Centering fabric on the drum. The fabric layer is slipped onto the drum, layer upon layer, by the use of a rod forced between the last layer applied and the one being applied while the wheel is spinning. This rod stretches the new fabric sufficiently to permit the loop to fit snugly in place--clear on the carcass. After the fabric is in approximate position, the tire builder checks it for accuracy by stopping the wheel, bending the overhanging edges over to see that they each overhang the same distance. Firestone (General Tires), Akron, Ohio