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Fire extinguishers twice as effective as ordinary agents
434
CURRENT TOPICS
[J. F. I.
Large savings in the cost of reproducing engineering drawings are possible through use of a recently developed commercial process known as Xerography, which the Air Materiel Command has found adaptable to reproduction from microfilm of the thousands of detailed drawings required each year. The method employs a charge of static electricity on a sensitive metal plate. Original reproduction will be less expensive, and storage space will be saved as well. Buttons~ Buckles and Fasteners Can Now Be Dry-Cleaned and Laundered. - - T h e textile and fabrics industries have, for many years, been bothered by the spoilage of buttons, buckles, fasteners and ornaments due to dry cleaning, washing and ironing. Plastics, painted or lacquered items would either soften, fade, run or change colors during dry cleaning, laundering or ironing. Many manufacturers, to avoid this difficulty have covered the fasteners etc. with cloth to match the rest of the garment. This too is not entirely satisfactory due to the poor wearing life of such cloth-covered items. Dry cleaners have therefore made it a practice either to remove these items before cleaning, or to shift the responsibility to the owner of the garment. Now practically all of the above items can be made in the colors of the rainbow, which are resistant to both the dry-cleaning and laundering tests. When made of certain selected alloys of aluminum and electrolytically processed by the Mirrodip Electrodizing process, buttons, buckles, fasteners and ornaments can be made to match practically any color except pure white. Dull matte, diffuse or reflective specular surface effects are available in many colors including blue, green, red, in solids and pastels, and brown, wine and black. The colors are not plated on the aluminum as copper or nickel or chromium is plated on a metal. Instead the colors are absorbed and fixed into the electrolytically treated aluminum surfaces so that they really become a part of the metal. Gold, silver, copper, nickel, chromium, rhodium or other metal effects can be produced that have much better wear and corrosion resistance than the plated metals themselves, lacquered or unlacquered. Peeling, chipping or lifting cannot occur. The finishes are resistant to handling, atmosphere, foodstains, alcohol, perfume, boiling water, and many chemicals including acids and alkalies. Even the high heat of a lighted cigarette end will not affect the finishes. No lacquers are required. The costs of finishing are quite low, and, coupled with the low first-cost of the aluminum, excellent economics results. For further information, address Technical Processes Division of Colonial Alloys Co., Philadelphia 29, P a . Fire extinguishers twice as effective as ordinary agents have been discovered in tests of a series of compounds in the bromofluorocarbon group, conducted by the Engineer Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Belvoir, Va. These compounds put out gasoline and electric fires easily, while identical quantities of carbon dioxide and carbon tetrachloride were not effective. Toxicity tests of the compoun~ts are scheduled.
CURRENT TOPICS
[J. F. I.
Large savings in the cost of reproducing engineering drawings are possible through use of a recently developed commercial process known as Xerography, which the Air Materiel Command has found adaptable to reproduction from microfilm of the thousands of detailed drawings required each year. The method employs a charge of static electricity on a sensitive metal plate. Original reproduction will be less expensive, and storage space will be saved as well. Buttons~ Buckles and Fasteners Can Now Be Dry-Cleaned and Laundered. - - T h e textile and fabrics industries have, for many years, been bothered by the spoilage of buttons, buckles, fasteners and ornaments due to dry cleaning, washing and ironing. Plastics, painted or lacquered items would either soften, fade, run or change colors during dry cleaning, laundering or ironing. Many manufacturers, to avoid this difficulty have covered the fasteners etc. with cloth to match the rest of the garment. This too is not entirely satisfactory due to the poor wearing life of such cloth-covered items. Dry cleaners have therefore made it a practice either to remove these items before cleaning, or to shift the responsibility to the owner of the garment. Now practically all of the above items can be made in the colors of the rainbow, which are resistant to both the dry-cleaning and laundering tests. When made of certain selected alloys of aluminum and electrolytically processed by the Mirrodip Electrodizing process, buttons, buckles, fasteners and ornaments can be made to match practically any color except pure white. Dull matte, diffuse or reflective specular surface effects are available in many colors including blue, green, red, in solids and pastels, and brown, wine and black. The colors are not plated on the aluminum as copper or nickel or chromium is plated on a metal. Instead the colors are absorbed and fixed into the electrolytically treated aluminum surfaces so that they really become a part of the metal. Gold, silver, copper, nickel, chromium, rhodium or other metal effects can be produced that have much better wear and corrosion resistance than the plated metals themselves, lacquered or unlacquered. Peeling, chipping or lifting cannot occur. The finishes are resistant to handling, atmosphere, foodstains, alcohol, perfume, boiling water, and many chemicals including acids and alkalies. Even the high heat of a lighted cigarette end will not affect the finishes. No lacquers are required. The costs of finishing are quite low, and, coupled with the low first-cost of the aluminum, excellent economics results. For further information, address Technical Processes Division of Colonial Alloys Co., Philadelphia 29, P a . Fire extinguishers twice as effective as ordinary agents have been discovered in tests of a series of compounds in the bromofluorocarbon group, conducted by the Engineer Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Belvoir, Va. These compounds put out gasoline and electric fires easily, while identical quantities of carbon dioxide and carbon tetrachloride were not effective. Toxicity tests of the compoun~ts are scheduled.