Hi all

Today I tried melting brass for the first time. I had some nice heavy
brass padlocks around and so I dumped them into my 4" pipe crucible. After
2 hours and several pounds of charcoal the padlocks were orange but simply
the brass did not flow. I did not took the steel pieces apart since I'm
lazy and I expected to fish them out when the brass melted.
Is padlock brass the yellow brass novices are cautioned against? If so,
what would be a common scrap source for silicon bronze? Taps, hinges,
fittings, something?

regards,


Mongke

Hotter. More charcoal (more underneath?), lid, more air.
You're almost there!

Tim

--
"That's for the courts to decide." - Homer Simpson
Website @ http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

"mongke" wrote in message
...
Hi all

Today I tried melting brass for the first time. I had some nice heavy
brass padlocks around and so I dumped them into my 4" pipe crucible. After
2 hours and several pounds of charcoal the padlocks were orange but simply
the brass did not flow. I did not took the steel pieces apart since I'm
lazy and I expected to fish them out when the brass melted.
Is padlock brass the yellow brass novices are cautioned against? If so,
what would be a common scrap source for silicon bronze? Taps, hinges,
fittings, something?

regards,


Mongke

Mongke:

I can melt brass w/charcoal, but I have to do it on the first load of coals,
adding more isn't enough.
I agree with Tim. More air, better air flow - that's part of my problem
adding more coals, the ash starts filling up. And a top.

"mongke" wrote in message
...
Hi all

Today I tried melting brass for the first time. I had some nice heavy
brass padlocks around and so I dumped them into my 4" pipe crucible. After
2 hours and several pounds of charcoal the padlocks were orange but simply
the brass did not flow. I did not took the steel pieces apart since I'm
lazy and I expected to fish them out when the brass melted.
Is padlock brass the yellow brass novices are cautioned against? If so,
what would be a common scrap source for silicon bronze? Taps, hinges,
fittings, something?

regards,


Mongke

In article ,
mongke wrote:
Hi all

Today I tried melting brass for the first time. I had some nice heavy
brass padlocks around and so I dumped them into my 4" pipe crucible. After
2 hours and several pounds of charcoal the padlocks were orange but simply
the brass did not flow.

Are you sure that they are not bronze, instead? I'm not sure
what the difference in melting point is between the two, but I know that
my old Yale padlock is bronze, not brass, and I would expect others to
be as well -- at least those intended to be out in the weather and to
take a beating.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 02:19:12 +0000, DoN. Nichols wrote:

In article ,
mongke wrote:
Hi all

Today I tried melting brass for the first time. I had some nice heavy
brass padlocks around and so I dumped them into my 4" pipe crucible. After
2 hours and several pounds of charcoal the padlocks were orange but simply
the brass did not flow.

Are you sure that they are not bronze, instead? I'm not sure
what the difference in melting point is between the two, but I know that
my old Yale padlock is bronze, not brass, and I would expect others to
be as well -- at least those intended to be out in the weather and to
take a beating.

Good Luck,
DoN.

Actually I can't say. I remember the packaging of at least one read
"brass". All they are yellow tending to slight green. Some of them were
outdoors and came in fine.

regards,

Mongke