×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Contact US

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Alternative to red brass?
2

Alternative to red brass?

Alternative to red brass?

(OP)
I wanted to use solid red brass on a furniture project because of its color but I realized that its high density would create serious weight problems.  Is there a lighter alternative to red brass, but with the same redish color?  Can I use a light alloy like Aluminum as the base and lay a thin layer of red brass on it?
Also, is there an industrial product I can use to prevent or slow down the natural corrosion of brass so that it only needs to be polished once every couple of years?  
Finally, the brass element would be flush with wood.  Does anyone know how the polish to clean brass would affect the wood?  Thank you for your insight.  

RE: Alternative to red brass?

Be careful in your selection of a metal to be next to wood.  Wood is NOT  a passive element.  It gives off organic acids over time and the result can be devastating.  A "museum of bullets" made its display cabinets out of wood only to find that all the lead cartriges soon formed a white corrosion product (lead forms a plethora of metallo-organic compounds)and most of its brass cartridge cases developed stress corrosion cracks.

RE: Alternative to red brass?

(OP)
Thank you bilge.  This was going to be my next question.  I have seen, on hunting knives for example, the inlay of wood on what I assume is yellow brass and there seem to be no problems there.  In the case of furniture, I'd like to know if common wood cleaners will corrode or otherwise affect the metal element (brass, copper, aluminum or stainless steel) or vise versa, if metal cleaners will affect the wood?  If so, will I need to layer either one or both with protective coatings?

RE: Alternative to red brass?

Have you thought about an anodized aluminum?  The anodized aluminum can be colored to give you a red color.  In the case of either aluminum or brass, I would suggest that you look at putting a urethane or varnish coating over the metal to help protect it against corrosion.  In the case of polished brass, copper, or aluminum, these metals can be tarnished (corroded) by the touch of a hand, depending on what you have been eating, handling, etc.  The urethane or varnish coating will prevent this tarnishing, preserve your polished finish, and help protect against the wood cleaning products, etc.

RE: Alternative to red brass?

(OP)
Thanks "metengine".  "etch" gave me the same suggestion to red anodize Al, but I want to preserve the "natural" looking color of red brass.  Do you have urethane or varnish products in mind?  The most practical application method would be to dip the part in the protective solution, is that correct?  Wouldn't urethane (or varhish for that matter) lose its transparency after a few years?

RE: Alternative to red brass?

vicbee,

Aluminium anodzing allows a variety of colors, including strage things like wood grain.  You can get a red brass type color, so try this method.  Regarding polymer transparency, if you get the right one, then no, you won't lose transparency.  Look for UV stabilized - ultraviolet radiation is the most common source for surface degradation, including transparency loss.

RE: Alternative to red brass?

I would suggest a sheet inlay of red brass or bronze and just coat the entire project with 50/50 mix of boiled linseed/danish oil to protect the metal and the wood.

RE: Alternative to red brass?

(OP)
Thank you all for your suggestions.  Will look into them.  Boiled linseed/danish oil?  This solution may be difficult as this will turn into a production project.  What is the mix's properties?  Can it be matched by industrial products?  I was suggested Incralac to protect copper, although I'm not sure how that will affect the wood.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! Already a Member? Login


Resources

Low-Volume Rapid Injection Molding With 3D Printed Molds
Learn methods and guidelines for using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed molds in the injection molding process to lower costs and lead time. Discover how this hybrid manufacturing process enables on-demand mold fabrication to quickly produce small batches of thermoplastic parts. Download Now
Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
Examine how the principles of DfAM upend many of the long-standing rules around manufacturability - allowing engineers and designers to place a part’s function at the center of their design considerations. Download Now
Taking Control of Engineering Documents
This ebook covers tips for creating and managing workflows, security best practices and protection of intellectual property, Cloud vs. on-premise software solutions, CAD file management, compliance, and more. Download Now

Close Box

Join Eng-Tips® Today!

Join your peers on the Internet's largest technical engineering professional community.
It's easy to join and it's free.

Here's Why Members Love Eng-Tips Forums:

Register now while it's still free!

Already a member? Close this window and log in.

Join Us             Close