What is Russian Iron- locomotive applications

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As best I can find, Russian Iron is a 'mill' product.  That means it was
produced by a steel mill in a bulk form.  The mill would roll steel into a
sheet form creating a very large roll of thin, sheet steel in a coil.  This
coil would then be sent to the 'pickling plant' where the coil would be
unrolled and run in a continuous process through liquid baths that would
chemically transform the surface of the steel to a more corrosion resistant
form through chemical conversion.  Unfortunately, there is no strict
definition of what the process was or exactly what the results were from
the early period of steel manufacture.  The name came about as the original
process and supply came from steel plants in Russia.
It seems that this process was similar to the chemical process used for gun
'bluing' and the results were deep blue, black or deep gray in color.
 American mills produced a similar product and called it 'planished iron'.
 One can find this described in older steel supply books ( I have a 1923
Ryerson Steel Manual that describes planished iron in simple detail.)

Also, the process is described in older MACHINIST'S Handook or in later
Machinery Handbooks under metal coloring.
The main point is that Russian Iron was only produced in this bulk form and
the end user had to cut and create what he needed from this sheet product-
like boiler jacket components.  The corrrosion resistant coating was to all
intents and purposes pre-painting the sheet.
One should remember that the boiler and boiler jacket were hot when the
locomotive was under steam.  Older paints, both lacquer bases and enamel
bases, didn't hold up well to high temperature until recent polymer
development.  So old paints burned or discolored easily.   Around the
1900's paint was very mix-it-yourself and no true paint industry existed.
So a corrosion resistant coating on hot steel was a useful and desirable
feature.  One can see what appears to be 'Russian Iron' boiler jackets on
many early Baldwin Locomotive Works builder's photos as a gray-ish or
silvery color in the black-and-white photo.

Gary Rolih
Cincinnati
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