Welding brass?

Disco Stu

Disco Stu

Joined
Nov 9, 1999
Messages
1,137
A few nights ago my parents bought a new bed and started to throw away the old one. The old one was made of brass so I pulled it out of the trash. The steel rails I had hoped were high carbon, were not, but at least I now have an ass-load of brass. On to my question: Can I weld brass together in my propane forge? What I have at the moment is many hollow brass tubes that are useless as they are but would be great bolster/guard material if I could form them into bars. Since I haven't gotten around to building my foundry, I'm wondering if I can weld them together. Can it be done? Would I need a flux?

Thanks.
 
Solid brass. At first I thought it would be brass plated steel but it's brass all the way through.
 
If it was me & the was in good
shape I would just try to sale it.
Then go buy some brass
 
I learned a couple of months ago at a hammer-in that welding brass in a forge will be the last weld that happens in that forge. Not only are the welding-heat brass fumes toxic and deadly, but they seep into the forge and prevent further welds from sticking.

I just happened to ask about combining brass and steel for Damascus, and was told the hard facts. Some of this stuff is really dangerous.

You might want to do some reading before you try anything new and be certain that your new idea won't kill you.

I was real lucky to ask before I poisoned myself.

Dave
 
You can take the tubes and cut them in half or just open one side,then spread open some.Cut it to handleable lengths before you do this.Then heat with a torch till it is red and quench in water and continue straightening them out to flat.If they are to thin for bolsters or guards you can use the jewelers method of making Mokume and that is to take layers of the brass and copper or nickel silver or what ever you want and tin all sides with a silver solder then press together with something like a fire brick and heat the stack with a torch until all the solder has fused to itself between all the pieces.Then carefully cut and grind without getting to much heat in the piece and breaking the joint to make your pieces.
You might try a small piece to see if you like the looks of it...You can also just do Brass to brass and this would give a silver line between the pieces.
Just a idea I found in a old jewelery making book I have.
Good luck.
Bruce
 
Thanks for the info guys. I had forgotten about that toxic thing.

Sylvester, the bed is not in very good shape. In fact, in order to sell it I would have to buff every single square inch. My father sprayed it with a clear acrylic coating for metals thinking it would retain it's shine that way. Instead, the coating is yellowed and spotty. Too much trouble. But at the very least I got dozens of nuts that would look great at the end of pommels. :)

Bruce, good idea. Might have to try that.
 
Reguarding the poison zinc gas - surely there's some way to protect one's self. Do you think a good respirator with filters for paint fumes would keep out the death gas?

Bruce, must it be silver solder? Think regular tin solder would work?
 
That should work..I wasn't meaning silver braze,but just the regular silver solder that you use to solder your guards with.Lead solder is really to low of heat,but you can try it .Experiment ..
Bruce
 
Using your charcoal forge as the heat source for silver brazing (hard soldering) brass to brass is an ancient practice. No harm is done, as far as fumes go,unless you get it so hot that a component of the alloy is vaporized. You can however easily over heat brass, drive off the zinc and leave copper behind, but by that time the work will have become semi-molten and lumpish. It is much easier to use a small propane torch, etc to silver solder (hard solder) brass. You can fabricate all sorts of small parts for knives this way. Silver soldered (hard soldered) brass is very strong if you have a tight joint.
 
or just wait untill you get the foundry set up, then melt itand cast it into more suitable parts.

in any case have fun :D
 
I've never had zinc poisening from brass, but have had minor case from welding galvanized metal. It's no fun, and it is cumulative.

If you get a mild case, drink plenty of milk, it doesn't cure it, but will help you to feel a little better.

A good chemical resperator should protect you, check to see it it is rated for zink. Your local welding supplier should be able to tell you.
 
How about cutting the brass into pices (save the dust) then melt it down in a crucible, and pour it into bars?
 
That's probably what I'll end up doing. I'll buy a crucible from Budget Castng Supply and melt with a torch until I get a blast furnace made. Thanks everyone.
 
How thick is the material?
I would just cut it to manageable lengths, split one side and then flatten them out. I do this all the time with copper pipe.
Be sure to remove all the lacquer before heating it with a torch.
 
O.K. I didn't know,

I have melted brass on a cable damascus blade in my forge with no ill effects. I did make sure that I had a good welding respirator on and plenty of ventilation. The blade was only mediocore,(like my spelling):o but looked kinda neat and I did not experience any problems with future welds. Brass melts at around 1750 deg. F. and you have to take it up to around 1850 to get it to flow out into a mould nice. Additionally the mould should be rather hot or the brass will have a wrinkly look to it. If you cut the bed into short tubes split them down the middle and flatten them out the pieces can be fused together like making mokume and you are not melting the brass so the danger of zinc poisoning is not as great. Or just go all out and insert layers of copper or nickle silver between the layers of brass and fuse and wa la you have mokume for you fittings.


Bill B????
 
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