North British Motor Tires.
Page 15
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Four Grands Prix, a Silver Medal, and a Diploma of Honour Go to Thom North British Rubber Co. for its Exhibits at the Brussels Exhibition.
The North British Rubber Co., Ltd., for more than fifty years, has had its home. at the Castle Mills, Edinburgh, but fl. is safe to say that at the present time little of the original mills, and certainly none of the original machines, still exist, unless a few of the latter have been transferred to the works of some unimportant rubber company by way of the scrap-iron merchant. There is nothing out of date amongst the machinery at the North British factory; in fact, our representative classes the equipment among the hest that he has seen, either in Great Britain or in Germany, in both of which countries he has closely studied the methods of manufacture in the factories of most of the important tirA makers.
The Castle Mills consist chiefly of blocks of five-storied buildings, and the area covered by this factory, added to that of the Scottish Vulcanite Works, which was acquired by the North British Co. a feu months ago, is more than 16 acres; the covered Boor space amounts to 505,000 square feet. New buildings are constantly being erected, and new departments treated, to meet the company's rapidly-extending business in Clincher solid-rubber tires, North British pneu
matic tires, rubber overshoes, canvas shoes. Cape-cart-hood cloths, aeroplane fnbrics, and every conceivable article Which may be made, wholely or partly, of rubber or vulcanite.
In the space at our disposal, it is not possible to give more than a. brief account of this interesting factory, in which employment is found for between 1,000 and 5,000 people. Our representative was recently afforded facilities for the inspection of every department at the Castle Mills, and one factor above all others impressed him—the appearance of coutentment, cleanliness and respectability amongst the majority of the work-people, particularly so amongst the women and girls who are employed there. Their general deportment, too, as they trooped out through the timekeeper's gates at midday, contrasted agreeably with his experiences at some other factories where female labour is largely employed. All the machinery has been selected most carefully for the work, and, including mixing and grinding mills, spreading machines, calenders. vulcanizing presses, curing pans, rubber-washers, etc., the minibet' of machines is only two short of 300. For the driving of the washers, rolling and grinding mills, spreaders,
calenders, etc., engines aggregating 4,500 h.p. are employed, and, in orderto provide steam for these engine, ass well as for the heating of the vulcanizing pans and presses, 24 Lancashire, boilers, representing 9,200 h.p., necessary ; the necessary daily consumption of coal in their .furnaces about 150 tons.
So much for general impressionss_ Now let us turn to some of the departments in this huge factory which:: are of more-general interest to war readers. In the pneumatic-tire department, our representative saw large number of North British pneumatic tires, in sizes suitable for motorcabs, passing through various stages. of manufacture, and, by permission or the management, a. number of special' photographs was secured for the purpose of illustrating this article. Although highly-skilled labour is cm.ployed in this, as in all other departments of" the North British works_ precision methods are adopted Ira order to insure the production of first class tires. The various layers of materials of which an outer corer isz. built up are cut into strips ; theses are then both weighed and measured/before being passed on to the operatorto be fashioned on a metal forme-se
Both outer covers and formers are then placed in metal Moulds, and are subjected to heat treatment in the vulcanizing presses. Every tube and cover is tested before being sent in to the stores, thence to be distributed through one or other of the company's numerous agencies and branches throughout the kingdom and in all parts of the world. The North British pneumatic tire is an excellent one for taxicab work, particularly so when it is employed in conjunction with North British detachable rims; these novel rims have been designed so that a tire may be mounted or dismounted without the aid of any tools. When mounting a tire on such a rim, the partly-inflated tube and cover are first placed on an expansible band which is introduced between the tire and rim for the purpose of obviating any chance of the inner tube's being nipped by the security bolts. The tire and the clinch band may then be mounted on to the wheel rim, and should be driven hard home with the ball of the hand ; the detachable flange may then be offered up and locked in position by spring-loaded bolts. One of these tires can be detached, have a new tube inserted, and the whole tire replaced on its rim in an incrediblyshort space of time.
In the solid-tire department, too, there was much to interest our representative, including the processes of manufacture of the Clincher and Ducasble types of tires for fire-e, gine,s, motorvans and wagons, etc. The Ducasble is really a cushion tire, and it has been produced in order to
meet a demand for a tire that shall be more resilient than one made of solid rubber, yet more reliable, and less costly for its maintenance, than a pneumatic tire. It is made in both single and twin sections, and with both round and flat treads. The Clincher tire is, of course, the type which is associated most intimately with the North British factory, and a very-large range of this class of tire is now manufactured. The mixture possesses excellent wearing qualities, and the tire keeps to its rim in a remarkable manner. The various sections are extruded on a special machMe, and a specific length and weight of the extruded mixture is embodied in each tire; after the two ends have been scarfed, the tire is placed in steel moulds which are then subjected to vulcanizing heat in one of the ovens which are shown on the preceding page.