514 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1920. 



polished. The same metal can hv applied to make the various 

 molds used for other purposes in the rubber trade, etc. 



The cast metal withstands heavy pressures employed in nidliling 

 and as it polishes perfectly imparls a lustrous iiiiish to the molded 

 goods. 



ALUMINUM ON THE RUBBER PLANTATION. 



In the gathering 

 and preparation of 

 rubber latex a great 

 variety of utensils 

 is necessary. It is 

 here that aluminum 

 has found ready 

 adaptability for its 

 lightness and resist- 

 ance to corrosion. 

 Latex cups and 

 spouts, collecting 

 pails and coagulat- 

 ing pans, are a few 

 of the aluminum accc 



Aluminum L.'\tf,.x Utensils. 



EMERGENCY REPAIRS ON BALLOONS. 



When an Army balloon in use is ripped, the soldier aero- 

 nauts do not nowadays exhaust the big rubberized silk bag 

 of its gas in order to mend the rent. They have found that 

 by swift, well-directed work sucli daniai^e can be corrected 

 readily on a filled 

 balloon, and with 

 a minimum loss of 

 gas and time. As 

 soon as the balloon 

 breaks or is torn 

 by contact with a 

 tree, pole, chim- 

 ney or other ob- 

 ject, a hurry call 

 is given and soon a 

 crowd of soldiers 

 surround and seize 

 the big gas bag. By 

 tugging at the 

 ropes holding the 

 basket they maneu- 

 ver the balloon un- 

 til the gaping part 

 is turned under- 

 neath. The object of this is to save the hydrogen; for with 

 the ripped side up the lighter-than-air gas soon escapes. Even 

 when the torn part is below, there is much leakage, and, 

 what is also objectionable, there is an admission of air, which 

 if allowed to continue far, lessens the buoyancy and often 

 necessitates refilling. 



While the gas bag is thus held captive the repairers pull 

 the torn flaps together and hold them while others sew the 

 torn section with a baseball stitch of stout linen thread. At 

 the same time others prepare the cement of pure Para rubber 

 dissolved in naphtha, while others cut a patch of balloon 

 material slightly larger than the torn part. The cement hav- 

 ing been brushed on the patch and torn surface, the patch 

 is applied and rolled down thoroughly with a hand roller. 

 In a few minutes it is dry and the balloon ready for use 

 again. 



A disadvantage of the emergency repair is, that a patch 

 can be put on one side (the outer) only, and the rolling has 

 to be done against a yielding, cushion-like surface; although 



Repairing Balloon, Ross Field, 

 Californla.. 



very good results arc cilitaiued by the resistance afforded by 

 the distended bag, which is ordinarily inflated with about 18 

 pounds' pressure. 



When time can be taken tor a job the balloon is turned 

 inside out and laid flat. Then a patch is applied on each 

 side of the stitched part, the rolling is done against a hard, 

 smooth surface, and the result is a bag that for all practical 

 purposes is as good as new. The cement used in the slower 

 and more thorough operation is the same as used in the 

 hasty repair work. 



PNEUMATIC TIRES FOR PACKARD TRUCKS. 



A new line of pneumatic-tired trucks has been put on the 

 market by the Packard Motor Car Co. of Detroit, in order to 

 meet the demand for greater speed and wider expansion of trans- 

 portation by motor trucks. The necessary gear ratios and ma- 

 chinery details have been carefully studied out. Demountable rim 

 equipment is provided so as to make it easier to handle the 

 giant >\ze tires. The use of metal wheels of the spoke type ren- 

 ders it possible to employ a slot in the rim for the valve stem 

 and thus enable the tire to be assembled on the wheel by rolling 

 it into position and then sliding it over the wheel, instead of 

 lifting tire and rim assembly so as to insert the valve stem 

 through a hole iit the rim, as is the practice with small, light tires. 



The trucks are made in Ij^-ton, 2-ton and 3-ton sizes, full 

 details of each being given in the company's circular. The sizes 

 of tires, all single pneumatic, are, for the lV2-ton trucks — front 36 

 by 6, rear 38 by 7 ; for the 2-ton trucks — front 36 by 6. rear 40 

 liy 8; for the 3-ton trucks— front 38 by 7, rear 44 by 10. Just 

 four sizes of tires are used. 



FIFTY MILLION SMALL TIRES? 



"The smallest automobile in earth" as far as we know is 

 shown in the above picture. This little car was built by Fritz 

 Reuter, of San Antonio, Texas, who operates a large automobile 

 niacliine shop. He built the car of odds and ends from Fords 

 to I'ierce-.Xrrows. 



This clever little piece of handiwork is run by electric motor 

 and storage battery and is the result of one and one-half years 



The Smallest Automobile. 



of work during spare moments. The figure on the back of the 

 car is a statuette of the widely known "Time to Re-tire" boy 

 of The Fisk Rubber Co. 



Ten million six-year-olds equipped with these Lilliputian cars 

 would use 50,000,000 tires. Added to what the grown-ups re- 

 quire it means a rubber shortage by 1925. 



