Technological Transfer: failure, partial adaptations, success
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France British coal techniques did eventually prevail against charcoal – very lengthiness of transition proves that British techniques were not at all superior to the traditional or partly modernised methods straight away.  Frequently – they failed initially or were economically successful only if partly integrated into the traditional framework

1820s –60 – success and failure British tech. In Europe.

THE ADOPTION OF COKE-SMELTING BY THE BRITISH IRON INDUSTRY 1709-1790 – Charles Hyde

1709 Darby first to use Coke – not others until 1750 and in period 22 new charcoal furnaces buily 1720-55

T.S. Ashton: Classic – technical limitations coke smelting – poor quality – prevented its adoption for 50 years

This article: - costs alone explain the timing of the adoption of coke-smelting – cheaper to use charcoal until mid century – rational to use old technique – costs using coke fell during 1^st half of century – charcoal pig iron rose after 1750 – the change in relative costs sufficient to explain timing of the adoption of mineral fuel by British ironmasters

Ashton – multi-causal explanation failure to use coke before mid century  -Darby keeps it quiet and Coalbrookdale “clod” coal accounted for success – other ironmasters do not have access to this. – quality poor, brittle – so forge masters (who consumer virtually entire output of pig iron, could not use coke pig iron until mid-century when quality improved).

Industrial Secret – Darbys operate in partnership and likely to have spread the word about the use of coke – workers move to other districts and spread knowledge

Other ironmasters had access to equally friendly coal – but did not use it until much later.

Most British ores contained phosphorous and yielded “cold-short” pig iron – regardless of the fuel used in smelting  - coal short mixed with tough iron to make common bar iron – There is no evidence that coke pig iron was inferior to charcoal pig iron because it had a higher phosphorous content.

Higher silicon content of coke iron – difficult to convert pig into bar – use of coke iron increased amounts of pig iron and charcoal needed to produce a ton of bar iron- difference in quality between the two types of pig iron was relatively constant – crucial variable which explains the lag in the adoption of coke-smelting before mid-century according to historians.

If real prices reflected differences in real quality consumer would be indifferent between the two goods – an ironmaster could adopt coke-smelting if the average total costs of producing coke pig iron were less than its selling price – regardless of how low that price might have been. 

The diffusion of coke-smelting must be explained in terms of costs and prices and not in terms of the quality of coke pig iron.

Costs alone before mid century discouraged charcoal ironmasters from adopting new techniques – Coalbrookdale variable costs significantly higher than those of contemporary charcoal furnaces – new technique initially had no cost advantage over older process.

No incentive to switch to coke in the 1720s due to costs and NO incentive for investor to build new coke furnaces as opposed to charcoal ones – Coke produced 400 tonnes per annum – Backbarrow new charcoal 700 tonnes – given total costs construction new charcoal furnace seems rational.

Darbys profitably produced pg iron with coke in spite of higher cots received higher than average revenues from a new by-product of coke pig iron- thin-walled castings – only after Abraham Darby invents new device that lease old charcoal furnace and sues coke furnace. – coke pig iron superior for new castings – increased fluidity of molten coke iron decreased possible defects like holes and creaks in castings using half the metal he produced a superior pot which sold at a higher price

Darby’s casting technology that made coke-smelting profitable – 1719 to 1736 cast about 70% of their iron and sold rest as pig – other ironmasters could not have realised same average costs as could not produced same quality cast iron products. – Darby’s casting technique well kept secret 0 given Darby’s monopoly high quality castings and high costs smelting with coke OTHER IRONMASTERS RATIONAL SHUNNING NEW PROCESS BEFORE MID CENTURY

Other Notes in this Category

1. Adaptations of the Traditional Sector
2. Conclusions
3. Definitions and Historiography
4. Direct Transfer
5. Economic Growth in france and britain, 1830-1910 –a review of the evidence
6. Grantham: survey of cliometric contributions to french economic history
7. Growth Rates, Data and Methods
8. Indirect, Embodied Transfer
9. Kindelberger’s review of keyder and o’brien
10. Pioneer industrialiser
11. Post 1750 Growth Coke-Smelting Sector
12. Richard roehl – french industrialisation: a reconstruction
13. Structural Change
14. Technological Transfer: failure, partial adaptations, success
15. The Innovations of the coke blast furnace, of puddling and rolling
16. The modern technology breakthrough ‘right down the line’
17. Tom Kemp – industrialization in nineteenth century europe

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