HEARTH AND HOME

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18507, 8 October 1925, Page 4

HEARTH AND HOME

(By Builder.) "Builder" invites contributions from readers on any mat- ! ier of interest which they might like to propose. Correspondence on subjects of interest will also be accepted. NOTES. Tenders are invited by Mr B. J. Ager until noon on October liOtu, tor die erection of a brick residence in Hanks avenue, Shirley. .Messrs. ili.is Uid iL.il are calling lander.- until 1 L'.ni. on ri.uuy, Cieiuber ICth, lor l.iu aloi'oy liou a .j in Jlunay Ayusiuy u-r----rate, Upa.ta. A brick house will shortly be erected at the curnur of ilossai! and lthoues street,. iit-i-iva!f. "Ui.uei- ~,,- inviieu 101 Uiu v. wi-k_ _ '.V -ii' <- ». Wood, until October -Olii. Mr K Lovell-vS:i;iih is inviting tenders until 4 p.m. uii Wednesday, October 14Ui, lor alterations and repairs, etc., to various buddiugs, lor cue Wai'muiri County Council. Tenders will be received until 4 p.m. on Octubei ilUth by ihe i>ubl.ic d oris.* Department for tlu- erection oi a workshop at the Departmental buildings, Chrisi'-liuri-li. . Messrs England Bros, are calling tenders until 4 p.m. on ihursday, October 15th, for additions to tlio Dunsandel public halt. Tt is stated that one of the Lading railway groups is negotiating tor the purchase of concrete sleepers with which to experiment on a stretch or ; main line out of London. Hie new i sleeper consists of two blocks of conI crete joined together by a tie-rod of I mild steel, each block is 24in long and 7in thick, and holds three plugs,to take the screws of the chair carrying the rail. The chair rests on a layer of folt, and the inventor claims that this deadens the noise to a considerable extent. There is-a poasibility that sugar-cane bungalows will make their appearance in the world of building before long There have been, houses of .mud and other strange things, and in the present time of never-ending wonders it would not be surprising if the suggested material were used ini the constrnctionof houses. Mr H C. Armstrong, a Victorian, and apostle of eelotex the new building made from such refuse, is to visit, the Commonwealth In the meantime, he is returning to America for a conference on extension of the eelotex enterprise He claims that there is wide scope in Britain for it, and that France and ip r S\i°consideringnseofthen ia t/rial for war purposes. Huncueas oi Sex houses will 'be built near London, and 100 combined steel arid eelotex structures dsmton" J ain, in connexion with experiments for solving tho housing problem.

Whistler said that a work of art was finlicd whoa all evideace of how it was wrought tu.s eliminated. This sajmg of tho jrroac painter was quoted by Mi B. J. Fletcher, director of the Bmingham'Municipal Art School, in tho course-of a lecture at tho London School economics, but Mr Fletcher denied its truth. It is not true . said) of painting, and something like the con.verse is true in most crafts. To disguise, or eliminate, the evidence of how the work was made or wrought robs it of its character, straightforwardness and of a certain human pleasantness In this evidence the good craftsman shows his skill and his. pleasure hi his work. A thing that was perfunctorily done is bound to show m these particulars its lack of spirit and rea power. Wo have to turn to medieval woodcarving to appreciate the masculine vigour of-crisp and surely-cut carver's work, fn carving, as in other crafte, Ave are not satisfied now \uilesa the evidences of tho tool are sandpapered or smoothened out.

'ln an article published in tho "Sheet Metal Worker," Mr A. Eyles says: There is no reason why paint applied to tin roofing should not wear as well as paint applied to steel structures, provided -it is used under fair conditions, applied by competent workmen, pj\d enough time for drying is allowed to elapse between coatings. With regard to asphalt, tho writer is of opinion that it does not contain anything which is injurious to tin. neither does it benefit the tin to any great extent.

Pure turpentine can be used satisfactorily in roof painti in (varying prorations; e.g.. a good priming coat can be made up consisting of three parts turpentine, one part linseed oil, and add red load ; o r one part turpentine, two pnrts linseed oil, and add red lead. The paint medium or vehicle rommon'y used is composed of a mixture of ra%r and boiled linseed oil, for raw linseed oil if used alone would dry too slowly to be satisfactory.

A good tin roof paint must produce a tough, yet elastic, film of close texture free from all defects. It must b» able to withstand exposure to the elements and other destructive agents. Paint-making is best left to those who specialise in it and have the necessary equipment.

CONCRETE TESTS.

IMPORTANCE OF AGGREGATES. UNIQUE CANTERBURY RESULTS. (By Archistruet.) In the following article "Arohistruct" draws attention to the astonishing results of using different aggregates for concrete mixing in C.irterInny. The outcome of the expe.meats which he details should pr-.-vo of unique interest to builders and the general public right throughout the Domini "n. Another article on the same sublet will be supplied by "Archistruet" at a future date.

Clean washed shingle and clean washed sharp sand are usually accepted as being first-class aggregates for ail classes of concrete construction. L'eccnt tests whhdi have been carried out in the north Canterbury district, however, servo to shuw how deceptive appearances can be. These tests have added considerably to the knowledge of concrete construction, and should prove of inestimable valfie to builders, especially to those who may, at some future date, engage in concrete constructional work in tho north Canterbury district. The recent .test? lwivc proved the total ui.suitability of shingle and sand from certain ar L as, and have revealed tho fact that little was known of these aggregates prior f o tiiese tests, as work had been carried out in the past with these unsuitable materials. In the district referred to there are large areas of dry ri\er bed::, and river beds containing a fair amount of running water which, to all appearances, contain large quantities of shingle and sand suitable ±'6r all dasscs of concrete construction. There is a similarity in

appearance in all the shingle and sand iu these various river beds, and why aggregates from certain areas were totally unsuitable for concrete, whilst other areas in close proximity contained aggregates eminently suitable was a question which merited the fullest investigation as to, the cause. Astounding Results. Many tests have been carried out during tho past few months, and have produced some astounding results. What is undoubtedly the cause of failure in certain aggregates was revealed by a scientific chemical analysis' of the materials employed, including tho water, and the storo of information that has been gathered cannot bc> too widely known, because failures with concrete in a particular district may be applicable in other districts which arc far distant. v

It has certainly taught many interested persons to totally ignore appearance? in the future when dealing with shingle and sand for concretf, and the safeguard is to carry out a few simple tests before taking things for granted. The following are details of the tests which have been carried out: — Tests Compression. (1) Sa*nd from Rogcrson River mixed in the proportions of three of sand to one of Portland cement, and allowed seven days to set. Under compression this gave no register being lower than the machine could record, namely 30cwt,to a 4in x 4in cube. (2) Sand from Waiau River, mixed in same proportions as No. 1— 4in x 4in cubes, and seven days' test gave 5.8 tons, and after 28 days 7.0 tons. (3) Shingle from Waiau River, several miles from sand in Is T o. 2 ' testy and greater distance from ihe river's source, and mixed in the pioportibrs of six parts shingle, two parts sand, and one part Portland cement, ei'm x Cin cubes, seven days' test. • Two cubes gave a compression test of 19 4 and '25.4 tons respectively. A'third cube, after 28 days gave 45.0 tons. (4) Shingle from Rogcrson River, sand from Waiau River, mixed in same proportions as No. ;'. test, Oin x Gin cubes, seven days test. Two cubes gave a compression test of (3.4. and 3.2 tons respectively.

(5) Shinglo from Rogerson Elver above intersection of three other rivers, unwashed or prepared in any way, with same proportions as No. 3 and 4 tests, gave at the end of 1(5 days a compression test of 6.6 tons. In regard to these tests' the question arises whv should there be such a bis; disparity'in these tests which have.. exactly" the same aggregates? TJie cause 'seems to open up a wide field for investigation.

Two familiar Thames landmarks have disappeared hy the "throwing ' nf the tall concrete chimney at Northneet and its famous neighbour, tlie well-known "Shah" chimney. According to the watermen. the '•Shah" chimney was built in the early 'seventies, while the Shah Persia. paying his first visit to England, and the curious "cap" at the top of the shaft is said to have, represented tho Shah's headdress. Unfortunately, the •weight or' the architectural detail proved too much for the brickwork of the. chimney, and the "opening" ceremony ■was marred by a tragedy. During the. ceremony the original "cap"' fell oft and six men were filled. The "throwing" of these two chimneys has been made necessary by recent developments in the cement industry of tho Thames. Their removal formed part of the scheme of alterations at Bevans Works—one of the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers' centres, wluch, when completed, will be the biggest cement works in Europe.

In order to provide information a« to the behaviour of' different tvpes of chimneys when being "thrown," cinema photographs—some at normal speed and others as "slow-motion" p eturts.— were taken at the moment of falling. These have yielded some interesting data on the subject. In the case of the brick "Shah," the explosion of the blast. charge at the base was followed by the immediate disintegration of the structure, and the chimney collapsed into a heap of bricks near its foot. The concrete shaft, on the othc r hand, fell in its entirety, and—except for the upper portion, which, in falling, struck a bank—reached the ground "undamaged.

PAINTING PAYMENTS.

DEFERRED SYSTEM PROPOSED. A unique system of deferred payments for paiuting houses is being urged in England at tho present :ime. The following extract from a London juipcr outlines the scheme:— The decorator finds a householder who v.-ants to paint and pay for same over a period of time. T!u' decorator submits estimate, including in it an additional 10 per cent. If satisfactory, the householder signs an application for a loan, agreeing to pay 20 per cent, or more in cash to the decorator on completion of the work, and the balance to a finance company in equal monthly instalments with" interest at, say. 6 per cent, per annum on the unpaid monthly balance. The application is submitted to tho finance company, which investigates' the crod.t of the householder, and accepts or Rejects the loan. A nominal charge is ma'dc by the finance company for each credit investigation. The decorator is advised, and, if application is accepted, proceeds with tho woik. On satisfactory completion of the work, the decorator renders the bill to the householder, who pays to tho decorator the cash payment agreed upon. The decorator forwards the bill, showing anrbunt paid and balance due, to the finance company. The finance company pays the decorator the amount still due, less a discount of, say, 10 per cent. No reserve is held by the finance company. The decorator has received payment in full for his services. The agreement is a direct obligation on the part of the householder to pay the finance company. Neither the decorator nor any agency of the paint and varnish industry becomes flu endorser or guarantor'or in any way contingently liable for payment of the loan by the finance company to the householder. No risk is taken by the decorator, and no financial liability whatever is incurred by the National Society for the Preservation of Property, the finance company taking the total risk and making its profits on the loan of tho money. No sharejin sucji profits is contemplated by tho Society, as it would thereby be making profit out of its decorator members. The scheme, superficially, is souud-j the public are assisted upon reasonable terms to pay for the everyday necessity of maintaining their property in a state of preservation; the financial organisation ft satisfied with its interest on the loans made. The decorator is paid prompt cash upon completion of his work, the system eases unemployment in facilitating many more contracts the year round, and, finally, the industry benefits by a natural increase in the, demand for its products. rians aro being prepared for the erection of a bridge longer than the famous Brooklyn bridge to span tho First Narrows at the entrance to Vancouver. Tho structure as proposod will have a clearance of 185 feet above the water, and will bo of the suspension typo with a span of approximately 1700 feet in length. Tho bridgo will bo exceeded in length only by the famous Quebec bridge. It will join Vancouver with West Vancouver and by motor and pedestrian traffic only. British capital will, it is said, enter largely into the financing of the scheme, which will cost approximately 4,000,000 dollars.