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puddling

1. (Science: physics) The process of working clay, loam, pulverized ore, etc, with water, to render it compact, or impervious to liquids; also, the process of rendering anything impervious to liquids by means of puddled material. Puddle.

See: Puddle.

2. (Science: chemistry) The art or process of converting cast iron into wrought iron or steel by subjecting it to intense heat and frequent stirring in a reverberatory furnace in the presence of oxidizing substances, by which it is freed from a portion of its carbon and other impurities. Puddling furnace, a reverberatory furnace in which cast iron is converted into wrought iron or into steel by puddling.