Ignoramus9970 wrote in news:d2joru$mmb
:

Someone is selling a few "beryllium copper rods".

BERYLIUM RODS (composition 1. 58 Bery; 0. 28 Cobalt; 0. 12 Nickel, and
other elements)7018, 7025(334), 7032(113), 7054, 7095. N658864267F302 55

ASTM, B196, C172 alloy (alloy 25)

Each bar is 24" long and approximately 2" thick (heavy stuff).

C172 alloy is described at

http://www.freedomalloysusa.com/be_co_f_r_p.shtml

Each rod should be approximately 30 lbs.

I am curious if these rods have any value at all, if so, what is their
use, and how much could they sell per lb.

i

BeCu is a fairly common alloy. You can be sure that there is some in your
house. I've machined loads of it, C172 cuts similar to 360 (half hard)
brass. It is used in RF connectors for the center contacts. It can be heat
treated and retains its "spring" so its ideal for making slotted and
crimped contacts. It's also used in fibre optic connectors, and as someone
else mentioned for non sparking hand tools. The amount of Beryllium in C172
is fairly low, and machining it is not especially hazardous. To be on the
safe side it's best not to do any machining that creates dust such as
grinding and buffing. A few years back there was a shortage of BeCu and
companies were paying big bucks for it. I'm not sure what the going rate is
for it today.

--

Dan