Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-31
TRIED A LONG TIME.
Philadelphia Bronze Founders Ex-
perimented With Nickel
MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS AGO.
An Account of Researches Made at That
Time and Since, Given By
THE SON OF A wELT-KNOwN METALLIST


DISPATCH of Harrington's successful re.
searches into methods for alloying nickel
and steel, inquiries have poured in from
all sides for particulars. Mr.. Harrington
said yesterday he had received 35 letters re-
garding the matter, and THE DISPATCH
has been frequently written to for papers
containing the account. Mr.. Harrington
stated last night that application will be
made within day or SO for letters OF in
corporation for company to manufacture
crucible nickel steel and steel castings. He
also said he had already received very
fattering offer from New York capitalist.
Although me tallurgists, both here and
abroad, have evinced the greatest interest
in nickel steel, there is as yet absolutely no
literature on the subject, with the excep-
tion of a paper read by Prof. James Riley
before the 's9 session of the British Iron
and Steel Institute. Thomas D Harrington
has demonstrated a greater knowledge of
the properties of nickel than any other
metallist, SO far as known, and his exper-
ience of it has stretched over a number of
years. In recent tests he has shown what
may be expected from nickel steel, and he
himself pressges great future for it. He
was seen yesterday with regard to his earlier
experiences with the subject and he related
them with some difidence
HONOR DUE TO THE FRENCH.
''To the French" said Mr.. Harrington,
'tmust be accorded the honor of having first
'alloyed nickel with steel for commercial
uses. The great interest taken in the SUBJ
iect by both American and English metal
lurgists dates from the comparative tests of
armor plate at Annapolis in September,
1890. The peculiar qualities of the Cruezot
plates were manifested, and since then var1-
Gus attempts have been made to successfully
blend iron and steel, making nickel steel.
The difficulty, however, has been to obtain
a compound, perfectly homogeneous. Who
soever can do so, possesses the secret of
making nickel steel, or in other words
material of remarkable tensile strength,
tenacity and ductility under manipulation,
and extremely suitable for edged tools. A
difficulty experimentalists have had to en-
counter is the popularity of nickel that it
has remarkable tendency to porosity and
sponginess, which is increased when nickel
is added to iron or other metals. To pro-
duce nickel steel, under such conditions,
which will be perfectly homogeneous, has
been the problem to be solved.
''The first nickel mine successfully
operated in this country was at Delaware
Water Gap, this State, and now owned by
Joseph Wharton. The ore was shipped to
smelling works owned by Buck, Simonian
& Co.. who refined it. At that time there
was no known method by which the
character of the American nickel
could be overcome. The loss attending the
extraction of the cobalt, always found with
nickel, became matter of concern. This
was about 1885. My father, Thomas
Sr, was then in the business of
making German silver and bronze in Phila-
delphia, and was something of metallist.
He was accustomed to use good deal of
both English and German nickel in his
work. !
GERMAN SILVER OF AMERICAN NICKEL.
The company called him in and he was
asked to substitute the native for the for
eign product, and overcome, if he could, the
difficulty 1 have mentioned. He was fur
nished with seven-pound ingot, and this
he placed in crucible on an anthracite coal
fire. The fire was maintained at its maxi
mum heat from A. NJ until P. NJ. without
fusion taking place. On another attempt
the fire being replenished, etc, the nickel
was fused and incorporated into the first
piece of German silver ever made with
American nickel. NV father used Ameri-
can nickel thereafter. 1t was sold in bars
which showed we'll externally, but resem-
bled a piece of sponge, it was
so porous To overcome the
of fusing it the nickel
was sold with an addition of 10 per cent of
copper and some cobalt. NV father made
some reputation for his German silver, par
ticularly for gun mountings, the greater
part of which was sold to James Bown, of
this CITY, who retailed it. At about this
time it was suggested that the red copper
cent be done away with end pennies made
of copper and nickel substituted. This was
done in 1856, and the pennies of 81, '5S and
80 were made of this nickel, and known as
the eagle" pennies.
After the Harrington's had demonstrated
that American nickel could be successfully
large business was done in
the business of silver plating and in BRITAIN
American nickel German silver, Joseph
Meade, large manufacturing jeweler,
,sked Mr.. Harrington, Sr., whether he
could make him some anodes for nickel
plating.
A GREAT DIFFICULTY OVERCOME.
The senior was indisposed to the task, but |
lhOmdS ddrIlngIOI, oT, WAS WllllnR TO ITy.
the matter over, he concluded it |
must be almost impossible to cast nickel in
/ sand mold. He concluded to add iron |
% overcome the porosity, and cast mixture |
If 95 per cent of nickel and per cent of |
ron into plates 12 inches by inches and |
lalf an inch thick. The first plates were |
imperfect, but were used with highly salts |
actory results DIR. Adams soon afterward |
ook out patents on nickel anodes and salts |
If nickel, and the use of the plates for
plating brought up the price of nickel from !
70 cents pound to So. This price put |
,ickel, out of court for castings, excepting
or gun mOuntings.
About 1877 platter named Bates desired
% have some nickel anodes made, but in
uch manner as would not conflict with DIR.
Adams, who had placed high royalty on
lis anodes. Thomas Harrington, Jr., then
n the bronze and German silver foundry |
business, was applied to. He conceived the
dea of mixing nickel and iron, and nickel
II the proportion of so and 20 per cent; and
ater Of 20 and 25 per cent, with an addition
# tin. The results obtained from plating
rom these anodes were very satisfactory.
These anodes were in the Cornelius build
ng, near Eight street, Philadelphia
ALLOWING NICKEL AND STEEL.
Harrington was satisfied he had made
lickel anodes before DR.. Adams claims
Yere entered, and he confined to make them
# nickel and iron. At a suggestion from
he late c.. B. Street, master mechanic of |