A method for coating a web with a metal layer includes heating a metal in a container to create molten metal. The metal is selected from a group consisting of lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), indium (In), tin (Sn), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb). The method includes coating at least one surface of a web with a metal layer using the molten metal. The web is made of a material selected from a group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), stainless steel, polymer, and carbon.

An electrically conducting material including a substrate composed of copper or a copper alloy, and a coating composed of at least one layer. The coating has an outermost layer consisting to an extent of at least 90 vol % of an intermetallic phase which is or includes Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5. The surface of the outermost layer that faces away from the substrate has insular, silver-rich precipitations with an area fraction of 7 to 20%.

An electrically conducting material including a substrate composed of copper or a copper alloy, and a coating composed of at least one layer. The coating has an outermost layer consisting to an extent of at least 90 vol % of an intermetallic phase which is or includes Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5. The surface of the outermost layer that faces away from the substrate has insular, silver-rich precipitations with an area fraction of 7 to 20%.

A steel sheet for a container includes a steel sheet, a Sn coated layer which is provided as an upper layer of the steel sheet and contains Sn in an amount of 560 to 5600 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Sn metal, and a chemical treatment layer which is provided as an upper layer of the Sn coated layer and contains a Zr compound in an amount of 3.0 to 30.0 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Zr metal and a Mg compound in an amount of 0.50 to 5.00 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Mg metal.

A method of pretinning a guidewire core made of shape memory alloy and having an elongate axis, comprising: placing a ball of solder in a pocket in a soldering block; melting the ball of solder; holding a guidewire core over the ball of solder; lowering the guidewire core into the ball of solder; removing the guidewire from the ball of solder.

This steel sheet for containers includes a steel sheet, a Sn coated layer that is formed on at least one surface of the steel sheet, and a chemical treatment layer that is formed on the Sn coated layer. The Sn coated layer contains 300 mg/m.sup.2 to 5,600 mg/m.sup.2 of Sn in terms of an amount of metal Sn, and the chemical treatment layer contains 5 mg/m.sup.2 to 30 mg/m.sup.2 of a Zr compound in terms of an amount of metal Zr, an average roughness Ra of an outermost surface of the chemical treatment layer obtained with a scanning probe microscope is 10 nm to 100 nm. A variation amount in a yellowness index measured at one measurement point on the outermost surface of the chemical treatment layer is defined as YI represented by Equation (1), an average of absolute values of the YI obtained at a plurality of the measurement points included in a unit area of the outermost surface is 5.0 or less.

YI=YIYI.sub.0(1) where YI: the yellowness index measured after the steel sheet for containers is subjected to a retort treatment at a temperature of 130 C. for 5 hours, YI.sub.0: the yellowness index measured before the retort treatment

A steel sheet for a container includes: a steel sheet; a coated layer which contains Ni and is provided as an upper layer of the steel sheet; and a chemical treatment layer which is provided as an upper layer of the coated layer, and contains a Zr compound in an amount of 3.0 to 30.0 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Zr metal, and a Mg compound in an amount of 0.50 to 5.00 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Mg metal, in which the coated layer is one of the group consisting of a Ni coated layer which contains Ni in amount of 10 to 1000 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Ni metal, and a composite coated layer which contains Ni in an amount of 5 to 150 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Ni metal and Sn in an amount of 300 to 3000 mg/m.sup.2 in terms of Sn metal, and has an island-shaped Sn coated layer formed on an FeNiSn alloy layer.

It is provided a surface-treated steel sheet that can be produced without using hexavalent chromium and has excellent sulfide staining resistance and coating secondary adhesion. It is a surface-treated steel sheet having: a Sn plating layer; a metallic Cr layer disposed on the Sn plating layer; and a Cr oxide layer disposed on the metallic Cr layer, on at least one surface of a steel sheet, and the surface-treated steel sheet has a water contact angle of 50 or less and a total atomic ratio of K, Na, Mg, and Ca adsorbed on the surface to Cr of 5% or less.

It is provided a surface-treated steel sheet that can be produced without using hexavalent chromium and has excellent sulfide staining resistance and coating secondary adhesion. It is a surface-treated steel sheet having: a Sn plating layer; a metallic Cr layer disposed on the Sn plating layer; and a Cr oxide layer disposed on the metallic Cr layer, on at least one surface of a steel sheet, and the surface-treated steel sheet has a water contact angle of 50 or less and a total atomic ratio of K, Na, Mg, and Ca adsorbed on the surface to Cr of 5% or less.

This invention provides a cost-effective hot-dip galvanization process for ferrous metals, which is regardful to the environment and to the health of the personnel.