I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has any real world experience in working with zinc sheet metal.

I'm putting together a proposal for a fireplace hood that the client wants to have made in zinc sheet. This would be in a product either called Rheinzink or VM Zinc, both trade names for a alloy of zinc, copper and titanium.
Most of it comes from Europe but it is available here in the US. It is used primarily for high end exterior cladding and roofing.

Does anyone have any experience with this material, particularly in annealing and hammering and re-rolling to establish a texture. Also any experience with soldering or welding this material? Patinas and finishes ?
I have all the equipment to shear, notch, roll and break the material to fabricate the hood in the conventional manner, but am wanting to be able to offer an option that is less sleek and contemporary in look.

Any information or help would be appreciated

You might want to check out the thread I posted on member projects; ''zinc hood''if you haven't already. rotometals.com has lots of sheet, patinas, and solder. I can't recall if they deal with ti zinc alloys or not , sounds like cool stuff though....good luck with the project......mb

The company that makes it may have a fact sheet on working it. Have you contacted them?

Thanks,

I did check out rotometals.com site and it looks as if the material they sell is more suitable for what I am trying to accomplish. They also have all the additional materials, solders and finishes as well as the technical expertise to back it up.

I got sidetracked with looking into using the Rheinzink and VM Zinc material because it is being used to clad the exterior walls of the other building project I am working on. That material is much harder and more space age looking [ probably from the addition of the Titanium in the alloy ] Also a lot more $$$.

I thought maybe you were needing the alloys cause it's a fireplace hood an heat (melting) might be a factor with pure zinc.
Over time it turns to a nice pewter finish, which is far easier than trying to get an ''even'' finish with the liquid. I really had a problem with that, then I was able to talk the owner into being a little patient.............We all know that's not always possible <_<

I make tabletops from regular zinc sheet. It's very soft and easy to cut with shears. It hammers much like soft copper, but I'm not sure if if work hardens or not, all I ever do is hammer seams flat.