Tin ingot question

[gary s fl]

Found this piece of a tin ingot at a site that once had a 1900 era farm house. I know the ancients used tin for making bronze, but what would it have been used for on a farm, plating? Today, these ingots are inexpensive and readily available. Besides commerical plating/coating applications and metallurgy, could it have some home owner applications? Google didn't help much with this one.

 

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[homefires]

Lead and Tin are used to make Solder.

Solder was used in plumbing and Electrical work.

 

[gary s fl]

Homefire, I'd forgotten that tin is used in solder but from what I'ver read, the highest percentage of tin in solder is 75%. I don't think a farmer or home owner would attempt to make their own solder but perhaps the tin was combined with lead to produce tern plate for hot dipping to prevent corrosion. The melting point is only 450 degrees F so it shouldn't have been difficult to use. Just a guess.