The development and growth of James Keir’s Tipton Chemical Works at the close of the eighteenth century can be attributed to its unique position within a network of intense scientific communication, practical chemical materials and rich geographic resources. Keir’s chemical industry was first and foremost enmeshed in an extensive intellectual and scientific grid consisting of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and its peripheral members. Fruitful correspondence and frequent meetings wove together the skills of savants and fabricants, fomenting scientific, industrial and legal dialogues that definitively shaped the birth and growth of Keir’s alkali and soap making pursuits at the Tipton Chemical Works. Additionally layered upon this savant-fabricant network was a material web of chemical reagents and products. The development of Keir’s synthetic soda process rendered useful the industrial waste from nearby factories. The resulting soda of commerce was then employed in saponification and glass making, signifying that Keir’s manufactory was just one point on a larger interrelated web of chemical industry in the West Midlands. Mechanical intuition governed this material network of production, as did theorization to some extent. Finally, the physical location of Keir’s Chemical Works epitomized the necessity of carving out prime territory in a burgeoning industrial landscape. His chemical manufactory was geographically situated at the heart of an ideal network of expanding transport canals and rich coal seams. This micro history of Keir’s chemical business will expose the necessary overlap of human, material and geographic networks that stimulated eighteenth century industry in the West Midlands. While it is meant to be a slice within the greater historical landscape of this era, Keir’s extensive networks will invite a teasing out of wider social, scientific and economic themes.