446 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May 1, 1917. 



which arc mounted four carriers that hold the four dipping 

 frames. This shaft is revolved at variable speed by gearing lo- 

 cated at the back of tlie machine, not shown in the illustration, 

 and is started and stopped by a hand rod shown at the front on 

 the left side of the casing. Tlie lever in the center of the casing 

 is used for turning the carrier shaft by hand when loading the 

 carriers with the mold frames. Glass observation doors are 

 provided in the upper part of the casing for introducing and re- 

 moving the mold forms and there is also a glass window in the 

 lower part, through which the dipping operation may be observed. 

 Two additional glass-covered slits are located just above the 

 lower window for observation purposes, and electric lights illum- 

 inate the interior of the casing. 



The lower part of the casing is provided with doors and en- 

 closes a platform that is raised and lowered by a hydraulic ram. 

 Two hinged covers are attached to the sides of the casing and 

 are opened and closed automatically, covering the solution when 

 not in use, thereby keeping it clean and preventing evaporation. 

 A car containing the rubber solution is wheeled on the platform 

 and the door closed. A frame holding- the molds is then placed 

 in the machine 

 through the up- 

 per doors and 

 attached to the 

 carrier. The 

 carrier shaft is 

 turned by hand, 

 bringing in po- 

 sition the sec- 

 ond carrier to 

 which the sec- 

 ond dipping 

 frame is attach- 

 ed, and when 

 all four frames 

 are in place, 

 the doors are 

 closed and the 

 m a c h in e is 

 ready for the 

 actual dipping 

 operation. 



The speed of 

 the hydra ulic 

 ram is con- 

 trolled by a 



valve shown on the left of the machine, and when this is operated 

 the ram slowly lifts the solution car and the hinged covers at the 

 same time. After the first dipping the car is lowered and the car- 

 rier shaft turned until the wet molds occupy a vertical position. 

 After remaining in this position for a short period to prevent the 

 freshly-dipped molds from running, the carrier shaft is set in mo- 

 tion and revolved until the forms are surface dried. Then the 

 second mold frame is dipped, raised to a vertical position and 

 revolved until surface dried, followed by the third and fourth 

 frames in a similar manner. When all the molds are sufficiently 

 dried, the second dipping operation and, in fact, as many suc- 

 cessive coatings as may be necessary, are commenced and finished 

 in the above prescribed manner. 



During the period in which this solution car is being auto- 

 matically lowered and the forms revolved, the next machine may 

 be operated, thus a skilled operator can manipulate several 

 machines. 



The drying is assisted by air heated to the proper temperature 

 and passed through a dust removing apparatus, the circulation 

 being regulated by suitable valves and induced by a ventilator. 

 It is customary to devote certain machines to dipping only, and 

 the molds, after being dipped, are removed to the machines that 

 are used exclusively for drying purposes. 



I-iG. 3. Dii'i'ixG .xxn Drying Machixes for Luxg .Seatiiles-s Cjoods 



MACHINE WITH .MOVABLE SOLUTION CAR. 

 To avoid making quantities of solution in smaller factories, 

 where the desired output is not so great as that of the preceding 

 machines, the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is used. In this con- 

 struction only one solution car is used that serves six machines 

 by traveling on a track, being moved from one machine to the 

 other by chain gearing. The hydraulic ram for lifting the solu- 

 tion car is operated by a hand pump and controlled by a valve 

 shown at the front of the car. These machines possess the same 

 mechanical features described in the machines shown in Fig. 1, 

 and are capable of producing rubber articles 180 millimeters 

 [7.08 inches] long. It is claimed that a skillful operator can 

 prf)duce 21.600 small and 10,500 large nipples on these six ma- 

 chines in one day. 



MAKING LONG SEAMLESS GOODS. 

 In the manufacture of long seamless rubber articles, such as 

 gloves, 350 millimeters [13.7 inches] long and even 450 milli- 

 meters [17.71 inches] long, the machines illustrated in Fig. 3 

 are used. The output of 5 machines of this type is claimed to be 

 3 360 pieces in one day, one man being able to attend to 10 ma- 

 chine; with a 

 daily product of 

 33,600 pieces. 



After the dip- 

 ping process 

 comes the edg- 

 ing, or bead 

 forming opera- 

 tion, which, in 

 the majority of 

 factories, is 

 done by hand. 

 The beaded 

 goods are then 

 placed in a mod- 

 erately warm 

 chamber and 

 the foil owing 

 day they are 

 vulcanized. The 

 articles are 

 cured on the 

 molds in chlo- 

 ride of sulphur 

 vapors, but 

 thicker goods, 

 such as nijtples, etc., are lirst subjected to the vapor cure 

 while on the molds, after which they are removed, turned inside 

 out and cold cured. 



.\s previously stated, the process of dipping and drying trans- 

 parent goods is the same as in other seamless goods, but without 

 heat, as the drying temperature should not exceed 20 degrees C. 

 The goods are cold cured in the usual manner and afterwards 

 dried in a cool, well-ventilated chamber. 



THE EXCESS PROFITS DUTY. 



Some fear exists among British rubber companies in the East 

 that the excess profits tax may be increased and this uneasiness 

 is not without effect on the rubber market. Companies likely 

 to be taxed have made provision to cover excess liability, 

 stating that part of it might be considered as a reserve to be 

 available for distribution when the tax was withdrawn. 



JAPANESE PLANTERS INVESTIGATING SUMATRA. 



From the "Sumatra Post" it is learned that a r-.-presentative 

 of a Japanese association arrived on the east coast early this 

 year, with the object of purchasing land in Atjeh and begin- 

 ning rubber cultivation there. 



