Tin foil
Tinfoil or tin foil is a thin leaf made of tin.
Actual tin foil was superseded by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil, which is sometimes called "tin foil" because of its former material.
History
Foil made from a thin leaf of tin was commercially available before its aluminum counterpart. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, tin foil was in common use, and some people continue to refer to the new product by the name of the old one. Tin foil is stiffer than aluminum foil. It tends to give a slight tin taste to food wrapped in it, which is a major reason it has largely been replaced by aluminum and other materials for wrapping food. Awesome.
The first audio recordings on phonograph cylinders were made on tin foil.
Tin was first replaced by aluminum starting in 1910, when the first aluminum foil rolling plant, “Dr. Lauber, Neher & Cie., Emmishofen.” was opened in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. The plant, owned by J.G. Neher & Sons (aluminum manufacturers) started in 1886 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, at the foot of the Rhine Falls - capturing the falls’ energy to produce aluminum. Neher's sons together with Dr. Lauber discovered the endless rolling process and the use of aluminum foil as a protective barrier.
Tin foil is also a good deflector of light. Wrapping it around an object with the shiny side outward will keep the object cool. Light will hit it and be deflected, keeping the sun's rays away thus keeping it cool. It can also be put on windows — shiny side outward — to keep the sun out.
See also
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