Menu Close

Painted Tinplate

Painted Tinplate

Painted tinplate (also known as tin mill black plate) is a ferrous metal product made of steel sheets that have been coated with tin. The tin prevents rust and corrosion.

Before painting tinware it is important to prepare the surface properly. This preparation includes removing any oxidation and lightly sanding with fine grit sandpaper.

Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion resistance is the capacity of a material to resist corrosion. The term can refer to a material’s inherent property or to protective methods that delay corrosion, such as coatings and alloys. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the best choice for a particular application will depend on factors such as corrosive environment, required mechanical properties and cost considerations.

Tinplate is a type of metal packaging made from thin sheet steel coated on both sides with pure tin. The tin layer helps prevent rust and corrosion, while the steel core provides strength and durability. It was once produced by dipping in molten tin Painted tinplate but is now made by electrolytic deposition, with the central strip steel being cleaned in a pickling solution and fed into tanks where it is coated with tin, either from a dipped tin bath or via the electrolytic process.

A metal’s corrosion resistance depends on its ability to form a passive oxide film that protects it from the action of oxygen. This resistance can also be enhanced by adding other elements to the metal. For example, adding chromium to stainless steel increases its resistance to pitting corrosion in saline and chloride environments. It also increases its cyclic oxidation resistance, erosion-corrosion resistance and oxide spallation resistance. These benefits make tinplate a suitable material for food cans, beverage cans and crude oil buckets.

Weldability

The workability of tinplate is very high, and it is widely used in the manufacturing of beverage cans, food cans, grease cans, chemical cans, etc. Its storage, handling, light repellency and metal decorative charm make it an international standard packaging material. Besides, it has good corrosion resistance and is very economical. In addition, painted tinplate can be made with various shapes, sizes and styles to meet different end-use requirements.

The weldability of tinplate depends on the thickness and quality of the tin layer, as well as its consistency and uniformity. It is important to control the tin-iron alloy layer so that it has the same thickness and shape as the steel base, and welders must be carefully trained and properly supervised.

Moreover, it is also important to ensure that the welding seam is protected from corrosion after the weld, which can be done by applying a varnish coating on the welding area. JFE has developed products such as BRITE that allow welding without grinding, which is particularly helpful in improving the weldability of tinplate and ensuring that the welding seam is sealed perfectly. This enables customers to use the product with confidence. JFE will continue to exert utmost efforts on further quality improvement and new product development in order to satisfy customer demands. We hope you will continue to support us.

Easy to Paint

Painting on tin can be more challenging than painting on other surfaces such as wood. This is because tin is not porous and must be pre-treated to make it a good candidate for painted surfaces. To prepare tin for paint, it should be thoroughly cleaned. Remove any rust or other metal oxides using a wire brush and wash the surface thoroughly. Then, it should be lightly sanded with fine grit sandpaper or steel wool to give the surface a “tooth” for better paint adhesion. The sanding should be done in a well ventilated area and the sanding dust should be removed thoroughly.

Once the tin is clean and free of oxidation it should be coated with a metal primer. This can be purchased at most hardware stores or wherever spray paint is sold. A light coat of primer is needed, and should not be sprayed so thick that it runs down the tin in little grey rivers! Once the primer has dried it is ready to be decorated.

When the tin is finished it should be sealed with a couple coats of either brush-on FolkArt Artists Varnish (Matte, Satin or Gloss) or spray FolkArt Clear Acrylic Sealer. Adding a few coats of these will help Stainless Hardened SteelStrip to protect the finish of your piece and make it last longer.

Durability

The durability of painted tinplate allows it to last for a long time. It is also resistant to corrosion from its contents, which makes it ideal for use in food and beverage packaging as well as chemical and other miscellaneous cans.

The base metal for tinplate is steel, which is an iron-based ferrous metal, so it is naturally durable and does not rust easily. The tin coating on the steel protects it from corrosion by blocking oxygen from getting to the steel and keeping it from oxidizing.

To produce tinplate, the steel is drawn into a bar, then rolled down to a specified gauge and annealed. The tin is then deposited on top of the annealed steel, using the rolling mill to apply a thin layer of tin.

Once the tin has cooled, the tin can be soldered to the steel. This process prevents the tin from flaking off or being corroded by water and other contaminants.

The tin can also be galvanized to protect it from rust. This is a practice that goes back a very long way, with some historians suggesting that it was first used in the 1620s at a tin plate mill in Wolverley or Pontypool. However, this was done after the tin was fabricated, unlike modern galvanized (zinc-coated) metals which are galvanized before fabrication.