author
William Metcalf
1838–1909
A Pittsburgh steelmaker and engineer, he wrote from long firsthand experience in the workshops and mills that shaped 19th-century American industry. His best-known work turns complex questions about steel into practical advice for builders, machinists, and tool users.
1 Audiobook
Steel : a manual for steel users
by William Metcalf
About the author
Born in Pittsburgh on September 3, 1838, William Metcalf trained as an engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1858. He spent his career in iron and steel manufacture, including work at the Fort Pitt Foundry during the Civil War years and later leadership roles in major steel companies in Pennsylvania.
Metcalf was not chiefly a literary figure, but his technical writing grew directly out of decades of industrial practice. In Steel: A Manual for Steel Users, he set out to answer the kinds of questions working blacksmiths, toolmakers, machine builders, and engineers faced every day, explaining how steel behaved and how it could be used well.
He died in Pittsburgh on December 5, 1909. Today, his writing offers a clear window into the practical knowledge behind the rise of American steelmaking, and it remains interesting for readers who enjoy the history of engineering, manufacturing, and applied science.