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metal

A metal (from Greek μέταλλον métallon, "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typically malleable (they can be hammered into thin sheets) or ductile (can be drawn into wires). A metal may be a chemical element such as iron; an alloy such as stainless steel; or a molecular compound such as polymeric sulfur nitride.
In physics, a metal is generally regarded as any substance capable of conducting electricity at a temperature of absolute zero. Many elements and compounds that are not normally classified as metals become metallic under high pressures. For example, the nonmetal iodine gradually becomes a metal at a pressure of between 40 and 170 thousand times atmospheric pressure. Equally, some materials regarded as metals can become nonmetals. Sodium, for example, becomes a nonmetal at pressure of just under two million times atmospheric pressure.
In chemistry, two elements that would otherwise qualify (in physics) as brittle metals—arsenic and antimony—are commonly instead recognised as metalloids due to their chemistry (predominantly non-metallic for arsenic, and balanced between metallicity and nonmetallicity for antimony). Around 95 of the 118 elements in the periodic table are metals (or are likely to be such). The number is inexact as the boundaries between metals, nonmetals, and metalloids fluctuate slightly due to a lack of universally accepted definitions of the categories involved.
In astrophysics the term "metal" is cast more widely to refer to all chemical elements in a star that are heavier than helium, and not just traditional metals. In this sense the first four "metals" collecting in stellar cores through nucleosynthesis are carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon, all of which are strictly non-metals in chemistry. A star fuses lighter atoms, mostly hydrogen and helium, into heavier atoms over its lifetime. Used in that sense, the metallicity of an astronomical object is the proportion of its matter made up of the heavier chemical elements.Metals, as chemical elements, comprise 25% of the Earth's crust and are present in many aspects of modern life. The strength and resilience of some metals has led to their frequent use in, for example, high-rise building and bridge construction, as well as most vehicles, many home appliances, tools, pipes, and railroad tracks. Precious metals were historically used as coinage, but in the modern era, coinage metals have extended to at least 23 of the chemical elements.The history of refined metals is thought to begin with the use of copper about 11,000 years ago. Gold, silver, iron (as meteoric iron), lead, and brass were likewise in use before the first known appearance of bronze in the 5th millennium BCE. Subsequent developments include the production of early forms of steel; the discovery of sodium—the first light metal—in 1809; the rise of modern alloy steels; and, since the end of World War II, the development of more sophisticated alloys.

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  1. K

    Crazy gap between shower metal frame and tiled wall

    Hello and thanks for your time. When the shower metal frame (that will hold the glass wall) is placed plumb along the tiled wall, you can see that the tiled wall is uneven. The top and bottom touches the tile wall but in the middle there is a huge 2cm gap between the metal and wall. Basically...
  2. R

    Wet saw plastic or metal construction?

    Hi, I am looking at wet saws and only a DIY here but got a few odd shapes to cut. What would people recommend between the cheap plastic type wet cutters like the Mac Allister or a metal based one? Such as Performance Power PTC450E 450W Brushless Electric Tile Cutter 230-240V -...
  3. Sophietilingbeginner

    Precision cutting metal tile trim

    Hi, we have bought the nickel finish box shape stainless steel trim (link below) we have tried to cut it with an angle grinder and a saw, the heat of the angle grinder is ruining the finish and the saw isn’t giving us the clean finish we are looking for, we need to cut 45 degree angles, is this...
  4. A

    Best black metal tile trims

    Hopefully a quick one. Can anyone advise the best 12mm black metal tile trims. I. E. The hardest wearing as I never intent on changing the tiles. Are the pvd coated ones any good? Black porcelain tiles.
  5. BinaBold

    I'm Looking For This Tile Allen + Roth metal elements backsplash tile

    purchased from Lowes. item number 526253
  6. M

    brushed metal trims for sale ( bargain )

    BRUSHED METAL TRIMS FOR BARGAIN PRICES. 100 LENGTHS 8MM BRUSHED = 500.00 POUNDS 100LENGTHS 10MM BRUSHED = 500.00 POUNDS MORE IN STOCK CAN DO 50 LENGTHS PACK JUST ASK? WE ALSO HAVE 3 AND HALF ROLLS OF ACOUSTIC RUBBER MATTING ( 4.5MM THICK ) JOB LOT = 200.00 POUNDS
  7. M

    Plastic and metal edging in kitchen

    I'm tiling my kitchen with white marble tiles, I wanted to have the top that meets the plasterered walls have metal edging and any corners that meet with other tiles be done with white plastic edging. Will this look normal combining both and is it normal practice?
  8. I

    Metal strip in wall?

    Hello all. I'm currently removing some plaster from block work in my bathroom in prep to put up elements boards and new tiles and I've found a metal strip/plate embedded into the plaster. For reference the wall is outside facing and adjacent to the next door neighbours wall. The strip is near...
  9. O

    Quality of tile cutting when installing a metal edging strip

    We now have a professional tiler in attempting to tile a wall up to an external corner where he has suggested incorporating a metal edging trim. Due to the overall layout of the tiles, the tile edges next to the trim need to be cut, which the tiler has attempted to do. He's also trying to butt...
  10. S

    Tiling a metal 'tile insert' drain cover

    Hi, what would be the best way to tile, would it be to use tile adhesive and grout or could I use Mapei sealant - matching the grout of surrounding tiles with correct colour match? Cheers
  11. D

    Metal trim around sill and reveal

    Any suggestions would be appreciated on how best to fix trims ? Inside reveal only tiling 2 high.
  12. S

    Metal tile trim

    Hi All I'm looking for some nuggets of wisdom please. I've used the plastic rounded edge trim before and got great results without much thought. I've gone for metal square edged stuff this time and I can't figure out what to do here. The left hand wall at the tap end of the bath is going...
  13. S

    Tiny sharp pieces of metal in the grouting

    Hi Tilers completed floor tiles in our ensuite bathroom. On cleaning the floor, we've noticed tiny sharp pieces of metal in the grouting. Could this be from tile spacers, and if so how can we remove them? Any advice would be soooo appreciated - we've had nothing but problems with our new...
  14. C

    does anyone know any makes that have actual tile (not metal or plastic) quarter round edging tiles??

    any help on this would be really appreciated because i have been allover the place trying to source this I'm looking for a quarter round tile to finish edges that is actually made from tile, so not metal or plastic. I would be happy to find one that is 150 long that works with basic 150 square...
  15. G

    USA Adhesive for Sheet Metal

    I am installing ditra over OSB board and there is a floor vent in the one wall inside the bathroom. The sheet metal is folded out and there is about 2-3 inches of the sheet metal that stick out onto the floor from under the baseboard. The Ditra will go over the sheet metal and I wanted to know...
  16. T

    Metal mosaics

    These are from Porcelanosa What blade in my grinder to cut them?
  17. Andy Allen

    Metal face tiles................

    Will a wet cutter cut these metal tiles, got a kitchen to do and wondering about getting round the sockets, and what's the best grout to use...
  18. Wishiwasatoptiler

    Aus 30mm metal straight edge tile trim

    Hi Anyone know if 30mm straight edge tile trim is available Cheers
  19. O

    USA Etched metal tile trim

    Unfortunately I allowed some adhesive to squeeze underneath the protective plastic of a brushed metal trim. This looks to have etched the metal. Would this polish out with T-Cut or similar?
  20. T

    Getting a good finish with metal trim

    Are there any secrets for getting metal trim to look good? Firstly, should I grout on the underside or just put the trim on the tiles? There is a tiny lip on the edge of the trim but no more than 1mm, it won't hide many imperfections in the tile and I would need to make sure that all of the...
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