Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/155

STE FIBLd's flues, the reader is referred to the I8th vol. of the TransaSiions of the Society for the Encourage- ment of Arts, &c. Steam may, with equal advan- tage, be employed in domestic eco- nomy, and particularly in cooking. Thus, steamed potatoes are always more wholesome and nutritious, than such as are Uoil.d in water j and Dr. Darwin observ.';?, that if the heat of the steam could be in- creased after it has left the water, the art of boiling all vegetables might be considerably improved; and thus the mucilage, abounding both in potatoes and flour- pud- dings, and also in the roots, seeds, stems, leaves and flower-cups of pi iuts, may be rendered more nu- tritive, and, probably, more palata- ble — See also the article Cook- ing STKEL, is iron refined in the fire with certain ingredients that render it white, and impart to it a harder and finer grain than that of the original metal. Iron is converted into steel, ei- ther by fusion, or by cementation. The former method is employed for making steel immediately from the ore, oir from the crude, cast metal. In the latter, bars of iron are placed in ' furnaces, with a stratum of char- coal between each ; till the pile is raised to a sufficient height. The whole is then closely covered, to prevent the access of the air; when a strong fire is kindled, and uni- formly continued during the whole process. The surface of the metal, manufadured in either way, gene- rally exhibits numerous vesicles, whence it is called blistered steel ; but these may be removed by re- peated ignition between red-hot c oals, and by forging, ^bc finest metal of this descrip- STE [133 tion, is the Damascus-steel, which is imported from Syria; but the process pursued in- the Turkish raanufa<5tories, is not accurately known in Europe; The German- steel is made by breaking t^ie blis- tered bars into small pieces, which are exposed to the strong fire of a furnace : these are next welded^ and extended to the length of about 18 inches, when they are doubled; welded a second time; and at length drawn to the requisite size and shape. The celebrated Bres- cian-steel is obtained by roasting the iron-ore -in strata, with layers of wood between each ; and, when these are sufficiently smelted, the metal is taken out of the furnace, broken to pieces, picked, and wash- ed in troughs of pure water. It is next conveyed to an oblong square cavity, termed the fiuxing-bed, which is strewed with a mixture of finely-sifted ashes and sand, that are carefully compressed. A stra- tum of charcoal is then laid on ; the smelted metal is gradually add- ed ; and, at the end of three or four days, the conversion is completed. The best steel manufaftured in Britain, is known under the name of cast-steel. It is prepared from the common blistered metal ; which^ being broken to pieces, is put into proper crucibles, with a flux ; and,, after the fusion is effeded, the metal is cast into ingots, when it undergoes the operation of tilting, and is at length tempered, by re- peated ignition and immersion in water. In 1801, a Mr. Eggs obtained a patent for a new method of bend- ing steel. After giving the neces- sary shape to the blade, spring, or other article, it is extended over a convex piece of iron, denominated a ^flat. The bent steel is next K 3 stricken