Using Brass for a Frame Lock

J

J.S. Carter

Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
915
Well as the title suggests I'd like to use brass sheetstock (.062 x 2") to make a frame lock similar to a sebenza (yea I know I'm aiming a bit high there, but ya gotta have a standard to shoot for right? :eek::foot:) I'm wondering if the brass will have enough "spring" to reliably move the 1/8" inch or so every time? I have a stick of .125 x 1" x 72" CPM S30V to make the blades out of. I like the idea of using brass becuase i havent seen one yet. and it's reletively stainless, looks good. easy to machine... etc

What do you think? would it work?


Jason
 
I'm more curious as to how well it'll hold up over time. Brass is pretty soft stuff compared to the usual materials.
 
No brass just doesn't have the right properties. Brass treated for springs is far too weak to be reliable, and too soft to hold any pressure. You could braze brass stock onto a lock theoretically.
 
It's been used for liner locks so at least it's possible for a frame lock.You have to pick the right brass and right hardness.
 
If you can find the right brass it might have enough spring but I think the lock face will still wear down faster than stainless or ti and it will work harden and break easier.
 
Your wasting your time starting with an inferior material. And you said it's .062, a 1/16 thick. Not even thick enough for a frame lock. IT would most likely bend under pressure. If you screwed it together you would eventually strip out the threads.

Why would you waste a good bar of CPM S30V on a test project? Get some O-1 and play with that for your prototype.
 
I've got an old liner lock that has a brass liner. I use it weekly (it's in my carry rotation) and have for years.
 
I made couple dozen liner locks with 1/16" cutlery brass.
Back before the internet and knife forums was around to tell me it would not work. ;)
I sold them to hunters that used them hard and they held up fine. I would bend the lock all the way over and spine wack the crap out of them. Some would have play but my main concern was not accidentally closing.

Cutlery brass has much more "spring" than nickel silver or 300 series ss.
I found out early on from trying it.

Only thing is I would not want to try to sell one with brass these days.
 
Wow such a difference of opinion! ooohkay . . . yea this would not be for sale... I'm curious those of you who have said no... have you tried it? The reason I ask is not to be a smart alek (well, not the first reason atleast :D) just curious why you say it wont work... brass was used in wind up clocks for YEARS before steel was ever mass produced.
And the reason i'm gonna use S30V is becuase I have it, and it's not doing anything else right now. and 3-3/4" off of 72" isnt going to make that big of a dent in it.

Thank you to those who posted who are talking from experiance I appreciate it!
 
Brass is a relatively soft and weak material that is easy to machine and has good corrosion resistance in certain circumstances (air and water), but can develop a nasty tarnish. I wouldn't recommend it while there are other more suitable materials readily available. This may be a case of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". You could make aluminum work too (full hard 7075 for example), but that would be dumb.

Bronze, which is similar to brass, would probably be much better. Bronze can be had quite hard, quite strong, with excellent wear resistance and tends to develop a nice patina. But, it can be more difficult to machine than steel.

And I am talking from experience.
 
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