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High-Performance Blades Sharing ideas for getting the most out of our steel. |
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#1
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Bronze baby!
So I had this going in another topic, but I am way too proud of myself not to rename it such! I had a hard time sourcing historically accurate tin bronze, and so decided to make it myself. Been working on it conceptually for a long time, but like always was a bit easier than I thought.
I seemed to have some problems with back pressure. The cavity was really small. It seemed almost like I was getting it hotter with less pressure since I could keep the lid on all the way. Any higher with the lid on and I feared my torch would melt. I started with propane and it melted 850 grains of tin and copper to flow point, but would solidify before I could pour. Man lemme tell you even with welding gloves that stuff is HOT . I busted out the big guns, MAPP. Brightest I've ever personally seen. Almost white! Plenty hot enough, poured with no problem. Downsides, A full crucible didn't even fill the 5oz mold. I can fill it a little more but its pushing it. To make many bars I'd have to let the crucible cool down each time, fill it up, heat it back up again. Also I only have one graphite mold, but working on more from homemade recipe. Could get some more crucibles. All in all, a good start I think. Estimated costs excluding shipping: 1 firebrick $5 1 lb satanite $4.50 10oz crucible $15 5oz mold $27 Pliers for pull tongs $.99 at the thrift Tongs with tips forged to shade $1.99 at thrift Total cost of project: $54.48 Cost if tin bronze was available commercially: <$54.48 I also used a tish of ITC-100 ($15 for 1/4lb), my TS8000 ($50) that came with the mapp, welding gloves ($15), and half face respirator ($30). |
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#3
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Great job!!!
Larry Peterson |
#4
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Very cool!
You'll be casting bronze age blades before you know it.... __________________ A good friend told me one time about forging "What is there not to like, you get to break all the rules you were told as a kid, don't play with that it is sharp, don't play with fire, and don't beat on that" Wade Holloway See some of my work. |
#5
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So I was doing 10% tin, but the bronze was coming out WAY too hard and brittle. I read somewhere that this mix is as hard as iron, and I believe it. But I couldn't hammer it worth a darn, or draw it, or anything it would crumble. Also it does not flow well, and oxidizes heavily with a thick black film. While this was my ideal allow and would be great on a knife, getting it on there would be a problem as it cannot really be worked.
I've since lowered the non-Cu to 5%, and experimented with adding zinc. I was hoping to avoid zinc so that it could not be called brass by anyone. I've settled on .5% zinc, 4.5% tin, and 95% copper. It flows a little better, much more malleable, and much reduced oxidation when cast. With update when I test it further. P.S. I can see why .5% phosphorus is added to tin to make phosphor bronze, probably for the same reasons. Cannot find a source of phosphorus so zinc will work fine. P.P.S. Zinc is evil and fumes deadly toxic death when heated above 300-400F, even at half a grain, so YES I AM wearing a respirator. |
Tags |
brass, forged, hammer, iron, knife, make, project, tips |
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