Document yk967abbwnr2BYMB5KDXEpNEn

........... .... ..... . : -:v- v fHec^euU^eitioH.. THE NEW ORDER IN LATHING AND PLASTERING An Age - Old Handcraft Joins the Moderns A special report on the Progress of Machines, Tools and Equipment in the Industry Reprinted from PLASTERING INDUSTRIES, November 1957 ... A new horizon bids to make fhe oldest craft the most modern in the construction industry T is appropriate, we feel, that this I National Convention issue of PLASTERING INDUSTRIES should devote its theme to the mechaniza tion of the lathing and plastering craft--along with the many pages devoted to chronicling the accomp lishment of the CPIA and the Bureaus and Institutes across the land. Appropriate principally for two reasons: first, there is no other seg ment of the building industry that has done so much in so short a time to revolutionize its manner of doing things nor has opened so many stimulating horizons for the future as the lathing and plastering craft; sec ond, the Southern California area, where this important national gath ering of the industry is being held, has taken the leadership in this in dustrial revolution of lathing and plastering and has most completely demonstrated that mechanization is here to stay--that it has bettered lathing and plastering and that if 2 has revitalized our craft and the public's awareness of it. Virtually since the dawn of civ ilization lathing and plastering has been a hand craft. All through the centuries the methods, the tools and even the materials changed but little while many other industries became highly mechanized operations. Some little criticism was leveled at our industry by many who were taken up on the wave of enthusiasm for mass production and mechanization for our continued use of time hon ored and age old methods and equip ment and we lost in the public favor, either justly or unjustly, because of this situation. However, almost immediately fol lowing the conclusion of World War II a total revolution began to make itself felt in the lathing and plaster ing craft and now this industry can challenge any other in the construc tion field to equal its transition from hand craft of the centuries to teem ing mechanization of the present and future. Two things gave considerable im petus to the rapid advance of mech anization in lathing and plastering: The first was the realization that lightweight aggregates which had laid for countless centuries virtually untouched in many parts of the world opened new vistas for better buildings for less money; second, the extreme shortage of current man power within our industry together with the new types of construction opened for the lathers' and plaster ers' skill prompted the application of equipment and tools which would do the job faster, more econmically and with less backbreaking labor. EVEN MATERI ALS handling on the modern lathing and plastering job is a highly mechan ized operation. Fa tigue of workmen is minimized; the accident rate is lower and more work is done in the day's schedule So, while mechanization is still looked upon in some parts of our in dustry as a greedy competitor to the journeyman's hand craft--in most it is accepted as a means for hugely extending the craft's opportunity to build more buildings of every type and size--with a larger percentage of lathing and plastering than ever before in building history. And, the field has still been virtually un touched, for it has already been demonstrated that it is now possible to build entire buildings -- walls, floors, roofs and ceilings completely with the materials of our craft and it remains only to develop the simple systems, details and methods for popularizing and extending this knowledge so that lath and plaster can easily become the prime con tract on any building. Nor is the field of opportunity for our equipment and labor now lim ited to covering up some other craft's rough or unsightly construction on buildings. Machines are employing lathers and plasterers to fire-proof; weatherproof and economize on oil and gas storage tanks by tight and durable skins of light metal lath and plaster--machine applied; foundation walls are being protected against abrasion and later leakage from backfills by plasterers; bridge girders and suspension cables are being fireprotected and more economically maintained by light coverings of lath and plaster; even the storage holds of fishing boats (now cooled by mechanical refrigeration instead of ice) are being lathed and plastered, and the field extends only to our imagination and our willingness to adapt equipment now available to us and that yet to come to new op portunities to extend the age-old unique properties of the abundant product we know as plaster in all of its forms and types. So. if there be doubters in our craft that mechanization is the future of lathing and plastering and the forerunner of a better and more safely housed civilization, or that it is not possible for more people to enjoy more comfortable and more durable constructions because of its economies, he is in the wrong busi ness and should make way for others whose vision is broader. In the following pages you wr find, so far as we have been ab to enlist the cooperation of industry manufacturers--a complete catalog of the fine equipment which is revo- SGP 0027069 lutionizing and broadening the lath ing and plastering craft. Each of these pieces of equipment is briefly pictured and described; in many in stances its makers suggest its limita tions and potentialities; suggestions are made for proper mixes, tech niques and methods to get the best results; and the member of the craft may, at his leisure, determine what best fits hi present and projected operation. We are the first to admit that perhaps before this copy of PLASTERING INDUSTRIES reaches Mechanization Joseph D. McNulty, the `'father" of mechanized plastering, and past president of the National Bureau for Lathing and Plastering had this to say about mechanization at the an nual convention of the National Bu reau in St. Louis in June: "Mechanization is offering to the indus try not only an opportunity to provide lath ing and plastering at a price that is more closely in line with substitutes, but also to greatly improve the product, as machine plastering does produce a better job than hand-applied work. "The same mix will achieve greater strength in base coat through machine use than it will achieve by hand application. Using the same mix for finish work, great er strength, a denser finish, and a clearer, better-looking wail can be had by machine than can possibly be achieved by hand troweling. I "The danger that / see in this whole matter is that too many of our people may become too impatient and expect too much in too short a time. Those who are impatient should consider that we have been a good many years losing ground, and it may take some few years longer to re establish ourselves in our traditional fields and in the new fields that are open to us." Plaster Mixers Anchor Anchor Manufacturing Company, 2900 W. 26th, Chicago 23, Illinois Big Chief (formerly Rex) liig Chief Diu'sion. Douglas Motors Corporation, 2025 W. Clybourn Street, Milwaukee. Wisconsin CH&E C II & A. Manufacturing Company. 3849 N. Palmer, Milwaukee, Wisconsin CMC Hoeboy Construction Mathinery Company, Waterloo, Iowa Essick Essick Manufacturing Company, 1950 S. Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Cali fornia Jeffery Jeffery Manufacturing Company. 956 North 4, Columbus, Ohio Knickerbocker Knickerbocker Manuiacturing Com pany, 630 Liberty, Jackson, Michigan Kwik Mix Dandie Kwik Mix Division, The Koehiing Company. Port Washington, Wis consin Little Giant Little Giant Products, Inc., Peoria, Illinois Handy Master Vibrator Company, 1752 Stanley, Dayton, Ohio Muller Muller Machinery Company. Metuchen 6, New Jersey Multiplex Multiplex Concrete Mtnhine Com pany, 1430 Fremont, Elmore, Ohio T. L. Smith T. L. Smith Company, 2835 North 32nd, Milwaukee 10, Wisconsin Speed King Speed King Division, Jaeger Manu facturing, 612 W. Spring, Colum bus 16, Ohio Gilson Gilson Brothers Manufacturing Com pany, Fredonia, Wisconsin Worthington Worthington Manufacturing Corpora tion, Plainfield, New Jersey JOSEPH D. McNULTY you there will be innovations, changes and developments in some of this equipment--so fast-moving is this mechanization of our industry and so spontaneous its nation-wide acceptance. Yet, we are sure that you are here seeing and reading for the first time anywhere, the re sults of a serious and painstaking effort to serve you and the industry's future--and lathing and plastering's potential customers better--through mechanization of the age-old craft of lathing and plastering. PLASTER MIXERS First, and surely by no means stagnant, on the list of the tools and equipment which are bringing about the mechanization of lathing and plastering--is the plaster mixer. This hard - working, dependable partner of our craft has not always been with us--in fact it is a com paratively recent adjunct to lathing and plastering, though its application is now so universal it is easy to feel there has never been another way. There is a long jump from the first crude, faltering and sometimes inef ficient plaster mixer to the troublefree, streamlined helper we take so much for granted on the job today. The manufacturers of plaster mix ers have devoted their talents and energies to important objectives-- dependability--mobility--long serv ice. And, in all these particulars the We're Sorry ... that despite almost a year of hard work on the part of PLASTER ING INDUSTRIES' staff in assem bling what we believe to be the most comprehensive section ever pub lished on the machines of the lath ing and plastering craft that the sec tion does not contain detailed infor mation about all makers' products. .. . this is not entirely our fault, for we have invited every known manu facturer of a piece of equipment con tributing to the mechanization of our industry to submit pictures and data concerning his products for this sec tion and have repeatedly reminded the slow ones that we had a deadline to meet. Most have done so with great completeness -- others have ig nored our invitaion completely, and some have furnished but sketchy in formation. . . . we do feel, however, that the listing of products under each divi sion is reasonably complete and if you do not find the product in which you are interested described in this section, write the manufacturer of your choice for literature, mention ing, of course, that you saw it in PLASTERING INDUSTRIES. SGP 0027070 3 Your Mixer HE life of even the best en T gineered and quality built equipment is governed by the care and maintenance it receives. Take care of your mixer, and especially the engine that drives it. See that the oil is changed regularly, only good clean gasoline is used and that regular gasoline cans are used for handling this liquid. Old paint and varnish cans have cost many hours of down time when they have been used as gasoline con tainers. Keep your mixer clean, especially the inside of the drum. It should be washed down be tween batches and thoroughly every night in order to keep plas ter from setting up around mix ing blades, packing arrangements, etc. A clean mixer drum will as sure you of better uniform mixed material from every batch. Protect your investment by good maintenance. FROM RIGHT are Arthur D. Hop pe, president of the firm; Wayne Beatty, plastering foreman; Jack Hasley, vice president and field su perintendent; Wayne is showing how he joined an ornate piece of staff work to run mold -- with perfect alignment the plastering contractor to reduce costs substantially because more sand could be added to the same amount of plaster and yet have a higher quality plaster because of the more thorough mixing. The first portable, mechanical plaster mixer was designed and built by Bryant Essick in 1923 for Essick and Company. Essick and Company, now known as Essick Manufacturing Company, was found ed in Los Angeles, California by the late Newman Essick and his son Bryant in 1922. Sixty plaster mixers were built and sold in 1923 by Essick and Company. Mechanical features of the first mixer were: a) 1 cylinder Novo engine. b) A 6-8 cubic feet all welded, steel drum. c) Battery ignition d) 30x3V2 Model T wheels and tires with ball bearings. e) A clutch adapted from a Model T planetary transmission. f) Ribbon type blades. The acceptance of plaster mixers plaster mixer of today represents a long step from its first concept. Models of all types are now avail able to handle efficiently the batch ing requirements of the small patch job to the multi-story "plaster fac tory" -- all mechanically. Great strides have been made in making moving parts--bearings, blades and other vital parts more long lasting and dependable with less "down time" for repairs meaning that the job gets more for its money with less equipment. Rubber blades, now widely used in the industry, are a very recent development in plaster mixers--only 6 or 7 years old. At the same time the trend to electrification of mixing equipment has been another interest ing and useful development. In a period of less than five years there are now more electrically powered mixers used in the industry than gasoline operated. This also means less lost time, quieter and more de pendable operation and less hazard on the job. And, along with streamlining and taking waste inches from all mixers, (Please turn to page 7) Industry's Oldest Mechanical Aid Not So Old As You'd Imagine Plaster mixer, industry's right hand, less than 25 years old AN you picture the plastering in C dustry, with its widespread usage of mechanization today, without a mechanical mixer -- or a plastering contractor not using a portable plas ter mixer? Without a mechanical plaster mix er, it is doubtful if lathing and plas tering would have become the vital factor in the building industry which it is today. A number of major ad vantages were effected by a porta ble, mechanical plaster mixer. One was the greater quantity of plaster mixed in a much shorter time; an other was a better mixing job which eliminated "white caps" and "but terflies" and produced a smoother mix much easier to spread. The mechanical plaster mixer enabled did not come easy. The first dem onstration, anything but successful, was for a plastering contractor on a school job in Whittier, California. A whole batch of plaster (without any retarder) was mixed, but before it was used, it set up! Understand ably the contractor wanted no part of the new machine. However, six months later, following many other demonstrations he was convinced of ART HOPPE and Jack Hasley in front of the Hoppe Company offices. Note the ornamental plasterwork in background SGP 0027071  LEFT PHOTO: One of the early plaster mixers manufactured by Essick and Company; RIGHT: This is the 8-cubicfoot deluxe model currently offered the craft the mixer's capabilities. Plaster mixers were first sold on a national basis starting in 1925. Three different models of plaster mixers were made in 1926, after three years of production. Essick Manufacturing Company now sells 19 models and sizes to fit every plastering need. Two companies, Essick Manufac turing Company, which designed and manufactured the first plaster mixer, and The A. D. Hoppe Company, which realized early the tremendous potential in using a mechanical plas ter mixer, have played important roles in the development. Their growth has been roughly parallel, as each has kept pace with the growth, progress and mechanization of the plastering industry. Arthur D. Hoppe, one of Southern California's prominent pioneer plas tering contractors, was among the first to envision the tremendous ad vantages a portable, mechanical mixer would have. Art Hoppe started business in 1921 and for a while tried using small concrete mixers to mix plaster, as did a few other contractors. However the difficulty of mixing hair and the necessity of a chopping action to get a smooth, even batch of plaster made concrete mixers impractical. In 1923 Hoppe bought one of the early Essick mix ers and put it to work on a series of buildings in Los Angeles. Pres ently the A. D. Hoppe Company uses more than 25 mixers. Through the years the A. D. Hoppe Company has done the plaster work on approximately 150 Fox West Coast theaters. One of the largest Hoppe jobs was the huge Tripier .General Hospital in Hawaii, a joint Venture with J. Carroll Duncan. Other large jobs have been Warner Brothers movie studios, United Art ists studios, CBS Television City, May Company department stores, brewery for Schlitz and Pabst Blue Ribbon. One job currently being handled by Hoppe Company is a building with a basement and penthouse, at 9700 Wilshire Blvd. Three exclusive shops will be housed in the building, each shop will have a great deal of ornamental cornice work (which was almost a lost art until the appren tice training program was adopted) that will exemplify the fine quality craftsmanship that has been ever present on all Art Hoppe's jobs. Su pervising all of Art Hoppe's jobs is vice president and field superintend ent Jack Hasley who has been with the company 26 years. In order to survive, any industry, company, or individual must con stantly strive for progress and qual ity. The plastering industry has been enhanced and perpetuated by many mechanical imhprovements. Among the improvements, the portable me chanical plaster mixer has been one great aid in quality work and mech anization. Currently, plaster ma chines and pumps, used with mixers, are rapidly gaining acceptance and wider usage to keep pace with prog ress. Lath and Plaster Enhance Church In Buffalo NE of the best examples of the O use of lath and plaster in Gothic architecture seen in Buffalo in re cent years was executed by Edward Mader & Co., lathing and plastering contractor, in the newly completed St. Bernard's Roman Catholic church at South Ogden and Clinton Sts. A spokesman for the Mader con cern pointed out that the project called for an extensive layout job, with considerable use of steel chan nels and metal lath. "We feel it is one of the nicest ornamental jobs in the Buffalo area in a long time," said the Mader spokesman. "Gothic architecture is not found in many of the modern churches being built today because it is too expensive. However, parishoners of the St. Bernard's church are well pleased with results." All channels were formed right on the job. The project included 2500 linear feet of ribs. Mader handled the entire project, including plas tered splays, plaster caps and mould ing. The Mader crew on this job aver aged 15 men over a three-month pe riod. Harold Keller was plaster fore man and Joseph Anthony, lather foreman. A COMPLETE line of plaster mix ers, from small portable machines to the largest job requirement is manu factured by Muller Machinery Com pany of Metuchen, New Jersey. This shows machine set up on job SGP 0027072 5 CMC Mixers Popular MORE than 40 years of experience back the full line of plaster mixers made by the Construction Machinery Company of Waterloo, Iowa. Offering five sizes ranging from 4 to 12 cubic foot capacity, all have exclusive "Triple Hoe" action for thorough end-to-end, over-and-under, to-and-fro mixing. On all Won der models, the scraper blades are adjustable, and are available in steel or rubber. Five CMC models include: the 4 cu. ft. "Hoe-Boy" which offers op tional gas or electric power; two 6 cu. ft. mixers, the "Deluxe" and "Su per Six"; 9 cu. ft. Super Nine; and for the real big jobs, the 12 cu. ft. "Mechanical Hoeman" which has power tilt as standard equipment. The heart of all CMC mixers is the hoe shaft construction, which in sures easy maintenance and longer seal and bearing life with easily ad justable seal glands and paddle shafts. Low charging heights; heavy duty electric welded frames; tapered roller anti-friction bearings; safety grating and bag splitters, are among other features. The machines are manufactured by Construction Machinery Company, W a t e r 1 o o, Iowa, and distributed through dealers around the nation. 6 ~sr->* BIG CHIEF mixers are manufac tured by Big Chief Division, Douglas Motors Corporation, Milwaukee. This machine is available in a 2-cubic-foot portable model (operates on chassis with handles and wheel like a wheel barrow); provides top quality con struction features; available in either electric or gasoline power; weighs only 225 lbs.; and an 8-cubic-foot, 2bag model providing such features as criss-cross mixing action; perfect pro tection shaft seal; telescopic axle; and heavy duty Wisconsin air-cooled engine. Frame is welded-channel and tube construction; charging height only 44"; safety grid over drum meets all safety requirements. TWO SIZES of plaster-mortar mix ers--4 and 6 cu. ft.--in the Speed King line have proved popular with plastering contractors because of the features that enable them to produce smooth spreading material that is easv to spread or spray. These features include four sets of 3-blade paddles that give a fast pugmill "fig ure 8" mixing action; shift lever power engagement with either gas engine or electric motor drive, which makes it easy to start and stop mix ing at any time without stopping en gine; low loading height of 34" on the 4 ft. model and 41" on the 6 ft. model; width of the 4 ft. Speed King is only 29 Vi" to permit it to pass through a 30" door; abrasion resist ant alloy steel drums with safety grill and sack splitter and Timken shaft bearings, protected by leakproof double neoprene rubber grease seals. Popular optional items are rubber wiper blades and replaceable drum reliners for severe abrasive service. Speed King Manufacturing Company Division of Jaeger Machine Company, 550 West Spring Street, Columbus 16, Ohio WESTERN MIXER produced by Douglas Motors Corporation of Mil waukee--Big Chief Division. This self-cleaning machine comes in 4-, 6- and 8-cubic foot sizes--features low charging height, rubber scraper blades on each paddle plus extra wiper on each end to completely clean drum and drum heads; easy tilt drum, double sealed anti-friction thrust bearings, disappearing tow pole; anti-friction wheel bearings and pneumatic tires. Available in gas or electric power; housing is piano hinged for easy accessibility and pro tection of engine and drive; can be tilted on stops to allow more ven tilation in hot weather GILSON MODEL 4-MP plaster mixer features large drum 24" diam eter, 28" long; rubber seals on drum shaft; available with rubber blades grit proof precision bearings; smooth, dependable roller chain drive; clutch standard equipment; doorway width axle; choice of Wisconsin, Briggs and Stratton or Lauson gasoline engines or electric motor; hinged safety grill and bag splitter SGP 0027073 MECHANIZATION (from page 4) some progress is now noted in new types of plaster mixers--operating on the turbine rather than the rotating blade principal. , And, plaster mixers, now the most I universal of plastering's mechanized partners, will continue to improve and stand ready to do their import ant part of the big job for our in dustry. Following you will find listings and descriptions of the products now offered the craft by the various mixer manufacturers: PLASTER MACHINES It was not too long ago that one of the pioneers in the plastering machine field--the E-Z-On Corpora tion of Chicago, was about to throw in the sponge for a bad job so far as the lathing and plastering indus try was concerned. There had been a considerable flurry of interest when the machine was first intro duced to the craft--then came the backwash of troubles, complaints and disuse and it would appear for a time the fledgling company might be faced with calls for finding more resale customers for equipment it had already sold than new users. Then, a few firms here and there decided to take a new look and im mediately the plaster machine began to come of age, and along with the pioneers a host of other brands and types of mechanized plaster apparatus quickly came to the craft. The reason for the early backlash was simple. Most plasterers were not mechanics--they were hand craft artists; and too many contractors at tempted to make less costly by ma chine, work they had already under contract instead of realizing the ma e SET UP on the job a Karelius ma chine goes to work with only the hose leading from the machine to the wall or ceiling indicating that plas tering is in process--no other equip ment is needed for delivering plaster from the ground to the job Plastering Machines Airplaco Bondacoter Air Placement Equipment Company, 1011 W. 24th, Kansas City, Mis souri Du-All, Glover and Azar, 7327 Varna, N. Hollywood, Cal ifornia Cement Gun Cement Gun Company. Allentown, Pennsylvania Plaster Glazer Colorcrete Industries, Holland, Michigan Dou-All Blomgren & Company, 1445 N.E. Marine Drive, Portland, Oregon Doss California Piaster Equipment Cor poration, 2460 Channel Drive, Ventura, California Dynoblast Dynoblast Material Gun Company, 1808 Martin, San Angelo, Texas E-Z-On; E-Z-Tex Piaster Development Center, 1725 W. Pershing Road, Chicago 10, Illinois Karelius Sand Hog, Fire Chief, Vermicu-Pump, Jr. Albert Karelius and Sons, 909 S. Fremont, Alhambra, California Plaster-Master Santa Anita Manujat luting Company, 4961 N. Double Drive, Temple City, California Plaster-Tex Fred Christian, Walker, Minne sota Tex-Sprayer Cyclone Equipment Company, 42 Clara Street, San Francisco, Cal ifornia Tommy Gun Thomsen Supply, Inc., 2733 South La Cienega, Los Angeles 34, California True Gun-All True Gun All Equipment Carp., Box 2526, Tulsa, Oklahoma Spray-Way 2772 Norton, Lynwood, Califor nia Sprayton Sprayton Equipment Company, 18055 James Couzens Highway, De troit 35, Michigan Quikspray Quikstir, Inc., P.O. Box 327, Port Clinton, Ohio chine curtain wall method; when laboratory tests revealed the great increases in structural strengths af forded by machine--when contrac tors discovered tract homes and apartments could be speedily and beautifully done by machine; when journeymen discovered the machine was creating more demand for our products and there was more employ ment rather than less -- then the machines had the stimulation and enthusiastic backing which today make them the biggest news in lath ing and plastering. And, with them most of the new vistas for our in dustry are opened wide. The plaster machines, described in some detail in this section fall gen erally into two categories--first, the basecoat and volume production ma chine and second, the texture or finishing machine. While many of the larger machines will do both kinds of work efficiently many contractors are finding it profitable to have ma chines of both types to speedily place the large volumes of our materials required for fireproofing, curtain wall construction, and browning of solid partitions--and one or more of the smaller machines to economically and quickly apply a wide range of taste ful textures and finishes. Some of the manufacturers make both types-- others concentrate in one field or the other. But, an especially interest ing point to remember is that vir tually all of the plaster machines now offered our industry have been developed and put on the market by our own people -- contractors and journeymen -- rather than outside equipment manufacturers. Proof that the "operation bootstrap" so often used in the progress of our industry in recent years--is a reality, i Please turn to page 9) THE POWER Trowel and its com panion (pictured) the power float, offers the industry one of its most stimulating new opportunities in mechanization. Better work, more types of plastering and greater cus tomer satisfaction result from the use of this unique tool, invented by Burnaby, B. C. contractor Douglas Drummond, now a product of Plaster Development Center (E-Z-On) chine opened vistas for new types of work the plastering industry had long since lost or never had. When the machine fireproofing jobs came to architect's and builder's attention; when the public saw the beauty and realized the economy of machine applied acoustic; when far sighted leaders in our industry demonstrated that schools, small buildings and homes could be as easily and econ omically constructed as major com mercial structures--with the ma SGP 0027074 7 `Tttodesui 'Picut&i '7?i<zcAitie& "De&ifaed ta P` 'MMAicte /t/en,&atile Ofietatum By ALBERT KARELIUS & SONS, INC. Alhambra, California gm -/SO-- ^ I NDEED the era of mechanized plastering is here. During the I last several years, plaster pump manufacturers have been spending endless days and months on research to perfect systems that took the hard work out of moving plaster around on the job. During the last two years, the fruits of their efforts started to bear. Today, mechanized plastering cuts down the hard labor, reduces application time and leaves the arts to the trade. Today, using certain materials, one plaster pump with syn chronized compressed air can pump uniformly mixed materials as high as 300 feet. The modern plaster pump is noted for its simplicity of operation, dependability of uniform material flow, plus speed of coverage. It is common to see a complete plastering unit, mounted on a special mechanized trailer bed, moved into the central location of a job site. No physical contact is made between the mixer and the man at the nozzle end of the hose. Like a fire hose, the proper pressure and mixture of material is controlled at the nozzle end, whether it be at the ground floor level or up 20 stories. For instance, a Sand Hog pump with compressor and mixer is set up at ground level. The plasterer desires to start at the 14th story. A lVz-inch metal pipe is tacked to the building side to the 10th floor. Here a relay booster is set in, from which the desired length of flexible hose is attached for 14th floor plaster ing under pressure or the hose may be set up to floor level to supply a buggy for hand operation. One thing is very important in this mechanized plastering age. Because of the speed of modern plastering operation, plenty of scaffolding should be set up to prevent tie-ups of the plasterer and the pump oper ation. The modern plastering gun encompasses a spray pattern con trol, thus reducing waste of material and adding to the neat, attractive, professional finish of the plastering job. The modern gun control allows plastering to be done in tight places almost beyond the reach of the plastering guns of yesteryear. There are pumps on the market, such as the Sand-Hog, that will pump any material required on a job. These materials in clude gypsum regular fibered, double fibered, glass fibered or unfibered, with such aggregate as sand, vermiculite or perlite; woodfibered gypsum with or without aggregate; portland plastic or common cement with sand, verimculite, perlite, asbestos, asbestos mineral wool, haydite and limestone, as well as all pre-mixes both for base and finishes. Because there have been so many important changes made in today's mechanized plaster pumps, schools are being maintained by manufacturers. For example, under the direction of Lyle Karelius, vice president in charge of development, a school is maintained both at the plant and in the field. Chief purpose is to teach quality mix control and consistency of mix for a clean job, via use of today's streamlined, efficient, easy-operating mech anized plaster pumps. fl) III $!*! Y) Jit so HI r Ml | ni 8 V) o 31! hi J J 8 SGP 0027075 MECHANIZATION I /row page 7 ) One of the most recent and most revolutionary and at the same time the most logical, in the march of mechanization to the lathing and plastering craft, is the power trowel --(and now, the power float)--now doing yoeman service to better plas tering and more of it everywhere in the land. Basically the power trowel (or float) is simply a set of revolving blades to more quickly and more efficiently finish a plaster job. But, it was not that simple. It took Douglas Drummond, Burnaby, Brit ish Columbia contractor (and in ventor of the power trowel) a great many long evenings in his shop and a great many days on the job--and considerable of his limited finances, to develop the exact pitch, shape and angle of the blade to do the job efficiently and economically and aft er his rough model was taken by the E-Z-On Corporation it required the investment of huge sums of money and long research, job use and de velopment to perfect the power trow el so it could be offered the craft as a product which would better finish coat plastering. And, then some more long hours and much more money went into the development of its twin--the power float which is now revolutionizing plaster finishing around the land--affording better, trouble-free and more durable plasterwork and saving countless jour neymen the grief of sore muscles : at the end of the working day. The power trowel has made it pos sible to more quickly and econ omically finish plaster--it has vir tually eliminated the major prob lem of shrinkage and craze checking --it has opened the field of superhard finish plaster which will serve even as blackboard surface--opening new fields to lathing and plastering and new economies to those who construct buildings. And, saving time --an important point in today's con struction picture. The power float and trowel is one of the craft's most recent partners in the field of mech anization and has taken the craft's fancy quickly everywhere. POWER LATHING Along with the development of mechanized application of plaster, the vital lathing branch of the craft has come along rapidly, too. While not truly mechanization-- the popular clip systems which are now so widely used in buildings of all types--contribute to the mechan ization of the industry through the fact that their manufacture in mod ern factories provides the mechanic on the job with a carefully fashioned attachment for doing the job better md in less time and providing the customer of lathing and plastering l lease turn to page 19) STEDIFLOW MACHINE, claimed an engineering breakthrough in the design of plastering machines, gets premiere at CPIA convention New "Stediflo" Plastering Machine Gets Premiere At CPIA Meeting THE future of the plastering in tion and manufactured by Plastering dustry lies in the machine appli Development Center, Inc., solves all cation of gypsum and portland ce of the basic problems of the ma ment plaster. Big developments of chine application of plaster. the last nine years, such as the in crease of machine-applied acoustical The first commercially practical machine was developed by the E-Z- plaster, and the entirely new field (for lather and plasterer) of curtain wall construction have left no doubt On Corporation (now Plastering De velopment Center, Inc.) in 1949, and since that time a number of differ of this. The growth of the industry, then, depends to a large extent on the ability of the machines at its dis ent types have appeared on the mar ket. Nine years of machine application have proved that the most desirable posal. The better the machines, the better the plasterer's opportunity for expanding his business and increas ing his profits. The new "Stediflo" plastering ma chine, to be introduced to the plas tering industry at the CPIA conven- HOW THE new Stediflow plaster ing machine automatically compen sates for the compressibility of plas ter. Plaster piston A is nearing the downward extent of its stroke, forc ing plaster at the desired pressure out valve B into the hose. At the same time, plaster piston C, having reached the uppermost extent of its stroke, has already started down ward. compressing the plaster to a sufficient pre'SUre to provide a steady flow to the hose when valve D opens SGP 0027076 9 single requirement of a plastering machine is a steady flow of plaster. This has been very difficult to achieve because all plaster or ce ment mixes contain entrained air, ranging from 10 to 40 per cent of their volume. Entrained air makes the mix compressible, and this com pressibility has posed serious obsta cles to the achievement of a steady flow. A steady flow of plaster is impor tant for three reasons: 1. When scratching metal lath, a smooth, steady flow is essential to provide a uniform scratch coat. A surging, pulsating flow alternately "blows through" the lath or fails to "key," thus making flat, even appli cation impossible. 2. When spraying on a Vz-inch brown coat, a steady flow assures a flat, even coat requiring less hand work. 3. When spraying on a texture coat of acoustical plaster or a sand finish, a steady flow is necessary to maintain the same overall texture. Two other problems affecting plas tering machines are inherent in the plaster mix. The abrasive action of sand and other aggregates imposes a severe strain on equipment which can only be overcome by careful engineering. And the quick-setting action of the plaster mix requires that the machine be designed for fast, easy cleaning. Up to the present time, five types of machines have proved practical for the machine pumping of plaster: The Auger Type, consisting of rotor and stator, was successful in providing a steady flow of plaster, but plaster could only be pumped a short distance and all-sand mixes could not be pumped. Maintenance costs were very high. Pressure Tank Pump, involves placing plaster in air-tight tank, then introducing air pressure to force mix through hose. Has no moving parts to wear, but requires batch mixing so that operation is not continuous. Pressure requirements vary with the consistency of the mix, requiring continual adjustment to maintain a relatively constant flow. And when emptying the hose, plaster velocity speeds up, causing a dangerous jet action. Two-Cylinder Pump on Crankshaft, illustrates difficulty inherent in com pressibility of plaster. As one plaster cylinder reaches bottom of its stroke, the other reaches the top and starts downward. However, it may move downward as much as 40 per cent of its stroke before it has compressed plaster sufficiently to re-establish a normal pressure and, consequently, a normal flow. Continuous spurts or pulsations in flow are inevitable re sult. Two-Cylinder Pump Operated by Air, consists of two cylinders placed in line and powered by an air com pressor, has same disadvantage as Pressure Tank Pump. Fails to com pensate for compressibility of plas ter, resulting in a pulsating flow at nozzle. Two-Cylinder Pump Operated Hy draulically. consists of two cylin ders placed in line and powered by an hydraulic cylinder. Like the air-operated pump, this machine fails to compensate for the compres sibility of plaster, and produces even greater pulsations at the nozzle. Many extremely small machines have been put on the market and these have appealed to contractors because of their portability and low price. These small machines are ideal for small jobs and for texturing However, contrary to some thinking, three or four of the small machines cannot be used to replace one big machine on a large job. Such use of the smaller machines is not econom ical, and may prevent the plastering contractor from being competitive-- and the future of the industry de pends upon his being competitive at all times. Although all of these types of ma chines have disadvantages, they re duce the cost of applying plaster or cement and are performing valuable service today. The growth of the plastering industry in machine ap plication has depended on them un til now. The engineers at Plastering De velopment Center, Inc., the same men who developed the first com mercially practical plastering ma chine, have been aware of these problems for years. In developing a new machine, they resolved not to attempt to market a device which would not solve the problems of pulsation, valve leakage, separation, pack-ups and abrasion.. During their first two years of de velopmental work, they came up with a machine that would pump all-sand plaster, any pre-mix, any lightweight aggregate. But this wasn't good enough. Five more years of testing and research were neces sary before the new Stediflo machine was perfected. Three flow-control features make it possible to use the new Stediflo machine for browning, for scratch ing metal lath and for all textur ing work. (1) Hydraulically oper ated pistons automatically compen sate for the compressibility of plas ter, and deliver a steady, non-pulsating flow. (2) Rate of flow can be varied as simply as tuning a radio, adjusting from 1 to 225 sq. yds. of V-i in. thick plaster per hour merely by setting a dial. (3) Volume deliv ered remains constant, even if stiff ness of the mix is changed. It can pump at two or three times the pres sure at which the auger pump could effectively be used. NOZZLE OF new Stediflow which weighs much less than types now in use, has a new "snap-on" orifice tip --can be removed, cleaned and re placed in just 5 seconds These three features have never before been available on one plas tering machine. In addition, on the Stediflo machine, spray control is precisely regulated at the nozzle. The new, easy-to-clean Stediflo nozzle weighs significantly less than types now in use. Nozzle stoppages can be cleared in 50 per cent less time, thanks to the new "snap-on" orifice tip that can be removed and replaced in just five seconds. There's no need to use a special wrench to remove the nozzle, no need to scour the noz zle to remove sand from screw threads. Ease and simplicity of cleaning are major features of the Stediflo machine. It can be cleaned out in as little as five minutes. Mainte- jjfc nance due to the abrasive action of the plaster is so low as to be in significant, while on machines like the old auger type, it was possible to spend as much on maintenance in a year as the original cost of the machine. Other specifications of the Stedi flo machine: Height, 40 in.; width, 28 in. (will go through a 28-inch door); length, 72 in. Power sources: 32-amp., 60 cycle, 220-volt electric motor or 15 hp., 2cylinder gasoline engine. These two power sources are in terchangeable on the job by the contractor. The machines are iden tical. The gasoline engine, equipped with an electric starter, is ideal for outdoor use, or where ventilation is no problem. The electric motor makes it possible to use the same machine for indoor use in the win ter, when ventilation might be a problem. The Stediflo plastering machine, combining all of the best research of recent years, represents a real en gineering breakthrough in the plas tering field. It will enable plaster ers to compete in markets that arg^ just opening up, and make it poH sible for them to realize greater proli^' its and exploit more opportunities than ever before. 10 SGP 0027077 Trowel Must Give Way To Gun Contractor-manufacturer offers some solid advice on mechanization By C. RUSS SHINNEFIELD, Spray-Way, Inc. ECHANIZATION has finally ar a generation ago. That's one big M rived in the age-old plastering advantage a contractor enjoys with craft. Until a few years ago this was plaster pumps. There is less reason virtually the only business where no major technological improvements for him to worry about keeping his gun running than his mixer. Our had been made. Spray-Way units are heavily pow Within five years the industry is ered. They are designed to last long going to see 90 per cent of base coats er and give less trouble than the applied by machine. Plus a healthy average mixer. percentage of finish work. Some contractors ridicule such statements. They sincerely believe that the way grandpa applied plaster will never be improved upon. They're wrong. A contractor who refuses to keep in step with progress is on the way out. His competitors will back him off the map with their improved efficiency. This is true of both large and small contractors. It's just as easy to move one of our Spray-Way units onto a single house job and fire it up as it is to get a mixer running for hand application. Some contractors in the custom home field are already using pumps. More will follow. Eventually everyone must have a machine if he intends to stay in business. I make these statements more as a contractor than as a manufacturer. No one manufacturer is going to corner the market. If you don't have a machine now you'll either buy a Spray-Way or something else. The point is that you'll mechanize --or die on the vine. Please don't get the idea that mechanization as we think of the term is a revolutionary step. It's history repeating itself. We have mechanized before and are now in the midst of another phase. There is nothing about a plaster pump to cause consternation. Keep an open mind and consider cold facts. It doesn't take engineering ability to keep a pump operating. All it re quires is plain common sense. Grease and oil it as you do any machine. A good hod carrier can become an ex pert in a week. Of course the pump mechanism will be new at first but it's essen tially simple--far more so than an internal combustion engine. Rotors and stators will wear, and each crew should have spares on hand. It takes less than 10 minutes to replace a tube. Most contractors also like to have an extra 25 ft. length of hose on the job. Under ideal conditions you can triple production by using a ma chine. And think of the new fields it opens up. Fireproofing, marvelous looking acoustic, spandrel wall con struction, back-up for exterior fac ing, etc. The potential yardage repre sented by these completely new ap plications is truly fantastic. That's why progressive union spokesmen have taken the long range view and refused to fight machines. They also recognize that both hod carriers and plasterers are relieved of the back-breaking labor once ex pected of them. Employees needn't go home at night as tired as ditch diggers. Tools have been placed at their disposal which both increase their skill and reduce fatigue. It's not my purpose to tell you How could you hope to compete on today's market if you drove to the job every morning in a horse drawn wagon? Would any contrac tor even consider giving up mechani cal mixers and going back to the hoe? In the early days we figured it took a mechanic to start the water cooled mixer every morning. The thing scared us. But gradually the trade learned how to handle those machines. Just as it had previously kcoffed at and then accepted gasoline "instead of horsepower. Engines are better constructed and more foolproof today than they were * JUNIOR MODEL of the new ma chine developed by southern Califor nia plastering contractors SPRAY-WAY MACHINE, front view; stand visible under towing bar is hinged and swings up out of the way how to run your jobs. Nobody can do that. But I can give you some personal experience which may bene fit those who haven't tried gun ap plication. In our shop it takes about a day to break in a nozzle man. Any com petent journeyman can be making money for his employer in that time. He has three controls to master; pump speed, air pressure, size and shape of orifice. In various combina tions they produce different spray patterns and textures. We don't find clean-up a problem. Once we masked trim, but no longer feel this is necessary. The newlydeveloped Spray-Way has a speed control at the nozzle, so the operator can move in close to the wall, slow down the pump, and cut in around openings. We have even demon strated that this can be done effec tively on exterior eave overhangs of houses, where rafter ends have caused so much difficulty in gun application. If the job is done at once, any spatter that happens to get onto the trim can be washed off very easily. We also use another machine, which shoots walnut shells, to dress up any surface that needs it. We can reduce scaffolding require ments 50 per cent by using an ex tension on the nozzle. The extension makes it possible to shoot the upper portion of a room from the floor. All it amounts to is an extra length of pipe from 18 in. to 24 in. long. With this system it's not necessary to scaf fold three or four rooms ahead of time for the nozzle man. I don't mean to oversimplify mech anized plastering. While it's not at all complicated, there will invar- SGP 0027077.01 11 iably be those times when the un expected happens. On the next occa sion you'll know what to do. Like most manufacturers, we stand behind our equipment and see to it that any bugs are ironed out. It's got to make money for you or we don't stay in business. You're not facing a job shut-down if something happens to the pump on a SprayWay. The mixer stands at regular height from the ground and can be immediately converted to hand ap plication. Many contractors have demon strated that machine usage is not limited to spraying plaster. In some areas they have been put to work pumping grout. They are frequently employed in elevating mortar to up per floors. As mentioned above, the Spray-Way may serve as a mixer for hawk and trowel work. All of these possibilities broaden the field for an alert contractor. Always remember that plaster is no more sacred than any other prod uct or service. If something equally good comes along at a lower price, no builder is under obligation to use plaster. Machines increase our efficiency. They enable us to meet competition, both inside and outside the industry. The question isn't whether we mech anize, it is when and how well we mechanize. Machine Care Frequent washups of your plas tering machine pay many times over for the little time needed to do this important task -- it gives results. red Christian, former Fargo, F North Dakota (now Walker, Min nesota) plastering contractor, is the inventor and manufacturer of the very popular Plaster-Tex machine, now in wide use throughout the in dustry both in North America and in many foreign countries. Like most of the mechanized equipment to come to our industry in recent years, the Plaster-Tex is the result of a practical mechanic's need for doing the job better. There fore, the Plaster-Tex got long, hard usage on Fred Christian's own jobs before it was put on the market and thereafter improvements and changes have been made as the job situation warranted to a point where Chris tian knows both from his own job experience and that of his associates in the industry that his machine is properly engineered to do the job expected of it. The Plaster-Tex has rapidly be- Plaster-Tex Is Product Of Contractor come big business to Fred Chris tian, to the point where he has now retired from active contracting and is devoting his full time to its manu facture and distribution. Christian is a "working manufacturer" and spends a large portion of his own time in the field to see that his customers get satisfaction and good jobs from his machine and to bring back to the factory any suggestions which come to him from the field. Sound engineering and plaster "know-how" plus quality construc tion make most Plaster-Tex owners strong boosters for this extremely versatile machine. Chief components of the PlasterTex are a husky motor-driven com pressor mounted on a sturdy frame with wheels for easy mobility and a large stainless steel hopper provided with adjustable slide air stem and interchangeable orifices and jet pins to control desired flow and texture (gasoline powered models are also available). Christian is especially proud that all of the materials used in his ma chines are of high quality, designed to serve his users well and faithfully without undue adjustment, awkward or tiring shape, and assembled to uniform standards of excellence. "It's the kind of machine that we found we needed in our own shop," he declares, "so it's now available to other contractors." Want Information? Send either a card or letter to any of the manufacturers listed in this Story of Mechanization and they will be happy to furnish you with complete details of their products, or PLASTERING IN DUSTRIES will be pleased to obtain information for you. A card or note will do the trick and be answered promptly. COMPLETE, MECHANIZED mo bile unit plastering factory-on-wheels offered by Albert Karelius and Sons. The whole unit is mounted on a steel! trailer bed and may be hauled from' job to job intact 12 SGP 0027078 ABC's `Tttae&ine 'PlaAt&tuuf e By THOMAS S. THOMSEN E are writing this article for the W plastering contractor who is not yet familiar with plastering ma chines and machine operations. There are several types of machines available today. There are also many ways that these machines can be put to use on the job. In this article we will discuss primarily the use of small machines, such as the Tommy Gun plastering machine. There are two types of pumps in common use. One is a piston type which incorporates a piston and check valves to pump the material. The other is a progressive cavity type, called a Moyno pump. It is this Moyno pump, manufactured by Rob bins & Meyers, Inc., that we will dis cuss in this article. The Moyno pump is used on the Tommy Gun plastering machine. The Moyno pump is used because it is capable of pumping plaster materials at a steady constant rate of flow, yet it is very simple in design. It has only one moving part, the rotor. The INTERIOR VIEW of modern plant where Tommy Guns are made and readied for shipment to users around the world plating over the steel. This rotor turns inside of a steel encased rub ber stator tube. These are the two pumping parts, the rotor and the stator. The rotor is sometimes referred to as the screw, because it has the ap pearance of a round smooth screw. Since the rotor turns inside of the stator tube, the rubber inside of the tube has a similar shape to that of the rotor. They aren't exactly the same shape, because a cavity is formed between the two parts. As the rotor turns inside of the stator this cavity travels through the length of the pump. This creates the pump ing action. The length of the rotor and stator tube determines how much pressure the pump will develop. A two stage pump is twice the length of a single stage and will develop twice the pres sure of the single stage pump. A two stage is used on the Tommy Gun plastering machine. The pump is the most important part of the plastering machine, but other factors are necessary in its con struction to make it useful on vari ous types of work in the plastering industry. A machine like the Tommy rotor is steel with a hard chrome TOMMY GUN was developed by Thomas S. Thomsen, CPIA honorary member and retired Los Angeles plastering contractor widely known throughout the industry Gun has a vane type air compressor, a heavy duty air cooled gas engine, an automatic clutch with remote control at the nozzle and a variable speed drive to regulate the volume output of the pump. With these fea tures built into a machine it is pos sible to do many types of work, such as texturing, acoustical plaster, inside brown, fireproofing, cement dash, outside scratch. A machine should also be as free of maintenance as pos sible. A machine like the Tommy Gun requires very little grease or oiling. The nozzle is an important part of the machine operation. A full under standing of the principle of operation of the nozzle is very important. The nozzle used on the Tommy Gun plas tering machine has an air control at the nozzle to turn the pump off and on remotely. This control is operated with air from the compressor. For this reason there are two air lines that have to be as long as the ma terial hose. One large air line furnishes air to the nozzle head to break up the ma terial and one smaller air line re turns air to the control on the ma chine to turn the pump off and on. The material being pumped to the nozzle comes through an orifice in the nozzle head. Air from the large air line enters the nozzle head just behind the orifice. As the air hits the material it breaks it up into a pat tern. Various patterns may be ob tained. The type of pattern or finish de pends on four things: the air pres sure, the size of the opening in the orifice, the rate of flow at which the material passes through the orifice, and the stiffness of the material. For instance, a fine finish will need more air, less volume or rate of flow, smal ler orifice and thinner or wetter ma terial than a heavy course pattern or finish. A thin material will break up fine with enough air pressure while SGP 0027079 13 a heavy material with less air pres sure will make a heavy course finish. These are things that the contrac tor can become familiar with in a short time. If these various adjust ments were not possible on the ma chine, it would not be possible to satisfy the owner or the architect's wishes as to texture and pattern of the finished job. The mixing of the material to be pumped is an important item. A clean mixer should be used to pre vent old chunks of material from getting in the mix and then clogging the nozzle, A screen on the hopper of the machine will help in keeping these chunks from getting- into the pump. In most all cases more water is needed in the mix than when applied by hand. A thinner mix allows the material to flow more readily through the hose and reduces the wear on the pump. The material is easier to work when applied in this manner. Material hoses are available in various sizes and lengths. The size and length of the hose will depend on the material to be pumped. Thin texture materials can be pumped through a smaller hose than a heav ier brown material. For this same reason there is a smaller texture noz zle and a large browning nozzle available. In most cases a machine applied job is planned a little differently than a hand applied job. These things are usually worked out by the con tractor. Each contractor has his own technique in running a job. The plastering machine should and can become another useful tool as did the power plaster mixer not so many years ago. HYPERBOLIC PARABOLOID structure fashioned entirely from light steel, metal lath and True GunAll method. Good housing, fast, at low cost True Gun-All For Big Work Is Progressive Building N INGENIOUS contribution to A the mechanization of the indus try, the True Gun-All, developed by Tulsa, Oklahoma lathing and plastering contractor Max M. True, will, according to its maker, place up to 4 cubic yards of concrete an hour. Instead of combining dry sand and cement with water at the nozzle as do other pneumatic guns, this com pact machine blends the batch thor oughly in its own two tank cham bers and sends it out wet. This is said to reduce the overspray, enable lower slump concrete and save ma terial. Control point for proper hydra tion is in the mechanically governed mixing drum and premixed mate rials of controlled density and mois ture content are pneumatically ap plied up to long distances from the machine itself. Any type of cement material, plas ter, stucco or concrete is applied to even consistency without sand pock ets, and the dense material has ex cellent adhesion for large jobs such as covering of tanks and towers, fire proofing of decks, beams and col umns and overcoating of various types. There is very little bounceback or waste. A mesh of metal lath can be used with reinforcing steel as an inexpensive integral formwork for unusual shell shapes and hyperb olic paraboloid structures. True-gunned concrete has high compressive strength --- as much as 6000 psi for a 1 - 4 mix at 7 days and sand used may be either wet or dry. The pumping action of the paddlesl inside the tank permits hose length* up to 250 feet. In operation, first one tank and then the other is charged, the lid 14 SGP 0027080 Machine Plastering Today, Future, As We at Plaster-Master See It NOZZLEMAN SCRATCHING metal lath with True Gun-All clamped down, and the production becomes continuous. Plastering or placing operations may take place at considerable dis tance from the machine itself per mitting versatility in such operations as covering of high tanks and towers, lining of vessels and pipes with re fractory material, high output steel fireproofing, structural concrete, rock wool cement, plaster or grout, swimming pools, etc. True-All guns have been purchased by such companies as New York Central Railroad for repairing bridg es and grouting behind bridge abut ments, U. S. Steel and other major steel producers for repairing their open hearth furnaces while hot and for all manner of plastering opera tions. At present there are approxi mately 55 in use in the U. S. and users also in Japan, Venezuela, Can ada, The Hawaiian Islands and oth er points. Huntley-Blazier Company of E. St. Louis is considering use of the True-All for their job in Dallas for fireproofing steel beams with lumnite and haydite. The structure pictured is built en tirely of metal lath and reinforcing steel without forms. The roof is 2 inches thick, the walls 6 inches. Ap proximately 3000 homes are in the process of construction in Havana, Cuba making use of this light shell method of construction. EVERAL YEARS ago when we S designed and built the first finish plastering machine we did not visual ize the great potential and need for mechanization within the industry. Today we are presently manufac turing six different model plastering machines that are specifically de signed to pump and apply plaster. Many sections of the country are not as open minded about machines as are the contractors of Southern California, and the acceptance is slow. We note that in a great num ber of these sections substitutes of plaster are stepping in and have cornered a great share of the busi ness that once belonged to the plas tering contractor. In many areas drywall has all but pushed aside the interior plastering of homes, and is now starting on the commercial, store building type of construction. Plastering machines are not the answer by themselves, but we firmly believe they are very necessary if the industry is to stop this trend. Not only can machines gain back what has been lost, but they can be used to great advantage on many fairly recent types of construction. Fireproofing steel beams and col umns, filling solid partitions, are two fast growing applications that are best accomplished with machines. Some architects, builders and con tractors have the misguided thought that if a plastering machine is used on the job it means an expensive clean-up procedure. This is not the case if a little thought is given in organizing the job set up, such as protective masking, sufficient num ber of men to clean as you progress, and not lose sight of the fact you will just about double the yardage. Proper location of materials is also very important. Training by exper ience, is important and it has been proven by some of the most success ful contractors using machines that not only is more yardage obtained but better quality work results as the men work as a permanent crew, each one knowing his responsibility for a particular operation. This fact is especially true on interior brown ing. A great number of contractors O ADMIRING TRAILER - mounted new model D Plaster-Master are Milton C. Vogel, left, president of Santa Anita Manufacturing, Russ C. Wat kins, salesmanager Hoses Important1 A good hose is just as impor tant as a good machine for mech anized plastering. Buy the best; give it good care; clean it out frequently; watch the pressure and you'll get better production and less down time on the job. SGP 0027081 15  PLASTER MASTER line of mech anized tools for plastering: 1. Model HG is available either in gasoline or electric powered units. Sells for $297 complete fob factory 2. Improved model BH-80. Increased to 9 hp with new positive action flow control to regulate for perfect con trol of volume 3. New model D standard machine. New feature is hood on piano hinge, for maintenance. This shows what is under hood 4. New model D standard machine-- side view 5. Model D special low, narrow 8 cubic foot hopper for use inside buildings. Machine is only 32 inches wide purchase a machine for a particular important job and use it for the first time on this job. This should not be done; a machine should be used on smaller jobs first so the crew has a chance to obtain a little experience IMPROVED MODEL AG-36a Plas ter-Master machine before starting on the important big jobs. Another important factor for the contractors to realize is that the machine does not replace any par ticular man, but is the center of operation and the crew must learn to operate around the machine. Be cause of the speed with which the work can be accomplished, organiza tion is important and necessary. Sandblast Firm Offers Machine T WAS in 1954 that Cyclone Sand I blast Equipment of San Francisco decided to enlarge its business, ac cording to A. C. "Bert" Whitefield. "We cast around in search of a mar ket where there was the need of mechanization, or of machinery to take the place of obsolete practices. We discovered one that promised a fruitful field--the plastering indus try," Whitefield declares. Before deciding upon the type of mechanized tool that we would un dertake to manufacture and offer to the trade, we made a study of such mechanization as had already en tered the field. In the main, there were two con tributions made: One, the machinepump type that applies the material continuously through pressure hose. The other, a hopper type of dash gun, in reality a batch type sprayer of cementitious material applied by hand-held spray guns. The machine pressure hose type represents more of an investment than many smaller plasterers are in position to assume. Wherever it is justified by large area jobs it ful fills a splendid purpose, but for every large contractor who has the type of jobs to warrant such a tool there ex ists the great majority of the plas tering trade needing mechanization just as much, and to whom the hop per type of spray gun performs a mechanizing transition from the old hand method insuring increased cov erage to the individual plasterer, considerable savings in material and labor and, in general, puts him in position to increase his profits by doing more work at less cost. It is estimated that as much as 85 per cent of plastering is done by just such plastering contractors, by those who do the smaller jobs. That was the market we decided to cater to. The Tex-Sprayer hopper dash gun units were created, engineered TEX SPRAYER one gun unit; the machine is also available in a twogun model (compressor will handle two hoppers simultaneously) 16 SGP 0027082  WITH THIS unique equipment, the Tex-Sprayer and its various at tachments, plaster may be mechan ically applied from the floor in most cases, and the Soft-Blast cleaner then employed to remove overspray from windows, glass and painted work without damage--fast and designed to fill this need. We incorporated features that gave our dash spray gun distinct advan tages, did some advertising to an nounce our advent into this field us ing the medium of PLASTERING INDUSTRIES, and were soon re warded by the kind of acceptance that resulted in our having to move to larger quarters to take care of the demand for our units. Aside from the large numbers sold in our own state of California, we have sold them in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Mich igan and Canada. The Tex-Sprayer dash gun has re cently been awarded patent protec tion under Number 2801880. While the improvement, that of mechaniz ing the work and accelerating pro duction, was widely recognized by the industry, there remained some prejudice that was brought about by the mess mechanized spraying created in the form of overspray, necessitating precautions by prelim inary masking, and then the clean up after each job. Here we were on familiar ground. Our blast-cleaning experience gave us the inspiration to solve this prob lem. We did ! By evolving a SoftBlast cleaning compound that would in no way damage any underlying surfaces which may have been paint- Jd, aluminum or metal sash, glass. upplemented by a special handblast gun, a hopper to hold the clean ing material, made extremely light and portable so that it could be moved from room to room. Exten sion air-rods that enable the oper ator to reach as high as 12 feet from the ground, all a complete unit that mechanized the cleaning job and, what is most important, did it much faster and at less cost than was possible by the old method. We are about to announce our new Cyclone Model WA-50 to the trade, telling them about this new way of clean-up. We have engineered it so that the air-demand can be ob tained from our standard Tex-Spray er compressor unit, or with the user's compressor if he has one. This unit requires only 25 lbs. pressure and a volume of 8 cubic feet of air. ------------- +-------------- THE NEW model 8-MP Gilson Mixer is designed for heavy duty plaster mixing operations; features 30" diameter drum--30" long; 8 hp Wisconsin engine; rubber seals on drum shaft; grit proof precision mix ing shaft bearings; roller chain drive; automotive type enclosed disc clutch; sealed gear reduction in oil; Timken bearing wheels; spring mounted axle; available with rubber blades ft//? r ON WINTER General Hospital at Topeka, Kansas, in charge of E. L. Thompson Company the Quikstir is shown in operation: 1. Robert Smith, mixer man and sup erintendent Ed Hopton 2. Hopton, Bill Reed of U. S. Gypsum, Smith 3. Merle Worman and Delmar Frost Quikstir Handy NCLUDED in the line of Quikstir, I Inc., of Port Clinton, Ohio, op erated by Thomas McRitchie is the popular Quikstir lime processing machine and a popular finish and texture spray machine. The Quikstir is a sturdy electric powered blender which operates blades much like an outboard motor propellor to process a bag full of lime in about 3 minutes; to perfectly mix all types of finish coats includ ing color materials and will serve up to 20 journeymen whitecoating. The apparatus is completely por table, weighing less than 50 pounds and may be used to mix in different barrels so one machine may do a variety of mixing jobs. The product is completely smooth, free from lumps and chunks and provides a better finish coat product than most plasterers feel can be blended in any other way. The Quikstir sells for anly $129.50 f.o.b. its makers. The Quikspray, selling at $289.50, is a machine for one man application of acoustical finish, texture and dash coat materials, quickly adjustable for either ceiling or wall work; contains more than 2 gallons of material in the easy-loading hopper; is sturdily constructed and very portable. The compressor operates from a switch built into the nozzle handle. SGP 0027083 17 -.ar.Kylnyq Glover & Azar Offer Machine ITH the introduction of machine W applied plaster, the plastering industry has a new toe-hold upon a greater market in existing plaster work, also creating an immense market in fields such as: Fireproof ing over steel columns, decks etc., roof deck application, spandrel wall construction and above all affording Sprayton Machine NNOUNCED recently was a new A mobile pneumatic masonry spray gun, the Sprayton, developed by the Sprayton Equipment Company of Detroit, Michigan. The pictures accompanying the photo of this machine demonstrate several important features of this equipment: 1. The ability to use very stiff mixes and as lean as 1:4. Even one inch thick plaster may be applied in a single coat if desired, and this is sprayed out at a nozzle flow rate of 250-300 square feet per minute. 2. Finish coat applications may be followed when properly cured out by spray application of colored coats SHOWING HOW stiff material may be, yet sprayable. In this case the nozzleman kept on spraying until this shape was built up. At this point it was stiff enough to cut with a trowel at such high rate that lap marks may be almost completely avoided. The machine will apply up to 3'/2 cubic ft. per minute; will mix and spray stucco and plaster; apply ce ment coatings and build concrete walls; pump insulating and roofing materials, etc. The Sprayton machine consists of a motor or engine-driven mixing tank and water tank which are assembled on a wheel mounted frame. SPRAYING A mix of 1:4 sand ce ment one inch thick in one pass REAR VIEW of trailer mounted gasoline powered Du-All showing easy accessibility of pump mecha nism the plastering contractors a chance to regain what was considered lost to them, the application of beautiful, uniformly applied texture of acousti cal plaster in place of acoustical tile. The proper use of machines for ap plication of plaster has met with complete approval from the modern architects and builders. Machine ap plication is the answer to clean, eco nomical and better class of work. Imagine the apprentice who starts working with tools that are strange to him. He is awkward, cannot work with the ease of the journeyman--he cannot produce at first. Given time he improves, he gains ease in hand ling his tools and then ultimately he produces work that is good and starts to earn money for his employer. The same holds true with experi enced journeymen who start to work 18 SGP 0027084  FRONT VIEW of trailer unit ma chine shows compactness with machines. At first they are the same as the apprentice--learning. Then with a little experience they start producing a cleaner, better type of work. The machine takes the place of back-breaking drudgery in apply ing material to the walls and ceil ings. It releases the plasterer full time to the "art of his skill"--pro ducing straight, true and even sur faces to which he and the industry as a whole can point with pride. A better job, well done and satis faction to all concerned is the result of machine applied plaster. The training of men to work with machines is comparatively easy. The sum and substance of training amounts to a short period of time to gain experience. Experience is by far the best teacher--coupled with competant demonstration of tech nique through the use of one key man employed in the machine crew. He should be familiar with the com plete operation, from set-up of scaf fold to the texture of mix. Due to misuse, negligence, also lack of complete knowledge, ma chine operations in the past have met with certain disappointments. We, of Glover & Azar Mfg. are endeavoring to correct this situation with the introduction of the new DuAll Plaster Machine. It's the answer to the question of most plastering contractors--when is the ideal ma chine going to be built? It is here! The Du-All is the machine that does everything--scratches, browns and finishes. It uses any aggregate, plus being able to handle pool finishes, grout, tile mortar and many other uses in a variety of fields in the con struction industry. We are doing our best to teach everyone the use of machine applied plaster. We are teaching a systematic method of proper machine use--also a complete course on maintenance of machine. All this free of charge. Maintenance of the Du-All neces sitates above all cleanliness--this lps avoid 90 percent of plaster maine holdups. Daily checking and maintenance of the machine is easily done by men on the job in less than 5 minutes. Dou-AII Machine MECHANIZATION < jrum iiage 9) the advantages of fracture resistance, sound transmission control and more durable finished plastering. And, the THE line of Blomgren and Com many ingenious types of clips are pany of Portland, Oregon, in the contributing greatly to better lathing field of mechanization consists of and plastering and increased mech three products; a sand plaster and anization of our industry. cement machine; a finishing machine Directly in the field of mechanized and a lath handling truck--all de lathing are the power assists for the veloped by plastering contractor preparation of lathing shapes and Clarence A. Blomgren. reinforcement. In this field come the The new Dou-All machine is com pletely self contained requiring no popular cornerite and strip proces ses--ingenious pieces of equipment other power or compressors and op which slit into convenient widths erates on a piston principle that is several strips of metal lath at once designed to pump straight sand and plaster or cement as well as light --and then bend them to the properangle for effective installation, or weight aggregates. leave them flat for field and open A slow moving large piston pump area reinforcing. Too, are the several (6 inch diameter by 15 inch stroke) pumps Vi cubic ft. of material in popular types of welded wire rein forcing, made on electronically con each direction of piston travel, tak trolled machines which receive coils ing in material on one side of the piston while discharging it on the of wire at one end and deliver a finished product at the other--ready other side, providing continuous flow for packaging. at the nozzle. Wear on working parts is reduced by the slow movement of Then there are power shears, pow er hacksaws, breaks and equipment the material piston and the hydrau for fashioning or repeating shapes lic pump and rotary vane air com pressor which supplied atomizing air in channel iron bracketing; for cut ting studs and base; for pre-fabing at the nozzle. On and off adjust ments are at the nozzle. The machine is easily moved about on the job or towed on the highway; its width is 34 inches; loading height 38 inches and cross bar shown in photo is for holding a width of metal lath baskets for column and beam fireproofing. And, more and more lathing and plastering con tracting firms are incorporating these important items in their equipment --to do a better job faster, more accurately and more economically. planks to charge wheelbarrow loads into its 8 cubic foot hopper. Approxi mate weight is 700 lbs., the machine comes equipped with 75 feet of ma terial and 75 feet of air hose, an aluminum nozzle 30 inches long and 4 stainless steel nozzle tips of various sizes. Output claimed for the machine is from 1 to 4 cu. ft. per minute and it can be stepped up for pumping roof deck materials, etc. Introduc tory price is $2995, f.o.b. Portland, Oregon. The finish machine offers high vol ume for acoustic, texture or stucco dash, instant control of on and off and pattern at nozzle; integral unit with 2Vi hp. gasoline engine and material tank. This machine is of fered for $695. The lath truck, developed by Blom gren, picks up 30 bundles of gypsum lath each trip; clears a 28 inch open ing; has hydraulic lift and may be used for any material handling prob lem. $245 f.o.b. Portland. Powder and spring-actuated stud drivers have become a handy tool in every contractor's kit in the lath ing and plastering craft--along with the many types and kinds of motor driven small tools such as power drills, power chippers and other use ful equipment to extend lathing and plastering's role and to lighten the hard and costly work of hand labor. And, now approved in many areas of the industry and enthusiastically accepted is the air driven stapling machine for the rapid and efficient attachment of lath by machine. These efficient, dependable guns quickly and securely attach the lath to the frame--save the bother and inconand open new opportunities for our industry to better meet its competi tion. Forerunner of this interesting equipment, of course, was the sta pling machine. Though introduced to the lathing and plastering craft less than ten years ago as a valuable and useful tool, its use is now uni versal and has completely changed the methods for application of back ing paper, stucco mesh, cornerite, strips and even beads and casings in many lathing and plastering shops. The handy stapling machine--either hand or hammer-operated, has been quickly absorbed in the industry's bag of mechanized tricks and is as familiar on our jobs today as the lather's hatchet or the plasterer's trowel. But, remember, less than 10 SGP 0027085 19 years ago it was virtually unknown as a tool of our craft. And, more recently and still in the development stage, are a number of experimental apparatuses for the power welding of lathing assemblies --even to the application of expand ed metal lath itself. While much of the development in this field is so new the equipment is not yet on the market, we warrant it will one day soon and when that day comes lath ing will be speeded still further-- attachments will be more dependable and other new vistas will open up for lathing and plastering. In the meantime, channel clips, pre-cut and straightened hangers and various other novel results of the age of mechanization are already available and being widely used in our in dustry. And, along with all this develop ment in tools, improved manufac- Power Wheelbarrows Prime Mover Bell Prime-Mover Corporation, Mus catine, Iowa Gar-Bro Gar-Bro Manufacturing Company, 2415 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles 21, California Towmotor Towmotor Company. 1225 E. 152nd, Cleveland 10, Ohio Merry Mover Merry Manufacturing Company, P. O. Box 1835, Seattle 11, Wash ington Workhorse Worthington Mower Company, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania PRIME MOVER is especially adapt able to interior and multiple story work because it will go up steep inclines and carry a full 3Aton load; it is short enough (64 inches) to fit on standard hoists and elevators and is narrow en ough (31V2 inches) to go through stand ard doorway. Safe ty and sure controls are also inherent in a walking type pow ered cart. Manufacturers are Bell Prime-Mover Com pany, Muscatine, Iowa turing techniques, quality control and better packaging has resulted in more dependable basic materials of our craft to extend the oppor tunity still further along with the development in mechanical ap paratus for lathing and plastering. HOISTS, HANDLERS And, then there is the vast field of mechanized handling equipment to streamline the mechanization of our industry and keep pace with the rapid advance which has been made in the application of our products themselves. Power hoists are almost as com mon on most lathing and plastering jobs today as the power mixer. From the simple electrically operated, chain-driven hoist which will quick ly and tirelessly lift a wheelbarrow or a load of material from the ground to the working area, to the mechani cally operated hoisting tower or elevator -- this equipment goes through a wide range of types and sizes. One piece of equipment, pic tured in this article, may be driven, like a truck, flat to the job and then, at the press of a switch, elevated into vertical position to serve a threestory or higher building direct from the ground. A material bucket, which is an integral part of the device, then carries the plaster from the mixer to the working area. One of the plaster mixer manufac turers, Anchor Manufacturing Com pany, this year offered a unique hoist which operates integrally with the Anchor plaster mixer, to receive the plaster from the mixer, elevate it to the plastering machine, dump its load and return for another batch-- all automatically and driven from the same power that operates the mixer. Hoists Albina Albina Engine ff orks, 2100 N. Al bina, Portland 12, Oregon Anchor Anchor Manufacturing Company, 2900 West 26th, Chicago 23, Illinois Handiwinch American Hoist and Derrick Com pany, St. Paul 1, Minnesota King Hoist King Manufacturing Company, 3140 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois Lad-E-Vator Campbell Equipment Company, 2122 N. Menard, Chicago 39, Illinois OK O K Clutch and Machinery, Colum bia, Pennsylvania Pelican Buck Equipment Corporation, 720 Anderson Ferry Road, Cincin nati 38, Ohio Lift-Rite Howard Rose Industries, 1628 N. Columbia Blvd., Portland 17, Oregon Power Wheelbarrow (pictured): The `"Merry Mover" is an extremely versatile, lightweight, economical and efficient power wheelbarrow re cently put on the market. The basic Merry Mover comes equipped with a 25-inch long flat bed and thus may be used for hauling lath, plaster and other materials as well as with a wheelbarrow tub for mortar trans portation. Will go through 24-inch opening and comes equipped with up to 3-hp motor, all-steel welded frame, finger-tip clutch control, ad justable finger-tip brake control, re coil starter, and pneumatic tires. Na tional distributors--Gwin, White & Prince, Inc., Skinner Building, Se attle 1, Washington; Manufacturers --Merry Mfg. Company, Box 698, Edmonds, Washington. 20 SGP 0027086