Originally Posted by
ggfinn
Thanks and yes, I was loose with terminology.
Early engravings circa 1825 showing the Sheaf Works depict cementation furnaces with their
characteristic early shape. You can see at least 16 of them in one engraving. The
cementation process in that type of oven apparently took roughly three weeks to produce
one batch.
As you said, crucible ovens were then used to melt the blister steel to produce tool steel.
The amount of grunt work to produce blister steel and then tool steel ingots was
apparently considerable.
That is why I believe tool-steel razors from the early 1800s would have been quite costly
and why I am curious what they did cost.