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where can i find zinc?? All i know of right now is pennies, and i've heard they are/aren't toxic. are there any common items that are made of zinc?

stlouiscoin wrote:where can i find zinc?? All i know of right now is pennies, and i've heard they are/aren't toxic. are there any common items that are made of zinc?

Anything galvanized is coated in zinc. Roofers sometimes use pure zinc in 2 inch by 20 LF rolls to stop black algae from growing on roofs. Other than that, I don't know where you can find zinc in a pure form. Pennies are about it.

It is highly toxic. Never inhale zinc fumes! Never hold galvanized nails in your mouth. If I remember right, it can cause nerve and brain damage. (I can't remember now, I inhaled too many fumes welding galv metal! )

I am under the impression that some wheel weights are now zinc.

The brackets that hold celing fan blades on

A lot of cast metal items are zinc or a zinc alloy. This includes items like gears and wheels from machinery, door handles and furniture hardware. The later is often plated to look like brass. Also, a lot of decorative metal pieces are zinc alloys because it's far more affordable than making something out of solid brass or bronze.

If you have something made of a gray non-magnetic metal that is too hard and heavy to be aluminum, it is probably partly (if not mostly) zinc.