History of Electric Induction Heating

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Induction Heating
  1. Early work to Salesman
  2. Salesman to entrepreneur
  3. Vacuum furnaces
  4. Henry Rowan, Mars Rocket
  5. Cheston, Cragmet, IRS
  6. Visit Russia, Meet Vera
  7. Around the world, Meet the president
  8. Kramatorsk
  9. Consarc
  10. Consarc UK
  11. Carbon contract
  12. Russians in Scotland
  13. The Embargo is Coming
  14. Embargo and Aftermath
  15. BEPA
  16. After BEPA
  17. Fiber Materials Appeal
  18. Consarc Officials Deny Wrongdoing in Sales to Soviets
  19. Memos from Henry Rowan to Metcalf
  20. Rowland motor patent 1868
  21. Rowland reviews the bids for Niagara Falls power station
  22. Metcalf's father's poem, and Metcalf genealogy
  23. The Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
  24. Problems of Russia's Policy With Respect to China and Japan
  25. History of Ajax Magnethermic
  26. The most important event for Inductotherm
  27. Fright Flight
  28. Black art of carbon production
  29. Polaris Missile
  30. Nuclear Airplane
  31. Nuclear Engine
  32. Molten metal eats through and explodes
  33. Cannon Muskegon Corporation
  34. Metcalf at General Motors Research from April 1955 to Oct 1955
  35. Metcalf pouring superalloy at GE from Oct 1955 to June 1956
  36. Metcalf at Waimet (later Howmet) from June 1956 to July 1957
  37. Black art of carbon production
  38. Project to test NASA hot hydrogen engine
  39. Special Metals Number 9
  40. Metcalf joins Inductotherm group
  41. Device to load materials into a furnace for melting
  42. Bank reneged on a commitment to finance a job in Russia
  43. Inductotherm private airport
  44. NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application) and all I know about carbon
  45. NERVA Engine Control Rods
  46. same as 383-Nuke.html
  47. Development of Polaris missle
  48. Ajax NASA
  49. Production of carbon fabrics and threads made from rayon
  50. George Houghton, Aerojet Inspector gives Metcalf Rocket history
  51. Rayon to carbon to graphite
  52. Metcalf buys the control division of the Pelton Water Wheel Company
  53. Rowan's account of firing Consarc President
  54. Kama Purchasing Commission, Ukraine
  55. Role of chromium in vacuum melters
  56. ASEA wins contract for isopress
  57. Induction heating to re-refile tank cannon
  58. Hoover-Ugine Company
  59. Letter to Henry Rowan at Inductotherm
  60. John Mortimer in Rancocas
  61. Consarc Board of Directors Meeting
  62. Consarc Board of Directors Meeting
  63. Hillbilly
  64. How to produce Calcarb
  65. Newsday, late 1987
  66. Embargo Regulations
  67. Seizure of Goods
  68. Minutes of Dept of Trade, London
  69. Minutes of ECGD Meeting
  70. Rowan Interview
  71. Bombshell looks like dud
  72. Letter to Hank Rowan
  73. Consarc Board Meeting
  74. Minutes of DTI Meeting, London
  75. Stansted Fluid Power
  76. Minutes of DTI Meeting, 3 Oct 85
  77. Letter to IHI Master Metals

Induction Heating

By James Farol Metcalf

Rowan Interview

INDUCTOTHERM

To: Roberts - Consarc March 25, 1985

From HM Rowan Interoffice correspondence

Subject: Consarc Engineering, Scotland Russian Job.

Knut Royce of Hearst News called. He was running down some leads and some concepts related to Richard Perle's (Under Secretary of Defense) comments in a speech that some $70 million worth of carbon densifing equipment had been sent to the Russians and that the densified carbon could be used to improve the accuracy of their missiles. He had heard that our Consarc, Scotland, division had some equipment "seized" and he was checking on this report. Apparently it was indicated that the equipment was built in France or in England which perhaps explains how he got on to the problem in the first place.

I told Royce that "seize" would seem to be the wrong word. I explained that we had received an inquiry from the Russians about two years ago, had checked with the Department of Commerce and with the British Ministry of Defense on whether we could supply the equipment, and neither had any objection to our building it or shipping it. It did not even require a license. We, therefore, quoted the Russians, received an order, and built the equipment.

I further explained that in December 1984 personnel from what I thought was the Ministry of Defense had visited Consarc, Scotland, to inspect the equipment and the designs to make sure it conformed with our original inquiry. We were given a clean bill of health and told to go ahead and ship the equipment. In February, just as we were making shipment, we received notice from the British government that they had changed the rules and the equipment now required a license that would not be available. We were instructed not to ship any more, and the equipment at the dock was embargoed.

The communication from the British government indicated that they recognized that this would give us financial difficulties and that we should look to our British government insurance for compensation. After a day or two of study, the British government did indeed pay for the equipment.

Royce asked if any of our people had been called before a grand jury in this connection, and I told him "no" that we had kept both the British and American governments fully informed and there was no reason for the grand jury action.

I further commented that about the same time we had an inquiry for about $17 million worth of vacuum casting furnaces which were allegedly intended to be used for land based turbine blades. Recognizing that these same furnaces could also be used for jet aircraft turbine blades and recognizing that some factions of our government were not anxious that these be supplied, we declined quoting. Apparently Heraeus in Germany supplied this equipment.

I told him I knew nothing about the French activities but I had understood that Sweden had furnished a number of isopresses to Russia which might be used for this same carbon product and that possibly this was the basis for Richard Perle's $70 million estimate. I indicated that this one order was the only equipment we had built for the Russians that may be used for the manufacture of densified carbon.

HM Rowan

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