320 On the Aiiu^s of Uteel. 



of this excellent steel, it was proposed to attempt making 

 such a combination, and, with this view, various experi- 

 ments were made. Many of them were fruitless : the success- 

 ful method was the following. Pure steel in small pieces, and 

 in some instances, good iron being mixed with charcoal powder 

 were heated intensely for a long time ; in this way they formed 

 carburets, which possessed a very dark metallic grey colour, 

 something in appearance like the black ore of tellurium, and 

 highly crystalline. When broken, the facets of small buttons, 

 not weighing more than 500 grains, were frequently above the 

 eighth of an inch in width. The results of several experiments 

 on its composition, which appeared very uniform, gave 94.36 

 iron, + 5.64 carbon. This being broken and rubbed to powder 

 in a mortar, was mixed with pure alumina, and the whole 

 intensely heated in a close crucible for a considerable time. 

 On being removed from the furnace, and opened, an alloy was 

 obtained of a white colour, a close granular texture, and very 

 brittle : this, when analyzed, gave 6.4 per cent, alumina, and a 

 portion of carbon not accurately estimated. 700 of good steel, 

 with 40 of the alumine alloy, were fused together, and formed 

 a very good button, perfectly malleable ; this, on being forged 

 into a little bar, and the surface polished, gave, on the appli- 

 cation of dilute sulphuric acid, the beautiful damask which will 

 presently be noticed as belonging peculiarly to wootz. A 

 second experiment was made with 500 grains of the same steel, 

 and 67 of the alumine alloy, and this also proved good ; it 

 forged well, and gave the damask. This specimen has all the 

 appreciable characters of the best Bombay wootz. 



We have ascertained, by direct experiment, that the wootz, 

 although repeatedly fused, retains the peculiar property of 

 presenting a damasked surface, when forged, polished, and 

 acted upon, by dilute acid. This appearance is appa- 

 rently produced by a dissection of the crystals by the acid ; 

 for though by the hammering the crystals have been bent 

 about, yet their forms may be readily traced through the 

 curves, which the twisting and hammering have produced. 

 From this uniform appearance on the surface of wootz, it is 



