How did Swen Pulson help create the vitrified grinding wheel in 1873?

In 1873, Swen Pulson, an employee at the Norton and Hancock Pottery Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, successfully developed the vitrified grinding wheel by experimenting with bonding materials.1

Pulson bet that he could create a functional grinding wheel by mixing emery—a natural abrasive—with potter’s clay and firing the mixture in a kiln. After two initial failures, he succeeded on his third attempt. This innovation replaced earlier, less effective glue-and-silicate bonded products and established the standard for the modern vitrified wheel, which is typically manufactured using a ceramic bond of clays and feldspars fired at high temperatures.12