28 FEBRUARY 1987, Page 28

Pilger mill

Sir: Making steel tubes in a Pilger mill is, as David Clarke suggests (Letters, 7 Febru- ary), a noisy and violent business, but he is adrift in presuming that the mill is named after its inventor. 'Pilger' is German for pilgrim and describes the nature of the process, in which the steel, pilgrim-like, makes two steps forward and one step back.

Raymond Cordero

Editorial director, Metal Bulletin, 16 Lower Marsh, London SE1