[Sca-cooks] Period dutch ovens

otsisto otsisto at socket.net
Wed Dec 9 14:34:46 PST 2009


But this is England, what about other countries?

De

-----Original Message-----
Here is something interesting that I found.  See below.

Huette

Because cast iron is comparatively brittle, it is not suitable for purposes
where a sharp edge or flexibility is required. It is strong under
compression, but not under tension. Cast Iron was first invented in China
(see also: Du Shi), and poured into molds to make weapons and figurines.
Historically, its earliest uses included cannon and shot. Henry VIII
initiated the casting of cannon in England. Soon English iron workers using
blast furnaces developed the technique of producing cast iron cannons which
while heavier than the prevailing bronze cannons were much cheaper and
enabled England to arm her navy better. The ironmasters of the Weald
continued producing these until the 1760s, and this was the main function of
the iron industry there after the Restoration.

Cast iron pots were made at many English blast furnaces at that period. In
1707, Abraham Darby patented a method of making pots (and kettles) thinner,
and hence cheaper than his rivals could. This meant that his Coalbrookdale
Furnaces became dominant as suppliers of pots, an activity in which they
were joined in the 1720s and 1730s by a small number of other coke-fired
blast furnaces.





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