Working Bronze

RUJOCO

RUJOCO

Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
417
Anyone have ACTUAL experience with this stuff ?

I have a piece of 3/4" alloy 932 bronze round that's been haunting my shop for a while. I want to use it for fittings on a larger knife in the works. My local knowitall:rolleyes: tells me it can be worked cold which I seriously doubt. He made a doodad for a whatnot once:rolleyes:. It's a long way from 3/4 round to bowie guard and ferrule with a hammer. Thanks for any help.
 
It can and should be worked cold but it will work harden and must be annealed with a torch before carrying on working it.

Heat until very dull red and water quench.

George
 
Thanks George.
Sounds simple enough, it's pretty much like working with copper. I was concerned about the work hardening and having a deformed hunk of crap full of cracks. Thanks.
 
Oh Oh! me me! I have actual experience working with bronze! *raising hand*

Oh.. you mean forging it.. nope not really... *sulking*

Yup. Its ass backward from steel. Cool slow to harden, quench to anneal. I don't know why that is.
 
Nathan,

Being a machinist, maybe you'll know why:
I've never seen bronze flat or square bar (????). Not that I've done a in depth search.
 
rocketman and J.S., thanks for enlightening me.

Flat or square bar would beat the hell out of this round if I ever need it again.
 
RUJOCO said:
Nathan,

Being a machinist, maybe you'll know why:
I've never seen bronze flat or square bar (????). Not that I've done a in depth search.
Click to expand...

As already mentioned, square(ish) bronze is available, but round is very common. One of the principal uses of bronze is for bearings applications where bushings are turned out of bronze, thus round is very common in most shops while square is less so.
 
Remember that each bronze is different ! Some actually can be forged and some can be hardened by HT. Typically it's a hammer, anneal ,hammer anneal. There is a limit to how much cold work it will take but it will tell you - it cracks ! The original bronze swords ,like iron were often work hardened on the edges. Often bronze is picked for color. Silicon bronze is more yellow, phospor bronze is more read .Silicon bronze is very common , a good choice. There is also leaded bronze used for machined items but stay away from these for any kind of cold work or forging.
 
Atlas Metals in Denver Co...www.atlasmetals.com has Si Bnz in sheet, bar, rod..all sizes, and will ship small amounts, also other metals.

Silicon bronze can be cold-worked by repeated annealings, and can in fact be cold-hammered to a great extent between annealings, experience tells, but it can also be forged at a dull red color. As a boat-builder, I've had access to lots of SI Bnz bolts, which I've forged to be used as knife fittings. Have also purchased sheet, etc from Atlas for fittings.

Hope this info helps.

John
 
I've done a little bit of bronze forging with Silicon Bronze. Heat to a dull red and don't work it too hard and you'll be fine. When you have it to the shape/size you want, heat to a dull red and water quench. That will leave it annealed to be worked into your fittings.

-d
 
Thanks for all the responses. I'll be trying it out soon.
I hadn't looked for it or given the bronze much thought untill I saw a couple threads here. Why not try something new.:eek:
Thanks all.:thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top