This first Stainless Steel Magazine was published 50 years ago and this was the editorial.
The editorial for a new journal should have a very special message. Firstly, it should give solid reasons for the birth of a new journal – goodness knows, we have enough of them already piling the desks of busy executives and technologists. Keeping up with technical and trade literature is as difficult as keeping up with the Joneses in these difficult inflationary days.
Let us be bold and say right away that stainless steel is the most wonderful alloy produced by metallurgists in the history of man. Its development was a major metallurgical breakthrough. More than any other material it has helped to halt the progress of that colossus – corrosion. By combining the simple metals iron, chromium and nickel, a wonder metal was born. In late years production has increased rapidly in every producing country and it still spirals. As an illustration we can quote Japan, who started producing in 1954 and now produces over 300,000 tons per annum. Perhaps more than any other material it has become familiar to all, from the highly specialised industrialist to the humble housewife – from the stars to the kitchen. Having said all this we may be asked – why then a journal devoted to stainless steel. Our answer is that its horizons could become wider yet and its field of application extended to universal benefit.
This view is very well expressed by Mr. Dewar [Chairman, Stainless Steel Development Association, London] in his letter to the Association which is reproduced on page 11 of this journal. To quote: “Although stainless steel is now regarded as a regular commodity rather than something new and special, its development has lost none of the old excitement and we who are connected with either the making of the steel or its fabrication are indeed fortunate in this respect. There is nothing static about stainless steel and I am certain that there is ample scope for its further development in South Africa.”
A small example. Have you a house of some five or six years old? If so, look at your bright shining bathroom toilet fittings. In nine out of ten cases it is defaced by rusty black screw heads – brightly nickel chrome plated when new. Hardware merchants and architects probably did not know of the existence of stainless steel screws and that the additional cost for lifetime brightness was fractional.
Examples such as this could be multiplied and the purpose of this journal is to alert users and others to the wide availability of the material in many forms. Technical enquiries are welcome and it is in the interest of the journal to afford what assistance it can through a knowledgeable panel of experts here and overseas.
We aim to be topical, technical and interesting, bringing to readers recent and interesting applications of stainless steel the world over. It will be of appeal to user, manufacturer, fabricator and supplier.
