The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1923-05-31
|Doings Of the Ford
Motor Company

4
farm Of Henry Ford is literally
scattered to the four corners of the
earth.
Strange as this statanen. may
seem, it is true.
Out on the Ford farm at Dear
born, Mich operated entirely by
Fordson Tractor power, there YVES
no use for the great loads of straw
annually harvested there with the
grain until the Ford Motor Com
pany, given to doing unusual things,
found a use for it.
The straw is used as an ingred-
lent in the composition of Fordite,
material of flint-like hardness and
development of the Ford Motor
company, from which steering wheels
are made and the Fordite plant at
Highland Park supplies these steer
ing wheels for all Ford Cars and
Trucks, wherever assembled through
out the world--in the United States,
Canada and abroad-and also for
use on Fordson Tractors.
| The Fordite plant, begun about
four years ago something as an
experiment, is at present producing
an average of $500 of these steer
ing wheels daily under the manu-
featuring schedule of three eight
hour working shifts six days a
week. Subjected to the most minute
inspection and given the most ex-
acting tests, they are the strongest
and most durable steering wheels
produced, of ever-wearing quality,
bright lustrous black and superior
in many ways to wooden steering
wheels.
| The straw from the Ford farm,
which is sufficient in quantity for
fonly about nine months manufacture
after which straw must be purchased
outside, is utilized, following a
shredding process, as a binder in
making that part of Fordite which
forms the core Of the steering
wheel, insuring a rim of exception
al strength. The daily consumption
at present is about a ton and a
half.
Manufacture of Fordfte begins
with the raw materials. In prepar-
ling the core stock, the straw, rub
ber base, sulphur, silica and other
INGREDIENTS are mixed in patches OF
$50 pounds each which then go to
! the rubber mills where they are
mixed between heated rollers for
period of forty-five minutes. BY
that time the substance is ready for
the tubing machines into which 1t Is
fed in small strips and from which
It emerges thru a round die, fifteen
sixteenths of an inch in diameter,
much as sausage from a sausage
grinding machine. AS it comes OUT
RI is cut. on the bias into lengths
of 52 inches and then is ready to
he ro.lled into the outside covering
lof fine rubber-like substance.
| After the core has been wrapped
into the covering which is OF equal
Ileppth and seven and half inches
vide affording double cover, the
whole is secured in circular form
and sent to steel molds the exact
size of steering wheel
| Hold fast in these molds under
hydraulic pressure of 1000 pounds
Ito the square inch, these Fordlte
steering wheels are subjected TO a
|heat treatment of 6s pounds OF steam
for period of fifty minutes. HOT
! as thew come from the steam ovens'
Etbev are soft and pliable, but with
- a short time after they are placed
ion - the cooling racks they assume
> flint-like hardness that remains
Next. the Fordite steering wheels
80 - the finishing room where 1ney
are smoothly trimmed and polished
I The pressed steel Spider" or cross
n;eca Is then placed in the wneei
and securely fastened on Dy ma
\ c ch;re which in one operation bores
small hole and in the next screws
in the screw. The steering wnee'
Is then ready for shipment ana ~
sembly on the car. \
Manufacture Of these wnee1 .
.,,v ! nart Of the work done in the
Fordite plant. In addition 3 .no y su.,.s 800
out 4 daily average % s'OoO sta' ..x.
spring pads, 10000 s e0mmu.ast. st,
|;nsulator buttons. 9,Ooo nsss
contact insulatora. 1900 cut ocI Nm y
.u,.tors. 5000 motor starter 'ns1''