Aluminum bronze

[Eli Jensen]

Does aluminum bronze have the same reddish color associated with bronze or is it closer to brass?

I ripping my hair out trying to find a source for tin bronze, or even phosphor bronze. Looking for an alternative with that reddish color, but don't know much about other alloys.

[Doug Lester]

If you want tin bronze you will probably have to make it yourself.

Doug

[Ray Rogers]

I don't know what aluminum bronze looks like but to the extent that bronze is reddish the red color comes from copper which, of course, is reddish. Since aluminum is not even slightly red I doubt mixing it with brass will produce any kind of red ....

[AUBE]

Having minimal experience with bronze I can't offer any advice....

...but our local library used to have a superb book on patinas for various metal alloys. You should check to see if your local library carries it. It would give the type of alloy and the chemical used to achieve different patinas. All in full color. I'm pretty sure it had a bronze section which might give you a good idea of what the various alloys will look like.

Amazon.com: The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals (9780823007622): Richard Hughes, Michael Rowe: Books

Amazon.com: The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals (9780823007622): Richard Hughes, Michael Rowe: Books

[Eli Jensen]

I am going for a natural patina at this point. Ray, I am not mixing it with brass, I want it to be more brass than red. True, aluminum is silver color, but the copper content is much higher than brass which is mixed with zinc, also silverish. I have this technical knowledge, but have never seen it so was hoping someone has.

[metal99]

To bad you can't get some tin somewhere because it really wouldnt be that hard to make bronze, that is if you could find some tin. I can't recal anything that is made out of pure tin tho. . . the closest thing I can think of would be lead free solder but that has other metals in it as well (some lead free solder is over 90% tin). I know that when you melt brass its usually a good idea to throw a bit of zink in just to make up for what evaporates out when molten.

Whenever your melting metals like these it is a very good idea to get a proper respirator because of the vapor can be very hard on your health and when dealing with copper your dealing with hydrogen cyanide.

[Eli Jensen]

Metal 99, that is very true. Especially when working with zinc. You can purchase pure tin on ebay, about $25/lb. Thats steep, but will make 10-15lbs of tin bronze. If anyone is able to make it, I would pay materials. Maybe split the yield? Eventually I want to do this myself but do not have the set up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tin-Shot-1-P...item4cffe4bd8c

[metal99]

really all you need for a crude setup is a cast iron pot, oxy/acet torch and some borax I have played around with brass quite a bit and even made my own by throwing a few pennys into some molten copper. (they were copper plated zink pennys)

[Doug Lester]

I wouldn't use a cast iron pot for something that melts at as high as temperature as copper. Ceramic or graphite crucibles are a better bet. Some come with pouring handles and the one's that don't could be handled with pick-up tongs, unless you go to a large size.

I found tin, also pewter and babbet metal at Roto-Metals. Haven't ordered from them since my last venture into casting bolsters but I assume they're still around.

Doug

[Eli Jensen]

I do not have an oxy/acet torch

[AUBE]

Our local welding supply shop rent torches out for the price of the gas...something to check into.

You can also make a simple smelter from refractory wool and a propane burner. I've seen people use a forge burner and just roll up the wool in a cone shape with a crucible at the top. It got plenty hot enough to melt copper. Theres a few examples online.

Of course buying the bronze would be easier once you locate the alloy you want.

[Eli Jensen]

I'll have to look into some designs. I've got a nice propane torch that puts out some serious heat. Also can use mapp. I might build a small something with a recipe I've seen for easy homemade refractory.

I'm looking for something like C905 or PB1. There are very difficult to find and VERY expensive to buy, like 10x that of brass.

I think I will eventually try and make it myself when I get some capital.

[GHEzell]

Phosphorus bronze is basically tin/copper bronze, very close to what was used in the old days except for a tiny bit of phosphorus thrown in...

It can be hot or cold forged, it just needs to be annealed occasionally or it gets brittle.

[Eli Jensen]

Yes you are correct. I cannot find a good source.

[GHEzell]

These guys have 20 gauge sheet: http://www.ottofrei.com/store/produc...at=3636&page=1
I recently ordered some from them, good service, if not a lot of sizes to choose from... you are right, it can be hard to find.