Tin is the layman's general term for what the expert would call "metal". There are many different kinds of "tin".
BRASS is a very useful sort of tin. It is mined in Yorkshire, and is said to occur wherever there is muck. Out of brass we make monkeys, knobs and money.
NICKEL is the sort of tin used for making American money.
LEAD is a very heavy sort of tin, used mainly for making the middle of pencils and poisonous paint for children's toys. It is also used for roofing churches which last for hundreds of years because the heavy lead stops them blowing away.
STEEL is what people do to the lead on church roofs.
ALUMINIUM is a very light sort of tin, often used for supporting chimneys. Specially shaped hooks called aerials anchor the chimney to the sky and stop it blowing away. They also attract lightning which is made from electricity, which is what makes televisions work. .
WIRE is a very thin sort of tin. It is often used for making fences because it is so thin you can see right through it.
MERCURY is a very runny sort of tin, often confused with water. It has the remarkable property of getting longer when it gets hot and is thus ideal for making thermometers.
IRON is a very flat sort of tin, used for taking small creases out of shirts and for putting big ones in. Another sort of iron can be used for gluing bits of wire together.
RUST is a very crumbly sort of tin, ideal for making motor cars.
CHROME is a very shiny sort of tin, used for holding rust together.
COPPER is a dark blue variety of tin, used as an inert filler for Panda cars and football stadiums
TUNGSTEN, SODIUM and STRONTIUM are light sorts of tin. Tungsten glows from bulbs, sodium glows on long stalks at the side of the road. Strontium is not as light as sodium or tungsten and only glows feebly in the dark. Fitted to a wristwatch it enables you to tell what time the lights went out.
BARIUM is an edible sort of tin, fed only to hospital patients suffering from transparency.
GOLD is a very soft sort of tin, much too soft to be of any use.
MAGNET is a very attractive sort of tin, which always points North. This special property makes it ideal for propelling ships.
SILVER paper is an alloy of tin and cardboard, widely used in the packaging industry.
ZINC is a sort of tin used for washing Potz and Panz.
TITANIUM is a very strong sort of tin used to reinforce ladies undergarments.