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If the term is correct, its use should be limited to the products of the puddling furnace. However I note that the W. K. V. Gale did not use it in his various books on the post-industrial revolution iron industry. In one of them he quotes a book of 1900 saying that the iron continued to improve up to being Fagotted and piled six times. Peter King -----Original Message----- From: Arch-Metals Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] Sent: 27 April 2006 22:11 To: Peter King Subject: Re: Refining, etc. Faggotting/Piling was the method used to change the muck bar from the bloom into "singly refined wrought iron" and singly refined wrought iron into doubly refined wrought iron and doubly refined wrought iron into triply refined wrought iron. This refines the structure of the metal attenuating the ferrous silicate spicules and decreasing their ammount as well. I agree that it makes the word a bit more ambiguous. This is not only an english usage as I recall that Samual Yellin always specifed "triply refined wrought iron" for his ornamental work in the United States back in the 1920's and '30's. Thomas > I have been reading a number of books and papers lately and have noticed > that it is not uncommon for British authors to refer to fagoting and pile > welding as refining. How common is this and is there a consensus among > British/Europeans on this? > > I have to admit to a personal preference for reserving the term fining to > decarburization in a finery forge, puddling for the same process in a > puddling hearth, refining for the removal of silicon (etc., but not > carbon) in a run-out fire (or similar structure), and faggotting > (fagoting), piling, bushelling, or pile welding for the process of > consolidating a bloom/loup or puddling ball into merchant bar (while > expelling slag). > > James Brothers, RPA > [log in to unmask] Thomas Powers