Chicago American Bureau of Engineering

“ From a business standpoint, it would certainly be mighty profitable for a battery shop to be able at a moment's notice, to convert junk lead into new salable parts. In addition to the large profit from the sale of these new parts, another good feature, is that, instead of tieing up a lot of capital in stock, the new parts can be made as needed, without a cent of investment. ”

“ It is now common practice to melt some of this accumulation of scrap lead and pour it into sticks or bars for use in lead burning on 5repair work. A great amount, especially old groups, is generally sold at a low price in order to get it out of the way. The one important fact, and one generally overlooked, is, that the battery man who melts lead and moulds it into sticks for lead burning, certainly is able to melt the same metal and mould it into the lead parts he requires, provided, of course, that he has the proper moulds. ”

“ In using old battery lead, however, due to chemical action the proportion of antimony is apt to be too high to produce perfect castings. This usually shows up by cracks or shrinkage, as in Figure 4. To overcome this trouble, pure lead is added, until a perfect casting is made. Pure lead can be purchased (in the form of bars, lead pipe, or sheet lead) from a manufacturer such as the National Lead Company—your accessory jobber, the local plumber, or the junk dealer. When buying from a junk dealer, however, care must be taken that there is no solder or tin present. ”

“ When the wood blackens or burns, the lead is hot enough to pour.
Whenever the lead is in melted form and exposed to the air, as in the iron pot, there will be a slight oxidation take place which appears as a yellowish-red scum. Do not confuse this with the dross and dirt which is to be skimmed off, but if the scum gets thick, then skim it off before pouring any of the metal.
PREPARING THE MOULD One of the greatest difficulties in making lead castings has been to get the metal to completely fill the mould. ”

“ The scrap or pig lead can now be put in the pot and melted. It is a time saving plan to pick out carefully all the pieces of wood, rubber and sealing compound from the scrap lead before it is put in the pot. Old plates are not worth while melting, but a lot of good lead can be salvaged by sawing the strap and post off old groups. ”

“ It is much more satisfactory to purchase plates made by a responsible manufacturer who has the facilities and capital to properly develop his formulae and processes.
Every battery that has to be opened must have the top connectors drilled off as in Fig. 1, which naturally makes a lot of lead chips. These drillings have to be cleaned off before proceeding with the repair and can, with no loss of time, all be collected, as in Fig. 2, and saved. Then the old sulphated end connectors and parts from “junked” batteries accumulate very fast. ”

“ Every piece of equipment we mention has been carefully developed in our own shop, every method recommended is one which we have found, by actual experience to be best for the purpose described.
A strict observance of the instructions will save you all the experimenting we have done and save you many disappointments. If for any reason our instructions do not produce the results you think they should, remember it is a pleasure for our Engineers to help you solve your personal difficulties.
AMERICAN BUREAU OF ENGINEERING
President. ”

“ Car Equipment Tables give name of car, model, year, make of equipment, type of generator, its regulation, type of starting motor, and instantly gives you description, test data, setting of generator, the drive, test data and description of starting motor. A separate list is also given of each make and type of generator and starting motor so that if you do not know the car model but have the number or type of generator or starting motor, the information is easily found. ”

“ There is another way of stopping leaks and increasing earnings. That is by making the best possible use of every man's time.
In this connection we would like to tell you briefly about the activities of the Educational Division of the American Bureau of Engineering, Inc.
This institution foresaw the need of providing instruction on fundamental electricity, ignition, starting and lighting and storage batteries, so that garage owners, foremen, general repair men and mechanics could handle electrical repair jobs at a profit. ”

“ Here in Chicago we are offering an eight weeks' course of forty-four hours per week, devoted to intensive instruction in theory and practical shop work. This training enables the student to become an expert in this highly specialized field, fitting him to supervise the work of other mechanics or to operate a shop of his own as an expert in Automotive Electrical Repairs. ”

“ Above all things make sure that no wet parts or moisture of any kind ever gets into the lead pot.
CLEANING THE LEAD As the lead melts most of the dross or dirt will come to the top and float. When all the pieces are melted stir the lead with the ladle and then skim off all the dirt.
To help the cleaning process a piece of paraffin can be dropped into the pot. After it has burned, the dross is more easily skimmed off.
Another method of cleaning is to add to every ten pounds of metal, one teaspoonful of equal parts of powdered rosin, borax and flour of 8sulphur. ”

“ All the active and wearing parts are made of lead, or its compounds, and practically every battery that needs repair, needs some of them replaced. Then again there is a much greater variety in the design of these parts and the up-to-date shop, in order to give real service, must carry a large assorted stock of end connectors, connector straps, plate straps and posts. ”

“ Makes starting, lighting, ignition and battery repair work definite, accurate, more profitable. Eliminates all guesswork, groping in the dark, trusting to luck methods. Provides the necessary and essential testing equipment for auto electric repair in one compact, portable efficient system. ”

“ After re-insulating or repairing, the job looks more complete and satisfactory to your customer if the battery is furnished with a new set of connectors. Use your scrap lead and make new connectors for each job. It pays.
AMBU SCREW MOULD The lead capped screws of the taper type terminal are another of the frequently replaced parts. Although the round knurled head type is no longer installed, a great many men still use pliers on the square head terminal screws with the result that the soft square lead head is damaged to such an extent that a tight connection cannot be made. ”

“ Motorists pay you in advance for monthly testing service and give you all repair work. You circularize the car owners in your community with letters, mailings, literature and selling ideas supplied free by us. We help you build your business bigger, better and more profitable. ”

“ For those unable to leave their employment and come to Chicago, we have developed a series of Home Study problems and solutions which have proved interesting and practical. Lesson schedules can be arranged to suit the individual student. Close personal cooperation aids the Home Study student in making satisfactory progress. ”

“ PREPARATION OF THE LEAD In order to pour the lead some means of melting and a proper container must be provided.
7As pure lead melts at about 620°F., and antimony at 785°F., an ordinary gas flame will furnish sufficient heat. For the small shop, without an artificial gas supply, a plumber's furnace which can be secured from Hardware Jobber or Plumber Jobber will work satisfactorily. See page 19 for gas melting pots.
An ordinary cast iron solder pot will be found the most suitable container. ”

“ Makes You the Electrical Master of Over 1300 Models With between 600 and 700 different types of starting, lighting, ignition and battery equipment used in over 1,300 makes and models of cars, no man can even expect to know their details—regulation—rates of charge, discharge, motor and generator, test data, etc. ”

“ AMBU POST STRAP MOULD Perhaps the most expensive item of a stock in a battery station, is the supply of positive and negative groups. While two or three sizes of plates will fit practically every battery, each size battery requires a different size of group. ”

“ In an effort to supply this demand, the moulds that have been produced were all made for some individual part, were light in weight and easily became overheated, making them hard to handle and often burning the workman's hands. ”