Yes you read that correctly. I am looking for brass and copper
alloyed with lead.
I am doing a research project, for my own gratification, whereI have
found that I need to get some thin sheets of leaded brass and
hopefully, leaded copper. I have found suppliers but the thinnest is
1/16th of an inch thick. So I thought that before I order, I wanted
to ask here on this forum if anyone might have a source for leaded
brass and/or copper in about 24 to 30 gauge. I only need a few
square inches of each. I was hoping toavoid having to roll my own
sheet as I am unsure how safe it is to anneal these metals several
times to get it that thin.
Thanks in advance!
Gerald A. Livings
Leaded brasses are made for rapid machining. They are hot short so
annealing to a red heat will ruin them.
you will have to roll your own if you want to go less than 1/16thin.
experiment is the way to find out.
got a mill?
Thanks for the info Ted. I will find a friend with a mill. But can
you explain what “hot short” means? I have never heard that term
before.
Gerald A. Livings
Someone asked what does hot short mean? it refers to free machining
brasses that are alloyed with up to 6 % lead. When heated to a cull
red heat, the lead precipitates out at the copper crystal boundaries
and if hammered hot will crack up like a carrot.
What % lead content are you looking for ?
I ended up purchasing a strip that was 3% lead. I will be rolling it
down this week to sheet. thanks for the info!
Gerald A. Livings Livingston