Raymond Means

“ When the vents are opened properly there should be a sprue of metal below the vents on the back of the mold about 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 of an inch long after the slug is cast.
A vent that is cut too deep will have too much sprue, causing an unnecessary amount of shavings on the floor and about the machine, and sometimes causing machine troubles.
It should seldom be necessary to drill out the holes in a mouthpiece. If the metal is properly cared for in remelting, and the mouthpiece is kept at the proper temperature, the metal will usually flow freely through the holes. ”

“ Whenever it is necessary to put on a new or resharpened mold knife, or to adjust it, be sure the mold disk guide is bearing against the rim of the mold disk. It is always better to remove the guide and clean it as it must be perfectly clean when it seats against the disk. Always have the knife away from the mold when seating the guide. Tighten the hexagon head screw slightly and then tap the guide until a slight pressure against the disk is secured. Turn the disk by hand until an even pressure has been secured and then tighten the hexagon head nut tight. ”

“ Metal sometimes gets through the holes and partly fills the pipe. This retards the free flow of gas and causes loss of heat to the mouthpiece.
Good slugs from a machine are to a great extent dependent on good, clean burners. Only experience on various machines will enable one to tell just how much flame to carry in each burner on a machine. The governor should regulate the pot and throat burners, when once adjusted. However, it is better for the operator to regulate the mouthpiece burner with the gas cock, according to the size of the slug being cast. ”

“ One important point that should be watched is that in oiling any part of the machine which comes in contact with the matrices, no oil should be allowed to accumulate where it is liable to find its way on to the matrices.
Clean the machine whenever necessary—otherwise let it alone. Be sure that any new inventions of your own are good before applying them. Do not take off parts unnecessarily. The less you dismantle a machine, the more success you will have with it. ”

“ When the slug is too hot the face is good, but the body is hollow and spongy and the slug is light. It is imperfectly formed, due to the heat of the metal.
A bright bottom on a slug shows that the mold knife has trimmed a thin layer of metal from the bottom of the slug, due to an imperfect lockup, the excess metal running over the bottom of the mold. If the mouthpiece makes a perfect contact with the mold at the moment of casting, [Pg 55] there will be no excess metal and the slug will show a clean bottom. ”

“ Pressure on a forked lever fulcrumed to the base of the machine, one end of which encircles the collar and the other end touching the lower stop lever, holds the clutch out of action. When the pressure of the forked lever against the collar is released, the clutch spring expands and the clutch rod moves the collar inward until the leather buffers are pushed against the inner surface of the driving pulley, causing the shaft to rotate. ”

“ On top of the clamp is an adjusting screw for the purpose of keeping the slide properly adjusted. The proper measurement of the slide is determined by inserting a gauge or slug of any known length between the assembler slide finger and the star wheel. The star wheel, being of fiber composition, wears down, which in time will allow enough matrices to be assembled in the assembler to cause a tight line in the vise jaws. By using the adjusting screw the slide can be kept at proper adjustment. The screw should be turned towards the assembler slide bracket pawl until the gauge stops the star wheel. ”

“ If the jaw becomes sprung outward it will permit the end matrix to crawl up in the jaws and the lugs will be sheared or bent as the mold slide comes forward for the lockup. There should be just enough space between the jaws for a matrix to pass in without binding, but not enough to allow the matrix to be raised past the duplex rail, from lower to auxiliary position. If the jaw is bent inward, the spaceband can not operate freely. Never pry out on the jaws with a screw driver when there is a squirt holding the jaws to the disc of the mold cap, for there is a chance of bending the back jaw. ”

“ As the metal polish contains an abrasive, the mold, cap, and liners should be kept together, so that the casting edge of the mold will not be rounded. Be careful of the molds as they are one of the most important parts of the machine and will run indefinitely if handled intelligently.
Take the mold apart and clean the base and the cap with the polish. Place each part in a vise so it will be held solid while cleaning. After using the polish, clean with gasoline.
When metal gets into a mold cap screw in the disk after a squirt, do not hammer the metal with a screwdriver. ”

“ The slug should measure the same at the top edge of both ends if the knife which trims the rib side of the slug is correctly set.
Before setting the trimming knives, make sure that the mold is properly seated in the mold disk and that there is no metal between the liners and the mold.
When the trimming knives become dull it is practically impossible to set them to trim accurately. Even when they are set nearly accurate, they will hold the adjustment only a short time.
Dull knives also cause trouble by making it difficult to eject the slug. This will often cause the clutch to slip. ”

“ The mouthpiece should always be removed when the metal is hot. If removed when cold there would be danger of breaking the pot crucible.
When removing the wedge style mouthpiece, place the vise in second position, lift out the mold slide, place a block of wood between the right side of the pot jacket and the slideway, drive the mouthpiece toward the keyboard, using a piece of brass as a drift. The above operation is necessary to loosen the wedge. The instant the mouthpiece moves, the wedge will become loose and can be lifted out. ”

“ From the supply chamber the gas flows out to the machine burner. The pressure in the supply chamber is regulated by an inverted cup float. The lower rim of the float is immersed in mercury, which causes the cup to float and also acts as a seal to prevent the gas escaping through the top of the governor. Weights are placed on top of the float to counterbalance the gas pressure. Fastened to the float is a rod which passes through the gas chamber. This rod connects to and operates the valve in the inlet opening. When the gas pressure is increased it raises the float by its pressure. ”

“ The spring must be just strong enough to force the assembler slide over when assembling a line, but to allow the star wheel to stop if anything binds it.
[Pg 30]
If the brass disk wears or becomes oily, or the friction spring becomes weak, a slight resistance to the star wheel will stop it and the matrices will clog in the assembler. If the friction is too strong, the star wheel will not stop when too many matrices are dropped into the assembler. This will cause damage to the matrices or the machine. ”

“ The part of the thermostat which is immersed in the metal is made of cast iron and has a hole or pocket in which the rod of composition metal sets. The upper end pushes against a hinged lever; the other end of this lever operates a valve plunger. The expansion of the thermostat rod being greater than cast iron, raises the valve lever, which forces down the valve plunger, seating the plunger nearer the valve seat. ”

“ From the mixer, the gas passes upward into the pot burner. The pot burner consists of a circular shaped chamber which is covered with a flat plate. The top rim of the chamber is notched, which allows the gas to flow out around the top plate, forming a very hot flame. The flame from the burner should be of a bluish appearance. A dirty burner will cause a yellow flame. There is very little heat in a yellow flame, and when the burner shows a yellow flame, it usually indicates a dirty burner or a fire in the mixer. A very important part of the burner is the top plate. ”

“ It is seldom that both crucible heaters will be burned out at the same time, so if your pot is a 100 to 125-volt equipment, and one of the crucible heaters tests open or grounded, and must be removed and replaced, the metal in the crucible may be heated by the crucible heater that is in good condition; but if your pot is 200 to 250-volt equipment, and one of the crucible heaters must be replaced, it will be necessary to melt the metal in the crucible with a blow torch before either crucible heater can be removed. It is not necessary to remove the metal from the pot. ”

“ A dry cam pivot or a sluggish cam will cause transposition of letters.
To locate the cause of a non-response, first observe if the keyrod is moving. If it is, the trouble will probably be found in the magazine or magazine escapement. If the keyrod does not raise, look for the trouble in the keyboard.
Do not take the keyboard apart every time a few matrices fail to respond correctly. It is much quicker to correct the trouble with the individual parts that may be bothering. Always locate the cause of the trouble before attempting to correct it. ”

“ A dirty plunger may bind and cause a splash of metal to be ejected before the pot locks up tight and, chilling on the back of the mold, prevent a lockup, so the metal will flow out over the back of the disk when the plunger acts. A dirty plunger will often cause a slug to have the appearance of cold metal. ”

“ Heating the metal by direct contact from within the metal itself by these heaters, makes a very efficient equipment, as all of the heat generated is immediately transmitted to the metal exactly where it is required, and there is no loss of heat due to faulty conduction. The dynamic thermometer bulb being immersed in the metal adjacent to the heaters and the pump-well, permits of a very close temperature regulation. ”

“ An imperfect lockup can be caused by any of the following: Cold metal due to low gas pressure, dirty burners, gas burning in mixer, improper packing around the mouthpiece, or improperly packed metal pot; hot metal, too much metal in the pot, dirty plunger or well, air vents cut too deep, air vents cut too high above holes, dull mold knife, pot cam lever roller or bearing pin worn, pot lever not working freely on the lever shaft, due to gum or lack of oil ”

“ The air mixer is open on the bottom side and allows a flow of air to mix with the gas. Unless the gas is mixed with the proper amount of air it will not make sufficient heat under the pot. Do not at any time allow the gas to burn in the mixer. Sometimes when lighting the gas or when the pressure is low the flame may light in the mixer. It should then be turned out and relighted, holding a flame near the burner. Should the gas be allowed to burn in the mixer the heat will be lost before it reaches the burner ”

“ It is important that the pot never be filled with metal above the under side of the ring which is cast on the inside of the crucible. If the crucible is filled above this ring, metal may splash over into the heating insulating material and touch the electric terminals, grounding them.
The crucible heater must be entirely covered with metal at all times. If they are not, that portion that is exposed to the air will get very hot and continued exposure will burn them out, destroying them. They are not designed for operation in the air. ”