Amour

The finished product. TA DA!

I really enjoyed this project, much better than the first one, not sure if it was because of the extra time we got or if i was able to focus my self this time. Funny thing, i dreamt of the way to pattern the zinc in my sleep... seems to be happening more and more. Soon I'll be able to design 24 hours a day. ha ha ha ha... pity i can't remember my dreams some times.

Thanks to my friend who helped me get the lighting right for the drawn image! Couldn't have done it without your guidance!!!

Zinc thicknesses

In case anyone asks...

The thinnest that i found zinc sheet to be is o.18mm the company that makes it is in china [where else lol] and they range from 0.18 to 2.1mm.

link if you don't believe me.

http://www.fashion-accouterment.com/buy-Zinc_Sheet/

Zinc discoveries

Bet you didn't know that this is covered in zinc.... federation square. I'm assuming that the more Orange red stuff is more copper based.. and the silver grey is more pure zinc. cool huh?

I went to go pick up sheet zinc from the place i called yesterday... oh boy... it is so stiff... but then again i need to take into account how thick it is... i think 0.5mm which is thicker than what is recommended for counter tops. It is so think because it is used mainly for roof cladding... which of course needs to be robust.

Cutting it into thinner strips made it more flexible ALOT more flexible.

I lied.

OK scrap note no 5 from the previous entry i found a place that does sell soft zinc sheeting... but as roofing supply. I need to change that note to no one sells zinc sheet only strips. The zinc strips is under the product name of Rheinzink which is why it was a little hard to find.

This Rheinzink is actually an alloy 99.995% zinc and additives of copper and titanium. It was developed specifically for building construction. information on this zinc can be found here:

http://www.craftmetals.com.au/htm/rhein_matinfo.htm

Took a while but needing to contact someone really pushed me to go and hunt down different avenues.

Called up craft metals just to ask a few questions. This is what i learned and the implications...

Soft zinc can be cut using metal snips, die cut and laser cut. The laser cutting does not make the edges go hard as i had feared but actually turns to liquid and runs away. So I'm assuming a cooler laser would be needed to cut the zinc. From the fact that it can be cut with a laser.. i will also assume that it can be cut very finely, but need to take into account the softness of the zinc, it might flop if the pattern is too fine.

The edges which is what everyone had been worrying about can be smoothed by curling them under like what they do on tin cans type thing, or you can sand them smooth. On a larger scale i think that the edges could be die pressed so it was round but that wouldn't be important cos theoretically if made commercial it would still be in extremely low volumes.

Zinc actually doesn't oxidise very quickly unless exposed to water or if you swam with it, i think also perspiration would also affect it. From the previous blog that would mean that the owner of the piece could decide what to do with it... maintain the low shine... or allow the piece to age.

Of course all of this depends on the thickness of the material that i choose to use, which at this moment I'm still unsure.

Further zinc notes

Note 1] "Zinc sheets were originally designed for industrial applications such as water resistance, roof flashing, chemical resistance, cathode protection, engraving, sound deadening and scientific applications. Over the years Zinc sheets became popular in commercial establishments including bar finishes and cabinet tops. In France, zinc tables are very popular. This application then spread to decorative raised panels in elevators and architectural designs in stores. Today this versatile material can be seen in with a variety of different looks and is found in prestigious residential applications, including bar tops, decorative counters, kitchen cooking areas, stove enclosures, heat protection panels, sink tops and cabinetry, as well as kick plates and moldings. Bathroom areas and vanities are also taking on a new look with Zinc."

Note 2] "Zinc will stain with plain water. It will show black marks if exposed to certain acids such as those found in tomato or lemon juice. Even vinegar used in cooking will create stains."

Note 3] "SIZE & THICKNESS: We recommend the use of the .030 for sinks, counters, and bar tops. Since a 39" x 96" sheet can weigh 35 lb., " 0.0o is equivalent to 20 gauge

Note 4] "You may notice a slight gray residue left behind after touching or rubbing the sheet. This is a thin layer of Zinc Oxide and is caused by the natural occurrence of metal oxidation when the metal is exposed to air. This oxide will continue if left un-coated. The zinc surface can be sealed to deter this oxidation (or whitening) process with several commercial techniques (as offered by your professional installer), or it can be allowed to oxidize naturally over time and create a beautiful weathered look."

Note 5] No one sells solid sheet zinc in Sydney....

information quoted from http://www.neymetals.com/zinc_sheets.htm which is a company in America flogging their zinc sheeting product.

Pattern notes

Been trying to create the pattern for my jewellery piece, and since the only strong historical reference that i can find is to bidriware, i want to use elements of their style as a basis of my pattern. It also follows what i am trying to say with my work that zinc is important as an metal in itself, i think that bidriware is the only use of zinc where is it explicitly acknowledged as being important.

Please note that the black coating on the birdi ware is zinc and copper oxide, i haven't quite figured out how it is made but i think either the zinc silver parts are inlaid into the oxide surface or perhaps the black is scratched away.

Quick casting

Interesting new manufacturing technology that i found... quick casting for limited series. This method enables metal prototypes to be made in a matter of hours. The 'limit' on the moulding is actually not that limiting 1,000 to be exact, so unless you wanted to produce your little zinc part en mass then there wouldn't be a problem. The limitations are that the metals used need to be of a lower melting point such as zinc, pewter and lead.

This is how it works....

"The technique's secret lies in using a silicone mass in the form of sheets that soften when heated and harden when cooled. Two sheets are placed on individual, rigid steel supports that prevent the edges of the silicone from deforming. After the silicone is warmed to between 100-180 degrees Celsius, the model is placed between the silicone sheets and the steel supports pressed together. An impression of the model is left in these silicone sheets. After cooling and hardening, this mould is split and inflow channels, as well as cavities for reducing pressure during the casting process, are prepared. The mould is then ready to be used for die-casting new models or jewellery and industrial components that will be copied and replicated. "

So this means that only one form needs to be made in a hard material, then it can be casted again and again.

Interesting process, but not sure if it is beneficial to my project.

info from: http://www.ntnu.no/gemini/2000-01e/8.html

Bidri zincware...

Let me introduce this to you, bidriware and it comes from India. This was the only thing that i could find that used Zinc as the main metal in its creation, so while yes these are alloys of zinc to copper usually the ratio of zinc to copper is 16 to 1. Though this ratio can be changed depending on what the artisan desires. The intricate detail is crucial to this form of art.

Not really sure what else to write about this actually, it's much to hard to try and write when you're sick.

Metal peoples listen up!

There is a newish technology called Selective Laser Melting, this is pretty much 3D printing in metal. What it does is slowly melt a metal powder in layers so that a solid form is built up, then all that needs to be done is to get rid of the metal powder [I'm assuming to be reused] and then there you have the shape!

This method of manufacture allows for super super fine component parts, and can be used to create a structural shape with out all the weight. This is done through making a structure with poles twice the diameter of a human hair. The layers can be as thing as 25 microns so one can only imagine how revolutionary and groundbreaking this technology is... it totally destroys the concepts of metals needing moulds to be formed, and therefore takes away the constraints of how fine you can cast a mould and the issues associated with moulding a piece.

So the metals that it is compatible with is zinc, titanium, stainless steel, bronze, tool steel, chromium cobalt as well as MCP low melting point alloys [not sure what that is, anyone?] it says that it works for almost any type of metal material... but seems to work more with metals of relatively low melting points... [can anyone confirm this? the other groups perhaps?]

Anyways these are the links that i used for information...

http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/NewManufacturingProcessHelpsMetalsLoseWeight.htm

http://www.mcp-group.com/rpt/rpttslm.html [<>

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/slm_selective_l.php

The not so long and unillustrated history of zinc

Zinc was widely used in ancient times for both creating brass as well as healing wounds and sore eyes. In the later part of the 13th century Marco Polo witnessed the use of zinc by the Persians.



Romans were also to have been noted to have first created brass at the time of Augustus (20 BC to 14 AD). Brass that was created was seen as indistinguishable from gold.



Metallic zinc was first produced in India in about 1200 AD, seen only as a 'tin like' metal, but did differentiate it as a separate metal from the others... and thus the 8th metal was discovered. At this time there was only a limited amount of commercial zinc being produced. This metallic zinc that was produced was used for brass.



As demand for brass grew zinc production was moved to China [where else]. The Chinese were able commercially extract zinc which meant that it expanded and was imported to the world.



Zinc in Europe was quite accidental and linked to the manufacture of brass, again it was also used as an imitator of gold. By the 1600 European scientists were aware of the existence of zinc, tho it must be noted that this the zinc that they had was imported by either Dutch, Portuguese or Arab traders. From there European scientists learned from the Chinese and others how to mass produce zinc, from that zinc production began to grow.



Hot dip galvanising is the oldest anti corrosion process and was introduced in 1936 in France, but this only became effective on an industrial scale when there was a process to clean the surface of the steel. At first only small objects were coated in zinc... but later continuous hot dip galvanising of materials and products in manufacture came later.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to find early examples of zinc artifacts and that as it was used as an alloy to make brass. So while brass is easy to find... Zinc is not, perhaps it all disintegrated away.

anyone help?

Oh all the information that i used was from a paper by Fathi Habashi titled Zinc protects Discovering the 8th metal : A history of zinc.