Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries

Wood becoming scarce, owing to being used (in the form of charcoal) for the production of cast iron, an Act of Parliament was passed during the reign of Elizabeth limiting the erection of furnaces and the use of wood above a certain size for this purpose; consequently the production decreased until the end of the seventeenth century, when the use of pit, or sea coal as it was called, became more general. Even then the quantity produced was very small, and it was not until the method of making coke from coal was invented, about the middle of the eighteenth century, by Abraham Darby, that the commencement of the manufacture of cast iron on a large scale began. The art of tinning iron plate was introduced from Germany by Andrew Yarrenton.

Cast Steel

It was during this century that a method of making cast steel of a uniform texture was invented by Mr. Huntsman of Sheffield in 1770, and the process was soon in use in various parts of England for the manufacture of steel for cutting tools. Previous to this many cutting tools were imported from the Continent.

Lead

Lead has been largely in use since the twelfth century for roofs, spires, statues, fonts, gargoyles, cisterns, etc., but to realize the highest possibilities of lead as a decorative as well as a utilitarian medium many towns in France should be visited, where this material has been utilized to a greater extent than in other countries. In some instances lead was decorated by applying a pattern in pure tin, which because of its brilliancy forms an agreeable contrast with the dull lead, and it is not affected by the weather.

Nineteenth Century

The commencement of the nineteenth century was remarkable for the great number of inventions in connexion with metals, but that of H. Bessemer, afterwards Sir H. Bessemer, for producing steel from cast iron by means of the converter invented by himself was the most notable, and at the present time steel made by his process is largely superseding wrought iron.

Aluminium

The discovery by Wohler, a German chemist, in 1828 of aluminium has had far-reaching results, although it is only of late years that this metal has been usefully applied. This is due largely to the improvement in electric furnaces, consequent increased production, and lower working costs.