JUKE 27, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



619 



termination of permeability to water under pres- 

 sure, nor of water absorption added to the infor- 

 mation given by the funnel and spray tests. Fab- 

 rics widely different in water resistance showed 

 practically no difference in the quantity of water 

 absorbed in a given time. Details of the methods, 

 including the method of making the exposure 

 tests, illustrations of the equipment and the scale 

 of numerical ratings used, are given in the paper 

 whici is to be followed by other dealing with 

 water- and mildew-proofing treatments and with 

 the deterioration caused by such treatments on 

 outdoor exposure. 



An impact tester for solid and corrugated fiber 

 hoard: E. O. Reed and F. P. Veitch. Since the 

 usual methods of testing solid and corrugated 

 fiber board by determining its bursting strength 

 with a Mullen Tester was found unsatisfactory, an 

 impact tester has been devised which closely imi- 

 tates conditions which fiber board containers must 

 meet in actual service. The results obtained are 

 stated in terms of the height from which a 2-kilo- 

 gram hammer must be dropped in order to drive 

 a one kilogram plunger, having a spherical base of 

 definite dimensions, through a definite unsupported 

 area of the board. The tester should be useful in 

 establishing impact requirements of different 

 weights of fiber board. Results so far obtained 

 indicate that with this tester data are obtained 

 which are not only a measure of the bursting 

 strength, but also of the resiliency of the board, 

 which are the two main factors determining ser- 

 viceability. 



Waterproof papers for box lining and bale 

 wrapping: F. P. Veitch and E. O. Reed. During 

 the war there has been an increased demand for 

 waterproof papers for box-lining and bale-wrap- 

 ping purposes due especially to the fact that for 

 overseas shipment, army and navy supplies had to 

 be put in the most compact form and were baled 

 whenever it was possible. Many types of wrap- 

 ping papers proposed for protecting the contents 

 of bales and boxes against moisture have been 

 subjected to laboratory and actual bailing tests 

 to determine the relative merits of different meth- 

 ods of waterproofing and the probable servicea- 

 bility of different types of paper as indicated by 

 such test. Very definite information on the most 

 water-resistant types of wrapping paper has been 

 secured. 



Lead-coated Iron (exliibits) : Chas. Basker- 

 viLLE. A process for coating sheet iron, iron wire 

 and wire gauze has been worked out depending in 



part upon dipping the article after the usual pick- 

 ling and washing into a solution of antimony 

 chloride, thence through a suitable supernatant 

 flux into a bath of molten lead or antimony lead, 

 withdrawing and quenching in oil. Shingles, 10 X 

 16 ins., of 28 g. iron thus coated, painted and un- 

 painted, have been exposed to the weather in a 

 roof test for two years and eleven months and 

 show 100 per cent, efficiency, that is no rust spots. 

 The shingles may be bent at various angles without 

 cracking the coating and exposing the iron. It is 

 superior to and less expensive than tin plates. 

 Shingles exposed near the exits of sulphuric acid 

 chambers soon show rust, due probably to con- 

 densation of nitrous and nitric acids, whose sol- 

 vent action on lead is well known. Thin sheet 

 iron thus coated is easily pressed into desired 

 shapes, for example, hub caps for motor vehicles, 

 the lead acting as a lubricant. The pressed article 

 lends itself well to nickel plating and subsequent 

 burnishing. Wire gauze (chicken wire), thus lead 

 coated, is quite as good as the galvanized article 

 and cheaper to produce. Heavy steel pipe, 8-inch 

 for pipe lines, was not successfully coated for 

 practical purposes, due to irregularities in the 

 surface and the abrasions produced in the sur- 

 face and its softer coating, when chains and tongs 

 were applied in screwing the joints together. 

 Where iron in juxtaposition to lead is exposed to 

 aerated water (practical conditions) through in- 

 complete coating (pinholes) or abrasion of the 

 lead, the iron rusts more rapidly as it is electro- 

 positive to lead. This is also true for tin-coated 

 iron, while the opposite is true for galvanized 

 iron. However, for some purposes lead-coated 

 metal possesses advantages, especially in expense. 

 Cast iron requires a preliminary pickling in hydro- 

 fluoric acid, when it may be coated by the process 

 given, but not perfectly, due to the irregularities 

 of surface. However, this thin coating serves as 

 a satisfactory binding agent for thick layers of 

 lead cast thereon, for example in filter press 

 plates. This was found to be true also for the 

 rough drilled interior of shells; electrolyticsilly de- 

 posited lead, with subsequent burnishing, has been 

 found superior for lead coating the interior of gas 

 shells requiring such protection. 



Reinforced lead (exhibits) : Chas. Baskervili,e. 

 Lead in large sheets or heavy pipe flows. Vari- 

 ous devices, as numerous straps for sheets, serving 

 as walls in acid chaml>ers, frequently placed sup- 

 ports for pipes, walls of masonry holding sheet 

 lead linings in large petroleum refining tanks, and 

 so forth, are utilized to reduce the sagging. 



