fi-on, Drivers &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.
Light Up Your Lamps At 8.51 on Thursday ; 8.49 on Friday ; 8.48 on Saturday ; 8.45 on Monday ; 8.43 on Tuesday ; 8.41 on Wednesday.
A Neat Exhaust-valve Repair.
L15,19j "C.S.L." (Paddington) writes: I was reading in your 'D. and M.' pages a few weeks back a letter from one of your correspondents who used a length 6f Tubber tubing to repair a broken petrol pipe, and I then thought I would inform you of an experience which I had Pecently while driving a. light delivery-van fitted with a single-cylinder engine.
"The engine suddenly stopped, and on examining it to find the cause, I noticed that the exhaust-valve stem had snapped at the cotter hole. It was rather late in the evening, and I was between Colnbrook and Hounslow, and did not know of any repair shops in that neighbourhood, so I endeavoured to effect a repair myself.
"I first of all removed the exhaust valve, and filed a deep groove around the stem about in. above the break, and then replaced the valve. Feeling in my pockets I catne across a piece of pencil with a brass holder, and I cut this holder to the length required by means of a file. The pencil I also trimmed down, so that when the holder was fitted on to the end of the valve stem the proper clearance was allowed Lietween the latter and the tappet. "I then removed the foot-brake pedal returnspring, cut it in half, and fixed one end of each piece on to a bolt at each side of the crankcase as shown in the sketch which I enclose [We have Wad this redrawn.—ED,]. The other ends of the pieces of spring I fastened into loops in a piece of copper wire which I wound round the groove in the valve stem, and upon starting up the engine it proved to be a satisfactory cepair, and enabled me to get home, a distance of seven miles.
"I do not know how long the pencil would have E2
stood up to its work if it had been allowed to remain, but I believe it would have lasted quite a number of miles more than was required of it. I may mention that. the only tools I had with me were spanners,
a round file, a pair of pliers, and my knife."
A Novel Method of Fire Extinguishing.
L15501 " G.W.E." (Thornton Heath) writes :—" A short time ago, while driving a motor delivery van, some small obstruction -possibly a flake of paint from a petrol can—lodged in the jet, and before it could be cleared away by the suction of the engine, a back-fire occurred, which set light to the petrol in the carburetter. The engine stopped, and the flames commenced to collect round the float chamber.
" I immediately turned off the petrol, jumped to the starting handle, and quickly set the engine going. Then, by holding the accelerator pedal down and racing the engine, the flames were drawn back into the carburetter, and the remainder of the petrol in the float chamber was soon exhausted, the fire disappearing as quickly as it occurred.
This may appear a sOmewhat hazardous means of extinguishing a fire, trut if taken in time is very effective, although, of course, it can only be safely used if the engine and undershield are free from petrol."
Improving a Boiler Check-valve.
[1551] " A.H.H." (Llandaff) writes :---" I enclose a description and sketch [We have had this redrawn.— En.] of a check-valve improvement which I carried out some months ago on a steam wagon. While chatting with the driver of the steamer, he mentioned to me that the check-valve of his boiler was a source of constant trouble, so he asked me to have a look at it for him. He told me that, he had taken it down many times, and that every time the valve spigot seemed to be sticking in its guide, which was formed in the valve cap.
I took the cap out, and removed the check-valve, cutting off the top of the spigot and leaving just sufficient to allow for a saw-cut being made in it for the purpose of grinding in the valve. I next drilled
the cap out, and after tapping it, screwed in a length of brass, .allowing sufficient clearance at the bottom for the valve to lift to the required height. I afterwards replaced the valve, remade the joint under the cap, and screwed in the latter.
'Meeting the same driver a few months later, he told me that since I had made the repair he had had no further trouble with the valve."
Obviating Risk when Filling Batteries.
[lee2] " R.T." (Bedford Hill) writes :—`` Those of your readers who have charge of large sets of storage batteries will doubtless be familiar with the incon eniences inseparable from the job of filling the glass jars from time to time with fresh acid. Having experienced acid burns on several occasions, not to mention the numbers of destroyed overalls which this
seork entails, I have constructed a safe arrangement for filling, of which I enclose a sketch [We have had this redrawn.--Ena believing that it may interest those who have to deal with this matter.
" The four-legged wood stool shown in the diagram is made of a height corresponding with that of the topmost accumulator-shelf. To the top of the stool is Fixed a board provided with ledges, upon which a small carboy is placed. A specially made plug, drilled to receive a glass syphon-tube, is used as a -cover for the carboy, and, of course, a vent must be left in this cover to allow for the ingress of air. " A piece of stout rubber tubing is fixed to the syphon pipe, of sufficientlength to reach the most distant cell in the set. The other end of the tube is provided with a glass pet-cock, similar to those used in chemical laboratories.
" To fill the accumulators the acid is poured into the carboy, after which the syphon is started by filling the rubber tube with acid in the usual way. The operator should be careful not to start the syphoning action by seeking with the mouth, as it is quite likely he may fill his mouth with acid and be seriously burnt. 'By means of this rig the cells can be filled in a very short tittle, and all danger of acid splashing is avoided. After use the rubber tube should be swilled out with clean water to prevent it being corroded by the action of the acid. its life will thus be greatly lengthened!'
Locating Leaks in a Suction Hose.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the los. prize this week.
f1553] " W.R.J." (Oswestry) writes :—" Returning home with my wagon the other day, T came across another wagon that had drawn up by the side of a stream. I drew up at the back of it to have a talk
with the driver, and to exchange any notes that might be useful in our work, and was surprised Le
find that he was in difficulties, lie had been picking
up water, and in so doing had managed to get the water hot in the tank, thus being unable to work his injector. By trying to do so, the water had become very low in the boiler, and he was just about to withdraw the fire.
"I put my hand on the water tank, and found the water was very hot indeed, so I thought it folly to waste more steam and water in trying to get his injector to work. I then thought of a piece of tn. rubber tubing that I had on may wagon, winch I sometimes use to fill up my tank from a tap. I
fetched this and, unscrewing the delivery pipe from the tank to the injector on my colleague's wagon, fastened one -end of the rubber tube on to the de
delivery end of the injector, and made it secure by tying a piece of string round it. I then took the
other end of the pipe and placed it in the stream, putting afire shovel under it to stop any grit from getting into the pipe. Upon trying the injector,
after two or three attempts, it worked as if nothing had been the matter, and I filled the boiler to the necessary height. " The next thing was to find out the cause of the water getting hot, as it VMS only a short distance from the stream. I examined the original hose-pipe
to see if there were any leaks in it but could not
find any. Knowing that it must be drawing. air
somewhere, I thought of another plan. I obtained a piece of rag and tied it round the nozzle of the pipe to stop dirt from getting into it. Then I dug a hole in the ground, and, putting the nozzleof the pipe into it, trod dirt firmly all round, so as to make it quite steam tight. Pressing another piece of rag in front of the small nozzle, to prevent steam going through into the tank, so that it had no way of escape except through any punctures which might be in the pipe, I put the hose in position again and turned the steam on gently.
"There at once appeared three little streams of steam in different parts of the pipe. These were marked and the steam turned off ; we bound the punctures up, again testing by steam to see if the pipe was now tight. We again tried the hose for filling thetank, -and found it perfectly satisfactory. The tank was soon filled with cold water, and we started on our respective ways feeling quite contented."
Bus Progress Outside London.
{l5341 " (Bromley) writes :--" I enclose a photograph[We reproduce thise-Enj—of one of a fleet of 12 Leyland single-deck buses which run between Tunbridge Wells and Southbormigh. Each vehicle has seating accommodation for 24 passengers, and the body allows plenty of leg-room. Continental tires are fitted throughout the fleet, and these have given great satisfaction.