What Is Painted Tinplate?
Tinplate is a thin sheet of steel coated with tin. It combines the strength and formability of steel with noncorrosive, nontoxic, and solder-able properties of tin.
The paintings “Murtosa’s Peasant”, “Bust of Antonio Soller” and “Missa in Trajano” are painted on this type of support. They present different conservation problems.
Tinplate
Tinplate is steel (or, before the advent of cheap milled iron, wrought iron) coated with a layer of tin to prevent rusting. The tin plate is then cut, formed and soldered into containers. Its most common use is as a food can (either two-piece or one-piece) but it also finds many other uses for items such as paints, aerosols and specialty chemicals.
It is an easy and economical material to work with and it can be easily decorated by painting or stenciling. Before decorating tinware, it is best to lightly sand the surface in a circular motion with fine grit sandpaper or steel wool to give it “tooth” for better paint adhesion and remove any sanding dust. A coat of metal primer is then applied and when it is dry the tinware is ready for painting or stenciling.
The versatility of tinplate makes it a perfect material for packaging products such as food, beverage and cosmetics. It is easily shaped and printed to meet the requirements of different product sizes and shapes and can be sealed and resealed. It also provides excellent corrosion resistance and can withstand high heats. Tinplate is an eco-friendly material, being 100% recyclable as often as necessary and without any loss of quality. It is also much lighter than other materials such as aluminum and plastic, which helps reduce transportation and associated carbon emissions.
Tin Free Steel (TFS)
Tin free steel (TFS) is an electrolytic chromium-plated steel that has a metallic coating of chromium oxide and tin on both sides of the cold rolled sheet steel base. Also known as electrolytic chromium covered steel (ECCS), it Painted tinplate is used in place of tinplate for many applications and offers significant cost savings, while providing better paint adhesion and corrosion resistance than tinplate.
TFS production begins with black plate strip which goes through a pickling and degreasing unit and then through the chromium plating process to deposit the metallic chromium and chromium oxide layer. This is followed by a light oiling to preserve the surface from attack and to help pass sheets through container-forming machines without damaging the coating layer. The coated steel is then sheared into sheets and coiled or packed for shipment to the can manufacturers.
The metallic coating layer of TFS enables it to be printed with logos, brand names, advertisements and other information on the outside of the can. This makes it ideal for making food cans, crowns and artistic cans. It also has excellent chemical and corrosion resistance after lacquering, especially when the inside of the can is unpainted, depending on the content. TFS is very easy to handle and transport, and it is resistant to mechanical abrasion.
TFS is available in different temper grades. Temper grade Tinplate steel plate manufacturer T-4 has a hardness of 61 +/-3 on the Rockwell scale and is used for applications that require rigidity, such as can end and crowns. Temper grade T-5 has a hardness of 65 +/-3 on the Rockwell scale and offers exceptional buckling resistance.
Tin Toys
A tin toy is a mechanical toy made of tinplate and colorfully painted by chromolithography to resemble primarily a vehicle or character. It is also often referred to as a tin wind-up toy or a tin lithograph toy.
Tinplate was the material of choice for toys because it was easy for the machine to cut and shape. Before 1880 the pieces where soldered together but with the invention of sheet metal stamping machines tabs and slots where stamped directly into the tinplate and the toys where fastened that way. Tinplate was also very light, affordable and easy to export making it perfect for tinsmiths to produce toys all over the world.
The advent of cheaper plastics and new child safety regulations meant that tin toys began to fade out as manufacturers switched to other materials. However tinplate still has its place today in the revival of classic toys that are made to be durable, beautiful and of course fun to play with.
The best tin toys are made by European makers like Tri-ang (the famous British maker of tinplate toys from the 19th century) and William Britain, as well as German companies such as Ernst Paul Lehmann and Schuco (famous for their wind-up animal menagerie). Japan became a powerhouse for tin toy manufacture during the 1950’s and 1960’s but with changes in consumer demand the industry started to wane.
Packaging
Packaging adds to the value of painted tinplate and provides an opportunity for attractive branding. It protects the product from water, air and pests and preserves its contents for a long time. It also offers excellent barrier properties against chemicals and prevents oxidative degradation. Its design can be customized to suit the product and customer requirements. It is available in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small tin boxes to large industrial cans.
Tinplate is a thin steel coated with tin. It is characterized by its beautiful metallic luster and excellent properties in corrosion resistance, solderability, and weldability. It is used in food cans, beverage cans, and metal containers for oil, grease, paints and chemicals. It can be made with either the inner or outer surface painted, depending on the container’s contents.
Heshan Konson Metal Products Co., Ltd, founded in 1998, is an expert manufacturer of tinplate and metal containers. We possess more than 20 production lines, including tinplate cutting lines, tinplate coating and printing lines, can-making lines, lid-making lines, and so on. These lines consume over 100,000 tons of tinplate each year, which allows us to produce about 3 billion cans and lids annually. Moreover, we have professional and experienced technicians to ensure the quality of our products. This is why we have an excellent reputation for high-quality products and fast delivery.
