Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-01-09
The Process of Pudding and Boiling Iron
From Llpplncotrs MAGAZINE for JanuarY.l

ltrun Lpplhc9us Magazine Tor January.
When iron is simply melted and run into any
mould its texture il granular, and it il 80 brittle
az to be quite unreliable for any use recurring
much tensile strength. The process OF puddliHg
consisted in stirring the molten iron run out in
puddle, and had the effect Of 80 changing its
atomic arrangement AZ to render the process OF
rolling it more effcAcious. The process of boil
ing Is considered an Improvement upon this.
Tho boiling furnace is an oven heated to an in
tense heat by a fire urged with blast. The cast
iron sidee are double, and constant circulation
OF water is kept passing through the chamber
thus made, in order to preserve the structure
from fusion by the heat. The inside is lined
with friedrich covered with metallic ore and
Stag over the bottom and sides, and then, the
oven being charged with the pigs OF iron the
heat is let on. The pigs melt, and the oven is
filled with molten iron. The pudder constantly
stirs this mass with a bar let through hole in
the door, until the iron boils up, or "fermeuts."
az it il called. This fermentation is caused by
the combustion of portion Of the carbon in the
iron, and as soon as the excess Of this is con-
rnmed, the einders and slag sink to the bottom
Of the oven, leaving the semi-fiuid mass on the
top. Stirring this about, the puddler forms it in
to ballH,of such size as he can conveniently ham
tlle which are taken out and carried on little cars
made to receive them, to ''the squeezern
10 carry this process properly requires great
skill and judgement in the puddler. The heat
necessarily generated by the operation ia so great
that very few persons have the physical endur-
auce to stand it. So great is it that the clothes
upon the person frequently catch fire. Such
train upon the physical powers naturally leads
those subjected to indulge in excesses The
IerspirAtion which flows from the puddlers in
streams while engaged in their work is caused
by the natural Offort Of their bodies to preserve
themselves from injury by keeping their normal
Temperature. Such a consumption of the fluids
OF the body causes great thirst, and the exhaus-
ion Of the labor, both bodily and mental, leads
oft to the excessive use OF stimuants. In fact
tho works. too laborious Its conditions are such
that no one should be subjected to them. The
necessity, however, for judgment, experience
and skill on the part Of the operator has up to
this time prevented the introduction OF machi-
merry to take the place OF human labor in this
process. The successful substitution in modern
times Of machines for performing various opera
tions which formerly seemed to require the in
telligence and dexerity Of a living being for
their execution, justifes the expectations that
the study now being given to the organization
Of industry will lead to the invention OF machines
which will obyiate the necessity for human suf-
fering in the process of pudding. Such con-
summation would be an advantage to all classes
concerned. The attempts which have been
made in this direction have not as yet proved
entirely successful.