1 822.] On the Alloys of Steel. 79 



speaks very favourably of it. We have made only two experi- 

 ments. 1600 grains of steel, with 16 of pure chrome, were 

 packed into one of the best crucibles, and placed in an excel- 

 lent blast furnace : the metals were fused, and kept in that 

 state for some time. The fused button proved good and forged 

 well : although hard, it showed no disposition to crack. The 

 surface being brightened, and slightly acted on by dilute sul- 

 phuric acid, exhibited a crystalline appearance; the crystals, 

 being elongated by forging, and the surface again polished, 

 gave, by dilute acid, a very beautiful damask. Again, 1600 

 grains of steel with 48 of pure chrome were fused: this gave a 

 button considerably harder than the former. This too was as 

 malleable as pure iron, and also gave a very fine damask. Here 

 a rather curious phenomenon was observed : the damask was 

 removed by polishing, and restored by heat without the use of 

 any acid. The damasked surface, now coloured by oxidation, 

 had a very novel appearance : the beauty was heightened by 

 heating the metal in a way to exhibit all the colours caused by 

 oxidation, from pale straw to blue, or from about 430 to 600 

 of Fahrenheit. The blade of a sabre, or some such instrument 

 made from this alloy, and treated in this way, would assuredly 

 be beautiful, whatever its other properties might be; for of 

 the value of the chrome alloy for edge-tools we are not pre- 

 pared to speak, not having made trial of its cutting powers. 

 The sabre blade, thus coloured, would amount to a proof of its 

 being well tempered ; the blue back would indicate the temper 

 of a watch-spring, while the straw colour towards the edge 

 would announce the requisite degree of hardness. It is con- 

 fessed, that the operation of tempering any blade of consider- 

 able length in this way would be attended with some difficulty. 

 In the account now given of the different alloys, only one 

 triple compound is noticed, namely, steel, iridium and osmium ; 

 but this part of the subject certainly merits further investiga- 

 tion, offering a wide and interesting field of research. Some 

 attempts to form other combinations of this description proved 

 encouraging, but we were prevented, at the time, by various 

 other avocations, from bestowing on them that attention and 

 labour they seemed so well to deserve*. 



* It is our intention to continue these experiments at every opportunity ; 

 but they are laborious, and require much time and patience. 



