Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/21

 Popular Science Monthly

��Painting Piping by Machine

OUT in California a one hundred- and-seventy-mile pipe-line was thor- oughly cleaned and painted without so much as a single dab from -2l ■ hand-paint brush recently.

Two machines of somewhat different type were used, one for cleaning and ap- plying the priming coat, the other for applying the coat of bitumastic enamel. The cleaning and priming machine car- ried a scraper and re- volving bristle brush on the front end, while the brushes for applying the paiii't followed on the rear end, the paint being* forced to /the outer edge of the -brushes by centrifugal force. The entire equipment was self-ccmtained, the six-horsepower gasoline en^ne which provided motive power revolved all the briTshes, and the engine frame carried three tanks; for water, gasoline and paint.

A crew of t^vo men operated the firs.t machine, which was attended by three other men operating a long lever mounted on wheels. With this lever the pipe was raised rom the four by six inch wooden skids -cross the trench provided By the

pipe-screwing crew, and /3L "as the priming machine "'^-

moved ahead —' ^

the skids were re-

���A six-horsepower gasoline engine oper- ated the scraper and revolved the brushes

��placed behind it.

No less than two hours behind the priming machine and not more than four hours later, the en- amelingmachinewent over the line._

This machine was operated by hand, by turning a crank which caused it to move along the pipe. Large kettles mounted on wheels were used for serving the machine with melted enamel, the kettles being heated by petroleum distillate fuel. After being placed, the en- amel coating was re- touched where neces- sary- and finally sub- jected to a rigid inspection, in which a mirror was used for examining the under- side of the pipe.

���Should a motorcycle start to fall the side-wheeled frames would rennain upright and prevent a spill

��There Is No Danger of Falling from This Motorcycle

THE us^ulness and the pleasure derived from a motorcycle may be increased by a stabilizer which makes motorcycle riding as simple a thing as ridiT^an auto- mobile. Incidentally such inconveniences as having to lift the stand on and off every time one stops are elim-inated. The ar- rangement is very simple, consisting of a wheeled fram.e mounted on both sides of the motorcycle. These are pivoted in front and carry their strong wheels at the rear. At the middle of each an upright bar is attached which leads into a piston-and- cylinder mounted under the seat. When going over rough roads the piston will allow the wheels to spring up and down, but as soon as the motorcycle leans over too .far, and is about to fall, the piston stops and holds the wheels fast so that the cycle cannot really lose its balance. The credit for this arrangement belongs to its patentee, Mr. Joseph A. Blon- din, of Los Angeles, California, to whom motorcyclists may desire to present a life-saver's mecbl.

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