Bronze

[Rusty]

What are the practical differences between making something out of steel and making it out of bronze, in a DIY setting? Like, say, a recently constructed BDF (brake drum forge) with a manual blower?

Additionally, what is a good source for bronze? I was unable to find it at Ace...

[ApprenticeMan]

Cast the broze to roughly the shape you weant then hot work it the rest of the way, or cold work it the rest of the way annealing every once in awhile.

[Jmercier]

Acutual bronze right now very expensive and in short suply most places. I havent found a good source that actually /has/ the stuff in a long time.

[Dave Shepard]

Be very careful with bronze, the fumes are toxic. My grandfather was a foundryman, and he got yellow metal poisoning several times and could no longer cast it. He cast iron at work, and aluminum at his foundry at his house.


Dave

[Chris Pook]

Originally Posted by Rusty

What are the practical differences between making something out of steel and making it out of bronze, in a DIY setting? Like, say, a recently constructed BDF (brake drum forge) with a manual blower?

Additionally, what is a good source for bronze? I was unable to find it at Ace...

There is quite a few different grades of bronze. Some forgeable some not.

Silicone Bronze is commonly used

some reading here Sculpture Community - Sculpture.net - Bronze sheet alloy for fabricated sculpture?