Who invented aluminum foil

Many incredible things occurred before it became a staple in the modern kitchen. In this post, I'll discuss the various events that led to the aluminum foil revolution, and highlight the continued importance of this seemingly mundane material in our lives. Aluminum foil is a thin sheet of metal foil or metal leaf composed of an aluminum alloy containing roughly 92—99 percent aluminum. It usually has a thickness between 0. The popularity of aluminum foil stems from the fact that it's a highly versatile product that can be used in limitless ways.

It's a durable, non-toxic, greaseproof material capable of resisting chemical attacks. It also offers decent magnetic shielding and is an excellent electrical conductor. The packaging industry captures the vast majority of the aluminum foil market. As the foil is nearly impermeable to gases and water vapor, it's used in various products — from foodstuffs to gifts!

Foil can extend the shelf life of products, it takes extremely little storage space, and it produces lower waste than its counterparts. With all these positives, it's evident why aluminum foil is so popular. Aluminum foil is made by converting billet aluminum into rolling sheet ingots.

This process is replicated in sheet and foil rolling mills to obtain the desired thickness. Concerning the debate between the shiny and dull sides: there's no "right side" of a foil sheet.

The texture differences only arise due to the manufacturing process itself, and either side of aluminum foil is safe to use. The fact that aluminum foil is entirely recyclable makes it a great asset in the quest for greener living. As long as your aluminum foil isn't dirty, you can reuse it in the kitchen.

And its usability in the kitchen is legendary. It's used in packaged products such as cream cheese and candy, you can use it to store leftovers, and you can even use it as a cooking surface. And why stop at a surface? The Boy Scouts introduced the world to the magic of hobo packs , which involve placing cut-up pieces of various ingredients in foil and roasting them over a fire. While most people are more than happy to refer to aluminum foil as tin foil, in reality, they are two vastly different materials.

However, the story of aluminum foil is certainly incomplete without briefly discussing the history of tin foil. Tin foil's history goes back a bit longer than aluminum foil's.

Tin is a soft metal, just like aluminum. The use of tin and tin foil in various capacities dates to the late 18th century. Tin is rarer than aluminum, and nearly all tin was imported into the United States at the time or recycled. The US's War Production Board even mandated larger towns had a tin collection process in place at the time. Aluminum is abundant, doesn't leave as much of a taste signature in food, and is roughly otherwise equivalent. Thomas Edison used tin foil wrapped around a cylinder to create the first recording device for a phonograph.

This worked far better than his previous material: paraffined paper. The tin foil was thin enough and sensitive enough to make the necessary indents during the recording process. Another surprising application of tin foil was its use in dentistry. It was used as filling material as early as , and there's historical evidence from a book by H. Ambler from The benefit? The flexible nature of tin foil allowed it to be reshaped to take the space between the cavity and act as the ideal filling material during this era.

Tin entered food packaging during the 19th century replacing the mason jar, and it was extensively used until the midth century when aluminum foil took over. While tin foil was popular, the most common relic of the time is the still-in-the-lexicon tin can. Ultimately, it was a good swap.

Food wrapped in tin foil or packed in tin cans tended to take on a "tinny" taste. For tin cans, especially , manufacturers added more and more complicated sealing and coating procedures. Aluminum avoids those downsides.

The story of aluminum began as early as when British chemist and physicist Sir Humphry Davy experimented with a process known as electrolysis.

He used it to extract a host of new elements such as potassium, boron, calcium, sodium, and magnesium. After achieving success on these various fronts, he realized that this same process could extract aluminum from aluminum oxide.

A few years later, in , a red rock was discovered in the south of France dubbed Bauxite. Although Pierre Berthier discovered the rock , it was named after the region in France where it was found — Les Baux.

It has had an integral role in aluminum production over the years and still serves as an abundant resource. The manufacturing plant was opened by Dr. Lauber, Cie, Emmishoen and Neher. Aluminium is no longer considered a precious metal, but the evolution of the aluminium metal reveals the importance of the product and its service to the modern world, which cannot be ignored. He's always happy to share his passion for history. Use the contact form if you want to get in touch with him.

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