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I Forge Iron

How do you forge brass??


KOT

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I purchased a small amount of flat brass bar, and was hoping to use the brass for collars/bands. I've tried heating and bending and hammering, but usually have so far wound up with the bar fracturing. I've been using a torch so as to control the amount of heat. Too much and it melts. Only once was I able to bend the brass without it fracturing. Is there a magic temperature?? High/low?? I've noticed it work hardens and fractures.

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Welcome Kot,

There are many different brass alloys. Sounds like you might have one that is better for machining than fabrication techniques.

How are you annealing it? We just heated fabrication stock up to a dull red (under low light) on soft fire bricks. We quenched it hot (not glowing hot) in a heated pickling pot (which took off the oxidation nearly immediately). We worked the metal cold. To make bands we bent the two ends around to braze or solder them together, then forced the joined shape down on a "cone" mandrel (we were working with jewelry ring and bracelet mandrels) typically with "soft" mallets.

How thick is your stock? What size bands are you trying to make? If your stock's thick enough maybe you could cut and pierce your band out of it? Or, could melting it and casting it into your shapes be an option?

Wishing you luck and looking forward to hearing more.

Phil

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The bar is 1/2x3/16. I've been using my oxy/propane torch to anneal the brass. I've been successful once with the appropriate amount of heat, but it is frustrating. I only need four bands, to wrap around two pieces of 5/8sq. My four foot length of brass is quickly disappearing. Might have to go with 1/4x1/2 iron. Just thought I would try. I like the look.

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I have forged brass and bronze as well. Usually in the bright red to dark orange range. Light blows are preferred. Try to move to much metal and it can fail. also as noted above, many alloys will be very red short, and fall apart if too hot.

Working cold poses none of those worries. Heat to red, QUENCH , then work a little more. if any resistance to movement, heat to red again, then quench. this is how most metals are annealed.

Blacksmiths: Iron alloys are opposite of most other alloys in this matter: its not a typical typo from me.:D

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I've tried forging brass as well, and it crumbled every time I worked it hot. I did a little reading afterwards and found that there is one kind of brass (I think called "muntz metal") that will work, but that nearly all of the others fall apart. I think your best option at this point is to either anneal repeatedly (from a low cherry red) and work it cold, or buy some aluminum bronze, which does hot work readily without cracking.

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Well I did a little better today. I annealed(heat to cherry red followed by a quench) then worked cold. I was able to get the brass to wrap around the two 5/8"x5/8" bars. Just couldn't get it tight enough to stay in place. I don't have any brass brazing rods, but will try brazing them in place. They are purely decorative and do look sharp!!!

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If you have enough of the iron stock, you might want to put a slight taper on a piece to make a forming mandrel. You could then form your brass to a slightly smaller dimension than the intended size. Then braze the ends together while off of the iron. You should then be able to hammer it down on your mandrel to shape and size it. (Knock the sharp corners off the tapered stock just a bit.) The trick here is to not make your brass too small as it will not hold up to a lot of stretching down the mandrel. If you end up slightly over sized you can hack saw out a saw blade kerf, or two, from your collar and re-braze the ends together to size it a bit smaller. Flip the collar over a few times as your working it on the mandrel, otherwise you'll end up with a tapered collar.

I often used silver solder (the stuff for sterling jewelry, not the low temp stuff) to join brass together. If the fit of your end seam is tight the finished solder line color won't show that much. Silver solder seems to flow a lot better than brazing rod, but you have to have a perfectly tight joint, it doesn't fill gaps like brazing can.

Let us know how it goes and post a few pix.

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