Brass Durability

[jcrous]

I have seen countless examples where aluminium was used in stead of steel and it worked. Not so hard but working.

I have now seen this web page :http://www.metallmodellbau.de/

The owner is using Brass (although more expensive, it is possibly more durable)
Take for example a brass tap. The mechanism is rubbing against each other for very long years and it still last.

Here he made tool holders for a QCTP: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Kleine-WSP-Halter.php

Here parts of the T & C Grinder: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Bohrer-Schleifer.php

Parts of this grinding rest: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Schwenk-Schleifauflage.php

QCTP: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Stahlhalter-Eigenbau.php

A lot here: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Miniaturfraesspindel.php

Boring Head: http://www.metallmodellbau.de/Ausdrehkopf-Eigenbau.php

Advanced grinding rest:  http://www.metallmodellbau.de/schleiftisch.php


I just want to know what is your opinion on the use of brass. It will machine easily on my mini mill. I just don't know how durable / hard it is.

Will I be able to cast in brass?

[stovebolt]

Hi jcrous,
  Thanks for posting, I like the QCTP he made.   I have cast brass one time, it takes a lot more heat
than AL, but doable.  My un-qualified opinion, I think brass would work, here's a link to a set sold by Little Machine Shop, made with AL, they have been selling them for some time, my thinking is if Al will work why not brass. 


         http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2461&category=-419988835

[doubleboost]

If you can cast brass
You will be able to cast bronze
That would be a much better (if more expensive material)
They use alloy bronze gor bearings and gear wheels in industry
John

[Deko]

Hi Johan
           Have a look at my thread on "Fibre optic clock" to see quite a lot of brass that i am hoping will last for quite a long time.

Cheers Dek.

[doubleboost]

Brass is very nasty stuff when molten giving off fumes from the zink content
I have made myself poorly before  melting brass
Bronze is a much better alloy to play with
John

[Jonny]

Phosphur bronze scraped in bearing cups on my ole ML7 didnt last long, hate to think on a crank. OK for slow moving items.

Hate brass horrible stuff looks cheap but easy to work with at expense of getting stabbed with splinters. No or very little elasticity ie no memory, so when it bends it stays bent, not to mention extra cost over even MS.

Cant be hard stuff ie steels or hard coatings on a hard surface.

[sparky961]

Slightly OT, but I like the one labeled "Pimp Den China Drill".  Your German doesn't have to be great to understand that one.    I made a similar depth stop collar for the last drill I had.  I now have one that works off the handle shaft.

Think about where you see brass used on commercially produced goods - and where it is conspicuously absent.  There's often a good reason (beyond price) for the use of a particular metal.

I had some unknown bronze that I machined a while back for my bandsaw repair... which I really need to finish.  Maybe it was how I was going about it, but the stuff seemed to be very hard and resist machining.  I suspect that it will be very long wearing in the gear box.

-Sparky

[DavidA]

Sperky,

Maybe it was aluminium bronze.  I mentoned in another post that I was having problems with this stuff.. It seems to work harden if you don't take fairly robust cuts.
Pity really as I had a fair stock of it.

Dave.