Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-05-29
THE COMING METAL.


Aluminum-The Revolution 1t Is Lik
Work Many Manufactures.
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 local
ity or country. 1t is found everywhere.
1t is more than half century since the
eminent German chemist, the late
FREDERICK Wohler, who for fifty years
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 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 extend
ing over q series of years, its manufac-
ture was abandoned except in one in
stance, to the French, who only pro-
duced it in inconsiderable quantities.
After more than thirty years labor and
at cost of more than G250, 900, the
eminent English chemist and metallur-
gist, James Webster, has discovered q
method of making aluminium by burn
ing or roasting alum, instead of making
it in the old and tedious way by preclpl-
tation. BY the new process it takes
only one-twenty-fourth of the time re-
quired 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 a calcining or roasting furnace, pre-
pared expressly for this purpose, the
product being a great 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 converted into another product,
which contains from "a to 95 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 precipitation, in that it is
much finer in texture and almost entire
ly free from silica. The discoverer has
been producing 200 pounds of alumina
per week for more than a year, the
value of which is $4,000 or 920S, 900
per annum, the result of which has
been that at the present time q
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 twenty tons of alum
mum metal per week. From the
results already obtained by the alum
mum bronze factory (near Birmingham,
England,) it is plainly evident that in
very short time this almost new and
peculiar metal, which never oxidizes or
corrodes, and which never furnishes
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 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-pr propeller
or anchor of the largest steamship
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 alloys,
bronzes, 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 hard.
ness 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 surface and
body that withstands the chemical
action of the elements. AS result of
this new process of making 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, nickel,
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 bes. now in use. The
tensile strength of aluminium or bis
muth bronze being the same, only in
the latter l-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.
Whenever and wherever there is need
of metal, and one is demanded that
cannot crystalline or corrode under any
circumstances, a metal that combines
great strength and fexibility, it is plain
that aluminium must be used. In the
tests already made with propeller
screws, blades, journal bearings, and
heavy artillery made from aluminium
or bismuth bronze, as against those
made from the best gun metal, the ship
builders decided in favor of the former,
rs the strength was SO much greater
and the weight so much less, being
only one-fourth as great.-Spriaegfeld
Republican. 81