Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-07
POCKET PIECE MADE
IN LOS ANGELES
THOUSANDS OF THEM MADE IN
HOME FACTORY EVERY DAY
TwitcheIl Air Gauges Going Into Every
Quarter of the Globe, Carrying
the Name of Greater
Los Angeles

Have you not heard many persons in
the city of Los Angeles say, "Yes, but
what we need in Los Angeles Is more
manufacturing? How many times
this statement is made, or rather the
question is asked almost daily Where
are your manufacturing establish
ments?
The next time this statement is made
or the question asked, just ask the in
quirer If he knows that there are over
1871 persons or corporations in the city
of Los Angeles engaged in the manu-
facture Of some specific article of con-
sumption, and probably the next census
of industrial or commercial affairs in
this city will show a great increase in
the number above stated.
Have you the knowledge that there Is
one little important scientific inven-
tion manufactured in Los Angeles of
which hundreds of thousands are being
sold and used and that there is now
on the way to Europe a keen, hustling
young business man who will not return
to the city of his home until he has
visited every known country on the
face of the globe?
Yet this is true, and he is now on
the Atlantic on one of the fast trans
atlantic steamers bound for every
manufacturing center of British and
continental Europe, there to spread the
name of the invention he represents
and the fame of Greater Los Angeles
every time he has "a word to say
among men who move the commercial
and industrial affairs of the world.
The writer was reminded of this fact
on a recent day. When passing a large
brick building he observed the sign OF
'Twitchell Air Gauge" adorning the
walls above the door.
Stepping inside, he was greeted with
the sound of whrring machinery, and
corps of clean-cut, bright mechanics
sat at benches with all sorts of lathes
and drills and delicate machines ham
mering or grinding away. while little
nickel pocket pieces fell into boxes by
the dozen every minute, and it was an
interesting visit to the newspaper man
unfamiliar with the technical parts of
the machines then seen in operation.
Thousands of the Twitchell air
gauges are carried in the pockets of
Los Angeles automobile operators. yet
there are but few know the hands
Though which every one of these pass
before they reach the public.
First, the little nickel gauges you see
in the finished product are long tubes
OF brass, bought by the Twitchell COM
pany by the ton, resembling the narrow
curtain rods of the home windows
These are taken up by an expert and
one by one run into a cutting machine
which whacks them off the proper
length and they fall like rain into the
receptacle placed to catch them from
the quick cutting knife Another
trained hand gathers them up and by
the hundred these are automatically hit
upon the end, the ends doubled and
clinched and made smooth as wax with
the blow.
delicate but wonderful machine
then takes a nail and cuts out with
one blow three little air holes as clean
as a whistle and this is inserted in the
tube together with the needle and then
passed along to another bright me-
chanlc who has learned from the sense
of touch just the force to give an alu-
minum screw surrounding a leather !
gasket the blow that cuts it's own
thread in the head of the gauge-a
wonderful evidence of skill and prac-
tlce. Other workmen now insert the |
gauge itself, which by another slick |
invention eats as IL were the figures |
into the stem, and then with a sprin- |
kle Of sawdust are made thoroughly |
smooth and clean and bright, and they
are now ready for the nickel plating |
department, but not until after the |
knurling machine has done its work.
Coming from their polish and finish |
of nickel one OF the most interesting |
processes is how the printing is done
on the round pieces. These are taken |
by the handful and fed into a novel |
printing machine as fast and quick as
trained hands can feed them. Naturally |
they roll down an incline with light |
ming like rapidity and as they pass |
over the type the ink is impressed by |
small cylinders, and this printing Is |
now being done in several languages /
in addition to English, using the metric |
system, which prevails In Europe as
the measure instead of pounds.
Finished now, they are placed in a
sort Of cartridge box made to fit each |
and in lots of 1O0-four rows of twenty
five each-and run under punching !
machine, the caps pressed down and |
the air gauge is made.
Fifteen to twenty-five skilled me-
chanics are employed in this shop and
all of the intricate machinery is the
outgrowth of the manufacture of this
valuable article, and 2500 air gauges are
turned out every working day of the
year.
In addition to the use of the gauge
In determining the pressure of air in
the tires, how many know what val
liable thing this little instrument is for
another purpose?
There are many prestolfte tanks so
placed on the automobile that the me-
ters cannot be read, thereby depriving
the driver of the car from knowing
how much gas he has in the tank.
Simply testing the pressure with the
air gauge the information is at once
gained, and frequently $50 or so days"
may be avoided when falling into the
hands of cops by just using the gauge
on the prestollte tank
1
exclusively by the W. d. Newerf Rub
ber company of this city and already
more than 125,00O of these little Los
Angeles productions are being used all
over the country and orders are com
ing in daily for thousands more of
them.