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Just_ziptab
| Posted on Friday, January 18, 2013 - 12:25 am: |
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A term from the early 1900's. Google and Webster's dictionary are no help...... "MacNeal & Urban have at all times been with the advance guard in the march of improvements, and the burglar-proof work constructed by them to-day with thick walls of malecent steel would dumbfound the older safe makers and safe breakers". |
Mr_grumpy
| Posted on Friday, January 18, 2013 - 03:38 am: |
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It's a special steel that goes very hard when touched gently but shrinks a great deal when cold. It wasn't much of a success for safes. Not to be discouraged, the inventors went on to produce femalecent steel, this looked to be a much better bet at first, being easy to work when hot & very tightly secure at other times. Unfortunately the product didn't age well & became increasingly difficult & unpredictable with the passage of time. Their last venture into metallurgy was teenacent steel, which was a total disaster, being completely impossible to work under most circumstances. A few strong boxes were made of the product but they would never open when required & were notoriously insecure. Source - Aaron Aardvark's big book of stuff. |
Fast1075
| Posted on Friday, January 18, 2013 - 04:25 am: |
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Crusty
| Posted on Friday, January 18, 2013 - 07:04 am: |
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+1! |
Just_ziptab
| Posted on Friday, January 18, 2013 - 09:29 pm: |
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I'm was wondering if Malecent was just a family business name for a type of steel or construction...but that doesn't pan out either..... |
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