New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-14
THE NEW METHOD OFMAKING Ill UALNIU4
From rns PAU xau gazette, Dec. 80.

The Pail Mall Gazette Dec. 30. go
Aluminium is among the least familiar OF
metals. 10 people in general it is known baser
kind Of gold. chiefly employed IN the manufacture OF
penccases and articles of cheap iewery Tue common
gard it is unscentc the famous def-
milton OF craD-that IL is FISH, and walks backward
Aluminium yellow and IL is not cheap, and II 10
made into Brummagem ware" Its usual price is
hngs pound ana 4 Sny present IN 10
molly the austere nature of the baser metals OF
HneoTrupted saie- that Which Is found nowhere in
be thus spoken OF with proprety-itl is OF
the COLOR silver for which might easily
be mistaken were It not much lighter bulk for bulk
Up The last three four years II was iary entitled
came known 10 Science little more than dfty years
ago, as mucn money spent in experimenting
S saaa i the Tnue Of tne WGae
aluminium that has been made. One by one those
attempted to make it'll large quantities and AZ
q reasonably cheap rate have abandoned he edor; as
hopeless aud 1t Is, therefore perhaps only natural u.
circumstances, that when a aud more RAPID
method of manufacture has at last been soe
OF have written the subject should allow
imagination to riot the expense OF the facts
On the banks or the SratIord Canal about SIX miles
being produced in such quantities US to keep
mauuiactOry which ABOUT ni an acre OF ground
| a. work both nignt and day After experiments
tending over thirty years Mr.. James Webster the chief
partner OF the Crown Metal Company, sas discovered
method OF making aumina by burning alum, Instead OF,
a. is usual Dy precipita ton Tue consequent differ
ence OF eosU IS as sIO0 TO sl,OOo. Alnmlna,
however, Is not aluminium. There is long stage
between a fine gray powder ana nrm white meal,
| and though Mr.. Webster has succeeded In short
eung this somewhat, the process Oi manufacturing
tue metal from tue powder still very much what it
Las been herto 1t does not follow that the cost OF
the aluminium s therefore, oustenth OF what 10
hss up time, tnat &c will be thrown upon
tie market IN bulk TO seriously interfere with
sJme principal industries. What IL actually cer-
tain is that metal whcn 1t has heretofore been very
difficult 10 procure can now ne apphed to great mum.
purposes which IL has not been ava liable on
account or Its scarcity.
| ILstead o manufacturing alumna ny the cumorous
and dllatory method of precipitation Mr. Webster burns
alum and plcn III calcning furnace, anu produces
therefrm the first result gray clder In appearance
not uuke the refuse or an ENGINE me- ACCORDING 70 AZ
scendnc authority this clnder ought not 20 De anythng
valuable than burned alum by urtner processes
however, II Is coaverIed Into something wnco contains
almost 80 per cent o alunlna ana wLch ~ process "
almost sufficient value TO delray cost OF working.
Que OF these latter yelloYish nqd tne run proper
$40 quantity tnis placed glass o water and
chemically treated 1t makes blue dye which may posi-
bly, prove he permanent aud durable as nogo Inc
making OF tns Q Id s however, one oi the acc9snss
of process and yeG it TO be made the subject
OF iurIner Investigation aud experiment Wnen INC
yellow liquor Ia removed, Mr. Webster to use ms own
phrase mas wnaS ne so ins rs.n Of pro-
cp in that IL ID inner IN texture anu Is almost Tree
tclo S results Aa@na, $40 saIpna1e Of zns
2.6S; silica, 74O; water, 42Oi aiAa;,ne salts, To-.
Azure recent experiments ave succeeded Ia SIN urtnet
removing Impurities, The proportion OF pure alunlna
| is now about 80 per cent
BY the new process OF manufacturing aluinna what
would hther. o have occupied six months can now 10
| accomplished III week The crown MEAL COMPANY
manufactures a ton In that period, much alnnins
tins II may be seen how reasonable 10 Tie supposuoe
| tDat q low months hence this peculiar metal-whieh
differs from AL other tue respect that It Is the
result of an elaborate process found IN tne
condition of ore-wil manufactured lnto articles dil
fering widely as tablespoon aud ships ancnor
Inc value OF aluminium ID In tcnpclng alloys IL gses
copper Znc tin socn properties as are 10 Dc on
| tanned by other means. IL seems 10 soften then
nature, while really increasing their strength and nsi
1t enables them to resist such tests as are appeu
silver aud gold preserves them from corrosion los
ders them more ductile, aud generally renncs tnen
one Consequence OF discovery o! the new process
| making alumina will probably be the rejection OF ~
plated goods favor Of articles made Of aluminium Ss
bsnulh bronze Cups or dishes spoons made OF W.
later have all tue appearances OF the p3ss plated
tucy not tarnish lose their color, and hey WI
through without any cAanse m the look Vi .so
metal. Al Tor German silver, the best quaiucs;
compare very uniavorabiy with tin which has rscesea
| dash OF aluminium. IL IA In making pronsss
that the Crown Metal Works are almost waoy empoy,
ed. 1nese almost endless their variety, ana ,s
range in price fom about nnepence 10 twenty ~
pound. Ono of these bronLes Is not at all unlikely ~
be extensively employed by tne manufacturer o ILL.,
lerfeit coin 1t closely resembles silver IL nss ana
BELL and IL he cut with kaiie. VI anotner VI scr
brouzes be made panororte wires when tss
ten ger tue wires now Ia use Asp
degree OF tensile strength obtanabc II has been
by repeated tests that DisnutDron2e VIII bear
fJrytwo tons TO the square inch. OF fourteen
more tnan gun metal and twelve tons more thaa D'
steel,