August 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



619 



TluTf is a fuial chapter by the translators (lcscril)ing British 

 patents on watcrprooting, in which they say, "It may be taken 

 for granted that if a process is worth anything it is patented 

 in Kngland" ; which is a complacent British way of looking at 

 things. The translators, however, seem to know more than the 

 author, as they comment intelliKcntly on some of liis more 

 obvious lapses. 



The list of patents will be valuable to anyone involved in 

 patent litigation on waterproofing. 



MOLDED ELECTRICAL INSULATION AND PLASTICS. UV EMILE 

 Hemming. 19U. Ward, Clausen & Co., 200 Fifth avenue. New York. 

 [Octavo, illustrated, 208 pages.] 



T ¥ ERF, is a volume which c<intains much practical informaticm 

 * * of considerable interest for the rubl)er manufacturer. It 

 deals with plastics for a special purpose, the inethod of manu- 

 facture differing considerably from that used in working the 

 usual rubber articles ; but perhaps these methods might be 

 applied to rubber for quite a few purposes. 



A glance at its contents shows that a large number of sub- 

 stances are now made into molded insulators containing no 

 rubber, for formerly rubber was used to a much greater extent 

 than today. In view of the cheapening of the raw material, 

 allowing cheaper prochicts to l)e made now, it is perhaps worth 

 while for the ruhlier manufacturer to ask himself if he cannot 

 get back some of the business lost on account of the higli jirices 

 he was formerly compelled to charge. 



In the introduction the author says, "A few years ago the 

 choice of insulating materials lay practically between porcelain, 

 hard rubber and the so-called shellac compounds, but today a 

 consideralile mmiher of substances of widely differing properties 

 and constitution are offered on the market." 



"Molded insulation" is defined as a plastic mass coinposcd 

 fundamentally of a binder and a filler and formed in molds 

 or dies, usually under pressure. The materials entering into 

 them are referred to as "composition." The author says, "Ten 

 years ago porcelain was most widely used as an insulator, but 

 hard rubber with fillers such as asbestos, called 'vulcanized 

 asbestos materials,' were largely used and were e.Kcellent in 

 every respect except price and the inability of rubber to stand 

 high temperatures." 



This author divides molded insulation into nine classes, as 

 follows : Class .'\, organic hot molded materials ; Class B, organic 

 cold molded materials ; Class C, inorganic cold molded materials ; 

 Class D, ceramics ; Class E, rubber compounds ; Class F. organic 

 plastics ; Class G, synthetic resinous products ; Class H, hardened 

 fiber materials, and Class I, molded mica. 



Class A comprises all the sealing wax compounds and Class 

 B those in which a solvent is used. It would appear that rubber 

 might enter into the first when heated to a plastic condition 

 and rubber cement into the second or Class B. Class C is of the 

 Portland cement type and is of no interest to the rubber man 

 as a possible manufacture. The same is true of the ceramics 

 of Class D. 



Of Class E the author says, "Among the various materials 

 employed in the manufacture of molded insulation, rubber is 

 the only product which in itself, without intermixture of a 

 filling or strengthening medium, presents all the desirable qual- 

 ities of an insulator, combined with the necessary mechanical 

 strength and other requisite physical properties." 



Class F includes celluloid, casein and other plastics than rubber. 



Class G includes the phenol, formaldehyde and similar con- 

 densation products such as bakelite, condensite, etc. 



Vulcanized fiber, which is called Class H, is vulcanized by 

 chloride of zinc, etc., or it may be treated with resinous binders. 

 Mica, which is given in Class 1, must also be mixed with resinous 

 binders to be used as a plastic. 



A long chapter is devoted to raw materials, the rubber manu- 



facturer being familiar with most of these as fillers, though 

 many substances are largely used in the insulators that are 

 little used in the ruliber trade. 



A good description of the necessary properties of molded 

 insulation is given under the heads of "Life," "Molding," "Punc- 

 ture Test" (dielectric strength), "Mechanical Strength," Weather- 

 proof Qualities," "Heat Proof Qualities," "Resistance to Chem- 

 ical Action," "Machining of Molded Pieces" and "Color and 

 .Appearance." Molds and dies are treated of at length. The 

 .selection of materials is also discussed and a large number of 

 illustrations are given which are valuable as showing the forms 

 of molded insulators now in demand. It is to be observed that 

 many forms have metals, inchiding brass and copper, molded 

 into them. 



The work concludes with about fifteen pages of results of 

 electrical and mechanical tests on various specimens of different 

 kinds. 



Any manufacturer of molded goods, whether for insulation 

 or otherwise, will certainly receive enough hints to repay him for 

 a perusal of the work, and even the description of working other 

 plastics is instructive. 



Throughout the book are the recurring statements as to the 

 desirability of rubber for this work and the lament about high 

 prices. The latter objection is rapidly disappearing, and perhaps 

 the rubber industry can now re-enter some of this lost field. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECHETABY OF COMMEHCE. 



It will be recalled that by the transfer in August, 1912, of var- 

 ious bureaus from the Department of Commerce and Labor to 

 the newly created Department of Labor, the more strictly com- 

 mercial sections were left in the hands of the former; its name 

 being changed to the Department of Commerce. As now con- 

 stituted, it includes nine bureaus and the office of the Secretary. 

 with five divisions, the bureaus being respectively those of 

 Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Corporations, Standards. Cen- 

 sus, Fisheries, Lighthouses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Steam- 

 boat Inspection Service and Navigation. 



Manufacturers will be very much interested in the first annual 

 report of Secretary William C. Rcdfield, and particularly in that 

 part of his report that covers the bureaus of Foreign and 

 Domestic Commerce, Corporations, Standards and the Census. 

 The publication known as "The Daily Consular and Trade Re- 

 ports." published by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- 

 merce, has proved exceedingly popular, the demand being 

 considerably in excess of the edition so far printed. 



Under the head of publicity work are also mentioned the 

 semi-weekly press letters of statistical information ; the "Monthly 

 Summary of Commerce and Finance" ; as well as various quar- 

 terly statistical Statements, and the annual volume of "Commer- 

 cial Relations of the United States." With regard to the 

 Division of Statistics, it is urged that its work should receive 

 much inore attention and support than it now gets from Congress. 



.\ perusal of this coinprehensive report gives a good idea of 

 the work achieved and contemplated by the department in its 

 re-organized form, for the benefit of .American commerce. 



The report of the proceedings of the Agricultural Society of 

 Trinidad and Tobago shows the total exports of rubber from 

 those islands for the first six months of the year to have 

 amounted to 3.785 pounds, as against 1.505 and 2.076 pounds in 

 the same periods of 1912 and 1913. 



Should be on every rubber man's desk — Crude Rubber and 

 Compounding Ingredients; Rubber Country of the Amazpfl;. 

 Ri:bber Trade Directory of the World. 



