Soft steel is very much like wrought iron in appearance, and it is used like wrought iron.
Hard steel has more carbon in it than soft steel. Tools, needles, etc., are made of this.
Apparatus. A steel sewing-needle (No. 1). [A]
[A] NOTE. Each piece of apparatus used in the following experiments has a number. See "Apparatus list" at the back of this book for details. The numbers given under "Apparatus," in each experiment, refer to this list.
3. Directions. (A) Bend a sewing-needle until it breaks. Is the steel brittle?
(B) If you have a file, test the hardness of the needle.
4. Discussion. "Needle steel" is usually of good quality. It will be very useful in many experiments. Do you know how to make the needle softer?
EXPERIMENT 2. To find whether a piece of hard steel can be made softer.