Steel boning: flat, spiral, and where each one fails
A working reference on the two steels used in corsetry — what each does under load, which seams they belong in, and the failure modes to design against.
One paragraph stating what this reference covers and who it is for. Reference pages are maintained, not replaced — say when it was last revised and why.
The two steels
Define flat and spiral steel plainly: gauge, temper, tipping, coating. Keep it to what a maker needs to specify a bone, not a metallurgy lecture.
Flat steel
What flat steel resists and what it cannot do. Where it belongs — centre back, busk line — and the widths you actually use.
Spiral steel
Why spiral bends in two planes, what that buys on a curved seam, and what it costs in compression.
Choosing per seam
A seam-by-seam walk through a standard panel layout. This is the most useful section on the page — make it concrete.
How boning fails
Failure modes: tip wear through the channel, permanent set, corrosion at the tip, channel migration. What each one looks like when a garment comes back.
Specification checklist
The short list you would give a supplier: type, width, gauge, tipping, coating, length tolerance. Ends the page with something usable.