The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-10-04
A BIG NEW INDUSTRY
Brought to Life in Wheeling by
the Mckinley Bill.
HOW THE TIN PLATE IS MADE.
interesting Talks by Practical Men
Oh MI. Industry Soon to DO In On.
Grafton llcrc-Whcciins's Soft
Steel Is just tho Thing.

+ Ever since the introduction OF the Nc
kinley bill with the tin plate clause, th
possibility OF that article being manu-
facsured here has stirred the minds O
people interested in tho iron and stee
bhsincfs. Az the passage Of tho bill
with the clause in It came to DO looked
upon os certainty, speculation as to tht
proiitablenccs OF tho business grew mort
interesting, till when 1t was finally
passed. the assertion was made that q
number OF concerns in this vicinity
would 60 into it.
The Whitaker Iron Company was
named as ono about to begin the indus.
try; also the Brilliant Iron and Steel
Company, which recently purchased tho
old Spauldin. Iron works, and several
others are figuring on tho feasibility of
establishing tho business. No subject
has attracted 30 much attention for A
long time.
Thinking that possibly description
of the methods Of making tin plate would
be oiinterest to large number OF the
lNTELLldENCEE's readers, reporter
made trip to the 4Etna and Standard
mills, over in Bridgeport, where there
are several men employed who made
tin plate in Wales before coming to this
land Of protection. John L. Morgan, Of
the E.na, and George Evans, OF The
Standard, gave interesting talks on the
eubjcct.
Nearly all OF the tin plate made in
Wales now is made from Bessemer or
open hearth steel, about the same quail
ity as that made by the steel plants in
and about Wheeling, except that little
more care must be exercised in getting
the exact amount of carbon, so that the
steel may be soft and ductile. The early
processes Of manufacture are the same as
for sheet steel as made in this section.
The steel is rolled to the required
thinness as is the ordinary sheet steel of
commerce. 1t is then taken to the pick
ling department, where it is treated to
an acid bath in solution strong enough
to take all the scale of, and at the same
time remove any particles OF foreign
substance, such as sand or other grit.
from the surface. 1t is then placed in
an annealing furnace similar to that
used in annealing sheet steel, and al
lowed to remain there for twelve hours.
1t is next taken to the cold rolls, and in
a cold state rolled till it assumes a glossy
appearance, and all the pores of the sur
lace are perfectly closed. This latter
process hardens it a little, but at the
same time makes it more pliable and
less apt to crack in bending. After the
cold rolling process it is again placed in
the nnnealing furnace and allowed to
remain twelve hours longer.
The steel is then ready for the timing
process. 1t is treated to another acid
bath, but the solution is barely strong
enough to remove the scale placed on
the steel by the annealing process, and
care is taken that the acid shall not re.
move any particles OF the iron from the
surface. The sheets are then cut to tho
rexuired size and taken to the timer in
lots OF about two hundred and fifty. The
timer places them in n vessel contain.
ing palm oil. This palm oil bath has
the effect OF making the tin adhere to
the steel, and at the same time keeps
the tin bright and clean.
The sheets coated with palm oil and in
lots Of $50 are placed into a pot OF molten
block tin. After remaining in the bath
Of hot tin long enough to heat thorough
fy the sheets are removed one at q time,
and while hot, are passed to the washer
man, who with long brush made OF
Russian hemp. carefully brushes both
sides. This brushing removes any i'm.
purity that may have collected, but does
not tend to scrape OF the tin coating.
This first coat OF tin is usually a low
grade OF metal, and is thicker than the
second coat.
The sheets arc then passed 10 the
roller, who finishes them ready to be
sorted and packed. The rolling process
is interesting. The sheets are dipped
into pot Of molten tin Of good quality
and passed through pair OF rolls so ar
ranged in the rim OF square metal box
that they drop the sheet into compart-
ment below, that is filled with hot
palm oil and other unimportant
ingredients. By means OF little lever
connected with a feeded in the bottom
Of the palm oil tank, the sheets are
started through another pair OF rolls in
an upward direction. The first pair OF
rolls has squeezed nearly all the tin off
the plate, and the second makes the dis.
tribution more even and takes still an.
other part OF the loose metal from the
sheet. This second pair OF rolls. how.
ever, guides the sheets in between a-
other pair Of rolls that takes awev anv
loose tin that may even yet remain
The plates are now Practically finish.
Ell. Ihey are allowed to cool and are
passed to girls who clean the uil off
them with bran and sheep skin. They
next 20 to the sorter, who is the best
paid man in the timing department.
He passes an experienced eye over each
sheet aud passes it or sends it back to be
retinned, " ~
These rolls for removing the surplus
tin are OF recent introduction. Under
the old process the sheets, after being
dipped in the tin, were allowed to- driS
and very little Of the tin would run oil,
IN those days it was calculated that
thirteen pounds Of tin would cover 81 500
square feet Of surface. The Grst i'm
provement was the introduction Of one
set OF rolls, which cut this amount down
to eleyep pounds for the same surface.
A SECOND pair OF rolls was them put tc,
use, and that reduced it to about five
pounds, but when the third pair of rolls
was put on, it came down TO thsas
pounds: The old fashioned tin plate was
far tie best, and as each successiye rstep
was taken the plate became that much
more worthless, till the three pound tin
has no value at all except to sell,
Much Of the roofing tin 10 made oftwo
parts lead and one part tin, andisknown