272 



SUB3IAKINE CABLE LAYING AND REPAIRING. 



the wind is very strong an impromptu shelter of sail or awning 

 cloth is put up round the jointer. The soldering-bit is pushed 

 into a hole cut in the chimney of the hood for the purpose, 

 where it holds itself in the hottest part of the flame, and in this 

 way two bits can be kept going and no time lost. Either 

 powdered resin or Baker's fluid is used as a flux. First brush 

 the copper strand with the flux and then hold the soldering- 

 bit (previously tinned) in the right hand, narrow face upper- 

 most, and melt a blob of solder on to it. Put this blob under 

 the wire, holding the latter in the left hand and pressing the 

 iron and the wire together. A little flux is now applied and, 

 immediately the solder takes, jerk the bolt away, to carry away 

 excess solder, otherwise it will have to be filed off. By doing 

 this quickly the iron has not time to heat the G. P. insulation 



Ends scarfed 



Clamp Clamp 



Ends soldered and bonnd 



Fig. 159. — Joint in Conductor. 



on the wire. Then snip a good j^e- in. off" the end with pliers. The 

 end is then filed down taper on one side, as shown in Fig. 159, 

 for a scarf joint, so that the ends when laid together exactly 

 fit and make no increase in the size of the conductor. On the 

 jointer's tray, illustrated in Fig. 157, there is a block of wood 

 on the left side, in which is cut a niche, G. This niche answers 

 the purpose of a gauge to assist in filing both ends equally to 

 the same taper. The end is laid in the niche and filed away 

 till flush with the block, making the tapered part about an 

 inch in length. While filing, the end is held in a pair of 

 flat-nosed pliers gripping the strand close up to the percha. 

 The ends are next laid in turn on the side of the block at F, 

 and the rough corners left by the solder filed off, after which 

 they are surfaced over with emery cloth. At this stage the 

 «nds are solid, fitting truly together and presenting a bright, 



