Zamac?

Seems to be...

I don't think so. Zamak is a trademarked Zinc die-casting alloy, similar to the so-called pot metal carburetors and toy cars are made of.

Mazak is a maker of high-end machine tools.

As best as I can tell, Zamac and Mazac are misspellings of the words with the K on the end, and are not a registered name of anything. In England, a Mazak group, LTd. makes Zinc alloys under ther Zamak brand, but I doubt they can sell it in the US under that name.

Jon

To my knowledge, Zamac is the original manufacturer and Mazac is the generic product.

Nick

Off-topic answer time: I read that Zamac stood for zinc and magnesium and copper - the main constituents.

Zamac is an abbreviation of the alloy components:

Zinc Aluminum Magnesium And Copper

Zamac is not a US trademark and probably couldn't be registered now as it is generic. Same for Mazac.

Zamak is an old but still live US registered trademark (1926) for a zinc- base alloy.

Mazak is a US registered trademark for machine tools, not an alloy.

See

Also a family of zinc alloys...

No, not in the USA. Maybe in the UK.

The question was, "Are Zamac(sic) and Mazac(sic) the same thing?" It seems they are. Whether Mazak is a valid US trademark is irrelevant to the question.

Ned Simmons

(So why did you bring it up?)

It is relevant to understand that the term is ambiguous based on geographical usage.

Boaters know what "zamac" is. That stuff you don't use on a saltwater vessel.

Here at the Jersey showa, "chrome plated zamac" is a euphemism for substances not discussed in polite company.

Kevin Gallimore

Who introduced trademarks to the discussion?

I suppose, if you're worried about confusing a chunk of pot metal with a machining center.

Ned Simmons

Zamac,

Ya know 'pot metal' by any other name... if you are a "cast it your self' kind guy old carburetors are a good source..

Ed PLEASE don't get me started, I can give you stories form hell about suppliers to the live steam hobby selling 'Zamac'.. :-(

--.- Dave

It appears you got plenty of answers to the question you asked, but keep in mind that the better-branded Zamac, made according to one of several specific alloys, has mechanical properties 'way beyond those of anything-goes potmetal. It's darned close to steel in some properties and it's used in plenty of structural applications, unlike potemetal, which usually has tensile- and impact strength that's pure shit.

-- Ed Huntress

=================== From someone who used to make carburetors for a living [Carter]

In many cases the cross drilled passages [to go around corners] were sealed by a lead shot that was pressed into the hole.

The problem is that *ANY* lead is absolute death to a zinc casting and will make it crack. I have personally seen what happens when even one or two lead shot get mixed in with several hundred pounds of salvage zinc carb bodies. It is possible to stand by the cargotainer and and hear the new casting "pop" as they shatter just from the casting stresses.

Apparently this had been a problem for years at Carter. Shortily after I joined the company, we had a new general manager who mandated, no more in-house zinc remelt/salvage. All our zinc scrap had to be sent out and be rerefined/certified.

Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).

All of which begs the question of why your previous employers (and others) didn't use either a more malleable Zn/Al mix or relatively pure Al to make plugs for sealing holes.

Expiring minds want to know.

Mark Rand RTFM

================== As the Chief Engineer explained it to me -- when we started the business back in 1928 that's how we did it, and if its been good enough all these years, it good enough now....

Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).

Carter AFB + 66 GTO! ;-)

I bought a 66 GTO with two spun main bearings, and a damaged crankshaft in 1972. The engine was damaged at Edgewater Speedway, (Cincinnati) after being rebuilt by a "I don't need no stinkin' torque wrench!" HS football playing jock. I found several cap nuts laying in the oil pan, along with the spun out bearings and one bearing cap.

He had "Tuned it up" just before the race, and had one side of the AFB set so rich that it was running on four cylinders.

I replaced the crank, changed to from a two speed to a three speed automatic, and had to have a 26" drive shaft made to replace the original 50"+ shaft. :) Then, the day I got it running, I was drafted. :(

I picked up a spare AFB, and modified the linkage till the back barrels didn't kick in till I hit 80 MPH.