brass springs?

[dpasek]

There is a remote possibility of making a spring of sorts out of brass. With working with copper or brass; to soften (annealing) it a person would heat it and quench it in water. As the metal is worked/hammered; it would harden and eventually become brittle. The opposite happens with high carbon steel. You heat it and quench it to make it very hard = brittle. To soften it you would apply “controlled heat” by either a temperature controlled oven or the old method of polishing the item and applying heat to it over a forge fire or torch. Then watching the colour change. As the metal is heated it goes through a series of colours. Purple is the desired colour to attain a spring. As soon as that happens; quickly quench it in oil to halt it at the spring stage. I’m guessing that you could obtain some springiness by “controlled” hammering.” I think the springiness would increase with usage. The formulation/% of copper to steel would have to be pretty precise to attain consistent results.

You do not add copper to steel, for the most part. It produces undesirable properties other than corrosion resistance in certain applications (Cor-Ten). What you have said about tempering applies only to plain carbon steel, like 10100. Alloy steels, like HSLA or Tool steels, are different animals entirely.
In terms of the alloy systems involved; brass is a eutectic, and steel is a eutectoid. Very, very different.

 

[Rudyard]

Gun barrels where made useing hammered brass The "Invention' of one Felix Werder of Zurich c1650 but he never revealed how it was made . Canon too but plenty of mass .in them. I made a rifle' After ' our 'Felix ' but used steel brl for want of any brass option .WE know brass springs don't work but the Japonees didnt so made thousands of them .
Hmm Cheers Rudyard

 

[dpasek]

Did you say that "brass springs don't work"? I didn't. I said they don't work very well. Bronze springs work better. Steel springs work better yet. Bronze springs might work better than steel springs where magnetics or corrosion are a concern. Why use an inferior product that your life might depend on when you can produce a better one for substantially similar effort. The army with the best technology is the most likely to win.

 

[FlinterNick]

WRONG ... you missed the step where you hammered the springiness into the parent material ... a very critical step in spring making!

The brass has to have a high tensile strength, that would have to include something else other than copper and zinc. The Japanese were excellent at metallurgy so i would also suspect that what may look like brass is actually a type of bronze that which has some types of steel or tin mixed in it, this material is commonly used on jewelry box latches, clock springs, brass coil springs etc.

 

[LRB]

Of course springs can be made of brass, of course they are not going to work for very long.

As best I know, most all metals, even non-ferrous metals, have a natural elastic quality. In some it can be enhanced by work hardening. Others by heat treatment. This elasticity has limits before taking a set, work hardening, or breaking and would depend on flexibility being confined within these limitations.

 

[LRB]

WRONG ... you missed the step where you hammered the springiness into the parent material ... a very critical step in spring making!

No sir! Not in steel spring making. Strong steel springs are made by heat treating alone. Any hammering beyond the required shaping, while red hot, would only add unwanted stress to the spring. Non-ferrous metals perhaps, but not steel of high carbon where strength and power is needed.

 

[Henry Elwood]

Greetings,
These are all Brass Springs made from just Brass Stock from my stores. Nothing special. Both V and Flat Springs for my last Wheellock. Flint62 is correct when he mentions Hammering the tension into the material. These springs operated just fine. Thanks, Hank

 

[BillinOregon]

Hank, do you hammer in the tension, then make the bends?

 

[Henry Elwood]

Hank, do you hammer in the tension, then make the bends?

Greetings,
Good question. The thing I've learned is you can't rely on 21st Century skills. I've found the 'ol Boy were mechanical/physical. With Brass you have to start larger an file to shape as you go. Also what you're watching for the/a sequence. Like on the V Spring. You have to figure out over all length and where your bend is going to be. Mark your bend, then don't strike the bend but start hammering out. New thing to watch for, "Sound", when you start hammering Brass the sound on the Anvil will be a dull thud as you hammer, what you're looking for is a ring. Then you turn it around and hammer again from the center out. At this point the material is wider and longer than you want. Remark your dimensions and file it out again to your desired shape. Now go back to your center (that hasn't been hammered)= soft. This takes a little practice/ just a small area. Make your bend. You don't have to hammer hard just enough for your bend and positioning. The Arms have the tension. The V doesn't have to be. That's why in the photos the V spring for the Primary/Secondary Sear is tight and the V for the Operating Arm is more open. This is just regular Brass no special alloy. I hope it helps. Hank