[TR] 3 questions

[John Macartney]

Hi, Don,

I agree that it wouldnt take a number ten size hat to find an alternative glue, even that long ago. What you’ve overlooked is the wildcard aka The Purchase Department and its ‘procedures’. It was purchasing who were eventually identified as the culprits for screwing up Stag by specifying unsuitable aluminium for the cylinder heads, specifying an unsuitable water pump and then specifying an unsuitable radiator - all on the grounds of unit cost. Those who ran that department would have made first class ice hockey players as they passed the buck so quickly, no-one knew where it was hidden. Against that background, two years to find and specify an alternative glue was pretty quick! 
Going back to Stag and it’s faults, those responsible were allegedly sacked, but curiously two or three key players wound up in the Purchase Dept at BL Austin Morris where they had the latitude and even more scope for screwing things up in the volume car division of which MG was an integral part, while others joined Ford Europe! How did they get there without being sussed? No idea, but they probably drank in the same pub and a lot of BL people were Freemasons as well, so anything could happen and in my experience, often did.

Jonmac

Sent from a piece of electronic papyrus I found in King Tut’s tomb

> On 31 Dec 2022, at 15:49, Don Hiscock <don.hiscock at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> John, what another useful recollection!
> 
> So the process was indeed what it always looked like -- sort of a manual version of the molded pulp pieces used in packaging (especially egg cartons).  
> 
> It's not at all obvious why it took them two years to find an alternative to isinglass (glue made from fish swim bladders).  Seems even in those days that would have been about a week's work given the material choices available (casein/milk protein, soya protein, synthetic latex/SBR/PVaC/acrylic, polyvinyl alcohol/PVOH, and probably a half dozen more.  If they'd come to my lab -- even in the late 1970s, when I was starting in polymer science and technology, this woulda been a doddle.
> 
> But then, for Prestfibre to be using that process at all indicates that they weren't a leading-edge-of-change group.
> 
> Keep those stories coming.  And Happy New Year!
> 
> -- Don
> 
>> On Sat, Dec 31, 2022 at 7:08 AM John Macartney <johnbmacartney at gmx.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I have very vivid memories at age 16 of going with my Dad to a UK company called Prestfibre and watching the tunnels and instrument panels for Herald and TR being made. 
>> The solution of mashed paper, cardboard was spread over a male former made of perforated zinc and then the ‘goop’ was covered by another inside shape former to which pressure and heat was applied. Thirty seconds later a sort of tunnel or panel was pulled off the inner former and placed in a pile alongside to cool. What stands out most in my memory was the stink of raw fish as fish glue formed a large part of the ‘goop’ mixture. Unfortunately the fish odour lingered around each assembly for many months and made the cars in which they were later fitted to stink of fish as well!
>> It took a very long time - at least two years - for Prestfibre to find an alternative glue whi ch didn’t stink of fish and while the cars themselves no longer smelled of fish, the durability of those ‘goop’ fabricated items were by no means as long lasting. I guess that’s why y’all are considering alternatives?
>> 
>> Jonmac
>> 
>> Sent from a piece of electronic papyrus I found in King Tut’s tomb
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