Wootz Research Articles

PRIOR to 1819, when Faraday published a paper on the composition of Indian Wootz steel, his contributions to knowledge had been represented by comparatively short communications, with no very obvious connexion. His first research of any magnitude was, therefore, the one on the alloys of steel with other metals, on which he was engaged for the next five years. This work, carried out in collaboration with a Mr. James Stodart, a manufacturer of cutlery and surgical instruments, led to the publication of two further papers in 1820 and 1822. Of these, the former is an account of small scale experiments made in the laboratory of the Royal Institution, and the latter, on ingots, 10 lb.-20 lb. in weight, melted in Sheffield. The cause of this interest in steel cannot now with certainty be determined, but Faraday's association with Stodart, and a decision of the Board of Management of the Royal Institution of 1812 that it was desirable that experiments should be undertaken on the alloys of metals, may both have played important parts.