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Show and Disassfembly Flay; iWRol QeaBiinf Indispensable Job Cleaning Parts Performed by Women Where The Dirt an d Grease Come Off By Larry Evans - V According to engine repair section officials there is no more important job in the entire maintenance division than that performed by upwards of 275 workers in the cleaning and disassembly branch. It's a hard job; it's a dirty job; but it's an absolutely indispensable job if the engines for American warplanes are to be overhauled satisfactorily. , , if VJ ' About 40 per cent of the workers in the branch are women, but that hasn't impeded production any. In January of 1943,' 225 engines were handled in tho branch, Last January the figure was more than ' doubled. - . General branch foreman is energetic Parley P. Baker, former Utah e writer of a automobile salesman, mechanic, and newspaper column on proper automobile care. Assistant general foremen working with Baker are M. E. Walter and Howard W.Getz. Foremen of disassembly are Everett Harris and " Lamont A. Anderson. . Foremen of cleaning are Glen F." Gergens and either side by a row of cleaning booths. The din is terrific. John Boyle. At each booth a girl is busy Crew chiefs are Eulus Halzjup, ' an engine part with some spraying Howard Joshua Ashton, Bivlns, kind of chemical admixture. Men Norman Hemmen, Hubert Hay-war- move about lifting heavy parts Frank R. Beecher, a that are too much for the girls to Pueblo Indian and handle. At first glance it looks Frank Hopkins, Omar like a welter of confusion, but a Holland, Al Pankoski, Melvin K. closer look will reveal no waste movement. All around, like a Hughes and Roy Ingram. Baker makes it a .point to know smoke pall hanging over a city, his employes and .vice versa. A the roar of the engine repair short time ago an employe in the building hangs over the noise of department walked up to him. He pressure cleaning guns, 'Wheat was trembling and there were blasting, overhead cranes moving .. tears in his eyes. about, water hoses washing out "Mr. Baker," he said, Tve got acid baths. to leave right away. I just heard Not Office Work my kid's only given an hour and from the staccato a half to live unless I can get a ofIt's a far cryand the blur of oftypewriters blood donor with the right type." Baker asked him what type of fice conversation. You wonder blood was needed and the man how they can stand up under it all told him. Without a moment's day long. But they do. There are of course, when someone hesitation he hurried over to an times, other side of his department and will get discouraged, want to quit. Sometimes they're afraid of fumes. approached one of his workers. But if that's the real reason, 'Jim," he said, . "you have type Foreman Baker has an answer. A blood, don't you?" Jim said will tell He them that the induson "C'mon then, you're going yes. a trip to the hospital and save a trial medical dispensary here plus U. S. Bureau of Health have young kid's life." And the life the both given the department a clean was saved. bill of health. In fact, the safety Start New Workers here said that as far The disassembly of an engine af- department as it has been able to ascertain, fords the new man an excellent op- this branch has the most perfect portunity to see what makes it and complete apparatus tick. For this reason all new in the entire ASC And that's workers are started out in Baker's something. There are no toxic branch. Disassembling and clean- fumes in the disassembly and ing huge airplane engines covered cleaning branch. with grease, carbon and other Speaking of workers not liking aediment is a dirty job. But no- the work, the foreman tells this body knows that better than the incident. One day an employe branch foreman. came to him and said he had come All the paint, carbon, grease and to Hill Field solely to aid in the other foreign matter that accumu- war effort. He said he understood lates on engines during flight must that sweeping and mopping floors be removed before an accurate job was the most undesirable type of of inspection can be done. A small work to new employes just entercrack or even a tiny scratch might ing the branch, then added, "I gum up the operation of certain would like to be assigned to that precision bearings and thus cause work permanently." an engine failure, perhaps in He was, and is now supervisor over enemy territory. flight over all such work in the engine If the parts are not scrupulous- repair building. ' ly, perfectly clean, inspectors Several workers in the branch would be apt to miss these dan- are physically ' handicapped, but gerous flaws. And if that happens, they're . here to do their bit, and it mlrht h hint- tnn hail for Pilot they re doing it in enviable fashion. Tnhnvtw Tnna an1 tils BtltlM nMlv Awards for Ideas This business of cleaning parts Workers are continually popping requires the use of various chemi- up with new suggestions for imcals. The chemicals don't smell proving technique, speeding up the like "Evening in Paris", Thrilli- line, or for a new type of tool. ng", or "Love Me Tonight". Many of them have already reRight in the center of all the ceived cash awards. noise of the branch is an aisle No one need wait around for about 30 feet long, flanked on permission to try out a new tech- all-rou- nd one-tim- ; d, full-blood- . well-educat- ed ed, de-fumi- ng . . w Men From Mars dl Cca ........ ,. ,. tm Is This one bad. of . . noise . the Is dirtiest But the HERE pretty THEY CLEAN 'EM UP jobs in the maintenance division but one that is indispensable to the. complete repair of aircraft engines which is at least one consolation these SO to 85 men and women have.. All engine parts are cleaned either with booths. Parts too dirty to be cleaned pressure spray guns or in open solvent tanks between the spray or If they don't uncover the flaws in the parts the inspehere are either sand-blastctors will miss them which would result disastrously for the pilot. , wheat-blaste- ed d. - nique or tool. Only last week Hu bert Hayward, Wright engine crew chief, devised a unique pair of pliers for removing cotterpins. Go ahead and try it, said Baker. The tool has resulted in a saving of several seconds for each pin On the morning- your reporter was visiting the department James r, C. Anderson, told Baker he had a new idea for saving sand. , He would pour used sand, sand that had lost most of its abrasive quality, back into new sand. He demonstrated on the spot and actually succeeded in getting a better finish on the parts blasted. Over a year s time tnis will mean a tremendous saving. Incidentally, sand from the garnet stone was introduced in the department some time ago. This sand contains no silica dust and therefore affords no danger of silicosis. from Anderson, a way back, can clean a valve, the only engine part cleaned by sand blasting, as slick as anything. The job requires an expert because if the shaft of the valve is touched by the sand, it is ruined. When an engine first comes to engine repair for overhaul the cleaning disassembly branch gets it first. In the receiving: area the article Is inspected, routed as to type of work, cause of overhaul, is cleaned and then prepared for disassembly. There's not one of those workers who are not thrilled when they see engines they know have just come from the battle areas. In disassembly the engine .is completely dismantled and each part tagged so as, to place it back on the same engine in final as- Who's Seeing Double This Time v - A ' - sand-blaste- sand-blast- er J -- L ... Still, NOW LAY OFF THAT TRICK PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF it's just twice as pretty that way, only this picture, incidentally, if not a trick. The above lassies, left to right, are Lyel Hansen and Loel Carlson (Mrs.), identical twins, busy disassembling a Frstt Whitney airplane engine. Here four months now, they remove push-ro- d housings, head baffles, tag cylinders and cut safety wire all with equal facility. If it matters, they're general mechanic pub-rod- s, helpers in the disassembly unit. Look The Field Over sembly. In the cleaning unit, individual parts are degreased, the carbon removed with any other foreign matter. Large acid tanks receive huge trays of parts for immersion. Magnesium and aluminum parts BRIGADIER GENERAL C H. Ridenour . . . Beeenfly appointed asare cleaned by sistant to Major General Clements MeMuUen, ASC maintenance Use Utah Wheat chief, inspected OASC facilities hen last week. Shown show, , As far as is known. OASC is thm vision left to right: CoL Paul W. Wolf, OASC supply head; Gen. Mdenooiv only installation using Herman, OASC eomandlng general, and CoL rssi hard wheat. This wheat Brig. Gen; Morris m mainriiiiwuiwi vr. taannif, cam. arrows in this climate. 8unmn to first started using a grain blast for cleaning engine parts. Wheat-blastelook like men from Mars in their oxvsren "hel mets which they must wear when working in the blasting compartment. Some of them look n if they just emerged from a hill of To all military and civilian personnel: A- -l flour. But they don't seem to mind the work. .One consolation As you know, I have just returned from an elghteen-thoussthey doubtless have is that they're mile journey through the Pacific theatres of operations. I thougin doing a plenty imnortant lob. it would Interest you to know that I found supplies of all Baker says the greatest thrill he from Hill Field in those theatres. ever had was the day In April, I was proud to learn that these supplies had, in almost every 4 1942, when the first took off arrived in good condition, on time, and In uff,c.,f": Instance, from here with engines repaired in quantities for our fighting men to carry out every operation ns the engine repair V has been planned. building. Employes in the branch sad Island The Solomon Marshall New the Islands, Guinea, take pride in the knowledge that the Admiralties are just spots of color on a global map to as far as they're concerned every us, and it Is hard to visualise the connection between those pis" rour m. at p. aay engines and Hill Field. But if you could have been with me, and for a formation of enough bombers heavy have seen the tons of material will have been cleaned and ready organisations at these pis" now are receiving from OASC, and that If you could have observed ior action. our vital and necessary these supplies are to our men and Improved methods of Hninr urnrlr who are fighting a determined have greatly aided in the work and vicious enemy to the very I know death, there one Is women have been able to do. For not of you who would fail to give very bet every minute of the day. . instance, it formerly took three The superior weapons, planes aad supplies you are furnil,'Z men 00 minutes to remove the to our gallant fighters help them win battles victories that sr prop shaft reduction driving gear. Now one woman can do It In gradually forcing the enemy, who aspired to world domlnaM back to his own land. seven. This sort of thlnr ha. han eve You have been doing pened time and again throughout great Job. Let us resolve to do ansnon-ebetter one to the end the In the department that final victory may be ours possible time. People in the disassembly and MORRIS HERMAN, vicamng orancn reel they're mak General, mg an additional, sacrifice in Brigadier . . Woplriniv In Commanding. wheat-blastin- g. Utah-Canadi- an Berman Lauds Steady Flow Of OASC Paciiic Supplies rs wl B-2- 0 A ..,...,.... -- . I ; , l ' Mr ... THE LAST TIME I'LL EAT PIE Before retiring. re couP' and cleaning employe, absorbed in the important Job of some cylinders from a Wright engine. They'll do Howard, of ISO eyiliiders a day. Left to right are Nolan Jensen, enaine r, and Jack Georgel!, Junior TI1AT-- 8 IkiI whemt-M-.tT- sand-blaste- sand-blaste- r" - n., newly-complet- ed m" st |