Originally Posted By: tom slick
IIRC tin and zinc are white metals.
The terminology "yellow metal" and "white metal" is somewhat arbitrary and also depending on the context in which those terms are used. For example, if I buy casting metal, "yellow metal" metal refers to any brass or bronze alloy that is literally of yellow color due to its composition. Normal casting bronze, is not a "yellow metal."
The term "white metal," in the context of casting metals, refers very specifically to alloys of tin that may contain bismuth, antimony, tin, lead, cadmium, and zinc. Another term used for "white metal" is "pot metal" or low-melt alloy," which is a common base metal in jewelry and tool production.
Terms may be used differently by people depending on the field in which they work. There is no reason to believe that a term like "yellow metal," which is commonly used by artists and craftsmen is used in the same manner by a metallurgist dealing with alloys created for industrial applications.
What's my point? Terms like "yellow metal" are very vague. A modern, sintered bronze bearing is not composed of the same components that make up a 4,000 year old bronze axe blade. One "yellow metal" alloy may well resist corrosion much better compared to another. For example, bronze holds up very well to saltwater, common brass (There is actually "naval brass") not so much.