held on Tuesday evening, 15, at the Fraternity Clubs Building, and taxed apacity of the main dining room. It marked the ntieth anniversary of the organization. Originally ffshoot of the American Foundrymen’s Association »wn as the Brass Foundrymen’s Association, it main- ed separate existence for some time, when the of- accepted an invitation to become a division of \merican Institute of Mining Engineers, especially oted to non-ferrous metallurgy. Reports read at the nner indicate a marked revival in interest. Over 800 nembers are enrolled and regional meetings throughout the year are in prospect. Since the beginning, a joint meeting has been held n the fall with the American Foundrymen’s Associa- tion; but as this organization is to meet in the spring f 1927, a similar plan has been made for this year with ne American Society for Steel Treating to cooperate with this society’s annual meeting and exhibit to be held next September in Detroit. A committee, headed y R. S. Archer, is also engaged in the preparation of lata sheets on metals and alloys other than iron for the A. S. S. T. handbook. rhe present officers were reelected: Paul D. Merica, nairman; Zay Jeffries, vice-chairman; W. M. Corse, ecretary-treasurer. The executive committee consists f R. S. Archer, J. R. Freeman, E. C. Bain, S. Skow- nski» H, C. Jensen and L. W. Spring. \nnual Lecture Given by British Metallurgist [a= high grade of excellence, set by previous lec- -turers, was adequately maintained on Wednesday ‘Tternoon, Feb. 16, by the guest of the Institute, Prof. vecil H. Desch, professor of metallurgy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England. He took as a subject Growth of Metallic Crystals,” a matter which has en- gaged his attention for many years, and upon which he has already reported to the Beilby Committee of the Sritish Institute of Metals. As the lecturer observed, the laws of crystalline xrowth must be understood in order to control not only ne inner structure of ingots and castings, but also the physical properties of worked and heat-treated metals nd alloys. It is one, however, which is very little nderstood, primarily because of the difficulty in ex- «rimenting at elevated temperatures, and of observing ranges In the opaque melts. Consequently most of the ‘tormation now available results from observations on ‘id metal, interpreted in the light of studies on trans- arent solutions or organic materials during the solidi- ation range. From such work Doctor Desch was able to present me data on the rate of formation and distribution of ‘clel; the rate of growth of crystals and the reason t directional growth; the effect of impurities, both uble and insoluble; and the reason why dendrites ‘ry so much in shape (from the sharp ferns in anti- ny, to the rounded masses in bronze). His lecture was well-illustrated by lantern slides, 631 and held the attention of an audience which filled the main auditorium in the Engineers’ Building. It is a discourse which cannot readily be abstracted, but will repay close study by foundrymen and metallurgists generally. New Light on Crystallization of Zinc HAT the matters discussed so ably by Doctor Desch have much more than academic interest may be judged from the papers presented at the session on zinc, Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, under the chairman- ship of George C. Stone, of the New Jersey Zine Co. Three separate papers dealing with the production of single crystals of zinc, and the behavior of these crystals under stress were read by O. E. Romig, of the American Sheet & Tin Plate Co., S. L. Hoyt, of the General Elec- tric Co., and C. H. Mathewson and A. J. Phillips of Yale University. Messrs. Romig and Hoyt both produced their speci- mens by drawing a thread of zinc out of a molten bath, and cooling it rapidly by a blast of hydrogen. The crystals so formed were several inches long, but less than 1/16 in. across the section. Some were brittle; others could be pulled out over 300 per cent before breaking. X-ray studies showed that in the former the basal planes of the crystal (along which slip occurs in plastic flow) are nearly at right angles to the stress, while in the ductile wires the basal planes are inclined at about 45 deg. to the extension. In the ductile speci- mens, plastic flow is associated with slips along a suc- cession of basal planes, thus converting the wire into a series of flat crystalline blocks, each of which slightly rotates as it slips, in such a manner that one hexagonal axis of the fragment approaches the direction of stress. (The same phenomenon occurring in aluminum wire was demonstrated by X-ray analysis in another paper by Profs. J. T. Norton and B. E. Warren of Massachu- setts Institute of Technology.) Traces of these slip planes appear as parallel striations a secondary series of straight markings, appearing in a greatly elongated specimen, suggests to Doctor Hoyt that even in this highly fragmented ma- terial “the virgin lattice remains undisturbed,” at least in its grosser aspects. He finds no hypothesis on strain hardening which is compatible with this observation, and at the same time explains the 500 per cent elonga- tion and 5000 per cent strengchening of the original crystal before it finally breaks. Very Large Zine Crystals Studied Professors Mathewson and Phillips were able to work with very much larger zinc crystals, up to sev- eral square inches in cross section, secured by recrys- tallization of slightly worked plate. Some sizable per- fect crystals were also secured by condensing zinc vapor. These specimens were large enough to study by crys- tallographic methods; actual measurements of the angles between faces established an axial ratio of 1.86 and other data which check exactly work done by others with X-ray analysis. They report that it is impossible to strain these crystals beyond the elastic limit, without causing many twins to form in the metal. This action increases in complexity as the deformation increases. Furthermore, all cleavage takes place along the basal plane, where the atoms are most closely packed. The prismatic frac- tures described by Messrs. Romig and Hoyt are thought by Professor Mathewson to be merely basal cleavages in twinned metal (the divergence in these two planes 630 “This seems very high, but our stock that we used to get for $125 per ton now costs $375, and tax, ma- terials and labor—you know what they are.” The young manufacturer’s feelings, when on Feb. 27, 1863, he wrote the following to a customer, may be imagine “Our stock has doubled in price, and some things S vw cost three times old prices. Where we are ting to the Lord only knows. Sterling exchange w quote 190 per cent.” These autographed letters convey perhaps better of the character and meth- inder of the Prentiss business. They pic- tner way an idea THE IRON AGE March ; 1927 ture him in the period following his thirtict) } —a young man of high enterprise, forging 2} idly, yet with prudence; a careful student of }j- shrewd in his dealing with his competitors, squa,. his customers and determined to build his dustry on a foundation of progressiveness and rity. Naturally it grew rapidly in size and tance. His son and grandson, following aft: adhered to the tradition that dates from ago. Now, in the third generation, the busin modern in its facilities and methods and abreast times in metallurgical development and with a r ment that lives up to the founder’s ideals. Trthdaw uuay | oo, fap- t, teg mpor J Cars ess nanage Machine Tool Buying Hand-to-Mouth Buying in Slack Times Not Stimulated by Low Prices— Must Show Large Return on Buyer’s Invest- ment—Obsolescence Rapid Na vad sense, the machine tool industry has ] always been on a hand-to-mouth basis, according Ernest F. DuBrul, general manager National Machine Tool Builders’ Association, Cincinnati. He es no indications at present that point to a deviation from that method of doing business. This opinion s expressed at a conference on Hand-to-Mouth Buy- ng, held at the Congress Hotel, Chicago, Feb. 17, nder the auspices of the Policyholders’ Service Bu- f the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. “It is seldom the case that a purchaser can be luced to order machinery on the sole argument that time to buy is when costs are low, and when lilders can make prompt deliveries and are willing sacrifice profits to hold an organization together. “Generally that argument will not coax a teaspoon- of business out of a man whose plant is not run- to capacity. Nearly all manufacturers ly machinery only if and when they think they will able to use it promptly in producing goods at a profit. If that happens to be when business is dull in the equipment industries, a shrewd buyer can per- haps pick up some equipment bargains. But he is not buying because of low prices, but because of actual need of the machinery. if GUILE up Buying Accompanies Activity in Other Lines “If the people who buy a manufacturer’s goods have the spurt habit of buying, then that manufac- turer necessarily gets the spurt habit of buying the machines he needs to fill his spurt of orders. So, too, if merchants get into steadier buying habits, the manu- facturers of all kinds of goods will steady their own habits of buying machinery. Whenever general busi- ness takes a booming spurt they come at the machine builders in droves, clamoring for deliveries. Then, at the first signs of slackening business, they drop out of the market, for the simple reason that their wants are temporarily satiated. So, with few exceptions, buyers of machinery are simon-pure, dyed-in-the-wool, hand-to-mouth buyers. “No class of industry can be helped more than the equipment industries by stabilization of general buy- ing. Industrial machines cannot safely be stocked in dull times, because a competitor may come out with a new and revolutionary design which simply turns all stocks of previous designs into scrap. So these indus- tries have always had to go through the painful, wasteful and costly process of curtailing their labor | | forces when their demand fell off. This was always just about when the force had been painfully trained. i “Recent comparative stabilization of consumer- goods buying has had some marked effects on the machine tool industry. Instead of a fairly high de- mand following the big slump of 1921 and early 1922, the year 1923 brought only a little boomlet which did not reach much (if any) above 45 to 50 per cent of the industry’s capacity. Then what was only a slight recession in 1924 for other industries was a fair slump in the machine tool field. Nineteen hundred twenty-five and 1926 pushed the industry’s orders above the boom of 1923, making an average utilization of plant prob- ably around 60 or 65 per cent of one-shift capacity “Since the present capacity is the result of a heav) war-time expansion, that would be a rather good pre- war business. Overburdened with this extra capacity, that it must carry for some years more, the industry has not been a happy hunting ground in which to get anything like the bag of profits that other industries have furnished. Heavy Investment Return Demanded “In the vain attempt to coax out enough business to utilize this large capacity, new designs are offered at prices which leave little profit to the builder, al- though the machines earn 100 to 400 per cent on their cost, each year, in the user’s shop. Some tools better pr tected by patents, and sold by better merchandisers are priced so high that they pay their users only 5! per cent annual dividends. Curiously, some users hav come to refuse to buy machines that do not pay 100 pe cent or more per year on the investment. “Recent surveys of equipment in machine shops of all sorts have disclosed that a large number ° machine tools are more than 10 years old. Many ° these tools are in good running condition, because, to do good work when new, they had to be so wel built that wearout is extremely slow. Physical life and economic life are quite different and unrelated Obsolescence Proceeds Apace “Necessity to get business has again borne a fresh crop of new inventions and development in the m4 chine tool industry. So many superior designs have been brought out in the last five years that mechanical experts agree that nearly every type of machine too built up to 1921 is now definitely obsolete for fas' production. As wide-awake users install the newer types, their less wide-awake competitors must either follow suit or sink into business oblivion. “On this basis the machine tool industry ™ stepped out of the mire, and, while its profits have not been great, due to the burden of excess capacity; it at least has begun to share a little in the geners! prosperity which its designs have created for its °u™ tomers. Relatively stable buying of machines W™" help us more than anything else we know ©!. , can be gained by us only after our customers’ demané has been stabilized. So we are glad to do everything possible to urge business men in other industries study this problem and learn how to cure the evils of irregularity that have cursed all business so ‘0"*: Non-Ferrous Developments Marked Institute of Metals Holds Sessions on Zinc, Aluminum and Copper—Theory of Hardening Discussed —Innovation in Microscopic Technique ittention given to the Institute of Metals Division f the American Institute of Mining and Metal- | Engineers, doubtless due to the continued ex- e of the program sponsored by this group. At t annual meeting, six well-attended technical ses- ns were held, Feb. 15, 16 and 17, in addition to the lecture, and the so-called “alumni dinner.” A STEADY gain is being made, year by year, in the 4 How the Institute Has Expanded pas latter, which is the business meeting of the In- tute of Metals, was held on Tuesday evening, 15, at the Fraternity Clubs Building, and taxed apacity of the main dining room. It marked the twentieth anniversary of the organization. Originally n offshoot of the American Foundrymen’s Association wn as the Brass Foundrymen’s Association, it main- ned separate existence for some time, when the of- accepted an invitation to become a division of \merican Institute of Mining Engineers, especially oted to non-ferrous metallurgy. Reports read at the ner indicate a marked revival in interest. Over 800 embers are enrolled and regional meetings throughout the year are in prospect. Since the beginning, a joint meeting has been held n the fall with the American Foundrymen’s Associa- tion; but as this organization is to meet in the spring f 1927, a similar plan has been made for this year with the American Society for Steel Treating to cooperate with this society’s annual meeting and exhibit to be held next September in Detroit. A committee, headed y R. S. Archer, is also engaged in the preparation of lata sheets on metals and alloys other than iron for the A. S. S. T. handbook. The present officers were reelected: Paul D. Merica, nairman; Zay Jeffries, vice-chairman; W. M. Corse, ecretary-treasurer. The executive committee consists f R. S. Archer, J. R. Freeman, E. C. Bain, S. Skow- nski» H, C. Jensen and L. W. Spring. \nnual Lecture Given by British Metallurgist [Ss high grade of excellence, set by previous lec- -turers, was adequately maintained on Wednesday ‘Iternoon, Feb. 16, by the guest of the Institute, Prof. Cecil H. Desch, professor of metallurgy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England. He took as a subject Growth of Metallic Crystals,” a matter which has en- gaged his attention for many years, and upon which he has already reported to the Beilby Committee of the Sritish Institute of Metals. \s the lecturer observed, the laws of crystalline xrowth must be understood in order to control not only ie inner structure of ingots and castings, but also the nysical properties of worked and heat-treated metals nd alloys. It is one, however, which is very little lerstood, primarily because of the difficulty in ex- menting at elevated temperatures, and of observing ‘anges In the opaque melts. Consequently most of the ‘ormation now available results from observations on d metal, interpreted in the light of studies on trans- ent solutions or organic materials during the solidi- ition range. “rom such work Doctor Desch was able to present « data on the rate of formation and distribution of cl; the rate of growth of crystals and the reason directional growth; the effect of impurities, both ible and insoluble; and the reason why dendrites y so much in shape (from the sharp ferns in anti- y, to the rounded masses in bronze). ‘His lecture was well-illustrated by lantern slides, and held the attention of an audience which filled the main auditorium in the Engineers’ Building. It is a discourse which cannot readily be abstracted, but will repay close study by foundrymen and metallurgists generally. New Light on Crystallization of Zinc HAT the matters discussed so ably by Doctor Desch have much more than academic interest may be judged from the papers presented at the session on zinc, Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, under the chairman- ship of George C. Stone, of the New Jersey Zinc Co. Three separate papers dealing with the production of single crystals of zinc, and the behavior of these crystals under stress were read by O. E. Romig, of the American Sheet & Tin Plate Co., S. L. Hoyt, of the General Elec- tric Co., and C. H. Mathewson and A. J. Phillips of Yale University. Messrs. Romig and Hoyt both produced their speci- mens by drawing a thread of zinc out of a molten bath, and cooling it rapidly by a blast of hydrogen. The crystals so formed were several inches long, but less than 1/16 in. across the section. Some were brittle; others could be pulled out over 300 per cent before breaking. X-ray studies showed that in the former the basal planes of the crystal (along which slip occurs in plastic flow) are nearly at right angles to the stress, while in the ductile wires the basal planes are inclined at about 45 deg. to the extension. In the ductile speci- mens, plastic flow is associated with slips along a suc- cession of basal planes, thus converting the wire into a series of flat crystalline blocks, each of which slightly rotates as it slips, in such a manner that one hexagonal axis of the fragment approaches the direction of stress. (The same phenomenon occurring in aluminum wire was demonstrated by X-ray analysis in another paper by Profs. J. T. Norton and B. E. Warren of Massachu- setts Institute of Technology.) Traces of these slip planes appear as parallel striations a secondary series of straight markings, appearing in a greatly elongated specimen, suggests to Doctor Hoyt that even in this highly fragmented ma- terial “the virgin lattice remains undisturbed,” at least in its grosser aspects. He finds no hypothesis on strain hardening which is compatible with this observation, and at the same time explains the 500 per cent elonga- tion and 5000 per cent strengthening of the original crystal before it finally breaks. Very Large Zinc Crystals Studied Professors Mathewson and Phillips were able to work with very much larger zinc crystals, up to sev- eral square inches in cross section, secured by recrys- tallization of slightly worked plate. Some sizable per- fect crystals were also secured by condensing zinc vapor. These specimens were large enough to study by crys- tallographic methods; actual measurements of the angles between faces established an axial ratio of 1.86 and other data which check exactly work done by others with X-ray analysis. They report that it is impossible to strain these crystals beyond the elastic limit, without causing many twins to form in the metal. This action increases in complexity as the deformation increases. Furthermore, all cleavage takes place along the basal plane, where the atoms are most closely packed. The prismatic frac- tures described by Messrs. Romig and Hoyt are thought by Professor Mathewson to be merely basal cleavages in twinned metal (the divergence in these two planes ace oat 1 Liane eae DAL age as aril: ere iia: Ai) a ‘~~<pnameanie acai an Se 3 nite iene Uh om Pavesi rhea fune russes neers Nines Sng te nnenins Sania SSeS an See ro ' . ) ; ; 632 THE IRON AGE being only 4 degrees, much less than can be measured on the very small wire specimens). An interesting diagram, reproduced herewith (Fig. 52) shows how a region of twinned metal can form by appropriate but minute movements in individual atoms. The universal appearance of twins in metallic zinc and zine alloys, and the ease with which they form, sug- gests that slip along basal planes during plastic de- formation causes twinning along these planes, thus introducing a large increase in resistance to further slip along that plane. Likewise the essential crystal- linity of the mass is unchanged. New Developments in Copper and Its Alloys igs FRANCES H. CLARK, of the Western Union ~ Laboratories, New York, presented two papers on no change in outer appearance until the specie, March 3, 1997 re-etched. a Evidently, the recrystallizing forces are yo: a enough to affect the surface layers of atoms ~ Beryllium-Copper Alloys Interestin, H. BASSETT of the American Brass (o.. Water- e bury, Conn., described some mill tests beryllium-copper alloys. The principal physica) pr ‘ ties are noted in the diagram (Fig. 2). With less than 1.65 per cent beryllium (which fo) an alpha solid solution with copper) the alloys rolled well and were readily finished by cold-d hot- iTawing (75 per cent) into wire of various sizes. With car alloys, containing up to 2.35 per cent Be were suc cessfully rolled when hot (alpha plus beta complex) When cold these alloys transform to alph a plus © ned F gamma and are more malleable; 3% per cent B; as Foe te ae ee he ; fo oem 35 alloys could be handled commercially if special); Sa a 2 i cee08 oe 66 66n ban strong rolls were used. Cold rolled sheets with K-. * , a = hae Since sores ee 3 per cent Be, reduced 18 per cent, leave a Brin: i Ren ee oats oat hall ofa ‘ae hardness of nearly 300. : es nf oe ee ri Wire having 1.62 per cent Be withstands the i: te . ~ i | " ow eS See eee: See kink test and bends through an angle of 165 deg © o*®o ®}\@e ce OC#® CH Oe Oe in the flat-back test. It will be valuable as a hig! ; 46. gs 9 se ery ee oe strength conductor; compare it with the best tir oe eee O EN by ? 90.9 * See oe silicon alloy having a tensile strength of 117,00 es Oe 7 Oe . ld acne ee lb. and a conductivity of 15.5 per cent. oe cece ce Kwy « 7 Shy CE ESR. Beryllium-copper alloys will be as resista: ; ee ‘ 1 ° to corrosion as pure copper, but not more s -eseeneenee hen « * ee ae With beryllium metal at present prices, its alloy 2 ue o'? 6 #28 #4.08 might be used for springs, wires, and hig! ne ae ee strength conductors. ° +. ° e ° = ° . © . °o.hU€f ° oe \’ . e C T gh a Twin Band ¢ © ° o #0 ° ° ¢ © « 6.68.2 #8 29 e e .*e 7 *@e 2 ee 8,6 84-28 ° | ° eo « © ° ° ° ° . ° ° ° . ° ‘ ° ° ° e e +e . eo -e@eeeee6 c ° oO ° A Te ie ee oe © © . ‘ee ‘*e . eo -*-e8e + @ + @ } © ° *¢ © © *°o° ° ° . ° ia. a. a ° o ¢°0 ‘* ‘ee . a ‘ee “ee @* @e @ * © ° * © eo eo eo > ° ° ° e* oO ° ° -o° e ‘@ . -e ee “ee @eeee | o #0 o e 'o «0 “or? © 0 €O*¢ © 40 ‘*e ® 26 28 0©060 68 0 © 4.8 © 6 © 6 | ° ° o *©0 #0 se «6 £8 BO e.8. Ss“) 36 © ee *-@® *@ 5s@ ©*+@ © @ © @©@ #© @e @ | c ° ° ° eo eo ° , ° oS ° e« 9 ° ° 0° Plan View at A-A Possible Structural Relationship Between Twin Band Parent Crystal. (Fig. 52 in original paper) 60:40 brass. Miss Clark’s lucid and confident presen- tation of her subject was especially noteworthy, reach- ing a degree of excellence rarely encountered in techni- cal and engineering meetings. This brass (60:40) at 825 deg. C. is a uniform solid solution of beta brass (body centered cubic lattice). Rapid quenching in iced brine gives polyhedral grains. On being reheated to 200 deg. C. this is converted into a fine sorbitic structure and the alpha constituent in- creases in grain size on higher annealing. At 470 deg. C. twins suddenly form in the alpha grains. On higher anneals, some of this alpha is absorbed into the beta crystals. The drastic quench is supposed to strain the material enough to produce the twins in the alpha crystals; the beta, however, is uninfluenced even by cold working after quenching. Professor Mathewson advanced the opinion that microscopic changes in beta brass are not often seen because the reagents used to develop the alpha struc- ture do not etch the beta satisfactorily. He showed some views of 53.47 brass (all beta) which revealed the usual crystallographic changes varying with the amount of work and the temperature of the anneal. Miss Clark described experiments in which she ex- amined polished surfaces during recrystallization of the underlying metal. No‘outer change was observable. A slight etching brought out the new structure. Further change in structure under this etched surface caused Deoxidized Copper Tube makers have long recognized the su- periority of specially deoxidized copper. In mak- ing small sizes of seamless copper tube, such as are consumed in quantity by the household re- ° frigerator industry, it can be cold drawn to 90 A er cent reduction in four runs without annealing 7. It is also superior in its welding qualities . Quantitative measures of this superiority (such e as are used to control cold-working mil! opera- . tions) are given in a paper entitled “Some Com- . parative Properties of Tough Pitch and Phos i phorized Copper,” by W. R. Webster, J. | ° Christie, and R. S. Pratt of the Bridgeport Brass Co., Bridgeport, Conn. While the material did not contain enoug phosphorus to completely deoxidize it,.it co! and tained only one third the oxygen of the toug! pitch samples. Mr. Webster said that complet: deoxidization would only enhance the differen: es The temperature of initial softening is 7 te 100 deg. higher than tough pitch, an important factor in the tinning operation. Tensile strength anc elongation are practically identical. Contraction area of the phosphorized copper is considerably higher —which permits more cold work between anneals Tough pitch copper does not scale as readily as phos phorized. Hardened Copper Now Available G. CORSON described his method of hardening *copper with silicides of nickel or cobalt—a matte! which has already been presented at length in the columns of THE IRON AGE, Feb. 10, 1926. An X-ray study of these alloys has been made by E. C. Bain 0! the Union Carbide & Carbon Research Laboratories Long Island City, N. Y., in which he finds the gener’ phenomena similar to those in quenching and temper- ing steel, duralumin, and lead-antimony~alcium. Quenched alloys exhibit perfect crystallinity °° * true austenite—all cobalt, nickel and silicon being ' solid solution with no measurable distortion of