The first recorded attempt to make copper clad steel wire took place in the early 1860s. Although for over 100 years people had been suggesting various ways of uniting copper and steel, it was not until the period mentioned that Farmer and Milliken tried wrapping a strip of copper about a steel wire. American engineers in 1883 and again in the 1890s made attempts to produce a copper-steel wire, in one instance at least, by electroplating copper on steel.
The Duplex Metals Co. traces its beginning to John Ferreol Monnot between 1900 and 1905. He had been very interested in the work of Mr. Martin in Paris.
:"After several years devoted to experimenting, [he] organized the Duplex Metals Company. Prior to his discovery of the process under which this company operates in producing its copper clad, probably almost every other possible way of welding copper and steel together had been tried by Mr. Monnot, but found useless for the purpose."