Abraham Darby I patented his method of sand casting iron pots using re-usable patterns in 1707 and laid the foundation for the British foundry industry. This technology was able to provide mine ...

However, in 1709, a man called Abraham Darby finally succeeded in smelting iron using coke (see list of terms below) as fuel, and he bought all his workers beer, in celebration of his discovery.

Thus, part of Darby's success involved learning to cast iron in sand to make his Dutch ovens. Some like to make a distinction ...