SSA - The Association for promoting stainless steel in the home

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff" > <P><CENTER> </CENTER></P> <P><TABLE BORDER="0" WIDTH="480" CELLPADDING="10" ALIGN="CENTER" CELLSPACING="2"> <TR> <TD> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why Stainless Steel?</FONT></B></P> <P> </P> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stainless Steel is the medium that has caught everybodys interest in the last 10 years. Trends in kitchen styles, the heightened consumer interest in cooking as a hobby and increased awareness of health issues and healthy cooking have all had an impact upon the rising popularity of stainless steel consumer goods.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stainless Steel is beautiful, hygienic and durable - and lasts a lifetime.</FONT></P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Through The Metal Maze</FONT></B></P> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We know that all that glistens is not gold, but do you know the difference between the so-called "white" metals and metal coatings seen in and around the home. Each one of these shiny products has its advantages and disadvantages, but if your knowledge of metals is a bit misty, here's a quick run down from the Stainless Steel Appeal (SSA), an advisory service responsible for promoting and educating the consumer on stainless steel, to help you through the metal maze...</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Chromium</FONT></B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> is an element, often called "chrome", which is only found as a very thin coating on other materials such as steel and plastics. A thicker layer of nickel is applied beneath the chromium to improve its adherence, surface finish and, when steel is the substrate, its resistance to rusting.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is frequently used as an attractive finish for bathroom fittings etc. but, remembering that its beauty is only skin deep, it should not be used for items that will be subject to appreciable wear. Once damaged, the coating cannot easily be repaired.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Silver plating</FONT></B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> has the rich, warm colour characteristic of solid silver but tarnishes quickly in the air, requiring regular cleaning. It doesn't rust but can, over years of cleaning, lose its silver surface, exposing the base metal beneath. Popular silver plated products include cutlery and tea services.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Zinc</FONT></B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> is another metal mainly found as a coating, rather than as a solid metal, although zinc alloy die-castings are still sometimes used for door and window fittings. Zinc-coated or "galvanised" steel products are usually strong but have a dull-grey appearance. They are extensively used for utility products outdoors but never used for cookware and have little, if any, utility in the kitchen or on the dining room table. However, if grandmother's galvanised washtub or bucket has survived, it will serve as a reminder of a material once commonplace in early kitchens. A zinc finish is sometimes seen in certain types of "wrought-iron" look furniture.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Aluminium</FONT></B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> is normally found as an alloy rather than as a pure metal. Its light weight and excellent heat conductivity once made it a popular choice for all kinds of cookware. Also, its surface can be highly polished and can be further improved by a chemical process called "anodising", which enables it to be coloured for aesthetic appeal. It has the disadvantage of being soft and therefore easily dented. Also, being a very reactive metal, it is easily attacked when used to cook highly acidic foods such as rhubarb and many kinds of fruit. Unfortunately, the anodised surface if applied is not self-repairing so that, if scratched, any colouring is permanently damaged.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stainless steel</FONT></B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> - This year, stainless steel celebrates its 87th birthday (it was invented by a man called Harry Brearley who, on August 20 1913 made his first cast of stainless steel), but despite being a grandmother of a metal, this beautiful and durable high performance material is still in its prime - enjoying more popularity today than ever.</FONT></P> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Stainless steel is made from iron, carbon and chromium. Often nickel is added to improve the corrosion resistance and formability. It's stainless steel, not just on the outside but all the way through, and resists attack from a wide range of acidic materials. It is hygienic. It can be kept shiny and clean with little effort. It is tough, highly resistant to dent or damage as a result of daily wear and tear, and its protective oxide film is self healing - should you scratch its surface the natural protective layer will re-form immediately. Stainless steel products last a lifetime.</FONT></P> <P><B><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So now you know the difference, go on, show your metal, but remember - beware of imitations - all that glistens isn't always stainless steel!</FONT></B> </TD> </TR> </TABLE></P> <P> </P> <P> </P> <P><CENTER> </CENTER></P> <P><TABLE BORDER="0" WIDTH="480" ALIGN="CENTER" CELLSPACING="2" CELLPADDING="0"> <TR> <TD> <P><CENTER><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top"><IMG SRC="images/stainless_logo.gif" WIDTH="207" HEIGHT="37" BORDER="0" ALT="SSA Home" NATURALSIZEFLAG="3" ALIGN="BOTTOM"></A></FONT></CENTER></P> <P><CENTER><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Association for promoting stainless steel in the home.<BR> Jointly funded by Outokumpu Stainless and the Nickel Institute, and promoted by McCann-Erickson Public Relations.</FONT></CENTER> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"></SCRIPT> </BODY> </body>