TESTS AND TECHNICAL CONTROL The Division of Tests and Technical Control is now occupying its new quarters in the G Street extension to the main building, where the entire fifth floor, with 14,715 square feet of space, has been especially equipped for the extensive laboratory and the ink, pressroller, and glue sections. Ample rooms are also provided for offices, library, files, conferences, and research associates. Including the ink, roller, glue, and metal sections, the Technical Division has 40 employees on its rolls. Following is a description of the equipment in the various rooms of the Technical Division: In the microscopical laboratory the equipment was designed for the microscopical analysis of paper and similar products. There are two sets of projection apparatus by which paper fibers may be studied without eyestrain. Two binocular microscopes are used for comparative work. A stone-top table equipped with 500-watt daylight lamp is used for comparison of color and examination for dirt of deliveries of paper. One laboratory table is used in making the stains for analytical work. PHOTOMICROGRAPH ROOM IN LABORATORY In the photomicrograph room is kept the micrometallurgical equipment. This room is also used as a dark room. The equipment includes both inverted microscope for metallurgical work and the usual type of microscope for the examination of transparent material. These two microscopes are interchangeable on the optical bench of the photomicrograph equipment. In the paper chemical laboratory are two Cornell-type hoods, two 12-foot double laboratory tables and storage cabinets in addition to balance table, electric muffle, drying oven, paper grinder, and other chemical equipment. Paper, textiles, and other materials, the chemical analyses of which are affected by the presence of appreciable amounts of acid and alkali in the atmosphere, are analyzed in this room. Adjoining the paper chemical laboratory are two insulated rooms in which the relative humidity and constant temperature are controlled within close limits. The control equipment is located in a small room between the two insulated rooms. Physical tests are made on paper and paper products in the large humidity room, which measures 15 by 36 feet. Atmospheric conditions in this room are maintained at 70° F. and 50 per cent relative 82246-32- 4 humidity. The testing equipment consists principally of 7 folding. endurance testers, 5 bursting-strength testers, a tensile-strength tester, a paper scale, and a paper surface tester. The atmospheric conditions in the smaller humidity room, which is 15 by 15 feet in size, are usually maintained at 70° F. and 65 per cent relative humidity, the standard conditions for textile testing. The equipment is designed to permit the maintenance of the relative humidity at any desired point between 40 and 65 per cent if desired for any special tests. This room is completely equipped for making physical tests on textiles used in the printing and binding industry. LABORATORY FOR METAL ANALYSIS The metal analysis laboratory contains two 12-foot laboratory tables, storage cabinets, and two hoods. The latter are the usual laboratory type as considerable acid is used in metal analysis. One hood and one table are fitted up especially for routine type-metal analyses. The other laboratory table and hood are used in testing miscellaneous supplies. An electrolytic cabinet for the analysis of nickel and copper and a balance table with two balances complete the equipment of this room. A combined washroom and storage room for chemical glassware adjoins the metal analysis laboratory. The general research room is equipped with two 12-foot laboratory tables, one hood, a number of storage cabinets, and a balance table. This room is designed for research work so that the apparatus need not be disturbed for routine testing. The equipment consists of centrifuges, electric oven, fadeometer, proof press, balances, and a considerable amount of other physical and chemical testing apparatus. EXPERIMENTAL ELECTROTYPING PLANT One room adjoining the general research laboratory contains the experimental electrotyping plant and another room is equipped with gasoline, lubricant, and glue testing apparatus. The electrotyping equipment consists of a generator for 500 amperes and 6 volts or 250 amperes and 12 volts, together with the necessary control panels, depositing tanks, and sinks for the study of electrotyping processes. Routine control of ink manufacture and part of the research work on ink are conducted in a special room which also adjoins the general research laboratory. This room is equipped with a laboratory table, storage cabinets, and apparatus used in testing ink-making materials. A small mill has been placed in the ink plant for use in grinding experimental inks. ? All the new laboratory furniture, except that in the constant temperature and humidity rooms, is made of corrosion resistant enameled steel with soapstone tops and sinks. All service wiring and piping is concealed. The office furniture is also metal. The report of the Technical Director submitted herewith shows in detail the work of the Division of Tests and Technical Control during the fiscal year 1931. TESTS AND REJECTIONS DURING YEAR The routine tasks included the testing of 8,050 representative samples of all materials purchased by the Government Printing Office during the year, such as paper, envelopes, textiles, leathers, metals, glues, inks, ink-making materials, oils, greases, gasoline, and chemicals. Rejections for noncompliance with Government specifications totaled 425, an increase of 42 over the rejections in 1930, although there were 368 fewer inspection tests in 1931. Of the rejections, 334 were of paper stock and 62 of envelopes. The rejection of envelopes was unusually heavy, but was confined to a few large deliveries of unsatisfactory kraft stock. Special work was done by the Technical Division during the year on the determination of paper acidity, the deterioration of sulphite papers, and studies of binders board, kraft paper, tabulating cards, envelopes, glucose-glycol paste, bronze stamping leaf, electrotype backing metals, stereotype metals, copper and nickel electrotype methods and equipment, chromium plating, photo-engraving supplies, printing inks, press rollers, molded glues, detergents, and carbon motor brushes. A special study was made of the relation of news ink and newsprint paper. PRODUCTS OF INK-MAKING SECTION The ink-making section produced 185,885 pounds of printing inks during the fiscal year 1931, an increase of 7,628 pounds over the preceding year. Included in this production was 45,739 pounds of mimeograph ink, mostly for departmental use, an increase of 13,608 pounds for the year. Other products of the ink section during the year were 14,400 quarts of writing inks, an increase of 2,200 quarts, and 1,928 quarts of ruling inks. The roller and glue section made 2,698 press rollers, containing 20,987 pounds of composition, in the fiscal year 1931. The increase over the preceding year was 373 rollers, including 147 supplied to other departments of the Government. The section also manufactured 83,957 pounds of molded bindery glue and tablet composition, including 48,340 pounds of flexible glue. The metal section, located on the seventh floor of the main building, corrected 8,074,000 pounds of linotype, monotype, stereotype, and electrotype-backing metals during the year, a decrease of 662,000 pounds from the amount of metal corrected in 1930. The corrections with antimony, tin, and lead alloys added 142,577 pounds to the remelted metals. The loss due to drossing was 59,069 pounds, making a net gain of 83,508 pounds in the total stock of metal. In addition, 15,500 pounds of linotype and 200,000 pounds of electrotypebacking metals were obtained in commercial exchange for old electrotype plates. In addition to producing inks and glues for its own use, the Government Printing Office manufactured approximately 50,000 pounds of printing inks and 12,000 quarts of writing inks for use by various other establishments of the Government. Approximately 15,000 pounds of glue, paste, and roller composition were supplied to other branches of the Government service. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION Other technical assistance was rendered to various departments and establishments of the Government, and considerable cooperative work was undertaken with the Bureau of Standards of the Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils of the Department of Agriculture. The Employing Bookbinders of America and the American Newspaper Publishers Association have continued their employment of special research associates to assist in the study of problems of mutual interest with the Technical Division of the Government Printing Office. Several other organizations of the printing industry, including the United Typothetæ of America, the International Association of Electrotypers, and the Lithographic Technical Foundation, have also maintained contact during the year through frequent conferences with the Technical Director. OTHER ACTIVITIES OF TECHNICAL DIRECTOR The extent of the activities of the Government Printing Office in scientific research and standardization work relating to the various branches of the printing industry is further shown by the following committee memberships which have been added to the duties of the Technical Director in connection with the regular work of the Government Printing Office: Paper specifications committee of the congressional Joint Committee on Printing; Federal Specifications Board, United States Bureau of the Budget; Pulp and paper committee, Printing Industries Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Paper testing committee, and chairman of the subcommittee on ink resistance of printing papers, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry; Advisory committee on lithograph papers for the Lithographic Technical Foundation; Advisory committee on permanent papers for the National Research Council; and Standards Council of the American Standards Association. Other helpful relations with trade and technical organizations are also maintained by the Public Printer who is an advisory associate of the executive committee of the Printing Industries Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers; member of its survey and research committee; member of the standardization committee of the United Typothetæ of America; and honorary member of the Printing Industries Research Association of Great Britain. EMPLOYING BOOKBINDERS OF AMERICA The research associate of the Employing Bookbinders of America, Mr. F. R. Blayloch, in his report to the recent annual convention of that organization, gave detailed information concerning the following work that is being done in cooperation with the Government Printing Office: Testing various materials used by the bookbinding industry, including binders' board, book cloths, pyroxylin products, leathers, glues, pastes, bronze leaf, end papers, cordage, sewing threads, etc.; Preparing formulas for glucose-glycol paste, flour paste, and leather preservatives; Studying the durability of bookbinding leathers, leather substitutes, the tarnish-resisting qualities of bronze leaf, and a method of preventing the silverfish 99 "slicker or bug from attacking books. MEMBERS RELYING UPON RESEARCH WORK The research division of the Employing Bookbinders of America, according to the report of its associate, "has come to be a clearing house for technical information for this association." The report also states: The members of the association are relying upon it more and more to solve problems connected with the industry. Firms outside the association are becoming interested in our work and are using the improvements that we have made whenever they can be applied to their field. Various manufacturers of bookbinding material have become interested in the work and have offered their assistance. In appreciation of the service rendered the bookbinding industry, the following message was addressed to the Public Printer by Judge |