MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2669, 14 January 1916, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

IBy CLUXOH.I The Art of Riveting, Sooner or later the. homo worker or the amateur builder finds lie lias to do a lit'tlo riveting, and, though not a difficult job, there, are one or two points which need a litle care to ensure a good job being made. In tlie first place hard steel rivets are not necessary or even desirable. A good: quality of wrought iron or mild steel is bettor and more easily worked. These remarks refer tfc cold riveting chiefly. Not only should the rivet holes he of the same size and dead in line, but the two pioces. of metal to be held together should bo close up and the rivets a snug fit, otherwise* the rivets would he subjected to undue strain. Moreover, the rivet must not be knocked over anyhow. Many a rivet head is fractured in the process, and then falls off under the strain of work. The standard rivet is usually supplied with a head, and this must be supported to prevent the rivet being driven through ill i the process of forming the other head. For this purpose a "dolly" hammer head or piece of iron is used, and almost as much care is required by the holder of the "dolly" as the riveter. The chief point to be observed is to got the "dolly" square on tho rivet head. It should be remembered that the "dolly" is hammering the rivet head as well as the hammering going on at the other end. Now, if tho "dolly" be held afc an angle to t'he rivet, the blow will tend to knock the rivet bead to one side, and the holder of tlie "dolly" will invariably shift the "dolly" to another angle, in order to bring the rivet square again. Even the veriest tyro in riveting knows that to knock a rivet head off, failing a chisel, lie cannot_ do better than drive it from side to side. One great fault! with amateur riveters is to continue hammering and to give a few more taps. If the operator would keep in mind the fact that the metal is undergoing a change internally as well as externally, and that- the change is not always a benefit to it, he will refrain from unnecessary activity in this direction. i Crystallisation and its dangors are fairly w.ell known to most readers, and rivets that have been ham. mered until they have parted with heads will generally show this formation.

Regulating Headlights. The authorities of the City of St. Louis. U.S.A., are-dealing with the headlight question in a novel manner. Th'ey have decreed that all headlights must be set so as to throw their rays downwards rather than the reverse, and are imposing a fine on the owners of any cars tho rays of whose headlights are more than 3ft. from the ground at 75ft. distance. Recently over 200 motorists were "run in" for infraction of this regulation, and it is interesting to note that the' authorities have -provided what they term "substantiators" at the polico stations' where motorists may test their lights. These are 6ft. planks set vertically at the end of a 75ft. black line painted on the pavement, the plank be,ing marked off in feet and inches. The motorist drives up to tho end of the line and turns on his lights and corrects their adjustment if necessary, and is then provided with a "tag," which prevents his being pulled up by an overofficious constable.

Tungsten to Supersede Platinum for Contacts. Tlie present price of platinum ranges between £8 and £9 per ounce, and, as the supplies of this metal ara very limited, it would not -be surprising if the price became much higher still, particularly as the demand for it by the Allied Governments for war purposes is ever on the increase. It is therefore of interest to learn, that tungsten is lioiv being used in-America for contacts with very satisfactory results. -It has a much higher melting point than platinum; and is practically indestructible. This 'metal is now universally used for the filaments of electric lamps, which fact conveys a good idea of its durability, and very high melting point. It. has already been applied in one or two directions for motor purposes in the form of tungsten steel, and it forms an immensely strong alloy. Tungsten steel exhaust valves have be'eft spoken of most favourably for durability. The magnets of magnetos are nearly always of tungsten_ steel, as this metal increases the retentive power of the steel for magnetism enormously.

The Use of Soap. Soap and water are of known value for cleansing purposes in connection with motoring, if not in cqnnection with the car itself. There are uses for soap, however, nowadays in connection with the car. A correspondent tells us that he always carrios a cake of soap in ona of Nthe pockets, in order, when necessary, to renew a film over the lens of the head-lamps, and so to suppress the intensity of the rays. Another use, and one which may save running on a deflated tire, is to press a little soap into the top of the valve cover when the valve leaks, and this remedy for a leaking valve has been known'to our correspondent to serve its purpose for thousands of miles of travelling. Here and There. Lighting-up time for motor-cars ani l motor-cycles:—To-day, • 7.39 p.nr. Next Friday, 7.34 p.m. Owing to its growing importance, a general has been placed at the head of the Army motor service in France. This official is General Mourret, of the Artillery. The Zeppelins, in one of their raids over London, did at least one great disservice to motorists by the vast quantities of glass splinters which the bursting bombs caused tg be scattered about the roads. ' A taxicab driver giving evidence in a recent caso .said that women drivers were a sourco of danger to everyone. They wanted four hands—one to steer wifcli, oil to. hold the clutch, a third to blow the horn, and a fourth to put out when going round corners. How nian.v foet?_ Why no reference to the brakes? Quite the latest- from America is the composite track, combining the speed of tho racecourse with the thrills of the hairpin bends. The grandstands are placed whero the thrills and .spills are likely to occur, a hospital is thoughtfully provided. Petrol is being produoe'd ill quite considerable quantities by the condensation of natural gas from the casing heads of the wells in Oklahoma. There nro now over 50 firms who aro producing between them in this way about 80,000 gallons per day, and the system is to; be extended. Tlie petrol obtained from natural gas is stated to be more volatile and of lighter gravity than that produced from' petroleum distillation, and for sale it is reduced and rendered more stable by the addition of naptha. It takes about 500 cubic feet of gas to yield one gallon of petrol. _ Motorists who grumble at the restrictions upon motoring which the Government has imposed, owing to war conditions (says ah English exchange) do not know when they are well off. A "state of war" exists in' Mexico, too, and news lms just come in that General Villa, on his recent march northwards, calmly annexed all the motor-cars he could iind between the City of Mexico and Chihuahua. It is said that several hundred cars were thus confiscated—not, 1)0 it noted, for the use of "the army, but for the purpose, of raising revenue for tho insurgent chief, who loaded them upon railway trains and sent tlieui across tho border into Texas for sale to second-hand dealers.