Bott and Hackney
Bott & Hackney of The Titanic Steel Co., of Pott Street, New Islington, Ancoats, Manchester
See Joseph Elton Bott and Samuel John Hackney
1885 'NEW PROCESS OF STEEL MANUFACTURE. During the last few mouths (says Iron) works specially laid out for a new process of steel manufacture have been established at Manchester by Messrs. Bott aud Hackney. This is termed a direct process, and may be described as a compromise between the Bessemer and the crucible processes. An important advantage secured is that baked moulds are dispensed with, the castings being made entirely in green sand, so that the many severe internal strains caused by hard moulds at the time of cooling are avoided. The firm are thus enabled to produce steel castings which are practically free from blowholes and shrinkage, notwithstanding that metal out of one ladle can be indiscriminately poured into elevator bucket moulds less than 1/8 inch thick, or into moulds for heavy crank shafts. We have had an opportunity of inspecting a number of steel castings produced by this process which, under any ordinary method, would probably be considered impossible of production. Amongst these were mule sickles which had been twisted cold, then forged and hardened that they could be ground to a razor edge; and as an example of intricate work, a pulsometer, with all its internal parts, has been successfully cast, which is probably the first time that a complicated apparatus of this description has been produced in a steel casting. There were also pulsometer valves which, after turning, were hardened, and complicated lever castings perfectly soft and ductile, which, after being machined, were perfectly free from any defects, and were afterwards hardened at the point where friction would require a wearing surface. The process enables malleable steel castings to be produced which are perfectly sound and reliable, and which can be easily forged, and hardened as required,either in oil or water.'[1]
1886 Report of a visit to the foundry to see examples of castings made from a new type of steel that had been in production for about six months. The magazine called it Titanic steel, patented by Messrs Bott & Hackney. There was also a description of an open hearth furnace patented by Mr Bott, featuring an improved method of construction.[2]
See the Titanic Steel Co