Benjamin Huntsman
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Huntsman was an English
inventor and manufacturer of cast or crucible steel
.
. His parents were Germans who had emigrated only a few years before his birth.
Huntsman started business as a clock, lock and tool maker in Doncaster
. His reputation enabled him to also practise surgery in an experimental fashion and was also consulted as an oculist.
Huntsman experimented in steel manufacture, first at Doncaster. Then in 1740 he moved to Handsworth
, near Sheffield. Eventually, after many experiments, Huntsman was able to make satisfactory cast steel, in clay pots or crucibles holding about 34 pounds of blistered steel each. A flux was added and they were covered and heated by means of coke for about three hours. The molten steel is then poured into moulds and the crucibles reused. The local cutlery
manufacturers refused to buy it as it was harder than the German steel they were accustomed to using. For a long time Huntsman exported his whole output to France
.
The growing competition of imported French cutlery
made from Huntsman's cast-steel alarmed the Sheffield cutlers, who, after trying to get the export of the steel prohibited by the British government, were compelled in self-defence to use it. Huntsman had not patented his process, and his secret was discovered by a Sheffield iron-founder called Walker. Walker according to a popular story got into Huntsman's works in the disguise of a starving beggar asking to sleep by a fire for the night.
In 1770, he moved his enterprise to Attercliffe
where he prospered for another six years. Benjamin Huntsman died in 1776, and the business was taken over by his son, William Huntsman (1733–1809).
At Sheffield
's Northern General Hospital
one of the original main buildings is named after him, and in the city centre is a Wetherspoons
pub called The Benjamin Huntsman.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
inventor and manufacturer of cast or crucible steel
Crucible steel
Crucible steel describes a number of different techniques for making steel in a crucible. Its manufacture is essentially a refining process which is dependent on preexisting furnace products...
.
Biography
Huntsman was born the third son of a Quaker farmer in Epworth, LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. His parents were Germans who had emigrated only a few years before his birth.
Huntsman started business as a clock, lock and tool maker in Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
. His reputation enabled him to also practise surgery in an experimental fashion and was also consulted as an oculist.
Huntsman experimented in steel manufacture, first at Doncaster. Then in 1740 he moved to Handsworth
Handsworth, South Yorkshire
Handsworth is a suburb of south eastern Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Handsworth has a population of approximately 15,000. It covers an overall area of approximately...
, near Sheffield. Eventually, after many experiments, Huntsman was able to make satisfactory cast steel, in clay pots or crucibles holding about 34 pounds of blistered steel each. A flux was added and they were covered and heated by means of coke for about three hours. The molten steel is then poured into moulds and the crucibles reused. The local cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
manufacturers refused to buy it as it was harder than the German steel they were accustomed to using. For a long time Huntsman exported his whole output to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The growing competition of imported French cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
made from Huntsman's cast-steel alarmed the Sheffield cutlers, who, after trying to get the export of the steel prohibited by the British government, were compelled in self-defence to use it. Huntsman had not patented his process, and his secret was discovered by a Sheffield iron-founder called Walker. Walker according to a popular story got into Huntsman's works in the disguise of a starving beggar asking to sleep by a fire for the night.
In 1770, he moved his enterprise to Attercliffe
Attercliffe
Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don.-History:The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in the Domesday book -Ateclive- meaning at the cliffe, a small escarpment that lay alongside the River Don...
where he prospered for another six years. Benjamin Huntsman died in 1776, and the business was taken over by his son, William Huntsman (1733–1809).
At Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
's Northern General Hospital
Northern General Hospital
The Northern General Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Sheffield, England. It hosts most major departments, including a busy Accident and Emergency for adults...
one of the original main buildings is named after him, and in the city centre is a Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
pub called The Benjamin Huntsman.