tin

[Rich Carlstedt]

An absolutely wonderful metal !
Besides protecting the steel in a "Tin" can from the acid/alkaline attack by the food , it has numerous uses. ( It also protects the steel externally from rusting !) ( also provides the seal in a seamed can)
First, did you ever stop and think about why the auto engine industry still gives a flash coat of Tin to bearing inserts ?
It's because Tin has one of the lowest "coefficients of friction" known in the metal world.
It is an absolute killer there for bearings and is one of the prime/major ingredients in Babbitt based metals
George Babbitt found that out in 1843 why he patented his formula for what was then called "Anti-Attrition Metal" because it never wears out
Rather than wear out, the metal extrudes itself out of the way of the load...so all you do is gather up the Tin , remelt it and cast it back into the required shape.
It does not "Gall" or "weld" and so when introduced between steel parts is a perfect barrier.
It has a tremendous affinity to copper and it melts at a low temperature (about 375 F ?) so it is easy to solder.
Added to copper in the right amount (Bell Metal ) and it makes the alloy hard enough to ring with a pleasant tone, even though the two metals are soft individually.
It's put in bullets for lubricity at high speeds and pressure .
So there are some of it's value....probably the only metal that comes close to its properties is Silver...and you know what that is worth

Rich

[Davidhcnc]

A very educational reply

[Georgineer]

Even tin hats are made of aluminium foil. Everything is ruined nowadays...

And my tin leg is made of wood.

I do have a couple of Victorian statuettes cast in tin - a sort of poor man's bronze I suppose. If you stress the base with your fingers you can hear 'tin cry'. I don't know of any other metal that behaves like that.

George

[Frank Ford]

TIN FOIL is great stuff!

I use REAL tin foil for special projects, where I need to lay a masking down over a delicate curved instrument surface in order to make a plaster mold. Unlike aluminum foil, tin is absolutely limp, without any spring-back, so when I lay it on the wood, it conforms to the surface like a wet rag. I get .001" thick tin foil from dental supply.

[CCWKen]

I tin plated a lot of reflectors for oil side lamps and tail lamps used on antique cars. (The burners were nickel plated.) Also made wire connectors and tin plated those. All of my tin usage has been in plating. I've never needed the solid form for anything else.

[KJ1I]

1. Tin is the primary ingredient in pewter.

2. Rotometal prices are among the best.

[deltaenterprizes]

I've been meaning to get my hands on a small block of real tin for a while now, for lapping, exactly as stated above. Zinc, iron, and "bell metal" (a particular type of bronze) are also used, depending on the abrasive and what the work is made of. There don't seem to be any cost effective sources of tin or zinc scrap, I ended up buying a chunk of zinc from a seller on e-bay, and it looks like that's probably the way to go for tin as well. Anyone have a better source for the stuff?

Wheel weights are made from zinc now, they are readily available at tire stores.