From Drivers and Mechanics.
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TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY is paid for the best communication received, and one penny a line of ten words for anything else published, with an allowance for Photographs.
Workshop tips and smart repairs; long and successful runs; interesting photographs; all are suitable subjects. We will knock your letters into shape and will prepare sketches, where necessary, before Publication. The absence of a sketch does not disqualify for is Prise. When soiling, 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, TRH COMMERCIAL MOTOR, 7-15, Rosebery
Avenue, London, E.C.
Annual Bonuses are given to the most successlul contributors.
THE ADDITIONAL DRIVERS PRIZE AWARD.
It has been a matter of considerable difficulty to decide on the winner of the two-guinea prize for the best list of repairs to a steam wagon or petrol van during a period of 12 months. Nearly 50 lists in all have been received, and these describe repairs to steam and petrol vehicles in about equal ratio. On careful consideration, it has been decided by the Editor to halve the offered two guineas, and to award one guinea to Mr. R. K. McKinlay, of Hounslow, who has driven a two-ton 8 h.p. MikesDaimler box van, which was first commissioned in IWO; and one guinea to Mr. E. C. Martyn, who is the driver of a Mann five-ton steam wagon, of which he first took charge in 1909.
Repair to Pressure-feed Pipe.
11074] " W.W." (Dartford) writes I am writing to tell you how I overcame a little difficulty. My engine, which was pressure fed, suddenly stopped, and on making an examination 1 found that the fuel was cut off in some way. I knew that there was plenty of petrol in the tank, so I went over the pressure pipes and carefully looked for loose unions or leaks., I could not find any, and came to the conclusion that the syphon pipe in the petrol tank was blocked up. On taking it out I found that it had broken off from the underside of the union at the tap of the tank. As I was miles away from a garage, brazing in a new pipe was out of the question. I resolved to effect a temporary repair, and proceeded in the following manner. " With a small round file I cut away the pipe that remained on the tank union. While I was doing this work I was annealing the end of the copper pipe that was left by leaving it in the flame of the gas headlamp. After freeing the tank-union from the broken piece of pipe, I took the annealed pipe, and with the pane-head of a small hammer I expanded the pipe bell-shape and made the bell as thin as I dared without splitting it. I then dropped the pipe through the tank-union, and filed away the ragged edges of the bell end until it was flush with the union. I then screwed the tank union in its place, but before placing the pipe in it I put a small quantity of asbestos string in the bell end of the remaining pipe in order to prevent leakage. Of course the syphon pipe was a fair amount shorter than usual, but as there was plenty of petrol in the tank I was enabled to get home without trouble."
Repairing a Brake Rod.
[1075] " AL." (Notting Hill) writes I should like to submit for your approval a repair which was carried out on a brake-rod, and that was brought to my notice by a fellow driver. The rough sketch which I enclose—[We have had this re-drawn.—En.1
—shows the brake-rod of a three-tonner, and is almost self-explanatory. The rod broke at the root of the last thread, behind the back-nut. This was rather unfortunate, as there was no thread remaining which could be used, and the driver of the van could not procure stocks and dies. In order to climb over the trouble, he secured a +t7in. bolt, which was equal in diameter to the rod. Half an inch was cut off the end of the brake-rod, and the bolt was also shortened, so that when the repair was made the brake-rod was
of the right length. The bolt and the rod were then spliced, as shown in the sketch. The ends were cut off a box spanner, and the remaining centre piece of the spanner used as a sleeve to go over the bolt. A little binding wire, as shown, was then used to prevent the rod from drawing. It would make a better job in a. ease of this sort to put a couple of pins through the rod and the bolt and to rivet the heads over."
A Cheap Rubber Cement.
[1076] " C.R" (Hornsey Rise) writes :---" Dtivers very often feel the need of a cheap cement or solution for the repair of rubber material. A cheap way to make up suitable cement is as follows Cut a little virgin or native rubber into the thinnest possible slices with a knife which is kept continually wet by being dipped into water ; the water acts as a lubricant. These slices should then be cut into shreds as fine as possible. A fairly wide-necked bottle should be procured, and this should be filled to about one-tenth of its capacity with the rubber shreds. The bottle should then be filled about t,hree parts full of pure benzine, and care should be taken to ensure this spirit being free from all traces of oil. The rubber will swell up almost immediately when the benzine is added, and in a few days it will assume the consistency of honey, especially if the bottle and contents be shaken at intervals. If the rubber remains undissolved and collects into hard masses a little more benzine may be added. If the solution be thin and watery, more rubber should be added. A piece of rubber the size of a walnut will make a pint of solution, which dries in a few minutes. Three coats will be found sufficient to repair leather straps, to put on patches, rubber soles, mackintoshes, Cape-hoods, etc. Care should be taken that the parts to be united are quite clean before this solution is applied."
To Stop Drills' Skidding.
[1077] " KM." (West Bromwich) writes :—" S.B.' has made a good attempt to devise a jig for drilling radial holes in a bracket having a radiused foot. The
holes, as I understand it, were to be absolutely radial and of equal distance from the centre line. [Our correspondent refers to letter No. 1055, When Drilling Radial Holes,' 13th June.—End It is in regard to the last particular that I wish to draw the attention of your readers. It should be well known to every mechanic that in starting to drill a hole with a twist drill it is difficult to get the drill to make a true start unless a guide for the drill be used. This is really the difference between what is commonly known as a jig and a temporary fixture. A jig can only be a jig if it form a guide for the tools used on the work. On the sketches enclosed--[We have had these re-drawn. —En}—A is a guide which may be made up of a mildsteel forging attached by one or two bolts to the opposite side of the angle-plate, and as near to the work to be drilled as possible. As a rule, when large quantities of work are to be done, this guide is bushed with a hardened steel bush, which may be changed, when required, to guide different-sized drills. If ' S.B.' will take this little additional trouble on the job in question he will obtain more accurate results. It is owing to a twist drill having a broader point than the ordinary forge drill that it skids to one side on starting, especially when there is some little lump or irregularity on the surface of the casting."
Keeping the Injector Cool.
[1078] " FAD." (Poplar) writes: —" The 1). and M.' pages of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR are a source of great pleasure to me, and I am sure that they must be equally interesting to all drivers of steam and petrol wagons, and those whose work lies in that direction. While using a wagon not long ago, I experienced a considerable amount of trouble through the clack-valve breaking and allowing water to drain into the injector. When I wanted to use this, it was too hot, and it gave me a great deal of trouble. The injector was situated quite close to the water-tank, and the clack-valve was fixed close to the front of the boiler. I tried many ways of remedy ing the trouble, and almost, despaired, until I remembered the little poem about the spider and the King of Scotland. I decided to cut the delivery-pipe from the injector to the boiler, and to fit a wheel-valve and a T-piece, to which I attached a I in. cock. After this I had no further trouble, as I could always get the drainage away. Alwap when it was necessary to use the injector it was nice and cool, and ready to start work without any preliminary poking and fiddling. I should like to know if any of your readers have fitted any similar device to their own steam wagons."
[ArvanKeteelits with a similar object have been mentioned from time to time in these ea1nuins.—En.1
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 10s. prize this week.
Keeping the Smokebox Clear.
[1079] " C.T." (Fulham) writes :—" I beg to submit for your approval the following little note in the hope that you will be able to make use of same on the Drivers and Mechanics' page. The device has been fitted on several wagons and tractors, and has always given most excellent results. It is simplicity itself, and consists of a piece of iron pipe—a piece of old boiler tube answers the purpose quite well—and it serves to keep the smokebox from getting choked up with ashes, soot, etc. Further, it prevents the tubes from sooting-up, and keeps the smokebox from overheating. The pipe has, of course, to be cut to a suitable length, according to the particular smokebox that it is intended to fix it to. The top end of the tube should be cut off on a level with the exhaust pipe, that is, the tops of the two pipes should be exactly flush, and this auxiliary cleaning pipe works better when it is fixed behind the exhaust, as shown in the sketch which I enclose. [This sketch has been re-drawn Kn.] This position enables the pipe to be placed nearer to the tube plate, and this is rather important. The bottom is secured by a clip-bracket, which is bolted to the bottom of the smokebox. As it is essential that as good a vacuum should be secured as is possible, this auxiliary pipe should be fixed quite close to the exhaust pipe. I am taking the trouble to emphasize this point as much as possible.
" When the device is fitted the ashes and soot accumulating in the smokebox are drawn straight through the pipe and discharged through the funnel. The improvement is not difficult to fit, and it is inexpensive.
On the wagons so fitted I have found that the extra steaming qualities of the boiler well repay the little trouble taken. I have often thought that drivers do not take enough care with the boilers of steam wagons. If they would only realize that an hour's work in the yard, keeping the tubes and passages clear, would result in the saving of much heartbreaking trouble on the road, more attention would be given to this important point."