The Monitor-register., 1897-05-28
A Steel Catechism
What is steel ?

3 per cent. TO ,U4 per cent. OF CARBON is
properly called steel. Many other sub.
stances, however, are commonly found in
steel. Among these are sulphur. phos-
phorus, silicon, copper and manganese.
These ingredients give various properties
to the metal according TO the amounts
prescott. There are also several alloys of
steel with other metals, but these are
generally designated by hyphepated
titles, such as "chrome steel" ''nickel-
steel" etc
@ How is steel made?
A Ia many ways, if we consider de
tails. The principal methods are three
The resulting products are known as
crucible steel, Bessemer steel, and open
hearth steel.
@. What is crueible steel ?
A. Crucible steel is obtained as the
result of fusing together in a crucible
the substances desired in any quality of
steel.
| @. What is Bessemer steel d?
A. Bessemer steel is made by forcing
a blast of air through melted iron. By
this pro ess the substances not desired in
the steel are burned up. AS some in
gradients which are needed are also con
sumed, these substances Carbon, etc.,
are added before the liquid metal is per
mitted to cool.
Q What is pen hearth steel ?
A. Chemically the open hearth
method is substantially the same as the
Bessemer process. But in making open
hearth steel the forced blast is done
away with and the metal while melting
and after complete liquefaction is kept
exposed to the air in such a way that the
impurities are oxidized or slowly burned
out of the iron. The constituents other
than iron are added before qualification.
Q Which is the best of these three
kinds of steel ?
A. There is no answer to ibis ques-
ton as it is phrased. That steel is best
whose strength, ductility, hardness,
toughness, etc, are best adapted and
proportional for the use for which it is
intended. These qua lities depend upon
the composition of the steel, and upon It's
'~'treatmept;' . e., whether it has been
forged, rolled, drawn, tempered. an
nealed, etc.
1t is wholly immaterial whether the
mixing of the iron, carbon, Manganese
| and fha raot is dana In oyuaih1a N
Bassemsc Converter, or an open heart b
furnace, so long as the same materials
are compounded with equal skill, and
the steels treated after manufacture with
the same care and judgment.
@ But it lie not generally conceded
that crucible steel is the bert steel ?
A. By no means. There Ger ainly
was a time when the manufacture by the
cruoible method was more skillful and
more successful than others. This pro-
cess is the Oldest, its advocates attained
excellence while others were experiment
indeed, before the later methods we're
devised
1t is not to be wondered at tina the
IT editions of that time ara still current in
many shops and are expressed in many
books which discuss the properties of
steel The method is still in use, aud is
well adapted to the production of small
quantities of special grades of steel But,
As a matter of fact, while every method
OF manufacture has it's part,z ,us, the
superiority of erucible steel can no longer
be demonstrated. This is conceded by
prominent authorities and ia the necas-
sary conclusion of those who are familiar
with the most recent Investigations and
tests.
@. Has any one of these three pro-
cessss an advantage over the others ?
A. The maker of steel will decide
that question for himself; having due
regard to his Surroundings and to the
scope of his undertaking. The user OF
steel will ask what the steel is m 4de out
of, not what it is made in. He will aim
to secure the properties which suit his
worn, without regard 10 the methods of
manufacturing the metal.
Ia general, if a man uses much steel. he
will b. likely to purchase where be can
get large quantities all alike. Crucible
steel, made in lots not exceeding one
hundred pounds each, would hardly
answer. A careful purchaser of s eel,
like the Pope Mfg. Co, analy zes and
tests samples from each consig nment
which is received. To do this for one
sample in every buudred weight would
CAL for an intolerable number of ina
lyses, to say nothing of the uneven
quality of the steel itself when cousid-
cred in large quantities.
@. What is ''cast steel ?"
A. All steel made by the processes
which we have discussed is really least
steel" That is the metal becomes steel
while melted, and is then run in molds.
The name, least STEEL" should be re-
stricted TO steel which is cast iu the
shape in which it is intended to be used.
The result is inferior for most purposes
to that obtained by forging and similar
methods. There is much confusion,
however, in the popular use of this te rr.
@. What is ''tool steel p
A. The term has no scientific mean.
ing. Those who use it mean any steti
suitable for making tools. Ii may be
crucible steel, Bsssemer steel, open
hearth steel, or steel msde by some less
important method. For no cool reason
the name, tool steel" is often regarded
With almost suD ersiiCods ave-. Thb
agent Of the steel maker calls a SUBJ
stance tool Steel" knowing Ii
tie or nothing OF its compost
ton aud propertits. the steel user buys
it, the workman maker things of it, the
consumer buys and uses the thlags
Sometimes the steel is ad lpted tt It's use
and every boiy is sAtisfi sd. Sometimes it is
not, and the consumer finds fault and the
agent sells no more steel to that manu-
facturer. Meantime nobody Concerned
except the original maker, has the least
idea what the stuff called 10 II ste, H.
really is. No manufacturer knoAs what
he is buying unless he has a laboratory
where his purchases can be tested.
@ What is ''machiLe steel ?"
A. That is another shop name. IL is
applied to any steel which Is soft
enough to be easily cut and drilled.
@. On the whole Dies it make any
difference how steel is made
A. Not to the consumer, proyidsd the
steel is correct in chemical constitution
and physical properties-and these are