# Metallic objects named for the wrong metal **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984 "2006-01-01T19:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/41 "2006-01-03T10:13:46Z")
> [@Anachronism](#): > > Lead drain piping is not unheard of in ‘three deckers’ in my area (Most where built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s). Cast iron (drain) pipe often used poured lead joints up until the past 20 years or so (I have some in my basement) (Mostly replaced with ‘no hub’ cast iron (and of course plastic pipe), [http://www.cispi.org/handbook.htm](http://www.cispi.org/handbook.htm)). Solder containing lead was also used up until recently on drain pipe, the only reason it is banned is so it will not used on water supply pipe. > > IIRC ‘Plumber’ means worker of lead or some such, much of a plumbers work until recently involved using lead based solder or lead joints on cast iron pipe. Sorry to crap on your point. > > I have never seen lead pipe on water supply pipes even in older houses. A friend who had been looking around a church roof (heavy on the lead) tried to impress me by telling me that the leadwork was signed by Joe Bloggs, Plumber - as if I wouldn’t know why the work had been done by a plumber. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/42 "2006-01-03T10:43:56Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > I have an iron that isn’t. As in golf club or household appliance? I don’t have a magnet handy to test it, but I think my iron (appliance) is mostly iron. Anyawy, here’s another: modern “silvered” mirrors are usually coated with aluminum, not silver. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/43 "2006-01-30T00:23:02Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Wargaming miniatures are often called “leads”, but many are actually made with pewter or other alloys. Speaking of which, I have a 'puter made out of mostly silicon and plastic. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/44 "2006-01-30T02:45:51Z")
Platinite is an alloy of 46% nickel and 54% iron. So why is it called platinite? It seems that in the early days of electric bulbs there was a problem in getting wires through glass since glass had a coefficient of thermal expansion that didn’t match that of any conductor–except platinum. The result was that bulbs were very expensive to buy, but you could trade your burned out bulbs for new ones quite cheaply. My father (born in 1906) remembered that and so did one of my elementary school teachers who told the story. Eventually, a glass and an alloy were found that had the same thermal expansion. The alloy was called platinite and, for all I know, is still used today. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/45 "2006-01-30T02:53:43Z")
The planet Mercury is actually mostly iron. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/46 "2006-01-30T04:57:25Z")
LEDs are, in fact, mostly made of glass and a gallium compound. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/47 "2006-01-30T05:11:47Z")
Quicksilver is actually mercury, and has no silver in it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/48 "2006-01-30T06:13:30Z")
Outside the scope of the OP, but all the linens I’ve ever used have been made from cotton. I’ve always wondered why. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/49 "2006-01-30T07:14:47Z")
The Malaysian state of Perak was named for its tin production. However, in Malay _perak_ means ‘silver’. What about pencil “lead”? Not even metal! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/50 "2006-01-30T07:55:17Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > As in golf club or household appliance? I don’t have a magnet handy to test it, but I think my iron (appliance) is mostly iron… More likely, your iron is stainless steel, unless it’s old and rusty! > [@Shalmanese](#): > > LEDs are, in fact, mostly made of glass and a gallium compound. That ain’t glass it’s plastic. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/51 "2006-01-30T14:38:27Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > More likely, your iron is stainless steel, unless it’s old and rusty! Steel is ~98% iron, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984/52 "2006-01-30T21:55:56Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Steel is ~98% iron, isn’t it? Not always, and I’d never call bronze or brass, copper even though they’re alloys of with high copper content. Pig iron; 4% – 5% carbon and contains varying amounts of contaminants such as sulfur, silicon and phosphorus. Cast iron; 2% – 4.0% carbon , 1% – 6% silicon , and small amounts of manganese.Technically it’s cementite, or iron carbide. Wrought iron; less than 0.2% carbon. Steel; Mild steel 0.10% to 0.25% carbon Medium carbon steel 0.25% to 0.45% carbon High carbon steel 0.45% to 0.95% carbon Very high carbon steel 0.95% to 2.1% carbon Stainless steel; minimum of 10.5% chromium, often combined with nickel And you also have all the “ites”; austenite, bainite, martensite, cementite, ferrite, pearlite, these form at different times during the heat treating process. I’ve been a knife maker for ten years, and some of my friends (mostly the blacksmiths) would ream me a new one if I called 10 series steel, iron, even though it is mostly iron! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metallic-objects-named-for-the-wrong-metal/337984.md?page=2)