The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-02-22
Zinc and Its Uses---A Radio Message
From New Jersey Zinc Company

parts of ONO and even as far as lll
nois, heard on October %. the talk of
Homer Hendricks. the general sales
engineer OF the New Jersey Zinc com
pany. on Zinc and Its Uses"
Mr. Hendricks address. which fol-
lows. was broadcast over "W H." the
powerful sending station of the West
linghouse Electric X Manufacturing
company at Newark n. j.
Few people realize that zinc is one
of the most largely used metals ard
that in 1918. before the war upset all
ordinary requirements. more zinc was
produced than of any other metal eN-
cept iron and lead. In fact. the uses
of the three metals. zinc, copper and
lead, are about equal in quantity. This
is the more surprising because zinc
as a metal. has only been known for
a little over 100 years, while lead and
copper have been known and used for
many centuries.
/ Zinc is believed to have been made
in China long before it was known as
a separate metal in Europe, although
its commonest alloy. brass, had been
in use for a very long time The
early brass was made by melting cop
per with zinc ore and charcoal, and
the good effects of iznc were known
though the metal was not.
When the United States government
first decided to make set of standard /
weights and measures, brass was sell
ected as the material to be used. and /
American made zinc and copper were /
specified. As no zinc was being made /
in this country at that time. the gov
eminent brought some workmen from
Belgium, built a furnace in Washing
ton and made the zinc there. When
enough had been produced for the
purpose, the furnace was torn down
and the wOrkmen sent back to their
own country. The ore used was from
the great deposits at Franklin Fur
mace, n j., and from Perkiomen, Pa.
Zinc and War.
No more zinc was made in the Unit
ed States until about 40 years later, &
when Messrs. Matthiessen and Hegel-
er built a plant at LaSalle, ILL.,, just
before the civil war. At first the war
seriously interfered with the success
of the project but breech- loading
guns began to be used and the de- $
mand for zinc to make the brass for {
the cartridges gave the industry its
first start. Each large war since has. !
stimulated the production of zinc in q
this country and increased the demand
for cartridge brass.
When the great war started in 1914 {
the supply of zinc from Belgium and q
Germany was cut off from the allies.
and as these two countries had pro-
duced most of the zinc used in Eur
ope, the United States was called up
on to supply an enormously increased
quantity, and doubled its output with
in three years. When the United :
States entered the war an association
of zinc producers, known as the Zinc
Producers committee a division OF
the Council of National Defense. was
formed under the Craftsmanship of
Edgar Palmer president of the New .
Jersey Zinc company, to assist the j.
government in securing the desired
quantities OF zinc of the necessary I
luality and at reasonable prices. It's o
Efforts were so successful that at no
time was there any shortage of this u
essential metal.
Zinc for Galvanizing and Brass. a
Why is it that so few people realize p
low much zinc is used? The reason q
s simple: 1t seldom comes to the con n
sumner alone or under its own name. G
The largest use of zinc is in making n
galvanized iron, which is iron coated S
With zinc by dipping it in a bath of o
Melted zinc. This gives a coating II
which protects it from the action of II
he weather and, if properly done, in IS
reases its life MANIFOLD. Many peo- 81
lie know that "galvanizing'' is coated II
With zinc but as the product is known
is iron they do not realize that it g
Yearly wo-thirds of the zinc made Ia
n this country is used for galvaniz-
ng. u
The next largest use of zinc is in p
making brass, which is an alloy of is
inc and copper containing from 3 a.
,er cent to so per cent of zinc (usual- p
Y 1888 per cent?, frequently with the Il
edition of small quantities Of other Il
metals. The properties of the alloy g
depends on the proportions of the diff
erent ingredients. BY properly vary
ng the constituent alloys, a great Il
-ariety of strength, hardness and n
luctilitv can be obtained, and these cl
,,,1xa 4I,a bra &C el,ita HE for an infinite IA
number of purposes. II
Sheet zinc is used to a fairly large Il
xtent here, but not nearly as largely i'
is its good qualities deserve. On the II
continent of Europe this is not the a
ase for zinc sheets are the most II
Common metallic roofing q
All of the common metals are at
acked by air and moisture, but the II
esults of this attack vary greatly. q