Unlike Herr Steibel, who had continued with the traditional moulding and wire cutting into shape, Mr. Tidy used a simple shape pressing technique that cut out a time-consuming and therefore expensive stage of production. However, because of ‘technical issues’ the quality of the final product declined markedly and the work at Porth Wen came to an end in 1914. The beginning of the First World war should have been a profitable time serving the wartime steel industry; and for the most part across Britain it was, but nonetheless it failed here at Porth Wen.