The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-10-04
REPORTER HAS
A RECAP JOB
ON WORN TIRE
BY MURRAY MoLER
UNITED Press Staf Correspondent


Salt Lake City, Oct. 4-(UP)-
Among the hardest working mel
in the war-busy nation today ar
the tire recappers-the skilled ar.
tisians who are keeping America
civilian cars on the road.
Take the Dick Morrison tire re.
pair plant here as typical OF thu
nations average recappers. Before
the war 1t was turning out an aver.
age Of only rs recap jobs a week
Now production averages 30 a week
and the recap molds are KEEP
steam hot "a hours a day.
The story of the recaps is told
by the left front tire of the staff
car Of the Salt Lake bureau Of
United Press. An OPA inspector
ordered 1t recapped. So down to
Morrison's 1t went.
Jimmy Morrison, who has been
in the business eight years but was
never buster than he Is now, gave
a twist Of his wrist and the tread
less carcass hoped off the rim
Jameson ran his experienced eye
over the outside, then spread the
beads to take a peak inside.
New section here" he muttered
as he noted break in the fabric
inside and marked that chunk with
a crayon, put number on the tire
and tossed 1t into a towering stack.
Chunk Comes Out
The order for the new section
meant that piece of the tire had
to be cut out-and out it came on
special buff1ng machine. New
fabric was cemented inside con-
tanning six plies Of cord just like
the rest Of the tire. Section mate
rial was plastered on the hole and
the weak part vulcanized under a
special mold.
Fabrics breaks can be repaired
with safety If they're more than an
inch from the wire reinforced bead
that goes into the tire rim. Even
the bead can be repaired under
certain conditions.
Once O weak section is built up,
the entire surface 10 be recapped
Is placed under a wheel studded
with sharp poinced tacks and the
old rubber buffed and cleaned. then
cemented with crude rubber-the
only part of the operation in which
pure, natural crude rubber Is abso-
lutely required.
Cleanliness Is the secret of this
part OF the operation, Jameson
explained. "One particle of dust,
one drop of moiSture-eVen that
from finger tip-would cause the
recap to bubble and come off when
1t Is heated up"
strip OF 'camelback' is applied.
Comeback Is the stuff that makes
the new tread. 1t is part reclaimed
rubber. part synthetic, part crude
only small part crude. It's eX-
act composition and thickness de-
Ponds on the tire to be recapped
and the Job the repaired tire Is to
do. The average coating of camel
back is about one-half inch thick.
From the camelbacking bench
the tire goes into the mold room.
where 1t Is plunked In a big iron
device that imprints the tread de-
sign while the Job Is Cooking
vulcanizing. The molds are adjust
able through use Of different mat
rix for various size tires.
Mold Is Last Stop
The recap Job Is left In the mold
seven minutes-at Salt Lake City's
altitude--for each one thirty-sec.
ond Of the thickness of the camel
back. The average tire takes one
hour to one and three-q quarters
hours, depending again on the CAM
elback.
The mold Is heated by live steam
at 80 pounds pressure, about SOC
degrees. 1t Is forced to retain it.
inside shape by use of specia
hard-rubber tube that Is put inside
and inflated to 100 pounds air pres
sure. The inside TUBE is talc-coatee
to prevent 1t from sticking to the
tire under the heat and pressure
OF the mold.
From the mold the tire goes back
to the rim and back onto the car
ready for service.
Before the war, when more nat
ural. crude rubber was used III tint
camelback. recapped tire woulc
give 10 per cent longer life thar
the original tread. Recapping l!
not a new business; 1t was actual,
started back In 1927, but until tht
war emergency and Japanese occu'
patton OF the Netherlands Eas
indies and Malaga cut of our mail
rubber sources, recapping was usec
primarily by truck owners.
The present day recap, Jameson
said. should last 5000 miles-twt
years of driving for the average "A
card holder-if three simple rule
are followed:
1-Speed Is kept under IS mile
an hour.
2-Air pressure is inspected onc'
a week.
3-Abrupt starts and stops tina
involve wheel-spinning or skiddinl