112 Manufacture of Steel. 
steel, which is answered in the subjoined letter in connexion with the 
main subject. 
Letter on steel and other subjects, from Mr. Ex W. Buake, address- 
ed to the Editor, and dated Whitneyville, Aug. 24th, 1829. 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 
My dear sir—In compliance with your request of the 13th inst. 
we have subjected the piece of American steel, manufactured by Mr- 
O. L. Clarke, to such tests as our experience suggested, and our 
means afforded, for comparing its quality with that of the English 
(L) steel. 
Before I proceed to state the results of these trials, it will be pro- 
per to remark that for different purposes, steel may possess different 
properties ; or in other words, properties which make it inapplicable 
to one purpose, may not injure it for another. We do not profess to 
be judges of the English steel, except for the purposes to which we 
have been accustomed to apply it, in the manufacture of muskets. 
We haye consequently tested the specimen for those purposes only. 
The results of our trials, therefore, cannot be considered as testing 
the qualities of the steel, except for those purposes in the application 
to which, it must undergo similar processes, and be subjected to simi~ 
lar trials. 
A large proportion of the English steel that is imported into the 
United States, is used for the coarser articles of cutlery. We do 
not consider our trials of the specimen as testing its qualities for such 
purposes, for we have tried parcels of steel which had a high repu- 
tation among axe makers, &c. and found them unfit for musket- 
work. We use the English steel for ramrods, and for the main 
springs of the locks. Any good steel will answer this purpose, pro- 
vided it may be drawn under a tilt hammer to the size of ;3, of an 
inch square, without becoming flawy, and provided it may be har- 
dened without fire-cracking. We formerly used the best qualities of 
German steel for this work, but have latterly had difficulty in finding 
such as would answer. Since we began to use the English steel, we 
have experienced comparatively little difficulty from those defects. 
We have however had one parcel which fire-cracked so much ia 
hardening, that we abandoned the use of it, and yet the same steel 
_ Was considered of a very superior quality by other artizans. We 
have thought it necessary to state these facts, thus minutely, in order 
that the result of our trials of this steel may not disparage the sale of 
