WAYS AND MEANS.
Page 69
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Useful Contributions From Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
Improving Fan Blades and the Commer Car Clutch.
QOME useful information is sent up klby "G..1.," of Holloway, who, we understand, has charge of a large and mixed fleet of commercial vehicles, varying, considerably in age and condition. Re, like others, has at times experienced trouble through the metal vanes of fans breaking away where they are secured to the metal centre by means of rivets, the breakage usually occurring across the rivet holes. After trying steel and aluminium, he at last hit upon the idea of using wood, so he procured pieces of good oak, in. in thickness and of the width of the old metal blades. These lie secured to the centre part by means of bolts and nuts, fitting fairly large washers under the heads. The grain, of course, ran in a radial direction. lie tells us that he has found these blades last far longer than any he has tried before, and that in future he will use no others.
The clutch of the Commer Car is formed in separate halves, so that it can be easily removed, one half at a time, for releatitering and as easily replaced. Owing to this special construction the clutch stop bears against a part that is formed of aluminium, and it is often the case that this metal wears away quickly, as the leather with which the clutch stop is faced collects grit, and in some cases a driver will neglect to renew the leather, with the result that the rivets bear against the aluminium and scion tear it away. After trying several materials as a facing for the clutch stop, he found again that British oak beat everything; this he secured by means of screws with their heads welt sunk below the level of the face.
With those Coramer Cars that had had their aluminium parts damaged by contact with the clutch stop he cut a ring of thin steel plate, which was of the same diameter as the clutch, and had a hole in its centre to fit the steel flange of the clutch barrel. This ring was provided with holes to match those for the bolts which secure the aluminium part to the steel. He cut the ring in halves so that it could be introduced without disturbing other parts, and allowed it to go under the bolts, taking care to bevel the edges where the clutch stop leaves. By this means he provided a steel instead of an aluminium surface for the clutch stop to bear against.
An Anti-glare Device.
COMPLAINT by " El.B.," of Rotherham, is to the effect that he has experienced difficulty in driving his vehicle at night when meeting private ears on which glaring headlights are not
dipped. Some drivers seem to think that because a commercial vehicle moves at a comparatively slow pace the glare of the lights on their cars does not inconvenience the driver. This trouble has led our oorrespondent to make various experiments with pieces of coloured glass attached to his windscreen, also with shades made of nontransparent material. He tells us that the best result he has obtained has been with a piece of yellow glass, which reduces the glare but does not cut off too much light, although it makes the red tail lights of other vehicles going in the same direction, or standing still, difficult to see.
He has made his device of a piece of glass, 5 ins. by 5 ins., which he fixes to his windscreen by transparent gins,. after having dyed it yellow by dissolving Matsine in methylated spirit.
He places this piece of glass an the windscreen in such a position that it does not interfere with his view when in his normal position, but by raising his head about 1 in. he can see through it.
Noisy Couplings for Magnetos and Generators.
wE• are always glad to hear ,ff any tip by which noise can be reduced, so we welcome the contribution of " T.D.," of Newcastle-on-Tyne, who tells us that he has effectually cured the trouble of noise produced by worn couplings of magnetos, generators and pumps in the following manner. We take it that the type of coupling he has dealt with is that known as the Oldham coupling, in which a groove is formed across one face and a projection on the opposing face engages it. This is a type of coupling which, although still used, is quite unsuitable for use on motor vehicles.
When wear has developed, which it soon does, he takes a piece of rubber hose-pipe which will slip over the coupling and fixes the end.s to the flanges by means of hose clips. In some eases he takes a strip of rubber cut from an old inner tube, wraps it around twice and secures it as above. He tells us that in some instances he has removed the centre piece of the coupling and has relied entirely on the hose for his drive.
The Marking of Tools.
THE marking of tools such as span ners, etc., so that their owners can recognise them is an easy matter so long as the tool is not made of hardened steel, as an ordinary letter punch is all that is necessary, but many spanners, hammers, taps and other tools are made of hardened steel, so cannot be marked in the ordinary way.
One of our readers, " of Smithfield, cells attention to the known fact that if such a polished part of a tool be coated with melted wax and allowed to cool and figures he scratched in the wax, then if the tool be placed in nitric acid and allowed to remain there for an hour or so the figures will be deeply etched in the steel.
A. simpler means, is slightly to warm the tool, after grinding some part to make it bright and then rubbing the part where the figures are to be with an ordinary candle, so that a coating of the wax adheres. While still slightly soft the wax can be scratched without fear of it flaking off, and then if some powdered blue stone (sulphate of copper) is mixed with equal parts of common salt and placed on the scratched figures and a few drops of water put on the mixture to moisten it, etching will be found to be quite easy if left for half an hour. -Very little water is required; just enough to dissolve the crystals will be ample and will not over-dilute them.