162 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February i, 1906. 



A RUBBER ROLLING MACHINE. 



nr^HERE is illustrated on this page the latest (1905) pattern 

 -'- of the rubber rollinij and washing machine manufac- 

 tured by The Federated Engineering Co., Limited, of Kuala 

 Lumpur, Federated Malaj* States. It was in 1905 that this 

 firm first exhibited an experimental machine for the treat- 

 ment of freshly coagulated rubber latex, at the yearly Agri- 

 Horticultural show at Kuala Lumpur, where orders for several 

 were placed by the rubber planters in attendance, as a result 

 of its successful making of "crepe " rubber. The machine 

 was favorabl}' reported on by Mr. P. J. Burgess — now, bj' the 

 way, rubber expert for the Malay States — since which time 

 various improvements have been developed by the makers of 

 the machine. 



The original specimen was a washing machine, but there 

 is now offered also a rolling machine of practically similar 

 design. The process of making the "crepe " may be en- 

 tirely carried out on the washing machine, although it is 

 stated that a much finer 

 sample is obtained by 

 passing the washed rubber 

 through the rolling ma- 

 chine, and this practice 

 is being adopted. 



The machine takes in 

 freshlj' coagulated latex, 

 and turns out thin, 

 chewed-looking sheets 

 called crepe rubber, thor- 

 oughly washed and clean. 

 The actual coagulation is 

 not mechanical, but the 

 latex is poured into a 

 tank, curdled with acid, 

 sliced and fed directlj- 

 into the machine. 



The manufacturers of 

 the machines state : 



The action of the rollers 

 on the freshly coagulated 

 latex is to entirely remove 

 all albumen, and other iin- 



Companj^'s machine could turn out a product clean enough 

 for immediate mastication and mixing, there would be un- 

 doubted economies in freight, in the removal of sources of 

 decay, and in the carrying on the whole process of coagula- 

 tion, washing and sheeting at one operation b%' steam power, 

 while the latex curds are fresh and soft, and more readily 

 cleansed. There is a possible economy to the trade, also, in 

 being able to calculate prices more accurately on the basis of 

 a pure, dry article. The manufacturers naturally do not 

 want rubber handled any more than is necessary, recogniz- 

 ing the loss of elasticity, and the increase in adhesiveness 

 which results from too much mastication and kneading ; but 

 if it can be shown that the proper time to wash rubber is 

 when it is freshl\- coagulated, and the curds are light and 

 spongy, the plantation washing is to be recommended, as 

 enabling the maximum amount of nerve to be retained in the 

 vulcanized products. 



The manufacturers announce that they have also in hand 

 a mechanical coagulating device, still in an experimental 



stage, though they expect 

 soon to have it on the 

 market. It appears that 

 the highest price yet at- 

 tained in London for any 

 plantation rubber was for 

 crepe prepared on these 

 machines. For further 

 information regarding 

 crepe rubber and its prep- 

 aration, the reader is re- 

 ferred to an article in The 

 IxDi.\ Rubber World, 

 \ January i, 1906 — pages 



FAR EASTERN RUB- 

 BER COMPANIES. 



RUBBER RQLLINQ MACHINE. 



purities which remain in the rubber {to its consequent detriment) 

 if made into biscuits. 



The crepe after being treated on the two machines has a close, 

 fine, even texture and is extremely thin, and can thus be dried, 

 without the aid of an artificial drying house, in about three days, and 

 is considerably easier to pack for shipment than any in the biscuit 

 form . 



The machines working together will treat at the verj- least I<x3 

 pounds of dried rubber per hour or singly 50 pounds per hour, and 

 each machine requires from 5 to S brake horse power to drive it ; 

 onlj' one man is required to feed a machine, and the saving efTected 

 over the hand made biscuit process is obvious. 



By the manufacture of crepe rubber the disadvantages of having 

 a large number of coagulating dishes and traj's are obviated as the 

 latex is poured into one large receptacle and there coagulated in 

 bulk by the addition of acetic acid, tannic acid, or other coagulat- 

 ing agent, after which it is cut into slabs and fed into the washing 

 machine. 



In England some protest has been heard against the im- 

 portation of washed rubber, since the manufacturers have 

 been accustomed to washing in the factorv. If the Federated 



ABOOK entitled "Rub- 

 ber Producing Com- 

 panies Having Properties 

 in the Malay Peninsula 

 and Ceylon, " and issued bj' Gow, Wilson & Stanton, Limited 

 (London), is likely to give those who have not kept them- 

 selves well informed something of a surprise in regard to the 

 extent to which the English public have become interested 

 in rubber planting. It is a directory of companies, contain- 

 ing such details as an investor naturally would want. From 

 the book we compile some figures showing that 20 compa- 

 nies having estates in Ceylon have outstanding /!^i,8o6.383 

 [=§9,051,915] in shares, and the capital of 1 1 of the com- 

 panies, amounting to /^i. 737. 483, is reported fullj- paid. 

 Most of these, however, are long established tea companies, 

 but they are also largely interested in rubber, some having 

 their tea planted throughout with rubber, in addition to 

 large areas in rubber alone. Fifteen companies having 

 estates on the ilalaj- peninsula, having a total authorized 

 capital of ^658,000 [=$3,290,000], have shares outstanding 

 to the extent of ,{,'564.520. of which .{^258,743 are held bj- 

 vendors of numerous rubber plantations acquired by the 

 various companies, and £305, /jj have been subscribed. 



