Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-08
CARE AND REPAIR
OF AUTO TIRES
Additional Hints by a Fire
stone Expert That Will
Keep Down Tire Expense

Attention should be given. to pune
lures, cuts. snags and other injuries,
even though they may appear 20
be trivial. Small injuries of SEEM
ing unimportance often grow into
serious consequences. 1t is advis-
able to have the repairs made by an
experienced workman. AS a usual
thing, the amateur does not rein
force the injury when needed, and
is apt to vulcaniZe the rubber too
long-this not onlyN makes it hard
and brittle, but burns the materials
around the repair.
Some repairmen are not as eX-
pert as they should be in the hand
ling of rubber and fabric. Pieces of
fabric of different sizes placed in
side of the tire. regardless of the
weave of threads, will wrinkle, sep
arate and not afford any appreciable
strength of reinforcement. All fab
RIGS, for every style of repair should
be cut on a bias in the same man
ner that the fabric is cut for the
original construction of tires. Re-
pairs that are hard and bulge are
generally a result of cutting the fab
ric straight with the roll, /. e., length
wise and with the warp.
Repair of Cord Tires
The same method of tearing down
and building up fabric cases can be
used in the repair of most cord tires,
including Firestone cord cases. For
the repair of other cord tires an
expert repairman is necessary.
The cord fabrics can be obtained
from the manufacturer just as the
regular fabric is obtained and is ap-
piled in the same way 1t is pos
sible to build up sectional repairs
with regular fabric, but the repaired
section will be sitter and less elas-
tic than other parts of the tire, and
there is some danger of the repair
humping and loosening in service.
The new cord layers should be ap-
piled so that the cords will run
parallel with the cords of the layer
removed, putting the new material
up tightly against the old material.
1t is then advisable to apply a thin,
narrow strip of cushion gum over
the joints. The same breaker strip
fabric and chating strip fabric is used
as in the repair of fabric cases. No
special equipment is necessary for
the vulvanizing of cord cases.
If tire users understood the con-
struction of inner tubes, and things
which contribute to their wearing
out, it would be easy indeed, to Sc
cure more and better service. Spare
tubes should not be carried in
cardboard boxes as furnished from
the dealers shelves-there is danger
of the tubes being chafed. Tube
bags can be secured for this purpose.
If the car is equipped with smaller
tires on the front wheels than on the
rear wheels, an extra tube should
be secured for each size.
The cross sections of inner tubes
are made a little smaller than the
n a1 Di y N Of ha
1t is not advisable to use a Az inch
tube in a 4-inch case. This usually
wrinkles and creases the rubber with
bad results. Do not use a 4-inch
tube in a Az inch case for any
length of time. When this is done
the rubber is required to stretch too
much and the effect of heat and ac-
ton due TO displacement of air in the
tire quickly uses up the life of the
tube.
fabrication is most important to
conservation of the tube, but it is
a matter that is given least atten-
ton. Practically all tire manufac-
turers treat the inside of cases with
a white solution to prevent tubes
from sticking to the adhesive ''fric-
ton" of the fabric-a good lubri-
cant, however, should be used.
Some customers neglect busting
soapstone inside of the case when
changing a tube - others use the
soapstone so sparingly that it does
but little, if any good, or they may
use so much that it does more harm
than good. If a quantity of it be
dumped into the case it will collect
at one point, and during the hot
weather will heap up to such an ex-
tent as to burn the rubber of the
tube, making 1T very thin, brittle and
lifeless; this can be recognized by the
honeycombed appearance Soapstone
| is the lubricant most used for tires
and it is quite satisfactory, but not
lasting; therefore a fresh supply
be put into the tires at least two or
| hree times during the season. Powd-
cred mica has proven a more durable
! lubricant than soapstone and quite
as effective as graphite, as well as
more pleasant to handle.
PinChing of an inner tube usually
| occurs from oversight or careless
ness in application of tire to rim.