Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-20
TEMPERED COPPER,
A Pennsylvania Inventor
Says He Can Make the
Metal Hard as Steel.
THE LONG LOST PROCESS
Discovered by an Accident Thirty
Seven Years Ago.
THE METHOD is KEPT A SECRET.
Some of the Uses to Which the New Prod
uct May Be Pat.
THE LONG LOST PROCESS
THE METHOD is KEPT A SECRET.
ANALYSES By SEVERAL EXPERTS


process for tempering copper to the hard
ness OF steel. This is what inventors have
been trying to do for many years, but, so
far as known, only one process has been
put to the commercial test. There is con-
Germ in North East, Pa, which has been en-
gagged for year or two in the manufacture
of copper which is claimed to be almost if
not quite as hard as steel. The company
has found field Tor its productions, and is
said to be making money rapidly. Its sue
cess has stimulated inventors all over the
world. The Pennsylvania company uses a
secret chemical process. The late William
l. Scott was largely interested In the en-
terprIse.
Mr.. Sager was recently in this city on
business connected with his invention, and
he showed Times reporter some samples of
his tempered copper, which, he declared.
was much harder than that made at North
East. 'I believe, I" he said, "that l have
discovered the long-lost art of iempering
copper. Tempered copper, as you know,
BY reason of its toughness, electrical con-
ductivity, and comparative freedom from
liability to produce friction, is much su-
perior to tempered steel, and its field of
usefulness is unbounded.
Accident Revealed the Process.
81 use secret chemical process elabor-
ated from discovery made by me thirty
seven years ago. was then q Young dentist
and was engaged one day in melting an old
fashioned copper penny. Dentists in those
days had to learn to solder the metal back
ing for false teeth, and they were taught to
become expert in melting metal with
1lowpipe. The copper penny was hard
ng to melt, and the student that could
1t one quickest was considered an expert.
Jrty seconds was the record.
81 had put my penny on piece of char
al and was about to reduce it inside of
ty seconds, when an envious FELLOWSHIP
1t knocked the charcoal from my hand
the penny fell by accident into solu-
n. On recovering the penny | found, to
great establishment, that it was as hard
steel and would take sharp edge.
followed up the suggestion, and am
able TO produce a tempered copper
t is harder than steel can regulate
copper to any degree of hardness, ac-
ding to the smount of hest to which
ject it before plunging it into the chem
| solution. 1 came to New York to get
instrument which would accurately reg
-er the heat applied TO the copper in the
-eliminarv processes
What the Analysis Shows.
'I have had my tempered copper ana
ezed by Prof Geuth, of Philadelphia with
he following result: Silver O. 057; copper,
9.224; tin, none; lead, none; iron, 0609; |
rsenic, 0.006; phosphorus, 0.015; total,
9.91L The recent analysis bv Prot. Geuth
the tempered copper made at North East
owed the composition to be as follows:
silver, O. 025; copper, 90. 9S1; tin, none; zinc,
pone; iron, G. 0SS; arsenic, O. O42; phosphorus,
LOIS"
a dispatch from Quebec recently stated
that Ferdinand Allard, a blacksmith of that
city, had succeeded in producing tempered
copper as hard as steel. When this dis
patch was shown TO Mr.. Sager he declared
that Allard's process was mere hammering
process
About a wear ago Peter johnson, of Das-
sci, MINI, claimed to have discovered
process for tempering copper to the hardness
OF steel Nothing has been heard of his in
vention since.
Tempered copper will never supplant |
tempered steel to a general extent, not |
withstanding the many advantages which it |
is said to possess, i" said the editor of the |
Iron Age There has been talk to the |
effect that genuine and successful process |
for tempering copper would revolutioniZe |
the world. Such talk is visionary. Copper
costs too much to take the place of steel, |
except to limited extent. There was the /!
same talk when aluminium or aluminium
was discovered, but aluminium has fallen
somewhat fiat, ard the manufacturers of
that metal now have to scramble to get |
their product on the market even at 80 |
cents per pound. 1t has been found by ex-
periments that aluminium does not possess
enough strength for structural purposes.
1t is too light to be strong.
Fields for the Tempered Metal.
'I have never seen any of this so-caled
tempered copper about which there has
lately been so much wild talk by semi
scientists. Tempered copper, in is way, no
doubt, will prove valuable metal, and the
extent of its value can only be determined
by experiments, which may reach out in
many directions
''Of late, the principal experiments in
tempering copper have been conducted by
the scientists for the electrical companies
but with what results are not known, be-
cause the experiments have been kept Sc
creL Telephone companies are already
what is called harG-drawn copper wire of
great strength, of Yankee manufacture A
very soft copper wire would make the best
conductor, but it would not be able to sus-
tain its own weight, unless strung between
poles set closely together. If tempered
copper wire can be made that will string
in long loops, thus saving poles, and will |
vet be sufficiently good conductor, wide
field for profitable manufacture will no
doubt be opened up.
"Highly tempered copper might be used |
in place of the Babbitt metal over railway
axles, which decreases friction to a minu-
mum, were it not for the fact that the Bah |
bitt possesses what may be called an unctu-
GUS property, which 1 suspect tempered
copper would lack.
Tempered copper would have Que de- !
ciaed advantage-it would not rust, and
this advantage would be most valuable in
knives, forks and kitchen utensils. But
there would be the danger from the acci-
dental contract with acetic acid. In damp |
weather copper is covered with green de-
posit
Some of Its Probable Uses
"The chief use of tempered copper would
likely be in electrical appliances, and its
value there would have to be established bv
experiments. Tempered copper might be
good for srmor, but even there very elab-
orste experiments would be needed to settle
its superiority, and the process of temper
ing copper would first have to be perfected. {
Tempered copper might be used in vehicles !
for boxes or wheels, but SO much progress
has been made in the manufacture of steel !
suIky wheels that there seems to be little 6
chance to improve on the present wheel.
" hich is so light as to reduce friction to an
apparent minimum.
There is one direction in which the s
copper would undoubtedly be t
used to advantage, and that is for marine I
engines, where cost is no object but where ]
the thing to be attained is to get a maxi r
mum horse power with a minimum weight | /
w Whether tempered conner yould make | 6