Day 49 - Casey Steel & Tool Works

Kristiana was excited about this day. She would see the one significant technology that did not have Scandinavian, or even Old World, roots today.

The Ozies had brought over a researcher, or at least his surviving ideas, on recreating an ancient Indian steel manufacturing technique called wootz.  It grew carbon nano-fibers in a complex steel matrix - and made the best steel in the world. Wootz had a distinctive and appealing pattern in the steel, it kept it's edge almost forever while bending if need be.

Not only were all surgeons blades made from wootz, but so were quality tools, knives, scissors and Army helmets and breastplates.  The Ozies had refined the techniques that were recreated in the late Old World. And they were secretive about their processes.

As visiting President, she was invited to tour the factory in Casey, but without any aides. None the less, she would make notes for the files.

The factory delegation arrived at her Casey residence and greeted her most cordially - speaking with that odd twang in their Danish that most Ozies had.

One factory representative mentioned that Alexander the Great had been given a gift of 14 kg of the finest wootz steel by an Indian king over 3,000 years ago. Today, the factory made that much steel in a good week, And the quality control was better today.

Upon arrival, she was shown how they mixed up the alloys, with variations depending upon the intended use. The batch she was shown would be used to make helmets and would have more phospherus on the exterior of the helmet which meant a concentration of phosphorus in the center of the 1.8 kg ingot.

The ingot was then packed in leaves dusted with more alloys and charcoal dust, and placed in a kiln.

"For helmets, we do not orientate the carbon fibers, but for cutting edges we do. We put an electrical coil around the kiln and this changes the way that the carbon fibers grow.

After several days of heating and then very slowly cooling, the ingot is taken out from the kiln. She saw another ingot that was placed in a press, still red hot, and a curved cone die pushed the steel out like a  fountain of dough. What had been in the center was now on the outside.

This oddly shaped ingot was then briefly reheated and placed in a second press which created a familiar looking, but very hot, helmet. "Size 3" her guide said.

Later holes would be drilled for a chin strap and interior webbing. The metal was rust resistant and the military left some helmets unpainted and painted others. But she could see why less than 200 Grade A helmets and another hundred slightly defective helmets were delivered to the Union Army each year.

She then toured the making of scissors, knives, scalpels, twizzers, springs, firing pins, artillery breeches, breastplates and more.