Abstract: An improved bead setter for mounting on a retractable bead setter carrier ring of a tire building drum for carrying a steel tire bead from a load position to a pickup position on the drum where the bead is coaxial and radially aligned with radially expanding bead locks. The bead setter has a holder which is secured to the ring and has a finger which is slidably pivotally mounted in a cutout formed in the holder. A spring biases the finger to an at-rest outwardly extending bead gripping position. One or more permanent magnets are mounted on an extended end of the finger for gripping a bead. The finger is displaced radially as the bead lock extends radially outwardly to engage the bead and then pivots in a generally axial outward direction as the bead carrier ring axially withdraws to a retracted position, enabling the finger to pass freely over tire plies previously applied on the drum.

Abstract: A contoured liner for rolling of a preassembled uncured rubber tire component with a variable cross-sectional thickness into a coil with minimal dimensional distortion. A filler of compressible material such as polyester, is sandwiched between a flexible base and a flexible cover so as to cover only a portion of the base to provide a contour thereto generally inverse to the contour of the tire component. The base is woven polypropylene and the cover is knitted polyester tricot. The cover is preferably secured to the base by a diamond pattern stitching to form a single unit liner. The liner and rubber tire component, when in overlying relationship, provide a generally symmetrical thickness to reduce telescopically, conical coils when assembled into roll form on a supporting reel.