noob blacksmith Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 i'm fairly new to smithing but i got my hands full of scrap including brass but i don't know much about it and wiki nor other websites have explained much beyond what it's made of so does anyone got any useful websites or info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 The big problem is that there isn't "brass"; there are hundreds of alloys of brass: some will hot forge, some will not; some will cold forge, some will not, some will cast well, some will not; some (a few) contain quite toxic elements (Be); thankfully most do not. So unless you know what you actually have you end up having to experiment to see what it will do. Note that bearing alloys may contain lead and spark proof tooling may contain Be---DO NOT MESS WITH Be CONTAINING ALLOYS! So for casting I would suggest searching for backyard metal casting sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 i have lots of brass that came out of a machine shop 40 yrs ago ... i also have a small sheet of berillium.....so to find out whats in the brass since there is no spark test what'll a smith to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob blacksmith Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 all i know is it was the rods they used to machine a lot and if the Be possibly in it i think i'll just stick to plain copper or steel instead of possibly breathing in a dusty death x.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Noob Go to the top of the forum page and click on user cp click on edit profile go to the bottom of the page, enter your location, and save. We would like to know where in the world your located. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Dwyer Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 You lucky guys! I'd be pleased if I had any of your brass scraps. I've melted a bit down over the years, mostly old plumbing stuff. I'd avoid breathing any of the fumes, no matter what the alloy is. Zinc was what we mostly worried about. What diameter are the rods? Gee, you'd think if the stuff was being machined it'd be alright. Of course you're right, copper would be safer and beautiful too! It's just too soft for a lot of applications. Would either of you be willing to cut some of the brass stuff up and fill a flat rate priority mail box for us in Hawaii? We'd be please to pay a fair price. Thanks, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob blacksmith Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 lol well if it's really that hard to find that you'd pay the crazy shipping i bought it from an old junk yard near where i live the guy has 40 or 50 old brass rods that were to be machined there about 3 inchs in diameter and 4 feet long and weigh ALOT and for 2 dollars a pound i'm not sure it's worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Dwyer Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Is that $2 per lb for the brass or for the shipping? The flat rate priority mail box is less than $9. It can weigh up to 70 pounds and still the same flat rate. But if you paid/need $2 per pound for the brass, you're probably right, I couldn't afford much. I might have to take my words back, maybe I can't pay a fair price. Do you have a band saw? Could you cut into 1 foot lengths to fit in the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob blacksmith Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 it's 2 dollars a lb of brass and nah i ain't got a band saw in fact i'm still working on getting my forge togethor i'm about 93% done with it but school and work doesn't leave alot of free time x.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Dwyer Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 How much does one of those rods weigh? If you could get it cut into 1 foot lengths I'd buy a flat rate box full. Got any copper or aluminum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 i also have a small sheet of berillium have you qualified as an EPA superfund site yet? Mighty toxic stuff to play with, what are your plans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob blacksmith Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 does anyone know what type of brass bullet casing are made of theres a public shooting range littered with em about 20mins from me and i was just seeing if anyone knew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying-it Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 "Preventing Adverse Health Effects From Exposure to Beryllium on the Job"19990902 Preventing Adverse Health Effects From Exposure to Beryllium on the Job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 search query "cartridge brass" Principal Design Features Brasses (Copper-Zinc Alloy), Cartridge Brass, 70%. C26000 has the highest ductility in the yellow brass series. Easily machined but is more often cold formed.moreC26000 This alloy standard is not simply a piece of metal - it is an identified piece of metal - a documentation of color, name, and available forms. It is a definitive document that makes your metal specification strong. WIth this document you can definitively color match your metal designs with the rest of your project. (ect see link Brass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cartridge brass is a 30% zinc brass with good cold working properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Dwyer Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Sounds like that cartridge brass is about as good as it gets. Would you have to pop out the primers of each one before melting them down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Would you have to pop out the primers of each one before melting them down? depends, do you like excitement? (sorry if that was serious question, spent primers should pose little issue, the percentage of possible contaminant is small but then I havent done that and have been known to be wrong) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noob blacksmith Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 there we go i have a large free supply of Be free brass 20 minutes away for smithing or i could just take it to that junk dealer and make a little cash thanks ice oh and the primers aren't hard to knock out my grand father was a cop and used to load his own rounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.