Rubber band

“ The trick of changing a rubber band from the first and second fingers to the third and fourth, if done quickly, can be performed without detection by any one. The band on the first two fingers is shown to the spectator as in Fig. ”

“ A ring of hard rubber connects, yet separates and insulates these plates, and they are bound together with the ring into a firm structure by a tube of hard rubber, having a shoulder and knob at the top, and at the lower end a screw-thread engaging with a thin nut soldered to the upper side of the bottom plate. When the cover is in place, its lower plate is even with the top of the cell; and the contained water, which nearly fills the cell, is surrounded by polished, nickel-plated, brass plates 0.01 inch thick, insulated trom other metal by interposed hard rubber. ”

“ Two strong spiral springs may be dropped over the bolts, the nuts being screwed on above them, or a powerful spring of flat brass or steel ribband bent into the shape of a shallow letter V may intervene between nuts and platen, the centre of the bend bearing against the centre of the platen. ”

“ A small narrow band of brass (about one-fifth of the width) runs along the centre of the ring, and of course covers the slit. This narrow band is movable, and has a hole in one part through which the rays of the sun can fall. On each side of the band (to the right of the handle) letters, which stand for the names of the months, are inscribed on the ring as follows:—
Inside the ring, opposite to these letters, are the following figures for the hours:—
The small brass band was made movable that the ring-click might be properly set by the sun at stated periods, perhaps once a month. ”

“ The rubber warp requires the highest possible tension before breaking or chafing of the thread takes place. Each rubber thread should be under this high tension so that when the goods come through the press roll the desired contraction will take place uniformly, and a flat piece of web will be produced that will have plenty of life.
It must always be remembered that the individual threads of rubber which constitute a rubber warp will act as a series of small springs, working in unison with each other. Each one should have equal power to contract the fabric at its own particular part. ”

“ If, however, we suppose the band cut in one place, one end then given half a turn and the cut ends again welded, we shall have on the band a self-locked twist, which can be displaced on the band, but which can not release itself or be released except by cutting the ring. ”

“ Where corners are put on, no bands will be required. Bands which extend from the back to the fore-edge and form a corner equal to the breadth of the band, being squarely soldered in front, are placed at the [pg 168] head and tail of the book, and fastened with rivets in the following manner, as are also the clasps and corners:—Pierce the boards with a fine bodkin in such places as are previously drilled in the brass, and force through brass rivets of a length sufficient to project about the eighth of an inch, and with heads made to fit exactly to the cavities formed in the bands ”

“ Iron may be connected by similar joints as for copper, or by screw joints as for gas pipes. No white lead to be used, it being a bad conductor.
24. Iron flat bands may be connected by rivets or screws, working in slots, to provide for expansion, each surface in contact being at least six times the sectional area of band.
25. Copper bands to be similarly connected. Joints between different metals may be soldered, screwed, or rivetted, the extent of surface in contact being regulated by the dimensions of the metal of the least conducting power. ”

“ My side elastic sections are made continuous from the top to the bottom of the corset, leaving no open spaces. The covered metal springs possess great advantages over rubber cloth for this purpose other than those before mentioned. The rubber cloth is not nearly so durable, and soon wears out, and loses its elasticity, at points subjected to the most strain. The rubber cloth also has equal stiffness throughout, and cannot be regulated to have different degrees of elasticity at different points ”

“ Rubbers for large surfaces 23are usually made of soft old flannel, firmly and compactly put together somewhat in the form of a ball, and the more they possess softness and compactness, and are large and solid, the more quickly and satisfactorily will they polish extensive surfaces. Small pliable rubbers are usually employed for chairs or light frame-work. Perhaps for a beginner a rubber made of old flannel may be best, as it takes some little practice to obtain the necessary lightness of hand. ”

“ Therefore, as the web draws away from the edge wire in the process of weaving, the tendency is for one selvage rubber cavity to be small, while the other is large, which means that at the open side there is a freedom for contraction of the edge rubber which is not present at the other side, and a long-sided uneven web is the result. ”

“ For ordinary work, cloth pasted round the band, or common thread, is used; for extra, silk and sometimes gold and silver thread. If the volume is small, it is placed, with the boards closed and drawn down even with the edge, between the knees; or, if larger, placed at the end of the laying-press, with the fore-edge projecting towards the body of the workwoman. (The headbands are usually worked by females.) ”

“ The slots that hold the axle, the spindle-stem, and the metal arm, where the treadle-rod rests upon it, all need lubricating.
The best
Band for the Wheel
is hand spun, but at present it is possible to obtain them only of old-fashioned spinners who make their own bands. You can, however, make a band of cotton cord, such as is used for cording dresses. Fig. 9 gives the exact size. The length of cord for a wheel measuring eighteen and a half inches in diameter is about ten feet five inches. This allows for a lap of one inch at the joint. ”

“ Air goods, such as cushions, beds, gas bags, and so forth, are made of textile fabrics which have been coated with mixed rubber either by the spreading process above described, or by means of heated rollers, the curing being then effected by steam heat. The manufacture of overshoes and fishing boots is an analogous process, only the canvas base is more thickly coated with a highly pigmented rubber of low quality. ”

“ The long flowing garment is confined at the waist, for convenience in ministration, by a girdle or band, which may consist simply of a plain linen cord 4 yards long, finished at the ends with tassels of the same; or it may be a band from 1 to 3 inches wide, richly embroidered in silk and gold. When this is the case it should be fastened by strings sewn to the lining, or by hooks and eyes, or a clasp, so that it may not become creased and spoiled by frequent tying. A band is perhaps better for keeping the stole in place as being less liable to roughen and damage the silk. ”

“ Cut another circular piece 11 in. in diameter for a base. Make a hole in the center of this piece 1 in. wide and 6-5/16 in. long, into which the ring first made should fit so that its inner surface is just even with the upper surface of the baseboard. The ring is held upright in the hole by a small strip screwed to the base as shown. All screws and brads that are used must be of brass. The cutting of these circular pieces is not so difficult if a band saw driven by power is used. They can be cut by means of a key-hole saw if a band saw is not accessible. ”

“ By pressing the point of a knife against it the period of vulcanization can be told. Before the material is heated it is elastic and resists the pressure of the knife; as heat is applied it becomes soft like putty; as the heat increases it again stiffens and becomes quite elastic. At this point the press can be opened and the sheet and matrix can be taken out or the platen swung aside. On pulling or stripping the sheet from the matrix it will be found to reproduce the model in elastic india rubber to the minutest detail. ”

“ In long eccentric rods the variation is of course minute; but still it exists, and must exist, since it is impossible to tell exactly how much the rubber will compress in making the joint. Furthermore, if it is required to break such a joint, the rubber will very often cling so tenaciously to the seat in one place and to the chest in the other, that it will tear asunder in breaking the joint. ”

“ In making the flat braid, when the individual rubber threads pass through the separate holes on the outer part of the bed plate of the machine, they all gather to one common center after they are through. This causes the rubber threads, when they are at a very high tension, to draw at a very acute angle at the edge of the hole, which necessitates running them at a lower tension than is desirable for economy. ”

“ Rubber joints slowly compress after being under pressure a day or so, and also if subjected to heat; hence they should have their bolts screwed up after becoming heated, or after having stood some time. It is advisable also that the rubber be as thin as the truth of the surfaces will admit. If it is necessary to use more than one thickness of rubber, the thickness may be made up of rings, whose diameter will just pass within the bolt holes. ”

“ About half the height of the ring is a steel clip at each side, like those on spectacles, but much stronger, about half an inch broad, which moving on a screw or rivet, after the sitter's head is placed in the ring, are drawn down, so as to clip the head just above the ears. A diagram would explain the whole, which has, at any rate, simplicity in its favour. I find it admirable. Ladies' hair passing through the ring does not prevent steadiness, and with children the steel clips are perfect. I shall be happy to send a rough diagram to any one, manufacturers or amateurs. ”

“ There is no ornamentation on the upper band, where we see only a thicker tube-like gold plate, which, being soldered to the rim of the ring, becomes gradually smaller, and is fastened with small pins to the lower end of the upper band, which it is intended to make more solid. The lower horizontal band is decorated with repoussé work, showing in the middle three ornaments, composed of treble concentric circles of protruding points, and at each end a branch with leaves. ”

“ It becomes necessary in making heavy round cords, such as are used by athletes and in the manufacture of airplanes, to have a very durable covering over the strands of rubber. Such a covering is put on by using double deck machines, where above the regular machine there is another bed plate having a second set of carriers which travel around the braided fabric coming up from the lower deck. ”

“ The top piece requires to be made hot with your [Pg 47] blow-pipe, then the ends turned over to hold the pin B. Each piece of spring must be a little shorter than the one above it, and the ends neatly tapered, all to be inclosed in the brass band F, which has a small hole drilled at F to hold the [Pg 48] end of the pin by which the pressure is directed on to the axle boxes, as shown in Fig. 20. A hole is also to be drilled in the bed plate over the center of each axle box to allow the pin to pass through, and also a smaller one an inch and a half on each side for the support A, Fig. ”

“ Belting intended for driving machinery is built up of canvas which has been thoroughly friction ed with the soft mixed rubber, and is cured by placing it in a kind of press kept by means of steam at a dry heat of about 140° C. Packing for the stuffing boxes of steam engines is similarly prepared from strips of rubber and friction ed canvas, as also are the so-called insertion sheets, in which layers of rubber alternate with canvas or even wire gauze. ”

“ Few people who read this will have any difficulty in understanding what wheel-bands are. They used to be very common in the streets, joining the wheels of the knife-grinders’ barrows, and now in almost every house they are seen in the domestic treadle sewing-machine. Similar to these, but varying in size, are the bands in a factory. They may be broad flat leather straps of great weight and size, formed by sewing many lengths together, or they may be string-like cords of twisted catgut. ”

“ Some boys of twelve or fourteen years of age wore circles of thick brass wire, passed screw-fashion three or four times round their arms above the elbow: and some men wore convex rings of ivory, two inches in breadth, and above an inch in thickness, in the same manner above the joint of the elbow. ”

“ The brass band itself, when we consider it philosophically, is one of the most striking things in our civilization. We admire its commonly splendid clothes, its drums and cymbals and braying brass, but it is the impartial spirit with which it lends itself to our varying wants that distinguishes it. ”

“ The spools used on the carriers are specially designed, and have a series of notches on the upper end, into which a stop will drop upon the breaking of any of the different covering threads, automatically stopping the machine.
The rubber is carried on a beam such as is used in weaving. These beams are grooved on either side for receiving friction cords or belts, on which are hung weights so as to govern the let-off of the beams and keep the rubber at a high tension. ”

“ Out oozes a thickish white substance, some of which drops on to your fingers. Without a moment’s thought or hesitation, it comes natural to you to rub thumb against sticky fingers, whereupon the substance gradually solidifies, and at last breaks loose in the form of a tiny pellet. In a similarly simple way the mere savage discovered rubber hundreds of years ago ”