The Washington times., 1921-05-08
FIND new PROCESS
TO JAPAN METALS
General Electric Laboratories
Perfect Formula Minimizing
Danger Of Handling.

water japan for japanning the
metal parts of automobiles and In
Vulnerable other objects has been in
fire and explosions incident to the use
of japans In which some inflammable
solvent is used. during the baking
process.
Baking japan, as ordinarily used In
manufacturing. consists of two ele-
ments, the base and the solvent. The
base is usually some variety of as
phalt, combined with linseed or some
like oil. the whole making hard sub
stance similar In appearance to rub
Der. This must be liauefied for use,
and the common practice is to dis
solve II in naphtha or kerosene. The
process OF japanning various metal
articles consists in dipping them in
the liquid japan, and then baking
them In an oven.
HAZARDOUS PRoCEs.
Owing to the volatile and inflam-
mable type of the solvents used, this
baking process Is somewhat hazard
GUS. After several bakings. the at
mospherc In the oven resembles that
of the inside OF gasoline engine cyl
inder. only needing spark, or even
excessively high temperature. to cause
an explosion Of great force. Occa-
sionally these explosions have been
disastrous to human life and have
caused fires. This risk has been
great enough to cause some of our
large municipalities to consider re-
curing a manufacturer not only to
isolate his oven buildings. but also to
provide further protection In the form
of f1re wall. 1t also seemed likely
that the insurance companies might
become interested to the extent of
causing increased expenditures on the
part of manufacturers who are large
users Of japan.
The manufacturers consequently be-
came interested in the possibility of
developing a type OF japan which has
search laboratory of the General
Electric Company was requested to
try to nnd such . product, and the
research thus begun resulted In the
development of . variety Of japan
which eliminated the necessity of q
solvent possessed OF the destructive
qualities of the usual kinds. This
water Japan. as II Ia called, Is an
emulsion OF the Asphalt oil base with
water, In which infnitesimal particles
Of the base are held In suspension in
the water instead of being dissolved
in it. It was found that this Japan
had no tendency to settle. even after
months OF storage, and that, owing
to it's being suspended in water,
losses by evaporation were practically
negligible.
METHOD OF APPLYING.
The methods of applying the japan
are two in number-the electric dip
and the hot dip. Tho former is appro-
pirate for small articles, and consists
in placing them, charged positively,
In . negatively charged iron tank of
japan. The result Is that an even.
smooth coating of japan Is deposited
on the articles, and since the japan Is
deposited free from solvent, there is
no resultant drip when the lot Is
to the baking ovens.
The second method. or the hot dip,
which IL applicable to large pieces of
metal, was found more or less by
chance. II had been the custom In
the laboratory to preheat the metal
before dipping. in order to free II
from dirt and grease. This preheat-
ing evidently had the same effect of
causing the japan to form a deposit
on the metal as giving II a positive
electrical charge. A third method Ia
also sometimes used, which is a COM
bination of the two already men,
toned.
The result has been that a kind OF
japan has been evolved that gives ex-
actly the same effects as the solvent
variety. 1t is cleaner to handle,
owing to the absence OF drip. and
the danger from explosion
A. hAs mob