92 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[NovtMiiEk 1. 1913. 



A RUBBER EAR MUFF. 

 Men who live in the city and ride to their offices in the morn- 

 ing and back at night on the elevated or in the subway arc 

 not likely to feel a pressing need for ear muffs, but in tlif 



country, and particu- 

 larly in that part of the 

 country where they en- 

 joy low thermometers 

 many times during the 

 winter, the ear muff is 

 certainly a desideratum. 

 Ordinarily, this orna- 

 mental piece of wearing 

 .•ipparcl is made of wool, 

 but here comes a citizen 

 of Connecticut who has 

 constructed an ear muff" uf rubber. It consists of a cup of 

 hard rubber, with edges linished off in soft rubber and made 

 to fit down over the ear in such a way that a suction will be 

 formed — presumably for the purpose of keeping this muff 

 securely in place. Probably the force uf this suction is not 

 very strong; if it were it would hardly be beneficial to the 

 drum of the ear. This is a new use for rubber, but not one, 

 it is to be feared, that will materially assist the Middle East 

 planters in disposing of the 300,000 tons of crude rubber which 

 they expect to have ready for the market within the next four 

 or five years. The accompanying illustration shows a pair 

 of these hard rubber ear muffs with supporting arms that 

 go up over the head. The inventor, Harry Markoff, of Staf- 

 ford, Connecticut, has applied for a patent. 



WIRE WHEELS AND OUICK TIRE CHANGES. 



One of the principal advantages pointed out for the wire 

 wheel for automobiles is that on account of its lightness an ex- 

 tra wheel and tire can be easily carried to replace a damaged 

 wheel or tire. Further improvements in the construction of the 

 wire wheel have been made by The AlcCue Co., of Buffalo, New 

 York, the principal feature embodied in these improvements, as 

 will be seen in the drawings herewith, being that the portion of 

 the rim against which the tire rests is perfectly flat and smooth, 

 avoiding corners or projections which are liable to cut or pinch 

 the tire or tube. 



]\rcCtiE Wire Wheel Showing the Rims 



Q. D. Rim. Rkversed. 



The grooves in which the outer cuds of the wire spokes are 

 attached are pressed in the rim. which allows this part to be 

 made integral with the body of the rim and at the same time to 

 add slrengtli to the wheel. It is also pointed out that this con- 

 struction adds to the radiating surface and aids in keeping the 

 tire cool. .Another feature of this wheel is that the rim portions 

 are reversiljle, in order to accommodate either clincher or 

 straight side tires. 



RUBBER MILLINERY. 



In the millinery parlors of a New York department store 

 there was recently exhibited a lady's trimmed automobile hat, 

 of which rubber was the chief component material. Skilful 

 treatment in the course of manufacture had given it the appear- 

 ance of a lusterless taffeta, and it was claimed that the creation 

 would suffer no injury to shape or color, no matter how much 

 it might be exposed to rain, wind and dust. 



THE HANDY RUBBER MALLET. 



Every automobile owner has had the experience of trying to 



place a tire on a rim and of having to pound both tire and ring 



to get them in their proper positions. By this method many tire 



casings have been weakened and rings bent by 



the inadvertent use of steel hammers. 



The rubber mallet illustrated herewith over- 

 comes these disadvantages and eliminates all 

 possibility of damage. The head is made of soft 

 rubber and the handle of hickory. It is capable 

 of withstanding a powerful blow, anil there is 

 no danger of denting or damaging the material 

 which is being worked upon. This tool can also 

 be used in repairing windshields, in working 

 around the body of a car, and in fact is useful 

 HI any place where the machinist's hammer is 

 worthless on account of its steel head. It takes 

 the place of the ordinary wooden mallet and often 

 of the steel hammer. [The American .\uto 

 Supply Co., New York City.] 



A POCKET RUBBER DRINKING TUBE. 



All those people who lie awake nights trying to contrive meth- 

 ods of eluding the ubiquitous germ, will be pleased to know that 

 a little rubber tube has been devised, to be carried in the pocket, 

 which has one end adapted to going over the ordinary faucet, 

 while the other acts as a mouth-piece. In this way, it is con- 

 tended, one can get a perfectly sanitary drink. It is difficult 

 to see, however, how this has any advantage over the collapsible 

 rubber cup, which enables one to drink in sanitary fashion and 

 at the same time see what he is drinking. 



to 



IS not particu- 

 know what it 



A CURRENT PHRASE ILLUSTRATED 



That expression, ''Talking through your hat," 

 larly chaste English, but everybody seems 

 means, and the 

 Michelin Rub- 

 ber Co., in a 

 leaflet recently 

 distributed to 

 the trade, il- 

 lustrates this 

 expression by 

 s li o w i n g the 

 picture of a 

 Ml n n — who 

 looks like a 

 lobbyist or 

 a promoter — 

 whose hat is 

 made up of a 

 series of tires 

 w i t h I a n c y 

 I r e a d s . The 

 text that ac- 

 companies this 

 illustration is 

 an argument on 

 the part of the 

 Michelin people 

 with intent to 

 show that their 



plain tread contains considerably more rubber for the money 

 than these fancy treads, which they refer to as "sculptured 

 tires." It is a humorous conceit, as will appear from the re- 

 production herewith. 



