Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
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TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for any thing else published.
Drivers of commercial-motor vehicles and tractors, and mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, are invited to send short contributions on any subject whsch is likely to prove of interest to our readers. Workshop tips and smart repairs ; long and successful runs; interesting photographs : all are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us—no matter how short, or how written, or how worded. We will "knock it into shape" and prepare sketches, where necessary, before publication. The absence of a sketch does not disqualify for a prise. When writing use one side of the paper only and mention your employer's name as a guarantee of bona fides. Neither your own nor your employer's name will be disclosed. Payment will be made immediately after publication. Address your letters to The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, 7.15, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C.
nstead of Compasses.
[790] " II.B." (Cheshire) writes :—" I offer you a short description and a sketch [We have had this re-drawn.— ED.] of a little contrivance which I have found very useful in the course of my work. The illustration renders any detailed description almost unnecessary. Its primary use
is for the marking-off ' of flanged ends of pipes and similar hollow pieces, where a dummy centre-piece, with a good centre hole in it, can be used. It answers the same purpose as a pair of scriber compasses, but it is a great deal stiffer and more accurate to handle. The centre pillar has a knurled finish at one end and a conical point at the other. The scriber itself is held in an ordinary screw-grip socket, similar to those which are used on the ordinary form of scribing block."
'Midst Ice and Snow.
The sender of the foU,owing communication has been awarded the 10s. prize this week.
[791] " T.D." (Canning Town) writes:—" It may not be out of place to offer a few remarks to my fellow drivers in connection with the care of steam wagons during winter time. Especially now, when we are getting frosty mornings, I think it would be well to remember what care should be taken when steam wagons have to be left in anything-like-exposed positions. Drivers will always do well, of course, to look to the water-connections of the pipes and to the fittings, and to satisfy themselves that no water can be trapped after arrangements have been made to drain off for the night, as it must not he forgotten that water, when turned into ice, expands, and of course this is liable to burst pipes or fittings. I personal'y find that the best thing to do is to drain everything which may contain water, when I am in doubt about the weather. It is a nuisance, I know full well, to have to make up your mind to do this after a hard day's work, but I always try to think that a day's work may be lost on the morrow through a burst pipe or pump barrel. Therefore I do not take the risk of leaving water to freeze. There is, of course, less risk when the wagon can be put away in a shed for the night, as the boiler can be kept warm for a long while by means of suitable banking-up of the fire, which 1% if. warm the shed.
In circumstances where water is scarce or where there is likely to be trouble if it is allowed to drain away, if the wagon is to be left out in the open it will be found of considerable assistance to cover the whole machine with a tarpaulin or waterproof sheet. It is astonishing how long one of these sheets, if it is in good condition, will keep the heat in and the cold winds out ; especially is this so if the sheet is big enough to touch the ground all round the wagon. I carry one on the roof of the cab, where it does not take up a lot of room if it is neatly folded ; it can be put over the whole wagon in a few minutes. Personally, I think it is quite superior to a shed for keeping in the heat. During week-ends, under similar circumstances, a small paraffin heating lamp can be placed in the firebox of the boiler, where it can do no damage in case of accident, and it will warm the air under the sheet quite enough to keep off the frost.
"Some drivers use steam from the boiler to keep their water-tanks warm, by allowing it to blow down the injector-pipe to the tank, or through the water-lift ; but this method allows the heat to escape too quickly, and in an exposed position it would have a worse effect almost than leaving the wagon just as it stood ; the condensed steam would lodge in the pipes and fittings, which would otherwise be free from water. A better system is to fit a steam-heating pipe in the tanks with a suitable trap, so that warm water from it can drain down into the tank. This is quite well worth the expense, but I think the cheapest way to get over the whole difficulty is to use a waterproof sheet, and, when occasion arises, a paraffin lamp in the firebox."
Removing Road Wheels.
[792] " W.S." (London, N.W.) writes:—"1 recently had a job to take off the hind wheels of a live-axle motor-van. Each wheel was fitted on a taper with a feather, and they were very tight. On account of the brake drums, which were in the way, I was unable to use an ordinary form of draw dog. So I had to think of some other method. This I effected in a very-simple way. I found that the hub caps were about fin, thick, so I drilled and tapped them fin. Whitworth. I then took the axle nuts off, replaced the axle caps and screwed in a ;5,-in. steel setscrew. T found that the wheels soon came away, when I got a Tittle pressure on these forcing screws. I put a plug in each of the caps when I replaced them, so that I should be all ready to do the same job again whenever I wanted to."
A Bicycle Wheel as Countershaft Gear.
793] " P.P." (Burdett Road, E.) writes.—" 1 send you herewith a sketch of a handy device for working an emery stone or small lathe, where there is no available power in the shop. The arrangement consists of an old bicycle
wheel without a tire; it must have a free-wheel hub which must be bolted or otherwise fastened to the wall. The 'emery wheel and its pulley are located in some convenient position on the bench. An old bicycle chain is arranged as shown in the sketch; one end of it is fixed to a spring about a foot long whose other end is fixed to the wall below the wheel ; the other end of the chain is fastened to a pedal which also has one end bolted to the wall. By pressing the pedal down, the wheel can be turned very sharply, the spring, meantime, pulling the chain back very smartly on the free-wheel, all ready for the next stroke. By this arrangement an emery wheel or a small lathe can be driven at a great pace."
A Box Spanner as a Stethoscope.
[794] " P.J." (Chiswick) writes :—" I remember reading in the CM.,' some time ago, an article on the use of the stethoscope for locating knocks and noises on engines, gearboxes, and other parts of a chassis [This article appeared in our issue dated 27th May, 1909. —En.] At the time, I considered that this was a very-interesting but very-expensive method, from a mechanic's point of view at any rate. The other day, however, an occasion arose when your article was again brought forcibly to my mind. A car came into the garage where T was working, and it had a bad knock in the engine. As is often the case, this noise was quite difficult to locate exactly by the .ear in the ordinary way. So it was then that I thought how useful a stethoscope would be.i As T was not the possessor of one, I' thought I'd try an experiment which I had often had in mind, viz., to ise some other instrument as a substitute for the stethoscope. I eventually has' a shot at it with an ordinary span.
ner. Not altogether to my surprise this proved to be a very-fair substi tuto. By placing one end on different parts of the engine and by listening at the other. I was able to discover that the trouble was in the gearcase in the front of the engine. The actual fault, as I found upon removing the gearcase cover, was a broken tooth on a half-time wheel.
" This method of mine is certainly a good deal cheaper and almost as efficient as that of using a proper stethoscope. I have, of course, frequently employed the old-fashioned dodge of using a twelve-inch steel rule and of gripping one end of it with my teeth. This is an effective method of locating a knock, but it is risky if the operator has neuralgic. tendencies." An Elaborate Repair.
[795] " ill1ADER " writes :—" I send you an account and a rough sketch of a repair which I have effected to a broken cylinder casting. [We have had this sketch re. d sawn .— ED.] " You may possibly think that the method I adopted is a somewhat-elaborate one, but the nature of the breakage was such that I had to take veryspecie 1 precautions. and that is my excuse for making such an elaborate job of it.
" I think the illustration will almost explain itself, and there will be little need for me to add more than just roughly describe my procedure. In the plan view it will be noticed that, the flange had broken off at the four bolt-holes ; it was
necessary, therefore, for me to contrive sonic sort of false flange to which T could get a good hold, I had a couple of angle-iron pieces forged to fit
round the base of the 76.ffi
cylinder just above the
old flange, and these I fixed to the casting by means of a number. of snaphead screws. I was then able to drill through these false flanges in such positions that the original holding-down bolts could be accommodated, that is to say, so far as their positions were concerned. I next fixed hanger-bolts (13, B) on to the core-ping holes on the jacket by means of short setscrews; two distance pieces A) were then so made that they would receive the ends cf these hanger-bolts and of the holding-down bolts, of which latter four new ones had to be made of considerably increased length. Distance washers on the cylinder belts completed the outfit, which enabled me to hold &wit this patched cylinder as firmly and effectively in alignment as it had been originally. I have had quite a lot of these broken cylinder castings welded from time to time, but almost invariably I have found that the casting would get pulled so much out of shape as to be almost unusable.• •