IMPROVED METHODS OF RETREADING TYRES.
Page 23
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
While the majority of motor vehicle owners realize the economy of retreading, there has grown up a certain distrust of this process owing to the damage done by the steam, which is used to supply the heat' to the canvas of the cover. A new process has, however, been evolved by the Stella Tyre Co., of Holloway Head, Birmingham, in which the steam-heated mandrel is replaced by hot sand, which does not harm the fabric in-fact, we saw a Michelin cover which had just been retreaded for the third time, and in spite of the fact that three treads had been completely worn away on this casing, it still had the familiar chalky appearance and was devoid of any signs of damp patches.
A feature of the Stele° process is that the finished cover has the appearance of a new rather than a retreaded tyre, while a. number of non-skid tread patterns are available, or, if required, a special tread may be built to the customer's own requirements. The process also lends itself to repairing bad cubs, which can
be done either in conjunction with retreading or separately. A special line is the retreading of Ford van tyres, and at 258. it will be seen that this is quite economical, for the quality of the rubber is such that the mileage from the retread should equal that from an average new cover if running conditions remain the same. A 700 mm. by 30 mm. cover costs 19s. 6d. to retread, while no extra charge is made for any necessary repairing when retreading is undertaken.