?bronze?

[proudwhitetrash]

Ok im wondering the possableity of forging bronze. What are the working popertys, can it be tig welded. If any one has had any experiance with bronze i would love to hear what u have to say. Thanks Jake

[johnny99]

Hi.
Yes there are several bronzes that can be forged. Although the forging temperature is lower, and more critical than with steel.
Yes you can tig weld most bronzes. I suggest that you google Atlas metals. They carry everything you need and can answer most any question you might have. Nice people ,I just talked to them last week about some bronze tube.
Also there is a good article about working with bronze cap rail at Working With Bronze Cap Rail that will answer some of your questions about tig welding.

Hope this helps.

John

[Nick]

Bronze can be forged, but it's best to know the exact properties of the bronze you're working with, or have a piece to experiment on, before you start a project. Some bronzes crumble under the hammer. Bronze, being a copper alloy, also work hardens quickly and must be kept in a soft state when working or it will crack. But despite the difficulties, it's a versatile material and, I think, a better choice than brass for a lot of things.

[Jeff Mack]

I've fold forged some thinner bronze. One note, most "commercial bronze" is really brass with a lower amount of zinc. It doesn't work harden quite as fast as yellow brass, but it still work hardens pretty quick.

[proudwhitetrash]

thanks so far fellas. now if the bronze has zinc in it does that mean that forging it would have the same dangers as welding gavinized? Like that plume that cause nerve damage later in life?

[johnny99]

Actually, I think by definition if it has zinc in it, then it would be brass. Bronze is an allloy of copper and tin. Brass is copper and zinc.

[Jeff Mack]

I've allways worked it cold, with frequest anealing. Doesn't seem to flare until it gets to melting temp in my experience.

While technically brass is a copper + zinc alloy, and bronze is copper + tin, there are a lot of commercail bronzes that really either brass, or have other alloy elements. Some forge great, some don't. The copper/tin stuff and copper with just a little zinc seem to forge ok.

I've been told that some copper alloys (brass, bronze, gunmetal, etc...) have been alloyed with some nasty stuff health wise, even worse than zinc. You might want to confirm the alloy before you heat it.

J