text: a method of manufacturing rust - proof , leak - proof and air - impervious tire rims in accordance with this invention will be described hereinafter , but reference is first made to fig1 and 2 of the drawings in which is illustrated a metallic tire rim 10 . the tire rim 10 is formed of two generally identical rim bodies 11 , 12 having respective beads 13 , 14 and circular openings 15 , 16 , respectively . the rim bodies 11 , 12 are generally of an annular configuration and include respective annular walls 17 , 18 in abutting relationship to each other . a tubular sleeve 20 is received in the openings 15 , 16 and serves as a support for an associated drive shaft ( not shown ). the rim body 12 also includes a circular opening 21 for an air valve / air valve body v , which will be described more fully hereinafter relative to fig5 of the drawings . three exterior circumferential welds 22 through 24 retain the three elements of the rim 10 in rigid relationship to each other . the weld 22 is an exterior circumferential weld generally at the radially outermost inner face ( unnumbered ) of the annular walls 17 , 18 , while the welds 23 , 24 are also complete circumferential welds uniting radially innermost portions ( unnumbered ) of the annular walls 17 , 18 to the tube or tubular sleeve 20 . the metallic rim 10 in the preferred embodiment of the invention is specifically designed for utilization with a relatively small riding - type garden tractor , but in accordance with the present invention the rim 10 could as well be a larger passenger - type automotive metallic rim , a tractor - trailer rim or still larger rims of the type utilized in large earth - moving equipment . furthermore , while the preferred embodiment of the invention is particularly adapted to rendering a multi - piece rim rust - proof , leak - proof and air - impervious , including the walls thereof , the invention is equally applicable to a one - piece rim , be it sheet metal or cast metal . thus , irrespective of the specifics of the preferred embodiment of the rim 10 heretofore set forth , the method to be described hereinafter seeks to prevent air leakage between any tire and an associated rim and through any rim , one - piece or multi - piece including leakage past a seal created in accordance with the method between the rim bead and the associated tire bead and a valve rim opening and an associated valve body . furthermore , the invention is equally applicable to new and / or used rims , although the latter presents additional problems , as , for example , excessive dirt , wear , rust , nicks , dents , etc . which tend to create a rim more susceptible to leakage than a new relatively unabused rim . reference is now made to fig6 of the drawings which illustrates a novel apparatus 50 in keeping with which the preferred method of the present invention is performed . the apparatus 50 includes conveyor means in the form of a generally horizontally disposed roller conveyor 51 formed of a plurality of rollers 52 upon which is supported a relatively shallow wire basket 55 . several of the rims 10 of fig1 and 2 are shown supported upon the basket 55 upon the peripheral beads 13 , 14 thereof . if for some reason it is desired not to coat the interior of the tubes 20 , the latter are preferably closed at each axially end by conventional plugs p ( fig2 ) which can be removed at the completion of the cleaning / coating method . obviously , many rims , such as automotive and tractor - trailer rims , need not be plugged . furthermore , the size of the basket 55 and the number of rims 10 which can be accommodated thereupon can vary , and in the case of tractor - trailer - type rims , the basket is preferably sized to accommodate a total of six rims standing on edge , although with the smaller garden riding tractor rims 10 , the basket 55 could accommodate upwards of two to three dozen rims dependent upon , of course , the through - put of the overall apparatus 50 . the apparatus 50 further includes a relatively large rectangular dip tank 60 containing a liquid bath b of a cleaning / derusting solution to be described more specifically hereinafter . an upper level l of the bath b is slightly below an upper edge 61 of the tank 60 . a platform 62 can be elevated and lowered by conventional hydraulic cylinders 63 between an uppermost position at which the platform 62 is essentially horizontally aligned with the rollers 52 and a lower position at which the basket 55 and the rims 10 therein are totally immersed in the bath b . preferably the platform 62 also has a plurality of horizontal or ball rollers ( not shown ) so that the basket 55 can eventually be readily removed therefrom by a rolling action toward another ball or roller conveyor 70 after the cleaned , degreased , and derusted rims have been rinsed by a spray s of cold water from a conventional hand - held nozzle n connected to a suitable hose h . as will be seen hereinafter , the cleaning solution of the bath b is heated ( approximately 200 °- 210 ° f .) and attendant vaporization is balanced by the cold water from the spray s returning into the bath b in the tank 60 during the rinsing operation . the rims 10 are essentially maintained totally immersed in the cleaning solution of the bath b for approximately 10 - 30 minutes , elevated therefrom , rinsed by the cold water spray s , transferred along the conveyor 70 and subsequently positioned along with the basket 55 atop another platform 82 of a coating tank 80 containing a bath b1 of a coating solution having an upper level l1 . the platform 82 can be lowered and elevated through a conventional set of hydraulic cylinders 83 , and when totally immersed , the rims 10 are entirely coated with the coating solution of the bath b1 . after a predetermined time period of immersion in the bath 80 , for example 160 seconds , the platform 82 is elevated until it is generally horizontal to the conveyor 70 and a take - away conveyor 90 , and the basket 55 is simply rolled to the right along ball or roller conveyors of the platform 82 . while upon the roller conveyor 90 , the coating c ( fig3 ) upon each of the rims 10 can dry under ambient condition or through conventional heat lamps 95 . excess coating solution which drips from the rims 10 , the basket 55 and the conveyor 90 can be caught in a catch tank ( not shown ) and simply returned to the tank 80 . thereafter the coated rims 10 are removed from the basket 55 and any areas thereof which may not have been coated while in the tank 80 , such as minor areas of the lower peripheral beads 13 , 14 which rested upon wires of the basket 55 , are then hand - coated with the coating solution of the bath b1 by a manual operation through utilization of a paint brush pb whose bristles , obviously , have been immersed in the coating solution of the tank 80 and applied to any uncoated areas of the rims 10 . reference is now made to fig3 which illustrates the manner in which the coating c is totally applied to the entire exterior of the rim 10 , thus assuring that when a tire t ( fig4 ) is placed thereupon in bead - to - bead contact and inflated , none of the air can escape . more specifically , the coating c forms a resilient air - impervious , rust - proof and leak - proof coating of the entire rim 10 , but particularly portions c13 , c14 at the beads 13 , 14 , a portion c22 at the weld 22 , portions c23 and c24 at the welds 23 , 24 , respectively , and a portion c21 at the valve opening 21 . in this fashion the coating portions c13 , c14 form resilient air - impervious seals between the beads 13 , 14 of the rim 10 and the beads bt of the associated tire t ( fig4 ). likewise , the resilient polymeric coating portion c21 also forms a resilient air - impervious leak - proof seal between the body v of an associated conventional valve and its sealing / securing flanges f1 , f2 ( fig5 ). finally , any imperfections , breaks , irregularities , discontinuities and / or the porosity of the welds 22 - 24 is effectively sealed by the peripheral impervious polymeric coating c22 - c24 , respectively . in this fashion , the eventual entirely coated rim 10 of fig3 is most assuredly capable of preventing leakage of air in any fashion from the interior of the tire t , and is also assured of being totally protected against exterior and interior environmental attack , the latter being created simply by the moisture in the internal air which normally would cause the rim to rust interiorly in a conventional metallic rim which is , of course , precluded by the total coating c . furthermore , any defects , such as nicks , scratches , dents or the like which are often found in the beads 13 , 14 of used rims , particularly in association with retread tires , are totally covered by the coating c , particularly by the coated portions c13 and c14 , thus , basically creating smooth , continuous sealing surfaces from otherwise discontinuous surfaces . in accordance with the apparatus 50 just described and the method associated therewith , the following represents the preferred formulations for the cleaning / derusting solution b of the tank 60 and the coating solution b1 of the coating tank 80 . the cleaning / derusting solution b is a heated bath of water , caustic alkalies , sequestrants , and surfactants maintained at a temperature range of generally between 200 °- 210 ° f ., during which the rims 10 are immersed for between 10 - 30 minutes , although 15 minutes is normally sufficient for virtually any size or shape rim , including the preferred embodiment rim 10 . one such cleaning solution is manufactured and sold by magnus , a division of economics laboratory , inc ., osborn building , st . paul , minn . 55102 under the name &# 34 ; magnus 61 - drx &# 34 ;. the latter is a powdered blend of caustic alkalies , sequestrants , and surfactants in a white granular powder which is added at the rate of 1 to 11 / 2 pounds ( 12 - 18 %) per gallon of cool water while stirring or agitating the solution until complete dissolving is accomplished . the ph 1 % solution is 13 typical and preferably the heating is accomplished through the use of stainless steel heating coils . the use of mechanical agitation will decrease the amount of time required to clean , derust , and , if painted , strip any paint thereon . ( after draining and rinsing , a suitable rust preventitive could be utilized , particularly for in - plant storage , such as magnus 26n or 1073 , available from the latter corporation .) the formulation for the coating solution bath b1 is formed of the following components and proportions : ______________________________________a . 119 lb . 76 resin 1018 82 . 35 % 12 oz . colloids 681f . 52 % b . 11 oz . aqua ammonia . 48 % 16 oz . water . 69 % c . 13 oz . anti - rust mixture . 56 % 5 . 9 oz . surfynol 104 surfactant . 25 % 112 oz . ethylene glycol butyl ether 4 . 84 % d . 105 . 6 oz . methyl alcohol 4 . 57 % 132 . 8 oz . water 5 . 74 % ______________________________________ component a is first thoroughly mixed with high sheer agitation and components b , c and d are all individually thoroughly premixed . after premixing , component b is added to component a with high sheer agitation followed by the addition of premix c , again with high sheer agitation , followed by the addition of component d , again with high sheer agitation . when the rims are dip - coated in the bath b1 , as described earlier , a coating of approximately 1 - 3 mm is obtained , and preferably a coating of a total thickness of 2 mm is preferable . the latter is effected during immersion of approximately 160 seconds . the 76 resin 1018 is a trademark of union chemicals division , union oil company of california , 1900 east gulf road , schaumburg , ill . 60195 . this resin is a styrene - acrylate copolymer which is a milky fluid , dilutable in water , and having a boiling point of approximately 212 ° f . ( 100 ° c .). additives include trace amounts of formaldehyde , surfactant , ammonia and the residule acrylamide , acrylate and styrene . colloid 681f is the tradename of a liquid anti - foam available from colloids , inc . 394 frelinghuysen avenue , newark , n . j . 07114 . typical properties include : ______________________________________appearance : off - white , opaque liquidph ( 5 % dispersion ) @ 25 ° c . : 5 . 5specific gravity @ 25 ° c . : 0 . 88viscosity @ 25 ° c . ; cps : 300pour point , ° c . : - 17 ° c . flash point ( pmcc ); ° c . : 179______________________________________ brookfield lvf , # 2 spindle @ 60 rpm . aqua ammonia ( ammonia hydroxide -- nh 4 ch ) is available from occidental chemical corporation , occidental chemical center , 360 rainbow boulevard , south , box 728 , niagara falls , n . y ., 14302 . typical physical data and ingredients are as follows : ______________________________________boiling point ( at latm - 29 . 4 % specific gravity ( 25 % solution ) solution ) 27 ° c . 0 . 91 ( 7 . 6 lbs / gal ) melting point ph - 98 . 3 ° f . 14solubility in water vapor pressure ( mm hg 20 ° c .) soluble at all concentrations 390appearance and color vapor density ( air = 1 ) clear , colorless liquid with a 0 . 6pungent odor______________________________________ ______________________________________percent threshold limit values______________________________________nh . sub . 3 24 . 5 - 25 . 5 the tlv ® limits established by acgih ( 1984 - 85 ) are : twa stel 25 ppm 35 ppm 18 mg / m . sup . 3 27 mg / m . sup . 3water 74 . 5 - 75 . 5 not applicable______________________________________ the anti - rust mixture is formed from a 128 oz . water , 36 gram sodium nitrate and 11 . 5 oz . sodium benzioate . surfynol is a registered trademark of air products and chemicals , inc ., box 538 , allentown , pa 18105 , and it is a proprietary mixture of the latter containing 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 , tetramethyl - 5 - decyne - 4 , 7 - diol ( tmdd ) and 2 - butoxyethanol ( butyl cellosolve ) ( tmdd - c 14 h 26 o 2 ; 2 - butoxyethanol - c 6 h 14 o 2 ) typical physical data includes : ______________________________________apearance clear , pale yellow liquidodor mild , methol - likeboiling point 11 ° c . at 100 mm hgspecific gravity ( h . sub . 2 o = 1 ) 0 . 903 @ 25 ° c . solubility in water & lt ; 1 % vapor pressure 11 mm hg @ 25 ° c . ______________________________________ ethylene glycol butyl ether is available from dow chemical u . s . a ., midland , mich . 48674 under the registered trademark &# 34 ; dowanol &# 34 ; having the following physical data : ______________________________________boiling point : 340 f . vap press : 0 . 88 mm hg @ 25 c . vap density : 4 . 10sol . in water : infinitelysp . gravity : . 897 @ 25 / 25 c . appearance : water white liquidodor : ether - like odor______________________________________ methyl alcohol ( methanol ) is readily available commercially ( e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., wilmington , del . 19898 . when the latter - described solution has been applied to and dried upon the rims 10 , the appearance is virtually perfectly clear and transparent and at a thickness ranging from 1 - 3 mm , is quite resilient and , thus , acceptable for intimate contact and air - impervious sealing with the associated tire t , the beads tb , and the valve v . in situations in which it is also desired to &# 34 ; paint &# 34 ; the rim 10 , a pigmented formulation of the cleaning solution b is obtained from the following formulation : ______________________________________a . 2224 . 00 oz . 76 resin 1018 75 . 23 % 5 : 72 oz . colloids 681f . 19 % b . 305 . 40 oz . water 10 . 33 % 11 . 60 oz . aqua ammonia . 39 % c . 10 . 75 oz . potassium tri poly phosphate . 36 % d . 7 . 00 oz surfynol 104bc surfactant . 24 % 119 . 00 oz . ethylene clycol butyl ether 4 . 02 % 21 . 00 oz . anti rust mixture . 71 % e . 8 . 00 oz . dowicil 75 bactacide . 27 % 16 . 00 oz . water . 54 % f . 95 . 00 oz . methyl alcohol 3 . 21 % 132 . 80 oz water 4 . 49 % ______________________________________ component a is again mixed with high sheer agitation and premixed component b is then added to component a with high sheer agitation . component c is also added to the latter admixture under high sheer agitation . thereafter 12 to 50 pounds of dry titanium dioxide is added with high sheer agitation until a minimum of ° 7 on the hageman gauge is attained . color pigment is added ( 10 oz . to 50 oz . ), as required to obtain the pigmentation desired . premixed components d , e and f are then successively added one at a time to the latter admixture in succession , all with high sheer agitation . in this case the characteristics remain the same as the first - described solution b , except , of course , the same is pigmented rather than being clear , but all remaining characteristics are the same . although in a preferred embodiment of the invention as has been specifically illustrated and described herein , it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined in the appended claims .