A little more brazing that turned into a mess

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I ran out of good ol' made in the USA brass and ordered some more that was supposed to be 360 brass. Never tried to work with anything before that acted like this. When I tried to braze the guard and pommel to the blade the stuff would boil when it melted. No matter how I adjusted the flame it left holes. Ground it out and changed flux and the same deal. I gave up and plugged the holes mechanically, all 35 of them and still have some tiny holes where I really couldn't get to them.Then I made this sheath. Now that I have it made I don't care for the style. I'll wait for another norther to blow thru and make something I like better while waiting for the weather to improve.
Reply:Okay, So this post was intended to make us jealous, right?  Well it workedEsab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Hi, Oldtimer,                Another excellent demonstration of craftsmanship, What material is the handle please, P.S. are there any books you would recomend on Knife making, Sure would like to read about the process. Best regards  Gordon.
Reply:Damn, that's nice work.By any chance do you sell them...hmmmm?.....Mike
Reply:since it's not up to your standards i would happily take the poor ol' reject off your hands, just tell me what i owe you for shipping lolthose are very nice knives, hope you made some to pass down to the grand kids, they will be cherished forever.G3miller... 225g, s32p, 250x, 304, 12vs, MSW41     victor o/a thermal dynamics cutmaster 50 lenco panel spotter        hobart hf-boxG3 Farms.....raising cattle, hay, kids and hell, ...oh yeah I'm a fire sprinkler contractor by trade.
Reply:If that's a mess, I'm the King of Siam"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:" When I tried to braze the guard and pommel to the blade the stuff would boil when it melted."probably got some lead in it. You can test by heating the Suspect Brass rod and see if it bubble like lava and ya get blue green smoke- which ain't good.I tried to use some once- sure enough Bubbly crude and green smoke. I just tossed it as I didn't want to worry about getting it mixed up again.Good pure brass will get a shiny round bubble of liquid hot brass.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Well there ya go:"Alloy 360 or Brass 360 is an alloy mixture of copper and zinc. Brass 360 is known both for its’ strength and resistance to corrosion. It also contains a small amount of lead, and the lead is what makes this alloy very machinable. In the half-hard condition Brass 360 (Alloy 360) properties are very close to steel. Brass 360 is one of the highest consumed copper alloys."Had to look it upEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Well there ya go:"Alloy 360 or Brass 360 is an alloy mixture of copper and zinc. Brass 360 is known both for its’ strength and resistance to corrosion. It also contains a small amount of lead, and the lead is what makes this alloy very machinable. In the half-hard condition Brass 360 (Alloy 360) properties are very close to steel. Brass 360 is one of the highest consumed copper alloys."Had to look it up
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloI think the zinc may not get along too well with the flame, either. Nice job looking that one up Broccoli!
Reply:Just went thru the Machinery's Handbook and couldn't find a reference to 360 brass. Lot of other brasses but no 360. A. C. Davies in his book simply states that brasses for brazing purposes can vary greatly in composition and gives examples of three. 54% copper, 46% zinc, 50% copper,50% zins, and 85% copper, 15% zinc with no mention of lead. Nothing about 360. I'm not done researching but I suspect this bar of brass will be used up by soldering it to my blades. I am sure it came from china so no telling what is in it. The cheapest composition they could come up with I'm sure since it is proven they care nothing for standards set for industry.I have had occassion to braze quite a bit of brass over the years and have never ran into any that behaved like this does.Last edited by Oldtimer; 11-12-2008 at 11:36 AM.