Smallshop
KNIFE MAKER
So I have been whining about the Aluminum Bronze that I am making my guards and heel cap from...It is justified whining (ask Fred's edge...)...drill a couple holes in it and the drill starts making that "skritching" sound on the second hole with a new drill...you know that sound they make before they break....lol.
Why not use brass? Don't prefer the more yellow tint (unless it's an 1866 yellow boy lever action...) also...the perception of brass being a lower quality knife metal.
John D suggested using another bronze....so yesterday I did some laps around the interwebs and got some insight. Bronze is not as available in a variety of sizes like brass or aluminum or steel....much more limited in choices...partially why I was using Al Bronze was size availability.
The easiest bronze to machine is Architectural Bronze 385....which is also known as Architectural Brass 385...which some surmise is to break the association as being hard to work with because it's Bronze....lol. Makes sense. So I ordered some from McMasters and it just showed up....and the color is BEAUTIFUL!!
The machinability is just a bit less than brass...and way easier than Al Bronze. Cost is about the same as the Al Bronze. I'm calling this a win....
Hopefully in the pic below you can see it is slightly more coppery than the Aluminum bronze...but definitely "bronzy" and not "brassy". the wide piece is 360 brass, the narrow piece is 385 bronze, the half machined piece is 954 Aluminum Bronze...
Thought I'd post this for any of you guys thinking about bronze.
Why not use brass? Don't prefer the more yellow tint (unless it's an 1866 yellow boy lever action...) also...the perception of brass being a lower quality knife metal.
John D suggested using another bronze....so yesterday I did some laps around the interwebs and got some insight. Bronze is not as available in a variety of sizes like brass or aluminum or steel....much more limited in choices...partially why I was using Al Bronze was size availability.
The easiest bronze to machine is Architectural Bronze 385....which is also known as Architectural Brass 385...which some surmise is to break the association as being hard to work with because it's Bronze....lol. Makes sense. So I ordered some from McMasters and it just showed up....and the color is BEAUTIFUL!!
The machinability is just a bit less than brass...and way easier than Al Bronze. Cost is about the same as the Al Bronze. I'm calling this a win....
Hopefully in the pic below you can see it is slightly more coppery than the Aluminum bronze...but definitely "bronzy" and not "brassy". the wide piece is 360 brass, the narrow piece is 385 bronze, the half machined piece is 954 Aluminum Bronze...
Thought I'd post this for any of you guys thinking about bronze.
