From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter detailing a list of defects found on a supplied shutter set and returning it as unfit for purpose.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 150\3\ scan0279 | |
| Date | 15th December 1937 | |
| -2- not even filled with solder - the only attachment being about 1/16" of solder at the edge of the tab. (4) The rivetting of the shutter tabs to the top support plate has been carried out so brutally that depressions have been formed around each rivet. (5) One of the end shutters has the plating worn through, while the centre shutters have been filed to clear the starting handle support after plating, having bare brass exposed. (6) The gaps between individual shutters vary so much that it is unnecessary to measure them and thevariation is immediately obvious to the eye of the casual observer. We are returning this shutter set to you because in its present state it is useless to us. It is not fit to be put on a car and is useless for the purpose for which it was ordered, i.e. to serve as a prototype of the production article. We should like to know definitely whether you can make this set into a presentable job (at present we have not got a single shutter set which is fit to be used to illustrate what will be fitted to the next series Bentley). If you are incapable of doing this, then presumably it will be inadvisable to spend any further time or money on this shutter set. We must again warn you, however, that when in production with this assembly any set which does not comply with the specification, limits, details etc. shown on our drawing EB.3416 will be immediately returned to yourselves for correction. We realise of course, that you will argue that this set is hand made and that a better standard should be obtained when tooled up for the job. We do not see, however, that lack of tools prevents holes being correctly marked out and shutters and stiffener strips correctly shaped. A further point which we wish to raise is design of stiffener and contour of shutter section. Our designers here have been drawing a similar dummy shutter set up for the new Bentley radiator, as you are aware, and have worked to the section shown (twice full size) on your drawing A.97 (with the correction of the specified .025 gap between the turn over and the vane). | ||