making brass guards

[GrayWall04]

I bought some brass bar stock a while back and thought I could just heat it up and shape it like still so I could make a big S guard but to my dimay it seemed to get brittle as it got hotter. The only thing I can think of now is stock removal but that would waste a lot of brass. Also, I'm in Afghanistan and picked up two hand crank forge blowers for 15 dollars yesterday. They are cheap made and aren't as nice as my buffalo forge blower but a whole lot more affordable.

 

[fitzo]

There may be some pertinent info here for ya. Brass is finicky stuff.

http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/bra_faq_index.htm

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Brass and copper are usually hot hard, and are therefore cold work materials. If you need to anneal it, heat it up to dull red color and dunk in water just as the red color goes away. Then you can hammer it to any shape you like. Some brasses are easier to work than others, depending on the alloy.
Stacy

 

[David Wesner]

Hi GrayWall04, Thanks for serving :thumbup: Good link fitzo