Tinning Cast Iron

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Vessels for cooking and other purposes, commonly called " tin-ware," are in general use, because they are so cheap, cleanly and strong. The material of which they are composed is sheet iron coated with tin. The latter metal adheres so tenaciously to' cleaned wrought iron that it is almost impossible to separate the two m etals ; h ence the iron , otherwise so liable to corrode, is almost perfectly prevented from rusting. Sheet tin can now be spun in the lathe into cheap vessels of various forms ; still there is a variety of forms of cheap articles which can only be made of cast iron, and they would come into more extended use, were some method discovered for tinning them, it being a curious fact that while tin will adhere tenaciously to wrought iron, it has no affinity at all for cast iron. Various efforts have been made to tin cast iron, but they have generally been unsuccess" ful. It is true that the interior of hollow cast iron ware is generally tinned, but this coating is not very durable. Quite recently, however, it is stated in some of our foreign cotemporaries, that M. W Ejinberger, of Paris, has succeeded in tinning cast iron, and rendering the tin coating as durable as on common tin-ware. For this purpose he subjects the cast iron vessels to a decarbonizing process, in the same manner that malleable iron is treated, by enclosing them in cases filled up with some decarbonizing agent, such as the red oxyd of iron, and then submitting them to a red heat for several days. Such vessels, after being decarbonized, are scoured clean with acid, sand and warm water, to remove all the oxyd, then they are submerged in molten tin in a vessel, having its surface covered with tallow, in exactly the same manner that sheet iron is tinned. This is a valuable and simple process for treating cast iron to be tinned, and may be carried on very extensively in our country, as the most suitable iron for the purpose is that made from charcoal, of which we have an abundance.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 13 Issue 19This article was published with the title “Tinning Cast Iron” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 19 (), p. 152
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican01161858-152b

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