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GARAGE AND WORKSHOP . NOTES,

17th August 1926, Page 27
17th August 1926
Page 27
Page 27, 17th August 1926 — GARAGE AND WORKSHOP . NOTES,
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Usefid Hints from Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.

A Simple Screen Wiper. A VERY practical suggestion for a

simple windscreen wiper suitable for the rough conditions which prevail in most commercial motors, is made by " G.A.L.," of Washington, U.S.A.

It is true that 'windscreen wipers are not often fitted to commercial motors, but there is no reason why they should not be, as the drivers of such vehicles have to face all kinds of weather for very long stretches at a time, and consequently there is really more actual need for such a fittings than in the ease of a private vehicle. The reason for their not being fitted is probably that, as a rule, they are not simple enough in design.

The present suggestion refers to a simple and effieient wiper, and one that most drivers could rig up for themselves, as it consists of a lever carrying the wiper and a spring to pull it to one side. A cord passing over a pulley and down to an easily made pedal is all that is needed. By means of this device a driver can wipe his windscreen without obscuring with his hand his view of the road.

A Leaky Rivet Tip.

THE driver of a Clayton steam wagon, " G.W.P.," of Totnes, finds that the rivets which hold the cross-member to the firebox at the back end often work loose through vibration, with the result that leakages occur.

The cross-member, being riveted to the outer shell of the box, it is only possible to get at the rivet head on the outside.

After trying several ways of stopping the trouble, he seems to have entirely overcome his difficulty in the following manner :— The head was cot off the offending rivet and the body was punched into, the water space and raked out of the mud hole. After which a j-in, gas thread was tapped in the rivet hole right through the cross-member and side of the firebox. He then turned a short bolt with a conical head, and a square at the small end, as shown. Through the square part he drilled a small hole for a string to pass, tied a small weight to a string and passed it through the hole tapped in the channel and raked it out of the mud hole. The bolt was then

attached to the string where the weight

had been, and with a little maneeuvring the bolt was pulled partly through the hole, with its conical head in the water space. The square part enabled him to start the bolt into the threads, tighten it, and hold it from turning while two nuts were tightly screwed up.

He assures us that he has had no further trouble from leaks at this past.

Spanners for Locknuts.

IN some eases where a thin locknut has to be held while the thicker nut has to be tightened, difficulty is experienced through the fact that thin spanners -do not, as a rule, form any part of an engineer's kit, so something has to be improvised to do the job.

The suggestion of " RU.," of Bath, is

that a thin piece of metal, bent as shown, can be inserted in an ordinary spanner of a size larger than the nut to be dealt with. Two separate pieces will answer as well if there be no convenience for bending. Soldering Aluminium.

ALTHOUGH aluminium is one of the most difficult materials to solder, " A.E.," of Manchester, says the task is comparatively easy if a few simple rules be followed. Indeed, any good alu minium solder can be used successfully if correct methods and sufficient heat be employed. It must not be imagined, however, that all that is necessary is simply to heat the metal and apply the solder. This does not apply to soldering aluminium; for if the heat be too great the solder rolls about covered with an oxidized film ; if too low, it clogs and does not properly melt.

The best method of working is to use an atmospheric-gas blowpipe or blow

lamp flame to heat up and play on the work during the soldering operation. Most aluminium solders are best applied

without a flux, after preliminary cleaning and tinning of the surface to be soldered.

Many soldering fluxes are a hindrance to progress. Zinc chloride, the most

commonly used soldering flux for other metals, should not be employed for soldering aluminium, as a certain amount of zinc is reduced from the flux and• alloys with the metal.

The fractured aluminium parts to be soldered should be first cleaned with a

scraper, file, steel-wire brush, or emery cloth, and in the case of cracks in castings, file or chip a triangular groove along the crack to expose the maximum surface possible in which to apply the solder.

The tinning process is best accomplished by heating the surface to be soldered to a temperature somewhat above the fusing point of the solder used, a satisfactorily tinned surface being obtained by rubbing with a tinned steel tool or steel-wire brush so as to remove the oxide film and allow the solder or

tinning alloy to act upon the clean surface. At the same time, any slag or dross that may have formed is removed.

After the surfaces to be united are thus tinned, they may be soldered to gether by securing the tinned surfaces in contact, again heating the metal and solder to the desired temperature, and finally by rubbing thoroughly with a hot tinned tool the surfaces carrying the liquid solder. Build up with the solder until the repair is complete, and finish off with a special spatula, or a piece of old hack-saw blade, just before the solder sets, taking care not to move the parts until the solder has set hard. When sufficiently cold, file or machine off the surplus solder to the reqffired

finisu. finisu.

If a highlY polished surface be re quined, it should be rubbed down with emery cloth of varying degrees of fine ness, beginning first with the coarse grade and finishing with the finest. Afterwards a polished surface can be worked up by the use of a tripoli composition and dry lime. In the case of repaired crankcases and gearcases, however, service is essential—not appearance.

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Locations: Manchester, Bath, Washington

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