Alright, let’s chew the fat about this metal and steel thing, you know? It’s like tryin’ to figure out the difference between a hen and a chicken, kinda sorta the same but not exactly, ya hear?
What in tarnation is Metal anyway?
Well, metal, that’s like the big family name, ya know? Like Smith or Jones. It’s a whole bunch of stuff, elements they call ’em, all havin’ their own special ways. Some are strong, some are shiny, some are bendy like a willow branch. They got all sorts of fancy names too, like iron and aluminum and copper, sounds like somethin’ you’d find in a fancy store, but it’s just dirt if ya ask me, dug up from the ground.
And Steel? That’s somethin’ different, ain’t it?
Now, steel, that’s like a recipe, not just one thing. You take that iron, the tough one, and mix it up with some other stuff, like a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Mostly, they put in somethin’ called carbon, makes it harder, you see. Like addin’ more flour to the bread dough, makes it tougher to chew on. Steel is what they use for buildin’ all them skyscrapers and bridges and such, strong as an ox it is. They use it for cars too, and even them washin’ machines, though I still prefer washin’ by hand, gets the dirt out better.
So, what’s the big dang difference?
- Metal is the whole shebang, the big group. Steel is just one of the kids in that group.
- Metal can be all sorts of things, pure and simple. Steel is always a mix, a recipe of iron and other stuff.
- Metal, you find it in the ground, just like that. Steel, you gotta make it, mix it up like a cake batter.
Why’s Steel so important then?
Well, like I said, it’s strong, real strong. Holds up them buildin’s, keeps the cars from fallin’ apart. It’s tough too, can take a beatin’ and keep on goin’. And it’s everywhere! Look around you, betcha you can find somethin’ made of steel. Pots and pans, tools, even the nails holdin’ up yer house, most likely steel.
Is there just one kind of Steel? Naw, can’t be that simple.
Heck no, there ain’t just one kind! It’s like apples, ya got yer Granny Smiths and yer Red Delicious and a whole bunch more. They change the recipe a little, add a bit more of this or that, and they get different kinds of steel, each one good for somethin’ different. Some are super strong, for holdin’ up them bridges. Some are bendy, for makin’ car parts. Some don’t rust so easy, for makin’ things that stay outside all the time.
And what about them other things they mix in? What do they do?
Well, they all got their jobs, ya see. That carbon I told ya about, that’s the main one, makes it hard. Then they got other fancy names, like manganese and chromium and nickel. Some make it stronger, some make it tougher, some make it so it don’t rust, like I said. It’s like addin’ spices to the stew, each one changes the flavor a little bit.
So, if I go to the store, how do I know what’s what?
Well, most times you ain’t gonna be buyin’ just “metal,” you gonna be buyin’ somethin’ specific, like a steel pot or an aluminum pan. But if you see somethin’ made of “alloy,” that just means it’s a mix, like steel. Could be steel, could be somethin’ else, you gotta look close or ask somebody who knows. Don’t let them fool ya with all them fancy words.
Anythin’ else I oughta know?
Well, I reckon that’s about the gist of it. Metal’s the big family, steel’s one of the kids, and a mighty important kid at that. It’s strong, it’s tough, and it’s everywhere. Now, you go on and tell somebody else what ya learned, spread the word, ya hear? And don’t go buyin’ no rusty pots, unless yer plannin’ on plantin’ flowers in ’em.
So this here what I told ya, it’s the long and short of it. Metal and Steel, same family, different critters. And that’s all she wrote!
It’s like baking a cake, see? Flour is like metal, it is just there, in the bag. But then you add some sugar and eggs and milk and bake it, boom! You have cake, which is like steel. All the ingredients go into make a new thing.
And they keep on adding stuff too, messing around with the recipe, make all sorts of different kinds of steel for every which kind of need. It’s clever stuff I tell ya but can be confusing as heck to a old lady like me.
But at the end of the day, that’s the difference between them metal and steel. One’s just as it is, and the other one is fixed up to make it stronger and better fit for using for making stuff.
