Editing Henry Bessemer (section)

==Early inventions==
The invention from which Bessemer made his first fortune was a series of six steam-powered machines for making [[bronze powder]], used in the manufacture of gold paint. As he relates in his autobiography,{{sfn|Bessemer|1905}} he examined the bronze powder made in [[Nuremberg]] which was the only place where it was made at the time. He then copied and improved the product and made it capable of being made on a simple production line. It was an early example of [[reverse engineering]] where a product is analysed, and then reproduced.

The process was kept secret, with only members of his immediate family having access to the factory. The Nuremberg powder, which was made by hand, retailed in London for £5&nbsp;12[[£sd|s]] per pound and he eventually reduced the price to [[Half crown (British coin)|half a crown]] {{nowrap|£ – 2 / 6}}, or about 1/40th.<ref>{{cite magazine
  | title = Famous Inventors – Sir Henry Bessemer
  | magazine = The Meccano Magazine
  | page = 130
  | date =April 1942}}
</ref>
The profits from sale of the paint allowed him to pursue his other inventions.

Bessemer patented a method for making a continuous ribbon of [[plate glass]] in 1848, but it was not commercially successful (,{{sfn|Bessemer|1905}} chapter 8). He gained experience in designing furnaces, which was to be of great use for his new steel-making process.