Metals

Looking at metals that have been popular for hundreds of years and also some modern new-comers that re currently fashionable.

The process of anodization and its early applications in aviation through to modern day consumer electronics

Richard Storer-Adam explains how metals are altered through anodizing and the anti-corrosive benefits and coloring options this process provides to product manufacturers.

The applications of Cor-Ten steel - from its beginnings in the US railroad industry to the worlds of art and architecture

Richard Storer-Adam runs through how this weathering steel alloy quickly moved beyond transport uses to give a distinct, rusted look to some iconic buildings and sculptures.

The story of gold and gold leaf – how was gold formed, its decorative value and the 5000- year old process of gilding.

Richard Storer-Adam rounds up some interesting facts about how this fascinating metal has been used throughout history to coat other materials.

The basics of Physical Vapour Deposition

Imagine creating colored stainless steel was a cooking process - Federico de Paoli gives an explanation of the PVD process involving titanium, thermal evaporation, sputtering and ion-plating using comparisons from everyday life.

A review of artist Robert Bruno’s sculptural Steel House, Lubbock, Texas

Richard Storer-Adam reviews the philosophy behind the organic steel sculpture built from weathering steel, nowadays known as corten steel, that has strikingly rusted both outside and inside, and that became a house over a period of 33 years.

Stainless steel interior and exterior cladding

Richard Storer-Adam investigates the use of stainless steel as cladding used decoratively for interiors and exteriors of buildings, including the famous Frank Gehry New York skyscraper, with a focus on its durability, aesthetic qualities and technical performance.

The rise and fall in popularity of the copper alloys, brass and bronze, in art and architecture from 3500 BC to the twentieth century

Richard Storer-Adam looks at these wonder metals, both alloys of copper and tin, that last the ages and how they compare to each other in practical and artistic use.