Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 187, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1911 — Pickled Steel. [ARTICLE]

Pickled Steel.

"To keep the iron and steel used In building big ships from rusting," said an engineer. “Is a matter of supreme importance. The admiralty ia vary particular that every piece shall be painted the moment it is ready for building purposes. But the steel plates form a hard black surface, called mill scale,’ in the process of manufacture. This clings tenaciously to the plate, and if it is covered with paint and afterward the plate gets damaged then the scale peels off, taking the paint with It, and leaving tbe steel bare. The plate is then liable to rust corrosion, a serious danger to the ship. “We therefore remove every trace of scale before painting the steel plate. It Is put Into a bath of dilute hydrochloric add for a few hours, which loosens the scale. Tbe plate is then brushed with wire brushes and washed with a hose. This is what we call 'pickling steel.’”—London Answers.