Concrete finishers can benefit from switching to zinc-based hand tools from bronze. The two compete with each other in terms of hardness, durability, quality structure and professional finishes-but zinc has some additional benefits.
Bronze tools are a reliable way to achieve radius edges and straight control joints in concrete. Its sturdy structure has optimal weight distribution and can provide professional quality results. For this reason, bronze tools are often the basis of many concrete finishing machines. However, this preference comes at a price. The monetary and labor costs of bronze production are causing losses to the industry, but it does not have to be the case. There is an alternative material available-zinc.
Although their composition is different, bronze and zinc have similar properties. They compete with each other in terms of hardness, durability, quality structure and professional surface treatment results. However, zinc has some additional benefits.
Zinc production reduces the burden on contractors and manufacturers. For every bronze tool produced, two zinc tools can replace it. This reduces the amount of money wasted on tools that provide the same results. In addition, the manufacturer’s production is safer. By shifting market preference to zinc, both contractors and manufacturers will benefit.
A closer look at the composition reveals that bronze is a copper alloy that has been used for more than 5,000 years. During the critical period of the Bronze Age, it was the hardest and most versatile common metal known to mankind, producing better tools, weapons, armors and other materials needed for human survival.
It is usually a combination of copper and tin, aluminum or nickel (etc.). Most concrete tools are 88-90% copper and 10-12% tin. Due to its strength, hardness and very high ductility, this composition is very suitable for tools. These characteristics also provide high load carrying capacity, good abrasion resistance and high durability. Unfortunately, it is also prone to corrosion.
If exposed to enough air, bronze tools will oxidize and turn green. This green layer, called patina, is usually the first sign of wear. The patina can act as a protective barrier, but if chlorides (such as those in sea water, soil or sweat) are present, these tools can develop into a “bronze disease”. This is the demise of cuprous (copper-based) tools. It is a contagious disease that can penetrate metal and destroy it. Once this happens, there is almost no chance to stop it.
The zinc supplier is located in the United States, which limits outsourcing work. This not only brought more technical jobs to the United States, but also significantly reduced production costs and retail value. MARSHALLTOWN companies
Because zinc does not contain cuprous, “bronze disease” can be avoided. On the contrary, it is a metal element with its own square on the periodic table and a hexagonal close-packed (hcp) crystal structure. It also has moderate hardness, and can be made malleable and easy to process at a temperature slightly higher than the ambient temperature.
At the same time, both bronze and zinc have hardness that is very suitable for tools (in the Mohs hardness scale of metals, zinc = 2.5; bronze = 3).
For concrete finishes, this means that, in terms of composition, the difference between bronze and zinc is minimal. Both provide concrete tools with high load-bearing capacity, good abrasion resistance, and the ability to produce almost the same finish results. Zinc does not have all the same disadvantages-it is lightweight, easy to use, resistant to bronze stains, and cost-effective.
Bronze production relies on two production methods (sand casting and die casting), but neither method is cost-effective for manufacturers. The result is that manufacturers may pass on this financial difficulty to contractors.
Sand casting, as the name suggests, is to pour molten bronze into a disposable mold printed with sand. Since the mold is disposable, the manufacturer must replace or modify the mold for each tool. This process takes time, which results in fewer tools being produced and results in higher costs for bronze tools because the supply cannot meet the continuous demand.
On the other hand, die casting is not one-off. Once the liquid metal is poured into the metal mold, solidified and removed, the mold is again ready for immediate use. For manufacturers, the only disadvantage of this method is that the cost of a single die-casting mold can be as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Regardless of which casting method the manufacturer chooses to use, grinding and deburring are involved. This gives the bronze tools a smooth, shelf-ready and ready-to-use surface treatment. Unfortunately, this process requires labor costs.
Grinding and deburring are an important part of the production of bronze tools, and will generate dust that requires immediate filtration or ventilation. Without this, workers may suffer from a disease called pneumoconiosis or “pneumoconiosis”, which causes scar tissue to accumulate in the lungs and can cause serious chronic lung problems.
Although these health problems are usually concentrated in the lungs, other organs are also at risk. Some particles may dissolve into the blood, allowing them to spread throughout the body, affecting the liver, kidneys and even the brain. Because of these dangerous conditions, some American manufacturers are no longer willing to put their workers in danger. Instead, this work is outsourced. But even those outsourcing manufacturers have called for a halt to bronze production and the grinding involved.
As there are fewer and fewer manufacturers of bronzes at home and abroad, bronzes will be more difficult to obtain, resulting in unreasonable prices.
For concrete finishes, the difference between bronze and zinc is minimal. Both provide concrete tools with high load-bearing capacity, good abrasion resistance, and the ability to produce almost the same finish results. Zinc does not have all the same disadvantages-it is lightweight, easy to use, resistant to bronze disease, and cost-effective. MARSHALLTOWN companies
On the other hand, zinc production does not bear these same costs. This is partly due to the development of the rapid quenching zinc-lead blast furnace in the 1960s, which used impingement cooling and steam absorption to produce zinc. The results have brought many benefits to manufacturers and consumers, including:
Zinc is comparable to bronze in all aspects. Both have high load-bearing capacity and good abrasion resistance, and are ideal for concrete engineering, while zinc takes it a step further, with immunity to bronze disease and a lighter, easier-to-use profile that can provide contractors with similar the result of.
This is also a small part of the cost of bronze tools. Zinc is based on the United States, which is more precise and does not require grinding and deburring, thereby reducing production costs.
This not only saves their workers from dusty lungs and other serious health conditions, but it also means that manufacturers can also spend less to produce more. These savings will then be passed on to the contractor to help them save the cost of purchasing high-quality tools.
With all these benefits, it may be time for the industry to leave the bronze age of concrete tools and embrace the future of zinc.
Megan Rachuy is a content writer and editor for MARSHALLTOWN, a world leader in the manufacture of hand tools and construction equipment for various industries. As a resident writer, she writes DIY and pro-related content for the MARSHALLTOWN DIY Workshop blog.
Post time: Sep-06-2021