It's not made of Zinc but a Zinc alloy and Zinc alloys are some of the toughest and most impact resistant materials for die casting. The black paint did come off on some of the early M classes but they improved it later on and you could even exchange it for a new one with the improved finish.
Uh-no. It is us in Die casting for it's plasticity and low cost compared to high alloy dies and or ceramic dies. It is only used for short runs, as it is neither tough, nor is it particularly abrasion resistant. It ca be used for injection molds and dies for injecting low abrasion substances such as plastics. But nothing of high heat, or abrasive substances.
There are some alloys with a touch of Zinc in them to obtain a particular value. Such as Brass and Bronze. . A true zinc alloy would be mostly zink. And is not tough at all. In fact, it is very brittle and loves to crumble. But it's true attribute is how much it likes to corrode, unless used as a plating, or mixed with other metals, such as copper to form brass. It can be treated in such way that it can be an excellent corrosion inhibitor.
So of course it's an alloy, as even Brass is a Zinc alloy. But no one calls it a zinc alloy, but simply brass. Saying that something is a Zinc alloy is virtually meaningless.
With no alloy in it, zinc is mostly useless for just about anything. I don't' think anyone but the Chinese would even consider making anything of value, (supposedly) out of such a low grade material. In fact, our U.S. Penny's are made of Zinc and then copper washed for appearance, for no other reason that its very low cost. I'm still shocked that the highly toted SX is made from this material.
True tough alloys for die casting are Hastelloy, D-2, D-3, D-6, M-2 and M-2, Several of the Vasco grades, Steelite k6 and many others. All very tough, and highly abrasion resistant. Zinc can be added to a batch of Steel for certain properties But that is not a true Zinc alloy. There are many additives in Hi-alloy steels. A true Zinc alloy, would be an alloy mostly comprised of zinc, with other trace elements for gaining certain properties, and never more than 1-1.5% It is a steel alloy with trace amounts of Zinc only.
Zinc is ultra cheap, and readily available. Such in car tire wheel waits in Cali. Where lead has been banned.
When I was a child, it is what cheap, toy cap guns were made of. What many people called pot metal back then. It wasn't really pot metal, but it was just as bad. What use to be called cheap junk. It's corrosion rate is far too high to be used even in toys without being plated and then painted. This is why the Mini SX is both plated and painted. The metal cannot stand on it's own. And exactly why it could Never be used in precision dies. Any oxidation could change the critical dimensions. Rendering the dies useless in short order. Especially in a high pressure, and or heat operation.
We bullet casters have to use powdered sulfur in molten lead just to get rid of the Junk in it from some wheel weights. A mostly useless, dirty, brittle metal called ZINC!
And the paint coming of is still being complained about to this day! Yes, ones being made NOW!
I will agree with one thing you said about the SX Mini. It is brilliant , and will add that to my eyes, beautiful! and will stay that ways for days to weeks if used on a daily basis.
Oh, and the buyers are griping about the battery change method in those too.
Too each his own.
Knife
