Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-04-03
THE COMING METAL.
Discovery of Cheap Process for
Making Aluminium.

Aluminium. with one exception. is the
most abundant metal known. The ma
terial, alumina or clay, from which it
is produced is not confined to any To-
cality or country. 1t is found every
where. 1t is more than half century
since the eminent German chemist. the
late Frederick Wonler, who for fifty
wears was Professor Of Medicine and
Director OF the Chemical Institute at
Gottingen, discovered aluminium and
that it could be produced from common
clay and from alum, and still il is
among the least familiar of metals Its
usual price is $50 per pound and until
the past year IL has only been known
as aluminium gold. After many ex-
periments extending over series of
years, its manufacture was abandoned
except in one instance, to the French,
who only produced it in inconsidera-
bic quantities. Alter more than thirty
years labor and at a cost of more than
E250,000, the eminent English chemist
and metallurgist, James Webster, has
discovered method of making alumni
NUN by burning or roasting alum, in
stead of making it in the old and te-
dious 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 al
umina powder by the old and slow
method of precipitation, Mr.. Webster
burns the alum with pitch in a calcin-
ing or roasting furnace, prepared ex-
pressly for this purpose, the product
being cray ash or powder, in appear
ance much like the ashes of cinders
from an engine furnace. The gray
powder, according to all scientific au-
thorilies, is no more or less than burnt
alum. BY another process this ash is
converted into another product, who
contains from eighty-four to ninety-five
per cent of the abmina, having left be-
hind it several bi-products, which near
" pay the cost of working, The alum
ina thus produced is better than that
by the old method of precipitation. in
that it is much finer in texture and al
most entirely free from silica. The
discoverer has been producing 200
pounds of alumina per week for more
than a year, the value Of which is $4,-
600 or S208 900 per annum, the result
of which has been that at the present
time manutactory which covers more
than one-half an acre is kept busy night
and day with orders ready for more
than fifteen months work. The pres
en-. on put is twenty tons OF aluminium
meta per wees From the results al
ready obtained by The aluminium bronze
factory (near Birmingham, England,)
it is plainly evident that in very snort
time this almost new and peculiar met
al, which never oNid yes or corrodes,
and which never furnishes under any
circumstances, to which can be given
the color OF gold, silver, bronze or pur-
pie, ard which differs from ali other
metals in that il is never produced d-
rect from ore, but only by u long and
elaborate process, must become an inn
pOrtant factor in the manufacture of
ieweiry; and not only SO, but that al
most every article made from metal,
from the screw propeller or anchor of
the largest steamship down to the IL
NEST 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 a surface OF body to al
Toys, brouzcs OF metals, SO that they
viii not corrolo. TO copper, tin or
zinc it gives such properties as can be
obtained by no other means, softening
their nature while increasing their
hardness and strength. and enabling
them to resist all the tests applied 10
gold or silver. preserving them from
corrosion AMI rem ering them more
duct lie and refined, and giving them
surface and bpdb lnal withstands the
chemical action OF the elements. AS a
resu, Of this new process of making
alum mum, All plaied goods, nickel or
silver, watch eases, cups, saucers,
spoons, knives, forks, gun and pistol |
barrel $, pistol handles, gun, harness,
carriage and saddle ornaments made OF |
brass, nickel, Gecuan silver, or bronze
silver, must civ way to those maize OF |
aluminium or bisnuh bronze. P ano- |
forte wires made from it will vlDrate |
ten seconds Ion .erSthan the best now |
IN use. The tensile strength of alumni |
mum or bismuih bronze being the same, !
ON i in the latter 1-lS00th part of bis |
mut1 is added, had been proved, by |
repeated tests, to bear n strain OF for !
ly-tWO tons to he square inch, or four |
teen IONS more than gun metal, and |
twelve tons more tnan the best bessem- |
or steel. Whenever and wherever |
there is need Of n metal, and one is de-
manded that cannot crystalline or cor
rode under any circumstances, a metal |
lhat combines great strength and dexi-
Dility, it Is plain that aluminium must
be used. In the tests already made
with propeller screws, blade, journal
bearings, and heavy artillery made
rom Aluminium or bismuth bronze az
against those made from the best gun
metal, the ship builders decided in ia
For Of the former as the strength was
much greater and the weight so
mU'n less, beng only one-foulth as
--r..l- Nl.L.L III u pm Il.llt-