zinc flashing uses?

[Denny303]

I have what I believe to be soft zinc flashing. its about 3" wide .009 thick and the big roll weighs around 35 lbs. Its very pliable but I cant scratch it with a fingernail, magnet wont stick to it. too heavy for aluminum. I trimmed off a sliver and it melted with a lighter. I found some light white oxidization on a spot after I unwrapped a little off the roll. kinda like you would see on galvanize. idk what else it could be. could I send a sample to someone to analyze? What could us as casters use it for? gas checks maybe?

[FALaholic]

Melting with a lighter? I don't think you could melt zinc with a Bic since it melts at 785° F. Does it have a "ring" to it if dropped? Sorry I don't have a suggestion for casting use.

[Denny303]

it was a sliver, like a wood splinter, and it melted with a lighter.. so I thought it was maybe alloyed lead...so I started with a dry hot lee 20lb pot and cut pieces to lay in the bottom to start the melt but I could barely get it to start melting cranked the whole way up and it smoked like crazy. I gave up at that point cause it was really hot but barely melting. its so thin I cant really get it to ring really.

[bangerjim]

If just a tiny "sliver" you could probably possibly sorta kinda get it to melt with a lighter.

Fishing weights........mabe for a use?

As you know, we 'round these parts don't cotton to Zn too much!!!!!!!!

You do not know nearly enough about it. Drip some muriatic acid on it. If it fizzes, it is Zn. Otherwise, who knows. Take it to a scrap yard and have them shoot it with their x-ray gun. That will tell you everything!

I have seen zinc, magnesium. tungsten, and many other malleable metals rolled out into thin sheets like you are describing. Could be anything.

banger-j

[Garyshome]

Maybe it's tin?

[RogerDat]

Tin would have melted easy in the 20# Lee pot. Plain lead is going to take both a higher temp and more heat, especially if oxidized. I can't really get oxidized plain lead to melt on a hot plate without hitting it with a propane torch if the temp in the garage is under about 45 F. Even then is hard to hold it at a good casting temp. Good enough to make ingots but I would hate to try casting with it in those conditions.

More volume of metal the more heat it can absorb before temperature rises. Plain lead can take a good amount of time to get going. Do the acid fizz test for zinc, and try melting it in something other than a small 700 watt casting pot. Coleman stove, propane fish/turkey fryer, 1200 watt or higher hot plate. And expect it to take a good long time, well the propane fish fryer might not be all that long but still slower than WW's.

[bangerjim]

Pure Sn flashing did exist many many years ago. Sn does not tarnish eaily and normally will not form a white oxide as the OP describes.

X-ray........the ONLY way to know for sure! DO IT......and let us know.

banger-j

[Denny303]

im gonna try and get it to the scrap yard maybe here in a few days n let them test it.

[jsizemore]

In the good old days we would hand trim cloth wallpaper with a single edge razor blade, straight edge, and a zinc strip under the cloth. Do you see any score marks on the surface? Could be a nos coil that hasn't been used. When they oxidized they got trashed instead of staining hand blocked English or colonial reproductions. That fizz test with HCL or Muriatic acid is a winner.