Thank You Richard, I forgot the Borax. I usually put a couple small pieces of charcoal on top of the melt to pick up any O2 and it let's you know if you have a neutral atmosphere. The charcoal will throw sparks if you have too much O2.
Ordered a copy at the bookseller you listed - as I know there's cuprous alloys in my future. I've read this book before on several occasions over the course of 30+ years, and recall it being especially good. Yes, even if I'm preferring reddish colors to yellow ones.
well look up "red brass" then try to get it straight that red brass is actually a tin Bronze 85 5 5 5 is one of the more common ones as is Gun metal 86 8 4 admiralty gunmetal is 88 10 2 , but all of those alloys are tin bronzes and will require degassing with Phos Copper , for ease of use and red color you cannot beat evendur SiBr V/r HT1 P.S. yellow brass is easiest , and Zinc fights Covid
Does Everdur machine well? I've heard it does not. Begin joke: "you mean zinc-type metal fume fever fights with the Virus in terms of killing people? I'll buy that one for a kopeck!" End joke; Ps: Paw-Paw Wilson did not find it a joke. It would be just my luck to have a similar outcome. Here: https://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor.php?lesson=safety3/demo
people been casting brass for about 3000 years. follow simple safety proceedures you will be fine , alot of other things are far worse then zinc , like beryllium copper , inhale some of that and you are headed to a pine box Cadmium( used to be real common in braze alloy) it's cronic but will put you in a pine box eventually Lead another cronic one that will get you eventually hell thoriated Tungsten releases alpha particles when ground remember when Aluminum was the cause of Alzheimner Now Plastic (with or without BPA) is lowering your sperm count and decreasing egg viability in the Ladies and eating three eggs a week can kill you I'll take my chance with zinc but I will work upwind and outdoors I'm a little crazy but not stupid V/r HT1 P.S. Paw Paw had Emphysema! he had no business working with anything that could put him in respitory distress. RIP P.P.S but still take precaustions , a good respirator with a metal fume filteris a danm good idea when working with most molten metals
You are right HT1, Paw Paw passed from other health issues and wasn't careful. But, if you say that around a group of Blacksmiths, be prepared to fight. People have cast Brass for centuries. Lead and Cadmium have much longer health effects than Zinc. I haven't been very careful and I haven't got had any issues. I suppose anyone with metal allergies would have to be careful. My daughter breaks out bad if she wears cheap jewelry. I've been going to make up some Everdur, I have all the stuff. I've also thought of making up a kit with Copper, Manganese and Silicon and about a pound of Si Bronze as a heel. Maybe 10 pounds total. People could make up their own Bronze. I'll have to think about that. Have plenty of Manganese if anyone is looking for some, let me know.
Does this Everdur machine passably? Will it work - sort of - as a bushing? If so, then I'll want to send you some money for an Everdur kit.
Someone else will have to answer that. I've not tried to machine it or have any way to try it. I think Aluminum Bronze is the easiest to machine but one of the hardest alloys to cast.
I machined some everdur the other day. It went much better than mild steel. I liked working with it much more than other metals.
In what way? Was it grabby - did tool bits try to "sink in?" Did it squeak or make noise, like, say, 304 stainless? Was it gummy? Did it load up files, say? Looks like you put some heat into that stuff. Were you using carbide, or high speed steel?
I didn't notice any grabbyness. No squeaking or gumminess. Didn't use a file on it but from prior experience usually bronze doesn't stick in files like aluminum. I experimented with different depths of cut and was surprised to find I could easily take heavy cuts in one pass hence the gradient of color from bottom to top of photo. Cast iron crumbles off in dust/crumbs. Stainless seems to break off in small chips and work hardens. Mild steel seems to grab a lot more than bronze. I know I'll be turning more of it in the future. It knurled well too. I used hss and no coolant. Fairly high rpm speed. This was everdur bronze that I had melted once and used a sprue for making handles. So it was not work hardened.
As in one can run shafts in them, with steady lubrication? Say, something like a wad of felt dosed periodically with a medium oil putting a film of oil on the shaft? I'm not expecting it to work as well as 660 bronze, for example. Sounds like I need to order weight from Lancaster - say, about 30-50 pounds worth. I'll want to try to get the Petrobond locally, if possible. I want to feel it - to know what I'm getting, if I can.