The Story of the Platinum-Wound Electric Resistance Furnace

For many years platinum-wound furnaces have been established as a means of obtaining high temperatures without the complication of a protective atmosphere to surround the resistance elements. Indeed, such electric furnaces were first produced commercially in Germany around the turn of the present century. The history of their early development has, however, never been described, and in this paper the author gives a detailed account of their origin and their gradual development into valuable items of laboratory equipment.