Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-01-30

and still it is among the least familiar
of metals. Its usual price is $40 per
pound and until the past year it has
only been known as aluminium gold"
After many experiments extending
over series Of years, its manufacture
was abandoned except in one instance,
to the French, who only produced it
in inconsiderable quantities. After
more than thirty years labor and at
cost Of more than e250,000, the
eminent English chemist and metal
lurist, James Webster, has discovered
a method of making aluminium by
burning or roasting alum, instead of
making it in the old tedious way by
precipitation. BY the new process it
takes only one-twenty-fourth of the
time required by the old method and
costs less than one.tenth as much.
Instead Of producing the alumina
powder by the old and slow method
Of precipitation, Mr.. Webster burns
the alum with pitch in II calcining or
roasting furnace, prepared expressly
for this purpose, the product being a
gray ash or powder, in appearance
much like the ashes Of cinders from
an engine furnace. This gray powder,
according to all scientific authorities,
is no more or less than burnt alum.
BY another process this ash is convert
ed into another product, which con-
tains from eighty-four to ninety-five
per cent. of the alumina, having left
behind it several bi-products, which
nearly pay the cost Of working. The
alumina thus produced is better than
that by the old method of precipita-
ton, in that it is much finer in texture
and almost entirely free from silica.
The discoverer has been producing
200 pounds of alumina per week for
more than Il year, the value Of which
is $4,000 or e20S,000 per annum,
the result of which has been that at
the present time Il mandatory which
cover more than one-half an acre is
kept busy night and day, with orders
for more than fifteen months work.
The present output is twenty tons of
alumina metal per week. From the
results already obtained by the alum
ina bronze factory (near Birmingham,
it is plainly evident that
in very short time this almost new
and peculiar metal, which never oxi-
dies or corrodes, and which never
furnishes under any circumstances, TO
which can be given the color of gold,
silver, bronze or purple, and which diff
fers from all other metals in that it is
never produced direct from ore, but
only by long and elaborate process,
must become an important factor in
the manufacture of jewelry and not
only so, but that almost every article
made from metal, from the screw-pro-
peller or anchor of the largest steam
ship down to the tiniest teaspoon, must
be manufactured from it, or its alloy
or bronze.
The chief value Of aluminium, at
present, is in tempering or giving
strength and surface or body to al
Toys, bronze, or metals, so that they
will not corrode. To copper, tin or
zinc it gives such properties as can be
obtained by no other means, softening
their nature while increasing their real
hardness and strength, and enabling
them to resist all the tests applied to
gold or silver, preserving them from
corrosion and rendering them more
ductile and refined, and giving them
a surface and body that withstands
the chemicals action Of the elements.
As a result Of this new process of
aluminium, all plated goods,
nickel or silver, watch cases, cups,
saucers, spoons, knives, forks, gun and
pistol barrels, pistol handles, gun,
harness, carriage and saddle ornaments
made of brass, nickle, German silver,
bronze or silver, must give way to
those made of aluminium or bismuth
bronze. Piano-forte wires made from
it will vibrate ten seconds longer than
the best now in use. The tensil
strength Of aluminium or bismuth
bronze being the same, only in the
latter 1-1S00th part of bismuth is
added, had been proved, by repeated
tests, to bear strain of forty-two
tons to the square inch, or fourteen
tons more than gun metal, and twelve
tons more than the best bessemer steel.
and wherever there is need
Of metal, and one is demanded that
cannot crystalize or corrode under any
a metal that combines
great strength and is hexibility, it is
plain that aluminium must be used.
In the tests already made with pro-
pellor screws, blades, journal bearings,
and heavy artillery made from alum
mum or bismuth bronze, as against
those made from the best gun metal,
the ship builders decided in favor of
the former as the strength was SO
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