FIG. 30a. THE TUEC SCHOOL TOOL.
A renovator ([Fig. 30a]) of unusual interest has recently been developed by The United Electric Company, known as the Tuec school tool. This is a bare floor tool open at both ends. It is made telescopic and is mounted on three wheels fitted with spring-actuated guide rails which are adjustable to the exact distance between the legs of school desks. A turbine motor, operated by the air passing through the renovator, is arranged to drive two of the wheels by means of worm gear and clutch.
In operation the tool is placed opposite the front of a row of desks. The clutch engaged on the turbine propels the tool through the space between the desk legs to the rear of the room. When the tool strikes the wall at the rear of the room, the clutch is disengaged and it is pulled back by drawing in the hose. The spring-actuated guides cause the cleaning slot to lengthen when passing between the desk legs thereby cleaning these spaces. The tool is then sent up the aisle, the wheels being set so that it hugs the left side of the aisle when going up and the right side when pulled back. The use of this form of tool should result in considerable saving of time in cleaning school rooms. Unfortunately, it cannot be operated where pedestal stools are used.
For use in cleaning walls, ceilings, and other flat surfaces of similar character, the bristle brush is practically the only form of renovator used.
Rubber skirting cannot be used on these brushes as it is too harsh for the easily-marred surfaces encountered by this renovator, and cotton flannel or a very soft grade of felt takes the place thereof. This change in the material used for skirting results in a greater short-circuiting of the air into the cleaner without coming into intimate contact with the surface cleaned than occurs when used with rubber or hard felt on bare floors.
As the material to be removed from surfaces of this character is very light dust, which has simply settled on the surface and is not ground in, it is very easy to dislodge. When a bristle brush, with a small volume of air passing through same, is used to remove this material, a greater portion thereof is pushed off the projections and other points of lodgment and falls to the floor from whence it must be removed by a second operation, using a floor renovator. In fact, the use of an ordinary bristle brush, followed by the use of a floor renovator, will give almost as good results as the use of a bristle wall brush with a small quantity of air passing. However, with a large quantity of air passing into the renovator, this light surface dust will all be picked up by the rapidly-moving air current and effective cleaning can be accomplished without the renovator coming into direct contact with the surface to be cleaned.
The author considers that a different form of renovator is necessary to effectively clean walls, ceilings and similar flat surfaces, with a small quantity of air passing and would recommend the use of some form of renovator having a cleaning face composed of cotton flannel or some other soft substance which could be moved over the surface cleaned, in intimate contact therewith and without damage thereto. With the soft, open fibre of the substance necessary to be used as a working surface, sufficient air would enter the renovator without resorting to the use of inrush slots or openings and much better results would be obtained. No such renovator has been designed for this purpose to date, for what reason the author does not know, and until some such renovator is produced a large volume of air will be necessary for cleaning this kind of surfaces.
FIG. 31. ROUND BRISTLE BRUSH FOR CARVED OR OTHER RELIEF WORK.
An illustration of this defect in the wall brush was brought to the author’s attention recently in watching a gang of laborers cleaning the walls in the U. S. Treasury Building. They had at their disposal a portable cleaner of the most efficient type, but in lieu of using the wall brush provided with same, they were rubbing off the walls with a cloth mop which had been soaked in oil, then air-dried, known as the “dustless duster.” This was mounted on the end of a pole. The workmen frequently cleaned this duster with the vacuum cleaner hose without any renovator attached thereto. This cleaner, with brush in use, passed approximately 30 cu. ft. of free air per minute. It is evident that these laborers had learned by experience that it was practically useless to try to remove dust from the walls by the direct application of the wall brush to surfaces and were undoubtedly accomplishing much better results in the roundabout way they had of necessity adopted.