Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-03-19
THE COMING METAL.
Cheap Process for Making Aluminium
The Revolution II i- likely to
Work iii Many Manufactures.

Cheap Process for Making Aluminium
The Revolution II i- Likely to
Work iii Many Manufactures.
Aluminium, with one exception, is
the most abundant metal known. The
material, aldmina or clay, from which
it is produced, is not confined to any
locality or country. 1t is found every
where. 1t is more than half a century
since the eminent German chemist, the
late Friedrich WOhler, who for fifty
years was Professor of Medicine and
Director of the Chemical Institute al
Gottingen, discovered aluminium and
that it could be produced from common
clay and from alum, 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 a
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 metallurgiSt,
James Webster, has discovered a
method of making aluminium by burn
ing or roasting alum, instead of max
ing it in the old and 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
The discOverer has been producing 20J
pounds of alumina per week for more
than a year, the value of which is
$4,000 or G2OS,000 per annum, the re.
suit of which has been that at the
present time mandatory, which
covers more than one-half an acre, is
kept busy night and day, with orders
ready for more than fifteen months
work. The present output is 20 tons OF
aluminium metal per week. From the
results already obtained by the alumi-
mum bronze factory (near Birmingham
England, J it is plainly evident that in
very short time this almost new and
peculiar metal, which never oXidizes OF
corrodes, and which never tarnishe;
under any circumstances, to which can
be given the color of gold, silver
bronze or purple, and which differs
from all other metals in that it is never
produced direct from ore, but only 10y
long and elaborate process, must be-
come an important factor in the man
ufacture of jcwelry; and not only so
but that almost every article made
from metal, from a screw-prope!ler ol
anchor of the largest steamship down
to the tiniest teaspoon, must be manu-
featured from it, or its alloy or bronze
The chief value of aluminium, at
present, is in tempering or giving
strength and a surface or body tc
alloys, brOnzes or metals, so that they
will not corrode. To copper, tin OIL
zinc it gives such properties as can be
obtained by no other means, softenin9
their nature while increasing their reaI
hardness and strength, enabling them
to resist all the tests applied to gold OF
silver, preserving them from corrosion
and rendering them more ductile and
refined, and giving them surface and
body that withstands the chemical ac
tion of the elements. AS a result OF
this new process of making aluminium
all plated goods, nickel or silver, watch
eases, cups, saucers, spoons, knives
forks, gun and pistol barrels, pisto.
handles, gun, harness, carriage anG
saddle ornaments made of brass, nickel,
German silver, bronze or silver must
give way to those made of aluminium
Dr. bismuth bronze. Piano-fOrte wires
made from it will vibrate ten seconds
longer than the best now in use
Whenever and wherever there is a
need of a metal, and one is demanded
that cannot crystalline or corrole under
any circumstances, a metal that COM
Dines great strength and nexibilty, il
is plain that aluminium must be used
In the tests already made with propel-
Ter screws, blades, Journal bearings
and heavy artillery made from alumi-
1um or bismuth bronze, us against
those made from the best gun metal,
the ship builders decided in favor o
the former as the strength was so much
greater and the weight so much less,
beingonly fourth as great. --Spring,
ted Repubiican