Box with iron, steel and ore samples, Aall & Sons, c. 1860 - c. 1870
The Royal Netherlands Navy was dependent on supplies of raw materials from abroad to build its new steel ships. This wooden tray contains samples of iron, steel and iron ore from a Norwegian ironworks. Eight bars of steel have been numbered according to their hardness. Also in the tray are a number of iron samples, pieces broken off a heavy iron bar, a strip of cemented iron and the results of two bend tests.