Geoff Keyes Posted May 18 Posted May 18 I bought a slab of brass/bronze from another smith. It's 40+ lbs and an inch thick. He said that he had taken some chips to a coin shop and they used their magic x-ray gun on it. He said that it came up 95% +/- copper and some other stuff. Is there a way to determine what it is? The surface patina looks like bronze to me, sort of a dark reddish brown. Anyone of the smart folks here able to help me? Geoff "The worst day smithing is better than the best day working for someone else." I said that. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. - - -G. K. Chesterton So, just for the record: the fact that it does work still should not be taken as definitive proof that you are not crazy. Grant Sarver
J_Martin Posted May 20 Posted May 20 I don't know what kind of XRF he had but it should have shown the secondary elements. Being 95% copper, I would think it would be Tin Bronze. The symbol for tin is Sn, Lead would be Pb and Zinc is Zn. Red Brass is 85%Cu, 5%Zn, 5%Pb and 5% and Tin. Newer red brass doesn't have Lead in it.
Jeroen Zuiderwijk Posted July 24 Posted July 24 You'd have to do a full analysis to really know what it is. Be aware that it could be beryllium bronze, not something you want to mess with. Jeroen Zuiderwijk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/barbarianmetalworking
Eric Estlund Posted July 24 Posted July 24 (edited) If you have a recycling center near you, they may have XRF. Are you planning on machining it, or casting? Edited July 24 by Eric Estlund Eric Estlund WinterCutlery.com IG @wintercutlery
Geoff Keyes Posted July 24 Author Posted July 24 I had an offer from a local guy who has access to an XRF gun, but I spaced and lost his info. My plan was to grind/machine pieces into shape. g "The worst day smithing is better than the best day working for someone else." I said that. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. - - -G. K. Chesterton So, just for the record: the fact that it does work still should not be taken as definitive proof that you are not crazy. Grant Sarver
Alan Longmire Posted July 24 Posted July 24 Beryllium being a very light element, it will not show up on most xrf guns. And I know you know why it's a bad thing.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now