| 6. Opposition of the Sheffield cutlers
In stark contrast to the excitement over the
secret of cast steel manufacture was the distinct lack of enthusiasm
reputedly shown by the local cutlers and toolmakers. At this time,
most cutlery would have been made of forged cementation steel
or imported "German steel", both familiar and readily
available materials.
Huntsman's steel, made by melting down relatively small quantities
of cementation steel, was much more expensive due to the special
skills, time and labour involved in its production. Its higher
carbon content meant that it was also harder, and more difficult
to work at the forge, as it required especially careful tempering.
Given the traditional conservatism of the Hallamshire cutlers,
and the relatively low prices obtained for their products, there
is little surprise that this new material was received so coolly.
Consequently, during the early years of his steel manufacture,
much of Huntsman's production was exported to Europe -- France
in particular -- where it commanded a price up to ten times that
at home. The extremely high cost of the steel reflected both its
superiority over the other materials then available and its limited
availability, but also meant that its use was limited to special
applications where expense was no object, such as the manufacture
of precision tools, watch springs and luxury items such as razors.
The trade with Europe was not without consequence for the other
Sheffield manufacturers, who soon began to resent the growing
popularity of imported cast steel wares. Their response to this
threat was an attempt to stifle Huntsman's business by petitioning
Sir George Savile, the local Member of Parliament, to prohibit
the export of cast steel. However, it is said that when Savile
learned of the Sheffield cutlers' reluctance to use the new material,
he refused to take the matter any further.
The date of the cutlers' protest is not specified, but it must
have fallen between the years 1759, when Savile was elected to
the commons, and 1764 when the Cutlers' Company effectively endorsed
the use of Huntsman's steel by establishing their own crucible
furnaces. Indeed, from 1764 onwards a number of new crucible steel
ventures emerged in rapid succession, indicating that at least
some of the Sheffield cutlers had begun to work with cast steel.
The cutlers' opposition to Huntsman's steel may have been precipitated
by technical differences. Crucible steel demanded more care in
forging and tempering than cementation steel and the European
steels to which the Sheffield cutlers were accustomed, particularly
in the process of welding to wrought iron. This involved the forging
of a sharp cutting edge of steel onto a more durable back of iron,
which combined the advantages of both metals as well as making
best use of the expensive steel. However, Huntsman's steel required
a lower temperature and would disintegrate if forged at the usual
welding heat of iron.
Whether as a result of the cutlers' unwillingness to adopt new
working methods, or as a deliberate slur upon Huntsman with the
intention of damaging his business, the rumour that crucible steel–the
most costly of all–could not be welded quickly became widespread.
Even in France, where cast steel had been most enthusiastically
adopted, Jean Jacques Perret wrote in his Mémoire sur l'Acier
that "cast steel cannot be used for objects that need to
be welded to iron, as it can only be united to other steel and
even then care is required if it is to succeed".
The myth that cast steel could not be welded persisted for over
40 years after the establishment of Huntsman's business, until
Sir Thomas Frankland conclusively demonstrated to the Royal Society
that by separately heating iron and cast steel to the correct
temperatures they could be readily fused together.
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