Re: "steel" vs "iron" [was:Re: Competing unions [was: Re: Native English]]

In news:OU+EJzVJogGEFwb7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Paul Wolff <bounceme@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> typed:

Concrete may be only 20 percent cement; most of it is aggregate. The
sort of steel that is corrugated for sheeting is probably at least 95
weight percent iron, and fits the coffee test. Cast iron may have
less iron than steel has. Calling an iron alloy 'steel' rather than
iron only signifies that it has been processed to a more controlled
condition than the crude metal, though it must have some carbon or
metal alloy to differentiate it from soft iron.

I'm a bit troubled about the term "soft iron" in this context as, IIRC,
cast- and wrot-iron are harder than steel, in the sense (of no other) or
being brittle. AFAIK, "soft iron" means orin that loses its magnetism
quickly, i.e. inapposite here.

--

Nat

"...too selfish to be codependent." --Cynthia Heimel




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